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Published Nationally ®
Western Edition
May 7 2011 Vol. VII • No. 10
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
Work Progresses on Marsh Station Project By Jennifer Rupp CEG CORESPONDENT
Coast Crane Makes Large Crane Purchase...12
Roadtec Opens New Training Facility...36
The I-10 Marsh Station project is located between mileposts 289 and 292. The project encompassed the construction of a new traffic interchange that can accommodate most commercial truck traffic, the extension of Marsh Station Road and drainage improvements. The project also includes realigning approximately 3 mi. (4.8 km) of the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) line to the north side of I10. The $10 million endeavor was made possible by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, which, in 2009, appropriated $27.5 billion for U.S. highway and bridge projects. Work on the interchange began in November of 2009. The interchange was opened to traffic Dec. 20, 2010. As the new ramps opened, the old interchange closed. Additional work, such as painting and landscaping, were finalized in February 2011. The old Marsh Station Bridge was removed on April 8th. FNF Construction Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., was the prime contractor. They were in charge of grading and hauling of material, paving the new ramps and mainline I-10, and construction of the new bridge. FNF has been in business since 1984, working mainly in heavy-highway construction and general engineering work. Subcontractors include Fierro Utility Construction Services Inc. of Phoenix; Hunter Guardrail & Fence Inc. of see PROJECT page 12
Bar None Auction Holds Sale in Sacramento...39
Table of Contents ............4 Wheel Loaders Section...... ..................................15-24 Paving Section ........31-37
FNF Construction Inc. of Tempe, Ariz., used concrete molds to achieve the intricate designs on the bridge.
Caterpillar’s 1Q Profit New-Home Construction Rises 7.2 Percent in March Soars, Ups Forecast By Derek Kravitz
By Christopher Leonard AP BUSINESS WRITER
California Sections ..39-43 Auction Section ......46-53 Business Calendar ........47 Advertisers Index ..........54
ST. LOUIS (AP) Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said April 29 its first-quarter profit soared more than five-fold and raised its financial outlook for the year as a growing economic recovery boosted demand for its mining and construction equipment. The results blew past analysts’ expectations. Caterpillar’s earnings are a bellwether for the global economy, as it sells the kind of kind of expensive, heavy machinery used for consee PROFITS page 38
AP REAL ESTATE WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) Builders broke ground on more new homes in March, giving the weak U.S. housing market a slight boost at the start of the spring buying season. Home construction rose 7.2 percent in March from February to a seasonally adjusted 549,000 units, the Commerce Department said April 19. Building permits, an indi-
cator of future construction, rose 11.2 percent after hitting a fivedecade low in February. Still, the building pace is far below the 1.2 million units a year that economists consider healthy. And March’s improvement came after construction fell in February to its second-lowest level on record dating back more than a half-century. Millions of foreclosures have see CONSTRUCTION page 38