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October 12, 2013 • Vol. IXX • No. 21 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Insolvency Crisis Looms as Map-21 Law Expires in 2014
ICUEE 2013 Attendence Impresses M any...12
of Sept. 25, causing the deck to sag and the bridge to be closed to traffic indefinitely. WisDOT reported that the investigation is ongoing, but the bridge deck and Pier 22 appear to be in good shape. The inspection reportedly revealed that pilings for Pier 22 that are located 8 ft. (2.4 m) below the bottom of the concrete footing had buckled,
As the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) lurches toward its fifth insolvency crisis in seven years when the MAP-21 surface transportation law expires in September 2014, federal surface transportation investment to the states could be dealt a crippling blow unless Congress acts, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) said at a Sept. 25 hearing on Capitol Hill. Testifying before the Environment & Public Works Committee, ARTBA President Pete Ruane told senators that federal highway funds account for nearly 52 percent of state roadway and bridge capital outlays annually. Eleven states rely on the program for 70 percent or more of their road and bridge capital improvements, and 20 states rely on federal reimbursements for 50 to 69 percent of their capital outlays. For the remaining 19 states, federal investment accounts for 35 to 49 percent of their highway construction activities. “Although the amount of reliance on federal funds for needed road and bridge improvements may vary state by state, it is clear that for the vast majority of states the effectiveness of their highway construction programs are heavily dependent on a strong and reliable federal partner,” Ruane said. According to a July Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, the HTF would be unable to support any new highway and transit investments in fiscal year 2015. “We should be clear that the continuing saga with the Highway Trust Fund’s solvency is not the result of runaway spending,” Ruane said. “In fact, federal highway
see BRIDGE page 100
see HTF page 94
WisDOT photo
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) northeast region in Green Bay held a news conference on Oct. 3, to release findings regarding the Leo Frigo (I-43) Bridge. Pier 22 on the bridge’s east side sank 2 ft. (.61 m) on the morning of Sept. 25, causing the deck to sag and the bridge to be closed to traffic indefinitely. Ritchie Hosts Chicago Sale...98
ConExpo Retro See page 28 for an ongoing series of highlights from past ConExpos as they were reported in the pages of CEG.
Table of Contents ....................4 Snow & Ice Section ..........33-37 Attachment & Parts Section .... ..........................................39-43 Truck & Trailer Section ..59-69 Recycling Section ............71-87 Business Calendar ................91 Auction Section ............93-101 Advertisers Index ................102
Investigation on Sagging Leo Frigo Bridge Continues By Brenda Ruggiero CEG CORRESPONDENT
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) northeast region in Green Bay held a news conference on Oct. 3, to release findings regarding the Leo Frigo (I-43) Bridge. Pier 22 on the bridge’s east side sank 2 ft. (.61 m) on the morning
ASA’s Bigane Speaks Out Against Payment Abuses ASA Past President Anne Bigane Wilson made a radical statement about subcontractor payment abuses at the ENR Risk & Compliance Summit on Sept. 20 in New York City — the purpose of which was to discuss how contractors manage risk, including subcontractor default. “Construction subcontractors
and suppliers should get paid promptly and in-full for work properly performed,” she said. “While it may seem silly for that to be a radical statement, it is a sad fact that in our construction industry many subcontractors and suppliers do not routinely get paid promptly — and sometimes not at all — for their work.”
Richard Korman, Engineering News-Record’s managing senior editor of ENR.com, noted in his “Views Differ from Places on the Payment Flow-Chart” that Wilson’s “conversation seemed to have as much to do with morality and the public good as with management. The prompt payments that subs need to stay alive, she
implied, were just as important as the risks to the prime contractor of subs going belly up,” Korman wrote. Wilson, who is president of both Bigane Paving Co., a fourthgeneration family firm specializing in asphalt paving, and Ogden Avenue Materials Inc., an asphalt see ASA page 94