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August 24, 2013 • Vol. IX • No. 17 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Community Lobbies for SR 502 Widening
Boxcer H osts Interactive Paving School...10
One challenge to the project is balancing the needs and safety of today with the desire to preserve the history of the rural area, which is dotted with timber and old farms growing blueberries and hay.
By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT Holt CAT Saves Pecan Tree...12
Towmaster Holds 4th Annual Expo...26
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................15-19 Recycling Section ........33-41
Ten years ago Washington Department of Transportation officials began an early design and environmental review in regards to widening State Road 502 from two to four lanes between Interstate 5 and the city of Battle Ground to the east. The city, which lies north of Portland and west of I-5, is a growing area that’s home to
ConExpo Retro Se e pag e 22 for the first of an ongoing series of h ig hlig hts from past Con Expos as they we re reported in the pages of CEG.
18,000 people, a medical clinic, hotels and shopping. The combination of a growing community and a new interchange connecting 502 and I-5, built in 2007-09, is bringing more traffic to the area. Prior to that project, the highway ended before it reached I-5, with no direct access. With the new interchange in place, predictions over the next 20 years indicate that traffic on SR 502 is expected to increase from 20,000 to 33,000 daily drivers. When presented with three design options —
widen the existing roadway, shift to the north or shift to the south — the community lobbied for widening. “We started with multiple options for where to align the wider highway and had to consider impacts to the community, drivers and the environment,” said Abbi Russell, communications manager of WSDOT Southwest Region. Design work on the 502 project continued through 2007, with a federally required environmental analysis undertaken in 2008-09, after see WIDENING page 32
ASCE Responds to Investment Call The following is a statement from Gregory E. DiLoreto, D.WRE, president of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), regarding President Obama's renewed call to invest in America’s infrastructure: “As stewards of our nation’s infrastructure, the
American Society of Civil Engineers applauds President Obama’s proposal to direct money from a corporate tax overhaul to help fund America’s infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance on highways, see ASCE page 50
Employment Increases BetweenJune 2012, 2013
Truck & Trailer Section 43-45 Auction Section ..........48-55 Business Calendar ............50 Advertisers Index ..............54
Construction employment increased in 191 out of 339 metropolitan areas between June 2012 and June 2013, declined in 97 and was flat in 51, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released July 30 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials welcomed the construction employment gains but cautioned that demand
remained spotty amid continued efforts to cut federal investments in vital infrastructure projects, including for clean water systems. “Although construction activity remains extremely spotty, with strong residential activity offsetting lackluster private nonresidential investment and shrinking public construction spending, workers are being hired in more and
more metro areas,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “There is widespread good news for now but the industry remains far below previous employment peaks in most markets.” The number of metro areas with construction employment increases rose for the fifth see EMPLOYMENT page 50