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July 3 2010 Vol. VI • No. 14
“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
Drivers Beware: Construction Starts Across Oregon
Work begins to form the third wall and the tying rebar for the end wall in the concrete box culvert.
By Joseph Rose THE OREGONIAN Case Produces Milestone Skid Steer...14
Caldecott Tunnel Gets Fourth Bore...33
N.M. Spaceport Set to Be ‘8th Man-Made Wonder’ By Mary Reed CEG CORRESPONDENT
It was only fitting that when ground was broken for Spaceport America, the world’s first commercial spaceport under construction about 45 mi. north of Las Cruces, N.M., a small but symbolic quantity of Mother Ritchie Bros. Break Own Auction Record...55
Table of Contents ..............4 Attachment Section ....15-27 Parts Section....................28 Paving Section ............45-50 Business Calendar............51 Auction Section ..........54-59 Advertisers Index ............58
Earth was sent aloft in an amateur rocket to an altitude of a couple of thousand feet. Groundbreaking for the facility, owned by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA), was a colorful affair, kicked off by a parade of people dressed as settlers and conquistadores. After several speeches, dig-
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Sometimes, stuff just needs to be replaced. Cars. PCs. Cell phones. Giant metal hinges that keep Interstate 205’s Glenn Jackson Bridge from collapsing into the Columbia River. Of course, it’s not always cheap or — as the Glenn Jackson’s month-old joint-replacement project has shown — painless. Two of the bridge’s four lanes in either direction will be closed almost every weekend through fall, likely causing nightmarish, trickling gridlock on both I-205 and I-5. Matt Garrett, director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, said traffic jams caused by the Glenn Jackson project have been worse than anticipated. With 140 major road projects mapped out and funded this summer, including 40 in the Portland area, Oregon is entering the biggest construction season in its history. But few projects will come close to the challenge of replacing 20 joints on the Glenn Jackson Bridge.
see SPACEPORT page 10
see OREGON page 40
Caterpillar to Invest $700M in Production Upgrades By Josh Funk AP BUSINESS WRITER
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Caterpillar Inc. said June 17 that it plans to invest almost $700 million over the next four years to start producing mining shovels and expand production of its trucks at plants in Illinois and India. The world’s largest maker of construction and mining equipment said it plans to add a new mining shovel production line at its Aurora, Ill., plant and expand truck production in Decatur, Ill., and Chennai, India. The new mining shovels will range from 125- to 800-ton (113 to 725 t) models. The 125-
ton shovels are expected to be available in 2011 with larger models following in 2013 and 2014. The Aurora plant is likely to gain about 300 jobs through 2014. Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan said jobs will be added at the other plants as demand increases, but the Peoria company doesn’t know how many. Caterpillar said these expansions should increase the truck production capacity of the Decatur plant by about 30 percent. That plant produces Caterpillar’s largest mining trucks, including its 400-ton (363 t) model. The truck capacity of the Indian plant will double to help Caterpillar meet increasing demand in commodity-rich developing regions
like Asia. “This investment of nearly $700 million demonstrates our commitment to Caterpillar mining customers around the world,” said Doug Oberhelman, who will become Caterpillar’s CEO in July. “It also is a great example of the job-creation benefits of global trade.” Oberhelman said more than 60 percent of the large mining equipment made at Caterpillar’s Illinois facilities are sold outside the United States. Caterpillar has said it’s seeing stronger demand for its iconic yellow-and-black machinery because the economy has begun to recover from the recession.