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June 12, 2016 • Vol. IX • No. 12 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
$134M Kalispell Bypass Nears Completion By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
Grading on the Kalispell Bypass, U.S. 93 Alternate Route, has been completed, but there’s a lot of work still to do, including some bridge and resurfacing work. “It’s a very dynamic worksite,” said John Mitchell, engineering project manager for the Montana Department of Transportation. From U.S. 93 south of town, south of the “Four Corners” junction, along the abandoned Burlington Northern Railroad, across U.S. 2 and Two Mile Drive, Three Mile Drive and Four
AU Equipment Holds Demo Events in Phoenix. ..14
ProCon JCB Hosts Second Annual Open House...16
Customers Flock to WSM Auction...78
Table of Contents ............4 California Section.......17-27 Paving Section ..........29-38 Parts Section ..................53
One million cu. yds. (764,555 cu m) of excavation needed to be moved; the majority of dirt was expected to be moved in the winter.
Infrastructure Looms as Defining Issue in Races By Bobby Caina Calvan ASSOCIATED PRESS
Air Compressors, Generators & Light Towers Section ........61-69 Auction Section ........74-82 Business Calendar ........74 Advertisers Index ..........82
HELENA, Mont. (AP) At the end of the last legislative session, Montana Rep. Scott Staffanson pleaded for the House to reconsider a contentious infrastructure bill that failed by a single vote. That one vote is weighing heavily on Staffanson as he fends off a challenge in the June 7 primary by fellow Republican Joel Krautter, a Sidney
attorney who is hitting Steffanson hard for joining other conservatives in blocking a $150 million infrastructure package that sought to pay for roads, bridges and antiquated sewer systems. While Staffanson called the legislation a bad bill, Krautter argues that the bill, while not perfect, was good enough. “A lot of people in my district and eastern Montana as a whole felt very let down by the failure of the infrastructure see INFRASTRUCTURE page 50
Mile Drive and back to U.S. 93 north of town, crews are constructing a new four-lane road around the town of Kalispell, Mont. “It crosses two existing roads and connects to other existing roads,” Mitchell explained. “It will help traffic flow,” he continued. “Easing congestion, it will be safe and efficient for traffic.” Highway 93 is the main connector between Mexico and Canada, with heavy truck traffic. Building the bypass gets the trucks out of downtown, where there is concern about hazardous materials being transported. see BYPASS page 40
Wyo. Eyes Saving Cash With Drones GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) Campbell County surveyors are hoping to buy drones to help do the job. County officials say the use of unmanned aerial vehicles could save taxpayers thousands of dollars a year. The chief surveyor told County Commissioners recently how drones can be used for surveying work. Some of the applications for the county include topography, route planning, volume calculation, site planning and aerial photography. Drones are beginning to be used in a number of industries. In addition to landfill and road surveys, the aerial views are useful for coal mines, construction projects, rooftop inspections and even parking-lot surveys. The Gillette News Record reports that commissioners postponed making a decision about whether to buy a drone until they heard more. For more information, visit http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s website at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)