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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland • Ft.• No. Washington, PA 19034 215/885-2900 Toll Free 800-523-2200 215/885-2910 • www.ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com August 15, 2012 •Drive Vol. XLIX 17 • 470 Maryland Drive ••Ft. Washington, PA•19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free• Fax 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Whirl of a Ride: Family Firm Makes Fun Profitable…8
Hudson Yards: New Urban Town Within Manhattan By Verena Dobnik ASSOCIATED PRESS
Morooka Opens First Track Carrier Plant in U.S.…24
Congr essman Vi sit s Stephenson Equipment…42
Table of Contents ....................4 Truck & Trailer Section ..58-63
NEW YORK (AP) New York lost the 2012 Olympics, but the city’s bid for the summer games spurred another, visionary venture: building up the largest undeveloped parcel in Manhattan. While London got the games, New York was left with the best opportunity for development remaining in town. On Manhattan’s West Side, the old Hudson rail storage yards are surrounded by potholed roads, warehouses, low-rent brownstones, cheap delis and strip clubs. Crowds waiting for discount buses line 10th Avenue. And homeless New Yorkers camp out in desolate lots strewn with garbage. But the area, also home to the global headquarters of The Associated Press, has seen progress in the seven years since New York lost its bid to host the Olympics. On a hot summer day, passers-by catch a glimpse of a deep man-made hole in the ground — the core of a subway line extension to the area from Times Square. More than a dozen residential towers have been built near the Hudson River, along with several hotels. And both residents and tourists are flocking to the hugely popular High Line, an elevated rail line transformed into a grassy walkway. This October, developers of the ambitious Hudson Yards project expect to break ground on a skyscraper where the Olympic stadium could have been. see HUDSON page 110
Hydro demolition uses high-pressure water to remove deteriorated concrete, as well as asphalt and grout.
Philadelphia Bridge Receives Multi-Million Dollar Rehab By Mary Reed SPECIAL TO CEG
The George C. Platt Memorial bridge carrying Route 291 (Penrose Avenue) over the Schuylkill River in southwest Philadelphia may be getting old, but its current $42.7 million rehabilitation involves modern technology. Originally known as the Penrose Avenue Bridge, the span was renamed some 30 years ago in honor of Irish-born George Crawford
Platt. Platt served in the 5th U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War and was awarded a Medal of Honor for preventing the regiment’s flag from falling into enemy hands during a battle at Fairfield, near Gettysburg. At one time bronze bas-reliefs of Platt adorned each end of the bridge, but both were stolen some years ago and have not been recovered despite a reward being offered. Overseen by the Pennsylvania see BRIDGE page 104
Attachment Section ........65-70 Recycling Section ............75-99 Parts Section ................100-101 Auction Section ..........126-144 Business Calendar ..............127 Advertisers Index ................142
Construction Hits Two-and-a-Half Year Peak in May Construction spending in May reached the highest level since December 2009 as widespread gains in private nonresidential construction, single-family and multifamily homebuilding more than offset a continuing downturn in public construction, according to an analysis of new federal data released July 2 by the Associated General Contractors of America.
Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction is likely to persist, although enactment of a federal highway and transit bill will cushion the decline in public spending. “It is encouraging to see such a broad-based pickup in private construction,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
Simonson noted that private nonresidential spending climbed for the third month in a row and was 19 percent higher than in May 2011. Residential construction surged 3 percent for the month and 8 percent year-over-year, with new multifamily construction leaping 6 percent and 50 percent, respectively, and single-family see REPORT page 138