Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
October 11 2017
$3.00
Vol. XXX • No. 21
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Go Unmanned Hosts Third UAV Event…29
FAE Stops By Clemson University for Demo…51
JM Wood Holds Sale, Celebrates Birthday…88
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailers Section........ ......................................37-40 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................41-46 Recycling Section ........51-64 Auction Section ............86-92 Business Calendar ............87 Advertisers Index ..............94
Port St. Lucie to See Much-Needed River Crossing in Late 2019 By Eric Olson CEG CORRESPONDENT
Florida is famous for its rapid population growth as more and more people have chosen to leave the colder, northern states for the warmer climes of the
Sunshine State. Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa have all become major cities due to that growth, but many other lower-profile municipalities have also experienced such a large influx of new residents that their infrastructure has become overloaded. That is particularly true on the east and west coasts, to be expected, but the growth of Port St. Lucie is astonishing. A once-quiet village located between Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Cape Canaveral just inland from the Atlantic Ocean, Port St. Lucie had 330 residents in 1970. Just 10 years later, it had over 14,000 residents, a more than 4,300 percent increase. Today, the estimated population is a more than 185,000 people. Needless to say, the city of Port St. Lucie has scrambled to update its roads, bridges and other infrastructure to keep its residents moving around more efficiently and ease the high-traffic and congestion. In addition, the city wants to improve road access for tourists looking to soak up the sun on the beaches of Hutchinson Island, just to the east of town across the Indian River. A Nearly 40-Year-Old Need With that in mind, the city has begun construction of the Crosstown Parkway Extension, an $87 million project. The initiative includes the comsee CROSSTOWN page 66
The simple, yet elegant design of the Crosstown Parkway promises to be a beautiful and minimally-invasive addition to the wetlands it will cross.
Tenn. Mayor Presents Mecalac Ramps Up Stadium Financing Presence in U.S. Market NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Mayor Megan Barry has proposed a $250 million stadium deal as the final piece in Nashville’s bid for a Major League Soccer expansion team. Under the plan presented to the Metro Council, Nashville would issue $200 million in bonds for the 27,500-seat stadium and another $25 million for infrastructure surrounding the stadium at the city fairgrounds. The private owners in MLS2Nashville would be responsible for $25 million and any construction cost overruns with ticket tax revenue helping repay the bonds. see STADIUM page 78
When France-based construction equipment manufacturer Mecalac made its first impression in the United States market in mid2016, it was through Lorusso Heavy Equipment, based in Walpole, Mass. This allowed Mecalac to introduce its unique equipment line to
the New England construction market with the assistance of Lorusso, which also was responsible for helping set up a nationwide distribution network for the manufacturer. A lot has happened since then. In December 2016, Mecalac see MECALAC page 12