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October 31, 2012 • Vol. XXV • No. 22 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
Inside
Half-Cent Tax for Highways on Ark. Ballot By Jill Bleed
Coastal Equipm ent Holds Open House in Va. …8
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This is the largest transportation infrastructure project in the state’s history, creating 13,800 jobs.
Linder Host s Oktoberfest in Lakeland…14
First Proposed in ’58, Triangle Project Proceeding in Earnest By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
Cat Au ction s, Car ter Machinery Hold Sale…66
Table of Contents ............4 Crawler Loaders, Dozers, Undercarriages & Parts Section ......................29-35 Paving Section ........37-50 Parts Section ................51 Business Calendar ........54 Auction Section ......66-75 Advertisers Index ..........74
It may not be Bermuda, but some of North Carolina’s commuters might feel a little lost when the state’s first toll road opens next year. The 18.8-mi. (30.2 km) six-lane divided highway near Raleigh-Durham is designed to provide relief from congestion on existing routes between the Research Triangle Park business area and western Wake County to the south. First proposed back in 1958 when Research Triangle Park was created, the Parkway is being built on a corridor of land preserved from development specifically for the roadway’s eventual see EXPRESSWAY page 24
Because of time and lane restrictions, some work was done on nights and weekends, mostly during the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Two concrete paving seasons were coordinated at night to take advantage of cooler temperatures and for better productivity.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas voters will be asked to raise the state’s sales tax by one-half cent in exchange for a $1.8 billion highway improvement program that backers say will create 40,000 jobs and build four-lane highways to link much of the state. Commercials in favor of Issue 1 began airing in Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Jonesboro, even though the ballot measure has drawn no organized opposition. Move Arkansas Forward, the group formed to campaign in favor of the measure, has budgeted $600,000 to air the 30-second ads in the state’s major markets. “The upcoming election gives Arkansas voters one vote for more jobs,” the ad’s narrator said. “One vote for safer roads. One vote for four-lane highways connecting all parts of the state. And one vote for a better Arkansas economy without raising taxes on groceries, medicine or gasoline.” The campaign has raised more than $700,000 and hopes to reach more than $1 million, Move Arkansas Forward spokesman Craig Douglass said. The amendment calls for the authorization of $1.3 billion in bonds to fund highway projects. Those bonds would be paid for by a half-cent salestax increase that, if approved, would increase Arkansas’ state sales tax to 6.5 percent from 6 percent. The tax would end when the bonds are paid off, which is expected to take no more than 10 years. see TAX page 22
August, September See Employment Increase Construction employers added 5,000 jobs in September while the industry’s unemployment rate hit 11.9 percent, according to an analysis of new federal data released Oct. 5 by the Associated General Contractors of
America. Association officials cautioned that construction employment has been relatively flat for more than a year as growing demand for residential and some commercial projects has been offset by declining public sector
construction activity. “Despite the slight uptick in construction employment for the past month, the industry is a bit smaller than it was one year ago,” said see EMPLOYMENT page 72