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January 11, 2014 • Vol. IX • No. 1 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Elevated Bypass on Seattle’s SR 99 Almost Done By Irwin Rapoport
Coordination with railway, the Port of Seattle and WSDOT, the city of Seattle, and the consortium building the tunnel is crucial as the bypass provides a solution for multiple problems.
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Trimble System Pulls Contractor Ahead of Schedule...12
Hyundai Sends Aid to Philippines Typhoon Victims...52
ConExpo Retro See page 26 for an ongoing series of highlights from past ConExpos as they were reported in the pages of CEG.
Table of Contents ................4 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................13-14 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................15-19 Recycling Section ........33-44 Business Calendar ............45 Auction Section............47-55 Advertisers Index ..............54
The ongoing construction of the $29.37 million Holgate to King Street project — an h-shaped bridge (elevated bypass) in downtown Seattle, Wash. — is expected to be complete next March and is part of the ongoing work to build the Alaska Way Tunnel. The 1,428-ft. (435 m) long bypass is being built by Guy F. Atkinson Construction LLC. Actual construction began on July 12, 2012 following several months of serious planning as the project crosses the busy SR 99 freeway, railroad tail track operated by the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), and is adjacent to the Port of Seattle and its cargo container yard Terminal 46, the
Century Link Stadium (home of the Seattle Seahawks), the Safeco field (home of the Seattle Mariners), and the work site for the Alaska Way Tunnel.
“They call our job the gateway to the tunnel,” said Ma Ma, Atkinson’s project manager. “When a train goes by, the whole area stops. When completed, the
bypass will eliminate traffic interruptions for the public and the port. We’re building a two-lane bridge with three approaches.” The bypass, designed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and built for WSDOT, is being integrated into the existing road infrastructure. The challenges for the concrete bypass are many, including a combination of cast-in-place box girder and the installation of precast tub girders for the lengths of the “h,” which were spliced with top girders. When completed, 15,000 cu. yds. (11,468 cu m) of concrete will have been used, along with 1,500 tons (1,361 t) of reinforcing steel, 530,000 linear ft. (161,544 m) of prestressing steel, and 2,200 linear ft. (671 m) of prestressed concrete see BYPASS page 50
ELFA’s MLFI-25 Reports Industry Remains Increased Business Volume Fragile Despite Job The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $827 billion equipment finance sector, showed its overall new business volume for November was $6.6 billion, up 3 percent from new business volume in November 2012. Month-over-month, new business volume was down 13 percent from October. Year to date, cumulative new business volume increased 5 percent compared to 2012. Receivables over 30 days were at 1.8 percent in November, up slightly from 1.5 percent in October. Delinquencies declined from 2 percent in the same period in 2012. Charge-offs declined to once again match the all-time low of 0.3 per-
cent from 0.4 percent the previous month. Credit approvals totaled 76.5 percent in November, a slight decrease from 77.6 percent the previous month. Forty-seven percent of participating organizations reported submitting more transactions for approval during October, a level more in line with previous months’ activity after a spike to 82 percent last month. Finally, total headcount for equipment finance companies was up 1.4 percent year over year. Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) for December is 55.8, a decrease from the November index of 56.9, reflecting industry concerns over uncertainty regarding capital expenditures (capex) see SURVEY page 32
Gains, Analysts Say By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Thirty-nine states posted gains in construction jobs over the past year, but analysts say the industry remains fragile. “We think the market is soft,” said Brian Turmail, spokesman of The Associated General Contractors of America. “Private sector demand is getting weak and employment gains can be fleeting.” That concern was underscored by Mississippi, which led the country with a 17-percent increase, or 8,000 jobs, over 2012. Nonetheless, the southern state lost more than 2 percent — 1,300 — of those jobs from October to November, placing it at 49th out 50 states for growth. Conversely, Indiana led the monthly rankings with a 4.8 percent increase — 5,400 construction jobs — but saw a see JOBS page 51