Published Nationally
$3.00
ยฎ
Midwest Edition
March 23 2019 Vol. XX โข No. 6
4
โThe Nationโs Best Read Construction Newspaperโฆ Founded 1957.โ 470 Maryland Drive โข Ft. Washington, PA 19034 โข 215-885-2900 โข Toll Free 800-523-2200 โข www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Wisconsin Eyes Fuel Tax Reform
IAAP Hosts Annual Convention, Expoโฆ12
Work on the modernization of Interstate 75 in Oakland County, Mich., has been divided into three segments. Segment 1 was completed in 2017. Completion of Segment 2 is scheduled for fall 2020.
LeeBoy Culture Goes Beyond Family Rootsโฆ66
Crews Bring Michiganโs Old I-75 Into 21st Century By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Machinery Moves at Lyonโs Ohio Auctionโฆ100
Table of Contents ................4 Asphalt, Concrete, Paving, Compaction & Milling Section ..........................65-93 Business Calendar ............96 Auction Section..........98-101 Advertisers Index ............102
Work is set to begin in March on Segment 2 of the $1.6 billion I-75 modernization project in Oakland County, Mich., part of the Detroit metropolitan area. The roadway is the most heavily used commuter route in the county, with 174,000 vehicles traveling it daily. It is the gateway to tourist destinations in the north and the largest north-south freeway in Michigan. It also is outdated and badly in need of maintenance and upgrades, said Robert Morosi, communications specialist of Michigan Department of Transportation. โI-75 was designed in the โ60s, built in the โ70s, and never rebuilt or updated,โ Morosi said. โThatโs what the modernization is about. The project is 18 miles from the Detroit border at Eight Mile Road up to South Boulevard, just south of the M59 connector. โThree miles east and west of 1-75 supports over 20,000 businesses and 330,000 jobs in Oakland County alone. Sixty-five percent of major auto providers have head-
quarters or offices there. We have a very valuable asset in terms of the economic engine of Michigan when you are talking about that many businesses and jobs. The highway has been resurfaced. Some bridges have had general maintenance, but itโs never had that facelift to bring it up to modern standards.โ The project was originally divided into nine segments with a timeline spanning 18 years, or two years per segment. Then MDOT joined forces with Oakland Corridor Partners, a group of contractors and equity partners, resulting in a creative financing plan that allowed MDOT to reduce the original nine segments to three, knocking 10 years off the original schedule. Segment 1 of the project, completed two years ago, involved redesigning 3.3 mi. of roadway and realigning the interchange at Square Lake Road, removing outdated leftlane exits and replaced them with rightlane exits. โOutside of revamping that interchange, it was pretty straightforward construction,โ Morosi said. see HIGHWAY page 56
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers wants to generate $600 million in new revenues to โfix Wisconsinโs roads, bridges, and highwaysโ through additional registration fees on personal vehicles and commercial trucks as well as through adjustments to the stateโs fuel tax formula. The governor explained in his first state budget address Feb. 28 that โeveryone is going to have to give a little to make this work.โ โThatโs compromise,โ he said. โWeโre all going to have to share the burden so this is feasible for everyone, and to make sure weโre not passing the buck to the next generation.โ As a result, his administration plans to increase fees for vehicle titles and heavy trucks, while instituting a state gas tax increase of 8 cents per gallon that he said will be offset by repealing a โhidden taxโ that costs motorists 14 cents per gallon. โThat means our plan actually makes it possible for you to pay less at Wisconsin Gov. the pump than you do Tony Evers right now,โ Evers noted. The governor added that his administration also is going to make sure local governments โdonโt have to rely on things like wheel taxesโ to make ends meet. โSo weโre going to increase general transit and transportation aid to counties and local governments by 10 percent to repair local roads and local bridges,โ he said. โAnd weโre going to do all of this without having to raid our general funds and without jeopardizing other budget priorities like expanding broadband, fully funding our public schools, and reforming our criminal justice system. โBecause of our long-term solution to this issue, Wisconsinโs highway bonding in our budget is the lowest itโs been in over 20 years. Itโs time we pay our bills and stop kicking the can down the road.โ At the end of the day, Evers stressed that โthe people of Wisconsin expect and deserve for us to get to work on these pressing issues.โ โFrom broadband to health care, education to justice reform, and roads to redistricting, these are the priorities of the people of our state,โ he said. โTheir plight must be our purpose, their crises our cause, and their desires our demands.โ ๏ง