Western Edition
Published Nationally ยฎ October 28 2018 Vol. IX โข No. 22
โThe Nationโs Best Read Construction Newspaperโฆ Founded 1957.โ 470 Maryland Drive โข Ft. Washington, PA 19034 โข 215-885-2900 โข Toll Free 800-523-2200 โข www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Crews Upgrade Aging Tunnel in Laguna Beach By Chuck Harvey CEG CORRESPONDENT
Cooper Equipment Company Celebrates Grand Opening...12
Integrity Makes Sukut Construction Fixture for 50 Years...21
Mont. Dealers Celebrate RDO Equipmentโs 50th Anniversary...46
Table of Contents................4 California Section.........21-28 Crawler Loaders, Dozers Section..........................29-38 Paving Section..............55-64 Snow Section................65-66 Auction Section ............69-75 Business Calendar.............71 Advertisers Index...............74
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Crews continue working on an $80 million project to enlarge and stabilize a 2-mi., 62-year-old tunnel containing a new 24-in. sewer pipeline in Laguna Beach, Calif. Workers are enlarging the tunnel that runs from Three Arch Bay to Aliso Beach from an average diameter of 6 ft. to an average diameter of 9 ft. The South Coast Water District Board approved the project in 2010, followed by approval of the Laguna Beach City Council in 2013. The tunnel and pipeline are the only sewer collection system in Southern California that has a sewer line inside of a tunnel within and below a bluff. The project started in March 2017 and is expected to continue through August 2021. The project is described as a 100-year solution to upgrade the aging tunnel and protect the environment, local economies and neighboring communities from sewer leaks or spills. Besides enlarging and stabilizing the tunnel, workers will replace the current 24-in. pipeline that was last
replaced in 1974. The current pipeline, also 24 in. in diameter, will be encased in concrete, but preserved for redundancy and emergency use. โThis is a sanitary sewer serving beachfront homes and businesses along a two-mile stretch between Three Arch Bay and Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach,โ said Robin Rockey, public information specialist for the South Coast Water District. Enlarging the tunnel will ensure safer working conditions and greater access for future pipeline maintenance and repair. Permanent tunnel lining and steel supports will be installed where needed.
South Coast Water District photo
Workers are enlarging the tunnel that runs from Three Arch Bay to Aliso Beach from an average diameter of 6 ft. to an average diameter of 9 ft.
South Coast Water District photo
The project is described as a 100-year solution to upgrade the aging tunnel and protect the environment, local economies and neighboring communities from sewer leaks or spills.
Concrete will we sprayed onto the tunnel walls in a process called shotcrete. The steel supports will replace rotting timber supports. Loose rock also will be removed. The sewer line currently handles about 1 million gal. of wastewater each
day. Built in 1954, the tunnel is said to be crumbling in spots. The South Coast Water District reports that the tunnel has experienced several collapses and rock falls in recent years. Fortunately no worker injuries or sewer spills have occurred during the tunnelโs history. The sewer pipe carries wastewater along by gravity. That is sigsee STABILIZE page 54
Labor Shortage: Itโs Not Necessarily About Pay By Jennifer McKevitt CEG CORRESPONDENT
A recent report from the Associated General Contractors of America notes that more than 80 percent of contractors are struggling to fill hourly craft positions or those that require specialized training to perform. In an attempt to lure in talented workers, per diems and other pay structures are growing increasingly com-
petitive. CEG spoke with Ken Simonson, AGCโs chief economist, who believes the situation will take more than adjusted per diems to resolve. โConstruction firms are definitely sensitive to wage and benefits packages,โ Simonson said. โHowever, the problem of attracting qualified workers goes deeper than adjusted costs for meals, travel and lodging.โ
The true source of worker shortages isnโt pay-related, he believes. The real issue is training. โAbout a decade or more ago, schools began de-emphasizing the value of trades,โ he said. โCareer counselors told everyone that college was the best way to land a high-paying job.โ What the counselors didnโt foresee was the see LABOR page 50