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Inside
Bridge Deck Preservation Nears Completion By Brenda Ruggiero CEG CORRESPONDENT
Ground Being Readied for Tuxedo Farms Project...8
Schlouch Projects Keep Crews Busy...14
The West Virginia Division of Highways is nearing completion of a project to rehabilitate a total of 19 bridges along Interstate 64 in the Charleston area. The project began on April 4, 2015, and the original completion date was set for Oct. 28, 2015. However, it was extended due to weather and project issues. The $18 million contract was awarded to Kokosing Construction Company Inc., where Mike Koelbl is the vice president. Jason Jackson serves as the field engineer on the project. The contract calls for the rehabilitation of 19 bridges along Interstate 64, beginning at the Eugene Carter Memorial Bridge (also known as Fort Hill Bridge) and ending where the Brooks Street on-ramp enters the interstate. Numerous expansion joints will be replaced, repairs will be made to barriers, a latex modified concrete overlay will be applied to bridge decks, and several cathodic protection systems will be replaced. Four structures utilize the cathodic system,
WVDOT photo
The West Virginia Division of Highways is nearing completion of a project to rehabilitate a total of 19 bridges along Interstate 64 in the Charleston area.
which is a technique used to control corrosion of metal in the bridge deck. “Kokosing Construction is the first contractor in West Virginia to implement a traffic control
pattern known as contra-flow,” said Scott P. Love, PE, of Kokosing’s highway division. “The contra flow lane allows the public and see CHARLESTON page 112
President Signs Tax Extenders Bill Into Law Stephenson Equipment Hosts Rep. Barletta...22
Table of Contents ................4 Paving Section ..............55-71
On Dec. 18, President Obama signed into law tax extenders legislation that will extend more than 50 expired provisions of the tax code, including several key pro-business initiatives. Among the most vital aspects of the legislation, the extenders bill will expand and make permanent the Research and
Development (R&D) Tax Credit, providing U.S. companies much needed certainty and greater access to one of the most valuable and pro-growth tax incentives. The two key expansions to the R&D Tax Credit will begin in 2016. First and foremost, businesses with less than $50 million in gross
receipts will now be able to claim the credit against their Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), thereby removing the single greatest barrier preventing companies from claiming the credit in the past. Secondly, the bill includes a provision that opens the credit up for startsee LAW page 120
Mini & Compact Section ........ ....................................75-103
Nov. Job Growth Up in Construction Industry
Snow & Ice Section..115-118
Strong demand for construction projects fueled job growth in November in 38 states compared to October and in all but six states over the past 12 months, according to analysis of Labor Department data released Dec. 18 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said, however, that the shortage of available workers was likely keeping firms from expanding headcounts even more rapidly in many parts of the country.
Parts Section....................119 Auction Section........124-141 Business Calendar ..........134 Advertisers Index ............142
“In nearly every state, contractors are busier now than a year ago,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the association. “Employment is up, but the industry would be expanding even more rapidly if contractors could find enough qualified workers.” Nationally, construction employment climbed by 4.2 percent from November 2014 to November 2015 — more than double the rate for total nonfarm employment, Simonson
noted. He added out that construction spending rose 13 percent in the latest 12 months, suggesting a need for even more workers. He cautioned that filling those openings may be difficult in many states because the number of unemployed jobseekers in November who last worked in construction was at the lowest November level in 15 years. see EMPLOYMENT page 120