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November 8, 2014 • Vol. IXX • No. 23 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
Ohio Span Nears End of Life, Receives Revamp By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT
How ell Tractor Tees Up in Illinois...8
Minnesota Fall Expo Feat ures Demos...12
The replacement of the 3,000 ft. (914.4 m) long deck of the six-lane bridge (three northbound and three southbound) on the I-77 in Independence (a suburb of Cleveland) for the Ohio Department of Transportation should be completed by The Ruhlin Company by June 2016. The bridge, built in 1965, has 121,000 vehicles cross it daily and it spans Canal and Granger Roads, the Cuyahoga River and Valley, and Fuhrmeyer Road, as well as several businesses. “The major piece of the construction started this year,” said Jim Ruhlin Jr., project superintendent. “The preliminary work began in 2013 with some minor work of building the crossovers. The $27 million project will be completed in 2016, with some paving work, finish ups, and the putting back of some of the barrier that were torn up for the crossover work. The major phases are for this year and next — running from the beginning of March to the end of October. “This year we are removing and
The replacement of the 3,000 ft. (914.4 m) long deck of the six-lane bridge (three northbound and three southbound) on the I-77 in Independence (a suburb of Cleveland) for the Ohio Department of Transportation should be completed by The Ruhlin Company by June 2016.
replacing 3,000 feet of bridge deck on the southbound side, which has a width of about 266 feet at the south end that is essentially four lanes,” he added. “It widens because this is the bridge just north of the 480 Interchange, with I-480
Table of Contents ................4
Most Firms Report Trouble Finding Construction Employment Qualified Workers
Attachment & Parts Section ......................................41-45
Expands in 236 Metro Areas
Nit ke Hosts 4 9th Annua l WCA.. .104
Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................49-57 Snow & Ice Section ......61-67 Recycling Section ........81-97 Auction Section ......103-113 Business Calendar ..........106 Advertisers Index ............114
Construction employment expanded in 236 metro areas, declined in 53 and was stagnant in 50 between September 2013 and September 2014, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released Oct. 29 by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Association officials said that as firms expand their payrolls, many are finding a limited supply of available qualified workers. “It is good news that construction employment gains have spread to more than two-thirds of the nation’s metro areas,” said Ken
see ODOT page 70
Simonson, chief economist of the association. “But there is a growing risk that contractors in many of these regions will have trouble finding qualified workers to complete the rising volume of projects.” Houston-Sugar LandBaytown, Texas, added see AGC page 110
Most construction firms report they are having trouble finding qualified craft workers to fill key spots as the industry recovers from its years-long downturn, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released Oct. 22 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called for new career and technical school programs, as well as other workforce measures to offset the labor shortages. “As the survey results make clear, many construction firms across the country are having a hard time filling available positions,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors. “Considering how much the nation’s educational focus has moved away from teaching students career and technical skills during the past few see EMPLOYMENT page 110