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Southeast Edition $3.00
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” July 25, 2012 • Vol. XXV • No. 15 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Blue Wahoos Take the Field in Pensacola By Cindy Riley
Pla teau Exc avation Lea ds $92M Intermodal Job… 8
CEG CORRESPONDENT
This part of U.S. Highway 27 was originally constructed in the 1950s, the decade when work began on our current interstate highway system. U.S. Rep. B roun Visits BASIC Equipment…10
Well Traveled U.S. 27 to Receive Long Overdue Improvements By Peter Hildebrandt CEG CORRESPONDENT
New Firm Takes Old School Appro ach to Business…12
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................30-32 Recycling Section ........35-43
A short section of highway near Chattanooga, Tenn., has been due for a makeover for some time. This part of U.S. Highway 27 was originally constructed in the 1950s, the decade when work began on our current interstate highway system. As in many
other regions of the country, traffic volumes and speeds have increased exponentially since then. Acceptable road conditions and highway and vehicle technology also have vastly improved over the years. The section of U.S. 27 currently under construction goes from the P.R. Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River to SR 8/U.S. 127 see HIGHWAY page 50
A $54 million park project in Pensacola, Fla., which includes a waterfront minor league baseball stadium, is now complete, although official ribbon-cutting ceremonies will have to wait. A partial opening for Community Maritime Park took place in April, but a freak storm rained out the highly anticipated dedication scheduled for mid-June. Community Maritime Park is a 5,000seat facility that’s home to the Cincinnati Redsaffiliated Blue Wahoos and can be converted into a soccer or football field or concert venue with space for additional visitors. see PENSACOLA page 34
Photo courtesy of Hoar Construction
Trackhoe mounted breaker breaking up buried concrete so it can be hauled off.
Construction Hits Two-and-a-Half Year Peak in May
Parts Section ....................44 Attachment Section ....45-48 Auction Section ..........62-71 Business Calendar ............67 Advertisers Index ..............70
Construction spending in May reached the highest level since December 2009 as widespread gains in private nonresidential construction, single-family and multifamily homebuilding more than offset a continuing downturn in public construction, according to an analysis of new federal data released July 2 by the Associated General Contractors of
America. Association officials said they expect the disparity between private and public construction is likely to persist, although enactment of a federal highway and transit bill will cushion the decline in public spending. “It is encouraging to see such a broad-based pickup in private construction,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist.
Simonson noted that private nonresidential spending climbed for the third month in a row and was 19 percent higher than in May 2011. Residential construction surged 3 percent for the month and 8 percent year-over-year, with new multifamily construction leaping 6 percent and 50 percent, respectively, and singlesee REPORT page 54