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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 4 December 10, 2011 • Vol. XVIII • No. 25 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Expanding Minn. Area Gets Bridge Upgrade By Dorinda Anderson CEG CORRESPONDENT
West Side Tractor Hosts “Fun Shoots ”...14
New Holland Crowns a Champion...18
A once bogged down interchange in a growing suburb of Minneapolis, Minn., now includes two 2-lane bridges that appear as one large bridge with a center median, to alleviate traffic issues and improve safety. The bridges are located over Interstate 35E at County Road 14 in Lino Lakes, Minn. The project included three new traffic signals and turn lanes on County Road 14. “We’re seeing some population growth in the suburbs and the existing intersection was not able to handle the traffic increases,” said Kent Barnard, communications director with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the agency that oversaw this Anoka County project. “The previous 4-way stop was bogging down the interchange. With the new signals vehicles can get on and off the interstate at this location much easier, eliminating the backups that used to take place,” said Charles Cadenhead, Anoka County construction engisee UPGRADE page 42
The $12.3 million project began in June 2010 with pipe extraction and was in full swing by spring 2011.
Tax or Toll?
Rit chie Br os. Hol ds Sal e in No vi.. .10 6
Table of Contents ............4 Attachment Section.37-41 Snow & Ice Section..43-49 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....69-83 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................85-91 Auction Section ................ ......................Starts on 98 Business Calendar ......102 Advertisers Index ........110
Construction Employment Mo. Toll Roads Not Part Numbers Rise in October of Short-Term Plans By Chris Blank ASSOCIATED PRESS
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said a proposal to convert Interstate 70 into a toll road would be a “substantial change” and that doing it would require “broad consensus” among the public and within the state Legislature. The Missouri Department of Transportation has asked state lawmakers for authority to form a partnership with private contractors to rebuild I-70 and recover the costs with revenue collected from tolls. MoDOT said rebuilding the highway would cost roughly $2 billion to $4 billion depending upon how ambitious the project becomes. A less costly option would install three lanes for whole route with a more elaborate rebuild creating dedicated truck lanes. The Transportation Department is governed by a commission, see TOLLS page 30
Construction employment rose in half the states and decreased in half in October and during the past year, closely matching the stable national employment picture, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data. The even split between gains and losses reflects the accelerating improvement in apartment and private nonresidential construction, offset by a declining public market and stalled single-family sector. “Construction employment gains are likely to remain spotty for months to come,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Local factors, rather
than regional or industry trends, seem to dictate whether a state has rising or falling construction employment in a given month.” North Dakota ranked first among 24 states and the District of Columbia that recorded construction employment gains from October 2010 to October 2011. The state added 19 percent (4,100 jobs). Oklahoma ranked second (8.1 percent, 5,500 jobs), followed by D.C. (4.8 percent, 500 jobs). Texas added the largest number of jobs (17,500, 3.1 percent), closely followed by California (17,100, 3.1 percent). Among the 25 states that shed construction jobs over the past 12 see EMPLOYMENT page 68