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March 15 2020 Vol. IX • 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 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
New Park Coming to Rollover Pass Site Bobcat of Austin Opens New Branch...8
Texas General Land Office photo
The Rollover Pass cuts through the Bolivar Peninsula. This image illustrates the challenges of working in area with a lot of water.
By Irwin Rapoport CEG CORRESPONDENT Doosan Bobcat Teams With WWP, Bombas...52
The first step toward the construction of a new Bayside park in Gilchrist, Texas (Galveston County), is the filling in of the Rollover Pass in the Bolivar Peninsula, a $7.4 million project that began last October when crews from Brizo Construction LLC commenced its operations to fill in the 200-ft. wide and 1,600-ft. long strait (canal). The project, initiated by the Texas General
Land Office (GLO), was funded by an appropriation from the Texas Legislature in 2009. The new park will be created and managed by Galveston County. The pass’s north and south sides were closed on Sept. 30. The operations to fill the straight with sand, approximately 160,000 cu yds, should be completed by late April/early May. The park and recreational area, which includes a fishing pier on the Gulf of Mexico side of the peninsula, will be built on the site of the former pass and is expected to be com-
pleted in 2021. The Lauderdale Dock also will be renovated. “The project is on schedule,” said David Green, the GLO’s deputy director of coastal resources. “We understand that that Rollover Pass is a highly valued location for the Galveston community and fishermen across the state, [which is why a new fishing pier is an integral part of the park project].” The GLO has applied for an official permit for park and pier construction through the U.S. see BRIDGE page 24
Fire Crews Battle Wildfires With Big Guns Leaning Tower of Dallas Finally Topples...65
Table of Contents ................4 Asphalt, Concrete, Paving, Compaction & Milling Section ........................ 29-51 Business Calendar ............60 Auction Section ..........60-65 Advertisers Index ..............66
By Lucy Perry CEG CORRESPONDENT
Alaska Division of Forestry photo
The National Interagency Fire Center logged at least 48 large fires in 12 states last summer in the United States. When conditions set the stage for fire disaster, heavy equipment helps battle blazes. Putting in fire breaks to slow fire advancement, creating a safe area where firefighters can conduct burnout operations, and clearing out damaged trees are just some of the ways heavy machinery is necessary to fighting wildfires in the With the help of an excavator, crews on the ground fight wildfires in Alaska. United States and abroad. The Amazon saw more than numbers of fires in 2019. In by horrific wildfires, after an emer80,000 forest fires last year. Russia, January, Australia was still fighting gency was declared in New South Indonesia and Lebanon had record almost 40,000 sq. mi. devastated Wales this past November.
In California, 250,000 acres burned during last year’s fire season. Last summer’s Mt. McKinley wildfire in Alaska burned 3,000 acres. Working in tandem, equipment operators and firefighters battled that massive blaze, as well as seven other Alaskan wildfires. In Texas, crews tackled seven total blazes. Many fire-prevention organizations the world over don’t have their own fleets of heavy machinery. Instead, they develop working relationships with equipment contractors and rental houses who mobilize both machinery and qualified operators to battle fires in their local and regional areas. There are other reasons fire-presee FIRE page 28