Published Nationally ®
Southeast Edition
March 24 2010
$3.00
Vol. XXIII • No. 6
“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
Old Bridge Converted to New Artificial Reef By Cain Burdeau ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Miami Intermodal Center Takes Shape…21
Storms Delay U.S. 421 Improvements…25
Tractor and Equipment to Carry LeeBoy, Rosco…32
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......31-43 Skid Steers & Attachments Section...... ..............................47-55 Parts Section ..............57 Business Calendar......58 Auction Section ....74-87 Advertisers Index ......86
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN, La. (AP) Girder by girder, the 5.4 mi. (8.7 km)-long Twin Span interstate bridge across Lake Pontchartrain that was torn apart by Hurricane Katrina is being cut into suitcase-size pieces and turned into a fish haven on the muddy bottoms of the lake. The artificial reef project is expected to become a popular fishing spot while helping restore Pontchartrain’s marine life and the health of the entire lake. After decades of clam dredging, shipping, oil drilling and trawl fishing, vast areas of Louisiana’s coastal waterbottoms have been turned into sandy or muddy wastelands. At the same time, hurricanes and coastal erosion have undermined hundreds of miles of coast. Any hard material is in high demand to stabilize sinking structures like roads and even old forts, harden shorelines and build artificial reefs in the swampy and gooey southern part of the state. The nearest rock quarry in Louisiana may be in Winnfield Parish, not far from state’s highest point, Driskill Mountain, 200 mi.
from New Orleans. Most of the rock for jetties, rip rap and bank stabilization in south Louisiana is barged in from Kentucky, Illinois and Arkansas. At one time, Lake Pontchartrain was underlain by a 6-ft. (1.8 m) bed of clam shells — but that was mined to smithereens and used to strengthen roads, railways and driveways. The same happened to mammoth reefs in the Atchafalaya River estuary to the west. So the 1960s-era Twin Span bridge to New Orleans — being replaced by an $800 million new bridge — is viewed as a smorgasbord of rock. “It’s popular material right now,” said Steve Heraty, an engineer with Volkert & Associates, a construction consulting firm overseeing the work. For the past few weeks, machinery has been cutting up the bridge’s 25-ton (22.7 t) concrete girders and spans, and welders have burned off protruding steel to ready the chunks for submersion. About four acres of artificial reef will be made from 26,000 tons (23,587 t) of bridge concrete, at a cost of $1.2 million. Tens of
After years of delay and controversy, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) finally began work on a new Reelfoot Spillway, a new spillway channel and a new bridge over the channel at Reelfoot Lake in July 2009. The original spillway, constructed in 1931, was deemed “structurally deficient,” with inspections indicating that it exhibits “advanced section loss, deterioration, spalling and scour,” according to TDOT. The newly configured spillway and bridge will be separate entities, with the new spillway located 1,000 ft. (304 m) west of the existing structure.
see REEF page 20
see SPILLWAY page 18
The spillway will be built south of the new bridge and a canal will be dug, running south of the spillway and then north of the spillway under the new bridge to the lake.
TDOT Finally Begins Reelfoot Spillway Job By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
Cat Considers Shifting Excavator Production Site As part of a long-term strategic initiative, Caterpillar Inc. has undertaken a study that could lead to a new hydraulic excavator facility being built in the United States. Such a move could triple the current number of hydraulic excavators now produced by the company in the United States and significantly increase Caterpillar’s employment in the United States dedicated to excavator produc-
“The excavator business is highly competitive and continues to evolve with a diverse and growing number of manufacturers around the world.” Gary Stampanato Caterpillar Inc.
tion, and further leverage excavator production in Japan to serve increasing demand in China and across Asia. “The study is based on the current analysis of where the global excavator market is heading and how Caterpillar should position itself for continued leadership in the excavator industry,” said Gary Stampanato, Caterpillar see CAT page 82