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February 21, 2015 • Vol. IX • No. 4 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Oregon Bridges Undergo Major Rehabilitation By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
World of Concrete Exceeds Expecations.. .62
Alex Lyon & Son Kicks Off Florida Auct ions...66
Yoder & Frey Features Bargains Galore...69
Table of Contents ................4 Excavator Section.................. ......................................11-35 California Section ........42-47 Business Calendar ............48 Paving Section ............49-57 Auction Section ..........60-73 Advertisers Index ..............74
In December, workers closed the Lewis & Clark River Bridge for major rehabilitation that will keep the bridge out of use until August.
Major work is under way on two drawbridges that are some of the last of their kind in Oregon. Crews with the Oregon Bridge Construction Company of Stayton, Ore., began work last fall on the Lewis & Clark River Bridge and Old Youngs Bay Bridge. The work, budgeted at $16.7 million, is scheduled to continue over the next two years. In December, workers closed the Lewis & Clark River Bridge for major rehabilitation that will keep the bridge out of use until August. The Lewis & Clark River Bridge was built in 1924 and is the only remaining single leaf bascule draw span in Oregon. Work also is ongoing on the Old Youngs Bay Bridge, one of only four remaining double bascule bridges in the state. It was built in 1921. see BRIDGE page 40
Construction Jobs MCI-EFI Report: Economy See Highest Level Primed for Spending Surge Since Feb. 2009 Construction employers added 39,000 jobs in January and 308,000 over the past year, reaching the highest employment total since February 2009, as the sector’s unemployment rate fell to 9.8 percent, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the job gains come as most construction firms report plans to expand headcount this year, but worry about growing shortages of qualified workers. “Contractors have stayed busy this winter and expect to keep hiring through 2015 — if they can find the workers they need,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The list of projects is growing in most states and most nonresidential segments, in addition to continuing strong demand for apartment buildings.” see AGC page 48
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) released the January 2015 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) Jan. 22. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $903 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 66.1, an increase from the December index of 63.4 and the highest level in the last three years. When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Thomas Jaschik, President, BB&T Equipment Finance, said, “With third quarter GDP in excess of 5 percent, the
economy is primed for a surge in capital equipment spending. I believe domestic companies now have the confidence to make substantial investments in plant and equipment to facilitate growth. This could lead to a record year for equipment finance in 2015.” January 2015 Survey Results The overall MCI-EFI is 66.1, an increase from the December index of 63.4. • When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 23.3 percent of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down from 28 percent in December. 76.7 percent of respondents believe busisee ELFA page 48