Northeast Edition
$3.00
®
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” www.constructionequipmentguide.com Published 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. W 215/885-2900 Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com September 25,ashington, 2013 • Vol. PA LIV 19034 • No. 20 •• 470 Maryland Drive• To • Ft.ll Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 Nationally
Inside
Making Sense of the Nation’s Bad Bridges By Mike Baker and Joan Lowy ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indeco Holds Hands-On Training In Conn. …8
WASHINGTON (AP) The Associated Press analyzed the federal National Bridge Inventory to focus on the thousands of bridges that have the unfortunate designation of being both “structurally deficient’’ and “fracture critical’’ — a combination of red flags that experts say indicates significant disrepair and an increased risk of collapse. Despite the ominous sounding classifications, transportation officials say
“I would say a person in the state of Connecticut has a better chance of winning the lotto … as opposed to being on a bridge … that would put our constituency at risk.” Kevin Nursick Connecticut DOT
such bridges are safe and undergo rigorous inspections. Here are 10 questions and answers regarding the status of the nation’s bridges: 1. What are the numbers? The most recent federal National Bridge Inventory includes 607,380 bridges that are subject to uniform bridge inspection standards. Among those bridges, there were 65,605 classified as “structurally deficient’’ and 20,808 as see BRIDGES page 118
U.S. Army Corps Braces N.Y. for Future Storms By Mary Reed PennDOT Talks Bridges With DVA ED Member s…14
ConExpo Retro See page 44 for the first of an ongoing series of highlights from past ConExpos as they were reported in the pages of CEG.
Table of Contents ..................4
CEG CORRESPONDENT
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun the process of restoring the coastal storm risk barrier at Rockaway Beach in Queens, N.Y., in order to correct extensive coastal erosion caused by Superstorm Sandy and in the process is not only improving storm security but also enhancing the beach itself for the benefit of its users. The project is part of the Corps’ plans to restore Sandy-affected coastal storm risk reduction projects by placement of more than 26 million cu. yd. (20 million cu m) of sand, including more than 7 million cu. yd. (5.3 million cu m) in New York state. Areas in which the Corps will be working on this task include Coney The C.R. McCaskill will be used to place 593,000 cu. yd. (453,381 cu m) or about see ROCKAWAY page 116
1 million tons (907,185 t) of sand. The dredge will move beach quality sand from the East Rockaway Inlet.
Off-Road Truck Section..81-92
Interstate 2.0 Study...
Paving Section ............93-107
Reason Foundation Eyes Funding Logic for Roads
Snow & Ice Section ..133-135 Parts Section ....................136 Auction Section ........140-164 Business Calendar ............144 Advertisers Index ..............162
Speaking at an event at the Reason Foundation on the release of its new report, Interstate 2.0: Modernizing the Interstate Highway System via Toll Finance, Patrick D. Jones, executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) applauded the report calling it “a serious effort to examine the costs of reconstructing and widening our 50 year old
interstate highway system using all-electronic tolling.” The new study released Sept. 12 details how much it will cost to reconstruct and widen interstate highways in all 50 states and shows how to pay for the modernization efforts with toll revenues. The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the worldwide associa-
tion representing toll facility owners and operators and the businesses that serve them, joined several other groups at the press conference, including the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), Associated General Contractors (AGC), Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Transportation Transformation Group (T2). see REPORT page 136