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® January 20 2010 Vol. XLVIII • No. 2
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com
Inside
Homebuilding: Stabilizing the House of Cards By Giles Lambertson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Caterpillar Delivers Keys to First D7E Tractor…8
The project kicked off on May 26, 2009, when removal of deteriorated pavement and patching work got under way on eastbound Route 422, starting at the Royersford interchange. Milton CAT Helps Contractor Thrive…14
Route 422 Improvements Get Kick-Start From ARRA By Mary Reed CEG CORRESPONDENT
Cleveland Brothers Hosts Seminars…38
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......51-63 Parts Section ............105 Business Calendar....111 Auction Section111-128 Advertisers Index ....126
Federal stimulus funding is kick-starting hundreds of construction projects country wide, and the rehabilitation and resurfacing of a 4.5 mi. (7.2 km) stretch of Route 422 in Montgomery County, Pa., was one of the first Commonwealth projects financed by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to get under way. The Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation (PennDOT) is investing more than $275.5 million on improving bridges and roads, upgrading signals, installing Intelligent Transportation System equipment, and bringing more than 3,500 handicap curb ramps up to required design standards in the five-county area making up the Philadelphia region. As far as the Route 422 project is concerned, according to Lester C. Toaso, PennDOT district executive, if it were not
Homebuilding in the United States in the past decade became a gigantic house of cards, which finally collapsed in 2008. Boom went bust and homebuilders still are trying to dig themselves out of the resulting heap. A nationwide search continues for policies and business models that will deal simultaneously with foreclosures, unemployment, tight money and budget deficits. Expert industry observers cannot say exactly when homebuilding will again become a robust economic indicator. But there seems to be a consensus that the situation won’t deteriorate much further. “As far as construction goes, it has not been perfectly increasing, but it has been steadily increasing since the early part of 2009. I see 2010 as being a better year,” said David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Homebuilders. The statement is underwhelming because 2009 is a remarkably low benchmark. While new single-family residential construction indeed rose for the sixth consecutive month in November (1.3 percent), overall spending on homes still was 25 percent below November 2008 activity; multi-family residential building for the month was 44 percent below a year ago. General construction spending in November fell 13 percent
see IMPROVEMENTS page 32
see HOUSING page 28
Exhibitors Gear Up for 2010 Expo in Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Construction Expo is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 9 and 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the new Monroeville Convention Center. The expo will showcase the latest in equipment and technologies; everything from heavy and light machinery, trucks and trailers, to laser
systems, safety equipment, computer hardware and software and everything in between. In addition to the exhibits, the expo will focus on networking and educational opportunities. Several seminars, training sessions, recertification programs and round table presentations are in the works. The American Concrete
Pavement Association, ABC, LICA and PA One Call are among the groups planning seminars in Pittsburgh. According to Bob Buckley, president of CEG Productions, the purpose of the show is to provide a venue for contractors, landscapers, see EXPO page 24