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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” www.constructionequipmentguide.com Published 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. 17, Washington, PA •19034 215/885-2900 Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com December 2014 • Vol. LIV No. 26 •• 470 Maryland Drive• •To Ft.llWashington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 Nationally
Inside
Shale Gas Line to Northeast Gets Federal Nod HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Federal energy regulators have approved a $700 million pipeline project designed to bring cheap Marcellus Shale natural gas from Pennsylvania into high-priced markets in New England and New York.
Bizzack Construction Contends With Tough Terrain…8
The project’s backers said Dec. 3 that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval means the 124-mi. (199.5 km) Constitution Pipeline could be built and operational by next winter, if it gets the remaining regulatory approvals from Pennsylvania, New York
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a timely fashion. The project is the first to be approved out of a slew of proposals designed to bring Marcellus Shale gas to New York and New England. see SHALE page 114
PennDOT Replaces Deteriorating Interstate 84 By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
NorthStar Group Demos Power Plant in D.C. …18
Liebherr Opens Spare Parts Depo…48
Table of Contents ................4 Paving Section ..............57-71
All of Interstate 84, which connects Northeast Pennsylvania to New York State and New England, needs to be replaced, caused by the use of a then-new mixture of concrete in the 1960s. According to a report by the News Eagle, an unforeseen alkali-silica chemical reaction occurred with the rock underlayment, forming a gel inside the concrete. The gel expands with water and cracks the concrete, which slowly erodes, resulting in a gradual deterioration stemming from the base of the road over the ensuing decades. If not repaired, the entire surface would eventually crumble. The cement industry changed the chemical makeup of cement in the 1960s. The new formula became the industry standard. Interstate 84 was built, using this concrete, between 1972 and 1977. The chemical makeup appears to come from rocks in local quarries, which were used for I-84 in Pike County because PennDOT has not noticed signs of alkali-silica reaction in Wayne and Lackawanna counties, where a different contractor used different quarries during the original construction. Today’s cement formula includes fly ash, which The reconstruction of this 30-mi. (48.3 km) stretch of I-84 in eastern Pike County is prevents the chemical reaction. among the largest PennDOT endeavors in the four-county District #4 region and see INTERSTATE page 110
Mini & Compact Equipment Section ........................75-105 Snow & Ice Section..124-125 Parts Section....................126 Auction Section ......132-141 Business Calendar ..........136 Advertisers Index ............142
possibly in the state.
Government to Deliver Early Holiday Present? The U.S. House of Representatives passed late Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Tax Increase Prevention Act. Among the 50 expired tax breaks the bill would extend is a reinstatement of the 50 percent depreciation bonus for 2014 and an increase of the Section 179 expensing levels this year to $500,000 with a $2 million
phase-out cap. Both of these tax breaks expired Dec. 31, 2013. At press time, the Senate was expected to take up and pass the bill on Dec. 12, which would then go to the president to sign. In addition to affecting equipment purchases made in 2014 retroactively, this bill would in effect create a window
for last-minute purchases made prior to Dec. 31, 2014, to be included. Visit www.constructionequipmentguide.com for continuing updates on this measure. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG