$3.00
Published Nationally ®
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.”
Western Edition
www.constructionequipmentguide.com
August 22, 2015 • Vol. IX • No. 17 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Construction Employment Sets Records
day, according to a 2015 study. “That number has dropped from 120,000 per day during the recession,” said Laura Newborn, media relations manager with Washington State Department of Transportation, who said it’s down because the number of bus riders is up.
Construction employment in July climbed to the highest level since February 2009, while the number of unemployed workers with construction experience shrank to a 14-year low, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials cautioned that the diminishing pool of available qualified labor may be having an impact on the industry’s ability to meet growing demand. “It is encouraging to see construction employment rising again, but the industry could hire many more workers if they were available,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “The lack of experienced construction workers may be impeding the industry’s ability to start or complete new projects. The recent acceleration in construction spending may soon level off unless the sector can draw in more workers with the right skills.” Construction employment totaled 6.38 million in July, the most since February 2009, but the total rose by only 6,000 in July and by an average of only 7,200 per month over the past five months, Simonson noted. The number of unemployed workers who reported last working in construction totaled 474,000, the lowest amount since 2001. “The sector’s job gains in the past five months have been intermittent and relatively sluggish
see BERTHA page 18
see JOBS page 14
First Part of Skyline Regional Park Begins…12
Photo/WSDOT Equify Opens Cisco Facility in Grand Texas Style…50
WSM Keeps Growth Streak Going in Phoenix… 52
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................21-25 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................26-27 Recycling Section ........31-41 Business Calendar ............42 Auction Section ............45-53 Advertisers Index ..............54
This July 2015 photo shows the SR 99 tunneling machine’s main bearing encircled by the gear ring that facilitates rotation of the cutterhead.
Bertha Rests But Work Goes On By Lori Lovely CEG CORRESPONDENT
Work on the new tunnel under Seattle’s waterfront is on hold while Seattle Tunnel Partners repair damage to “Bertha,” the world’s largestdiameter tunneling machine named after Bertha Knight Landes, the first woman elect-
ed mayor of a major American city (Seattle) in 1926. The tunnel is part of a large $3.1 billion project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, the portion of State Route 99 that travels through downtown Seattle. SR 99 is one of two major north-south traffic corridors through the Emerald City, carrying 90,000 vehicles per
ASA Files Brief in Major Insurance Court Case The American Subcontractors Association, ASA of Texas, and other key construction industry organizations on July 31 filed an amici curiae brief in another major construction insurance coverage case that has percolated through the court system. The case involves the incorporation of a defective product into a refinery, but has widespread implications for contractors and subcontractors as to coverage for defective construc-
tion and installation of particular parts, products and equipment into construction projects. ASA, ASA of Texas, the Associated General Contractors of America, Texas Building Branch — AGC and ABC of Texas filed the brief in support of appellant U.S. Metals Inc., in U.S. Metals Inc. v. Liberty Mutual Group, 2014 WL 465892 (5th Cir. Sept. 19, 2014). “Whether AGC, TBB — AGC, ABC of
Texas and ASA members can depend on their commercial general liability insurance policies for coverage for the many risks they face is a matter of continuing and urgent interest to them,” Patrick J. Wielinski and René R. Pinson of Cokinos, Bosien & Young, Irving, Texas, wrote in the brief. In the underlying case, U.S. Metals, the insured, contracted to manufacture and supply see ASA page 14