Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
December 16 2020 Vol. XXXIII • No. 26
“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
Fla. Tar gets Reopening of Pensacola Bay Bridge…12
North Carolina’s U.S. 158 Undergoes $89M Widening Project
Some contractors misunderstand the right way to build and install a trench box. What may be considered a minor mistake can have huge unforeseen consequences.
Calder Br other s Tr ansfor ms Mauldin…33
Thinking Outside the Box William Carlson, project engineer, Thalle Construction photo Ir on Auct ion Hos ts Sale in W. Va .…82
Table of Contents ................4 Paving Section..............33-47 Mini & Compact Equipment Section ..........................49-71 Auction Section ............80-85 Business Calendar ............81 Advertisers Index ..............86
The project involves construction of new lanes adjacent to existing roadways; roadway construction on new alignments; and modifications to existing roadways that intersect the new construction.
Trench Box Installations Require Knowledge of OSHA Safety Rules
By Cindy Riley
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is overseeing an $89 million effort to widen 8.2 mi. of U.S. 158 from I-95/N.C. 46 in Roanoke Rapids to St. John Church Road west of Jackson. Most of the current two-lane road will be widened to a four-lane mediandivided road. The project also will include a bypass of Garysburg. “U.S. 158 is a major North Carolina thoroughfare reaching west from Winston-Salem to the Outer Banks on the east coast,” said Brooks Braswell, NCDOT resident engineer. “It’s the primary east-west route connecting both I-85 and I-95 to the northern coast of North Carolina. Widening this road in strategic areas is expected to help improve the traffic flow and safety of both local and state-wide travelers. This also is an effort to improve access to existing and future businesses along the U.S. 158 corridor in Northampton County.” The project involves mostly widening of the existing roadway. “It will have multiple lane switches as adjacent lanes are built and put in service to upgrade the existing lanes,” said Braswell. “Currently, the area motorists are still utilizing the existing lanes throughout the project. Adjacent lanes of travel should be ready for service by late spring/early summer of 2021. Impact to local traffic has been minimal, up to this point.
By Lucy Perry
CEG CORRESPONDENT
CEG CORRESPONDENT
see WIDENING page 72
One of the most beneficial and tricky devices used in specialty construction, trench boxes have obvious benefits. They can hold up their end in all types of soil conditions, but they can be a bear to install and move. Understanding best practices for use of these devices can save lives and protect property. A cage made for a construction crew to safely work in a trench, the device does not support the trench walls, but instead protects workers in the event of a cave-in. Trench boxes are designed to be dragged along the trench using the backhoe or a crane. see TRENCHING page 22