Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
September 23 2009
$3.00
Vol. XXII • No. 19
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Amite River Bridge Rebuild Stays on Course By Zoie Clift CEG CORRESPONDENT
Mack Opens New World HQ in Greensboro…27
Locomotive Units Keep P r o d u c t i o n R o l l i n g… 3 3
More Than 1,400 Bidders Vie for Iron in Atlanta…52
Table of Contents ............4 Business Calendar ........18 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................27-29 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....33-39 Parts Section ................40 Auction Section ......50-59 Advertisers Index ..........58
The historic Amite River bridge is in the midst of being rebuilt in Livingston Parish in Denham Springs, La. The bridge was originally constructed starting in 1932 with the westbound span. The eastbound span was built in 1961. The current project, which is slated to cost $29.5 million, entails construction of two 2,900 ft. (884 m) girderspan bridges — one eastbound and one westbound — across the Amite River. James Construction Group LLC, Baton Rouge, La., was awarded the project by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOT). The project began with Phase I, construction of the new westbound bridge. Phase II will encompass construction of the eastbound bridge. The project started in November 2007 and is estimated to be completed in December 2010. The 1.2 mi. (1.93 km) project, which is being built to the north of the existing bridges, goes along U.S. 190 beginning at La. 426 (Old Hammond Highway) and ending around 0.25 mi. (0.4 km) west of South River Road. According to LDOT, nearly 26,000 vehicles use
Photo courtesy of James Construction Group LLC
Setting precast girders using trestle while the Amite River is at flood stage.
this section per day. “The primary challenge on this project is the site’s flood-prone geography,” said Danny Hester, COO of James Construction Group, a heavy civil, industrial, and environmental construction company. “The crew addressed this challenge early in the project, constructing a stabilized work road built to a 27-foot elevation.
The work road allowed the structure crew unlimited access to all areas adjacent to the new bridge structures, even during the wetter months. It was also designed to provide a reliable means of transporting the company’s equipment out of the basin on short notice. The road was put to the test during Hurricane Gustav see BRIDGE page 43
Iconic Skyscrapers Pursue D.C.’s National Mall New Luster in Green Tech Gets New Leader By Chris Kahn AP ENERGY WRITER
NEW YORK (AP) When owners of the Empire State Building decided to blanket its towering facade this year with thousands of insulating windows, they were only partly interested in saving energy. They also needed tenants. After 78 years, Manhattan’s signature office building had lost its sheen as one of the city’s most desirable places to
work. To get it back, the owners did what an increasing number of property owners have done — they went green, shelling out $120 million on a variety of environmental improvements, a move would have been considered a huge gamble a few years ago. Buildings that define city skylines across the country, some national icons, are catching up to the sleek, new structures designed with efficiency in mind, as property owners and managers see GREEN page 56
By Brett Zongker ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) The new leader responsible for the overhaul of the deteriorating National Mall, with its crumbling sidewalks and dirty water, promises visible improvements within the next year. It’s only been a few weeks since John Piltzecker became superintendent of America’s “front yard,’’but the 25-year park ranger and administrator understands the see MALL page 40