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Western Edition
November 24 2019 Vol. IX • No. 24
“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
SH 334 Bridge Project to Clear Up Bottleneck By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Tips For Inspecting Used Equipment Components...8
Terex Finlay, Kimball Host Vegas Open Day...22
Rubblization Gives New Life to Dying Roads...25
Against a watery backdrop, crews in Henderson County, Tex., continue making progress on the State Highway 334 Bridge project. The more than $40 million effort includes the construction of new westbound bridges, upgrades to the existing bridges for eastbound traffic and widening of the two-lane island section connecting to two lake crossings to a four-lane divided highway with a continuous left turn lane. Austin Bridge and Road Services LP serves as the general contractor for the project, “The three-mile section of roadway now under construction is currently a bottleneck between the cities of Seven Points and Gun Barrel City,” said Shane Cunningham, Tyler District director of construction, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). “It’s a two-lane stretch of highway between two, four-lane sections with a center turn lane. The existing two-lane bridges are separated by an island in the middle of the lake. The existing bridges will be left in place, and will eventually be
used for eastbound traffic. The new bridges, again separated by the island, will carry westbound traffic.” The existing structures are 55 years old, with an average daily traffic count of almost 20,000. The new bridges (one and two) are 2,560 ft. and 2,320 ft. in length. The bridge approaches are utilizing sheet piling to minimize the need for right-ofway. The concrete drilled shafts are currently being constructed, and the contractor is utilizing permanent casing to construct the shafts in the lake. Once the shafts and columns are completed, the contractor will place pre-cast caps at the interior bents of both bridges. Eventually the contractor will set 120-ft. Tx54 IGirders and will then pour the reinforced concrete bridge deck. By expanding to four lanes (two in each direction), the bridges will match the capacity of the roadway sections to the east and west, allowing for better traffic flow. Moving Ahead “TxDOT has been working to address the bottleneck on SH 334 between Gun Barrel City and Seven
Table of Contents..........4 Paving Section.......25-37 Trailer Section.......45-61 Auction Section.....64-71 Business Calendar ......65 Advertisers Index .......70
see BRIDGE page 68
Michael Amador, TxDOT photographer Photo
Drilled shafts are the most time-consuming part of the work. Everything has to be transported to the shaft location via tug boats, including concrete.
How Contractors Use Technology in Managing Risk By Joe Trinacria CEG ASSOCIATE EDITOR
In managing the prospects of risk on project sites nationwide, both contractors and insurers alike are optimistic about the potential for modern technology to help mitigate any impending threats to safety in the work environment. According to a recent Dodge Data & Analytics study (conducted in partnership with IRMI Insights and Triax Technologies Inc.),
challenges do remain, however, within the realm of technological advancements and assessing risk before contractors can take full advantage of its untapped potential. Dodge’s report, aptly titled, “Using Technology to Improve Risk Management in Construction,” was based on the findings of two studies that polled contractors and insurers for answers. The quantitative portion examined how contractors manage risk and their assessment of new and emerging tech. The
qualitative piece asked insurers to weigh in on the current state of the construction industry in regard to using data in minimizing risk, as well as the potential for current and developing technologies to improve those capabilities. Throughout the entirety of a project’s life, contractors manage the risks associated with a given job through a variety of means. Some of these activities are considered to be more difficult tasks than others, as the study revealed. see RISK page 44