Published Nationally Northeast Edition
® February 6 2019 Vol. LVI • No. 3
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Purple Line Aims to Cure Traffic Headaches By Cindy Riley
MDOT MTA photo
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Utility Relocations: the Nemesis of Road Work…10
Concrete Industry Gathers in Vegas…36
Baystate Blasting Clears the Way…63
Table of Contents.................. 4 Truck & Trailer Section.. 51-59 Recycling Section.......... 63-87 Attachment & Parts Section.. .................................... 101-104 Auction Section..........108-120 Business Calendar............ 116 Advertisers Index.............. 118
Materials being used during construction include concrete, steel piles, rebar, precast wall panels, filling material, MSE wall panels, track and system supplies.
In Maryland, crews are constructing a 16-mi. east-west light rail line that operates mostly on the surface with 21 stations, connecting New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and Bethesda in Montgomery County. The Purple Line project also provides a direct connection to four Washington Metrorail lines, three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak Northeast Corridor and regional and local bus services. “The Purple Line is unique in that it is an east-west circumferential transit link that connects northsouth rail lines, but does not travel into a major city,” said Michael D. Madden, Purple Line deputy project director. “It also is the largest and only the second transit project in the U.S. which is being delivered through a design, build, finance, operate and maintain private-public partnership (P3) approach.” The total cost of the project is $5.6 billion, which includes approximately $2 billion for design and construction, and operation and maintenance of the Purple
Line for a 30-year term. Located entirely within the Capitol Beltway, the project is being built in very wellestablished communities, which presents a number of significant design and construction challenges. “Fitting the Purple Line light rail line into such a built-up environment has required not only careful design that is sensitive to the concerns of residents and businesses along the 16-mile corridor, but also has required extensive public outreach efforts and frequent engagement with those communities and stakeholders. This close coordination with the public and local jurisdictions began in the early planning stages of the Purple Line and continues through the current design-build project phase.” Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is leading the project, joining forces with the Washington see RAIL page 92
Making Drones Work for You on the Job Site By Jennifer McKevitt CEG CORRESPONDENT
It’s well known that drone deployment in construction is growing exponentially, but how exactly are the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) machines employed? To learn more about the specifics, Construction Equipment Guide spoke with two SpawGlass staff members: Richard Evans, a drone integration specialist, and Grady Frank, a quality control
superintendent, about how drones are having an impact on recent projects. “Right now, we’re working on a new Science and Tech building for Texas A&M University in San Antonio,” said Frank. “The owners of the project require that we submit aerial shots of our progress every month, along with our invoices. “Previously, we used either a helicopter or an airplane to get the required Richard Evans puts his Phantom 4 Pro into action see DRONES page 98
on a construction site.