Published Nationally
®
Northeast Edition
$3.00
March 3 2010
Vol. XLVIII • No. 5
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.”
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Inside
New South Street Bridge in Philadelphia Under Way A Manitowoc 12000 works from Shugart sectional barges in the water to dismantle the bridge.
JESCO Acquires Nortrax’ Beacon, N.Y., Facility…16
Cat corporate executives also are working through a dealer in Haiti called Haytrac in the deployment of equipment and operators to the stricken area.
Industry Responds to Haiti’s Needs By Giles Lambertson
Eagle Power & Equipment Plays in the Snow…28
CEG CORRESPONDENT
By Mary Reed
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Ritchie Holds $138M Auction in Florida…116
Table of Contents ............4 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................61-65 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....69-89 Parts Section ..............105 Business Calendar ......111 Auction Section ..111-132 Advertisers Index........130
It was time to take action to replace an almost 90-year-old bridge spanning the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) in Philadelphia. Not only was the South Street Bridge structurally deficient, but a six-ton weight limit was in operation, and in addition, the structure had been shedding chunks of concrete, including some that landed on the expressway. These problems were exacerbated by extreme congestion, caused by carrying
some 23,000 vehicles daily as well as numerous pedestrians. Approximately 1,000 bicyclists also used the bridge each day, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. The bridge was closed on Dec. 8, 2008, and has now been demolished. The new span will be built on the same site, a crossing point since 1805 when the first bridge was built a half-mile from the current site. The original bridge at South Street was made largely of iron. Built to a drawbridge design, it opened in 1876. The
General contractors and equipment dealers in the United States have limited options right now in responding to Haiti’s destructive earthquake. Contributing funds to recovery efforts is the big-ticket response at this point. Shortly, however, the companies’skilled personnel and equipment will be in greater demand. The 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti just before dusk on Jan. 12 collapsed thousands of concrete-block homes and larger buildings. The next morning’s light revealed wholesale destruction and loss of life in the nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince. Deaths are estimated at somewhere between 75,000 and 200,000, with another 200,000 injured. Because Haiti generally is considered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, recovery is expected to be slow
see BRIDGE page 22
see HAITI page 14
Exhibitors Gear Up for Philly Construction Expo The Philadelphia Construction Expo will be held Tuesday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Wednesday, March 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pa. Hundreds of pieces of heavy and light construction equipment will be on display, as well as trucks, trailers, attachments and all related
contractor supplies, products and services. In addition to the main show floor, the Association of Builders & Contractors (ABC) will have a dedicated pavilion featuring a wide variety of exhibits. Asphalt Care’s paving show also will be incorporated into the Expo. In addition to the exhibits, the show will feature a variety of seminars on relevant topics
designed to give attendees the solutions to the challenges facing their companies and also to expand their network of professional colleagues. The topics covered include two hot OSHArelated topics presented by ABC of Southeastern PA: “What’s New at OSHA,” a see EXPO page 30