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October 29, 2011 • Vol. XVIII • No. 22 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Detroit-Windsor Bridge Fails to Clear Key Step
2011 ICUEE Draws 16,000 Attendees...8
By Tim Martin ASSOCIATED PRESS
raised even more, an 8-mi. (13 km) embankment has been built and is now being lengthened to 12 mi. (19.3 km), and about 300 homes and businesses have been relocated. Devils Lake is a closed basin, meaning it has no inlet or outlet within the Red River Hudson Bay Drainage System, leaving the water level at the mercy of rain, evaporation or entering the groundwater table. The level of the lake has fluctuated from only 2 ft. (0.6 m) deep in 1940 to about 60 ft. (18.3 m) at some points now.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) Supporters of a proposed new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, scrambled Oct. 20 to revive the plan after losing a key vote in a Michigan Senate committee. The Republican-led Senate Economic Development Committee defeated a measure to authorize the bridge in a long-anticipated vote. Two Republicans supported the measure and three opposed it. Democrats abstained from voting because the bill didn’t include provisions aimed at protecting residents in the southwest Detroit neighborhoods that would be affected by the new span. A spokeswoman of Republican Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, who sponsored the bridge legislation, said there were no plans to do anything more with the bill defeated and no nearterm plans to introduce alternative legislation. That would be a legislative defeat for first-year Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who supports the new bridge. But Snyder wouldn’t quit on the proposal Oct. 20, calling for a “cooling down period” to talk to lawmakers about the proposal. “We’re going to continue to pursue this as a solution because we should build a bridge for our citizens,” Snyder said. “It’s in their best interest.”
see FLOODING page 86
see BRIDGE page 30
One of the constants the contractor had to cope with during Phase 3 of the project in July of 2011 was slurry, which was effectively dealt with by excavators.
McCann Delivers Lunch to Wacker D rive Crews...12
Flooding Becomes Problem in Devil’s Lake Project By Dorinda Anderson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Morba rk Hold s Demo Days Ev ent. ..5 0
Table of Contents ....................4
Increasingly high water levels over the last several years is once again creating a need to raise road heights and build embankments to protect the city of Devils Lake in northeastern North Dakota. Combating the high water levels by raising road levels, moving structures and building levees has cost almost $1 billion over the years. More than 40 mi. (64.3 km) of road have been raised and some are now being
Snow & Ice Section ..........37-45 Crawler Loaders, Dozers, Undercarriages & Parts Section ..........................................51-56 Parts Section..........................57 Paving Section..................71-81 Auction Section ....Starts at 86 Business Calendar ................87 Advertisers Index ..................94
AGC Reports Materials Prices Flatten in Sept. The amount contractors pay for a range of key construction materials held steady in September but climbed 8.1 percent from the year-earlier level, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released Oct. 18 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Meanwhile, the price contractors charge for new nonresidential building con-
struction edged up only 2 to 3 percent over 12 months, depending on building type. “Feeble demand for construction is forcing contractors to absorb the bulk of materials price hikes, instead of passing them along to owners,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “This pattern has persisted for more than two years, and many con-
tractors are increasingly at risk of going under.” Simonson noted that key materials showed divergent price trends in September but all posted double-digit year-over-year increases. Those materials include diesel fuel, which was up 3.3 percent for the month and 39.4 percent see PRICES page 47