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Midwest Edition
February 9 2019 Vol. XX • No. 3
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.”
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Inside
Project Aims to Prevent Flood Disaster Repeat
By Eric Olson
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Utility Relocations Can Impede Road Work…10
Northern Green Arrives in Time for Spring…18
Concrete Industry Gathers in Vegas…24
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................29-33 Recycling Section ........45-59 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................67-73 Business Calendar ............76 Auction Section ............78-81 Advertisers Index ..............82
Following devastating floods that inundated large parts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2008 and again in 2016, the city is now building a massive flood-control system along the Cedar River. City designers and engineers hope it will provide a permanent solution to protect residents and businesses from the river’s wrath. The new, 7-mi.-long system is designed to convey the same amount of water unleashed by the 2008 flood, reducing flood risk through the heart of Cedar Rapids on both the west and east sides of the river. The system will include a combination of floodwalls, levees and gates, as well as pump stations and detention basins, some of which have already been built, to keep rain and river water from flooding into vulnerable parts of town. The projected cost of the multiyear construction project is $550 million, or $750 million over 20 years, with the funding provided by a combination of city, state, federal government and private sources. The city of Cedar Rapids, though, has run into funding delays from the federal government. As a result, in 2018 it approved a 10-year bond to pay $264 million of the total needed for the flood-control system.
Work began in the summer of 2018 around one of the nation’s leading processed food producers, Quaker Oats. The project will provide the first permanent flood protection downtown, which ultimately will be able to handle the same volume of water that caused the disaster of 2008.
Right Here in River City Cedar Rapids, a town of approximately 131,000 people, is Iowa’s second largest city, behind Des Moines. The Cedar River flows directly through the heart of town in a roughly northwest to southeast direction before making its way to the Iowa River, itself a tributary of the Mississippi. The Cedar is prone to the kind of flooding common in the upper Midwest each spring,
when melted snow swells the waterways. During the Iowa spring flood of 2008, the river reached a crest of 31 ft., surpassing the previous record by more than 11 ft. More than 1,100 city blocks were flooded, with half of them deemed severely damaged. The destruction was estimated at $5.4 billion, although, miraculously, no lives were lost. “The disaster was really a wake-up call for see FLOODS page 34
Chicago Commission OKs $6B Development An ambitious and controversial $6 billion development on Chicago’s north side cleared its first municipal hurdle Jan. 24, but it still has a long way to go before it becomes a reality. The Chicago Plan Commission unanimously approved the planned Lincoln Yards project over the objections of neighboring residents, who expressed concern about the height and density of the buildings, as well as the potential impact on the traffic, transportation and nearby schools
and businesses. Developer Sterling Bay proposes to transform 55 acres of industrial land along the Chicago River into a mixed-use community. The master plan calls for 6,000 dwelling units; more than 15 million sq. ft. of residential, commercial, retail and hospitality floor space; and 21 acres of open space with parks and riverfront promenades. Building heights range from 6 to 25 stories, with a maximum height of 600 ft., although the
plan promises density and placement will be “carefully crafted to maximize views to the Chicago skyline as well as the river and nearby neighborhoods and parks.” A coalition of community groups, businesses and construction organizations that support the plan estimates the project will generate up to 10,000 construction jobs, more than 24,000 permanent jobs, and an annual economic output of $4.5 billion. Sterling Bay introduced its first draft of the plan in July 2018. It
released a revised version Jan. 19, which the Plan Commission approved just five days later. The project now faces scrutiny from the city’s Zoning and Finance committees, as well as the full City Council. Completion is expected take at least 10 years. To view the Lincoln Yards master plan, visit www.lincolnyards.com. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG