Utah 24 2015

Page 1

UTAH STATE EDITION

A Supplement to:

November 28 2015 Vol. I • No. 24

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Utah Connection – Dennis Hogeboom – 1-877-7CEGLTD – dennishogeboom@cegltd.com

Voters in 10 Utah Counties Elect to Pass Proposition 1 By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT

UDOT photo

“The conveyor belt can basically take construction traffic out of the work zone, or out of the general purpose traffic lane, so they can dump concrete right in the work zone,” said Tim Rose, project director.

Innovative Bailey Bridge Improves Safety, Efficiency on $252M I-15 Project By Brenda Ruggiero CEG CORRESPONDENT

A special conveyor bridge is currently being utilized on a Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) project along I-15 between northern Utah County and Draper. The overall project, valued at $252 million, involves rebuilding a 7-mi. (11.26 km) section known as The Point because of its location around the point of a mountain. It is expected to be complete by the fall of 2016. “The idea for the conveyor came from the contractor [Utah County Constructors] as part of their proposal,” said Tim Rose, project director. “The conveyor belt can basically take construction traffic out of the work

zone, or out of the general purpose traffic lane, so they can dump concrete right in the work zone. There are no more trucks in the work zone pulling in and out of traffic. It was very attractive to the department to have them do that. So they proposed it, they won on the low bid on the contract, and now they’re using it. It’s been in operation now for probably four or five weeks, and probably will be in operation for another six weeks or so.” The conveyor came from Arizona with McNeil, the concrete pavers for project. Known as a Bailey Bridge, the temporary structure goes up over the freeway, with the conveyor sitting on top. Rose noted that the device is being used to convey concrete. The convey-

or belt drops into an 8- or 9-yard hopper on the other side, and the trucks pull up and drop the concrete down the hopper. “It’s [going to] be a pretty tight operation, or else you have to shut the conveyor down because it only holds 8 or 9 yards,” Rose said. “So as far as their logistics of getting trucks in and out, they do a really good job of that. They have their portable batch plant set up right there on the side of the freeway, and they dump it right on the conveyor and up over the top and into the mill,” he said. “That’s all they’re planning to use it for. Some people put aggregate and that sort of stuff in with it, but they’re done with all that work, so they’ll be just using it for concrete see BAILEY page 8

Ten counties in Utah passed a measure on Election Day raising sales taxes by a quarter of a percent to pay for road projects. But the state’s two most populous counties, Salt Lake and Utah, defeated the rate hike. The vote was so close in Salt Lake County, election officials did not finish tallying votes until two weeks after the election. In the end, the defeat by only 1.8 percent held, said Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen. In the counties that approved it, Proposition 1 raises the sales tax from 6.75 percent to 7 percent, or one cent for every four dollars for the “specific purpose of transportation improvements such as roads, trails, sidewalks, maintenance, bus and rail service, and traffic and pedestrian safety features, with the revenues divided among the county, cities and towns and the public transit provider within the county,” according to the Utah Voter Information Pamphlet. Sixty percent of the money raised would go to projects designated by the local government, while 40 percent would be directed to the Utah Transit Authority (a local service district) if it provides service in that county. If not, 100 percent would go to the local projects, said Remi Barron, spokesman of UTA. The measure was put on local ballots after the Utah State Legislature passed a bill earlier this year allowing each county to hold public meetings and decide individually if voters should decide the sales tax increase. Of Utah’s 29 counties, 17 opted to put it to a vote. “The support shown for Prop 1 will pay dividends in the future, not only for the economy of our state, but also for the Utahns who depend on reliable, well-maintained infrastructure,” the Utah Transportation Authority said in a press release posted on its Web site. “For counties that voted in favor, Prop 1 will reach close to home with the transportation options we use and rely on the most. It will address that perpetual pothole on your local street, finish the sidewalk between your house and see PROP 1 page 7


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Utah 24 2015 by Construction Equipment Guide - Issuu