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September 21, 2013 • Vol. IX • No. 19 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Cactus Ave. Interchange Under Way After Delay By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Kobelco Appoints Marin...8
Towmaster Draws B ig Crowd to Expo...25
Kenworth Awards Contest Winners With D rive...27
Table of Contents ................4 Attachment & Parts Section ......................................13-15 Truck & Trailer Section ........ ......................................25-27 Recycling Section ........33-43 Business Calendar ............47 Auction Section ..........47-55 Advertisers Index ..............54
After a four-year delay, a $62 million interchange project in Las Vegas is at last under way. The Cactus Avenue interchange is being constructed between Silverado Ranch Road and St. Rose Parkway on I-15 and will include a six-lane street and overpass above the freeway to link Dean Martin Drive with Las Vegas Boulevard. The diamond interchange is expected to ease congestion in the southeastern and southwestern areas of Las Vegas Valley, said Damon Hodge, spokesman of the Nevada Department of Transportation. “The southwestern portion of town, along with southeastern portion, has been rapidly growing, Hodge said.
They have been among the most rapidly growing sectors of the Las Vegas Valley for a long time.” Commuters on both the east and west sides of I-15 have been pushing for the additional connectivity to improve the transportation flow and access to the valley, Hodge said. The most significant impact will be to the Silverado Ranch interchange, said Corey Newcome, project manager of Las Vegas Paving, the lead contractor for the project. “Silverado Ranch Road gets backed up at morning and evening peaks primarily with residents going home and to work,” Newcome said. “There are times they will be backed up for several light cycles. It’s going to be a huge help see INTERCHANGE page 50
The Louis Berger Group was contracted for the design of the project and construction support. It is slated to be finished in October 2014.
Interstate 2.0 Study...
Reason Foundation Eyes Funding Logic for Roads Speaking at an event at the Reason Foundation on the release of its new report, Interstate 2.0: Modernizing the Interstate Highway System via Toll Finance, Patrick D. Jones, executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) applauded the report calling it “a serious effort to examine the costs of reconstructing and
widening our 50 year old interstate highway system using all-electronic tolling.” The new study released Sept. 12 details how much it will cost to reconstruct and widen interstate highways in all 50 states and shows how to pay for the modernization efforts with toll revenues. The International Bridge, Tunnel and see REPORT page 52
520 Bridge Design Errors Send Costs, Delays Into Red SEATTLE (AP) State officials say construction delays and redesign costs could use up the Highway 520 bridge’s $100 million in reserves and eventually send the project another $128 million into the red, The Seattle Times reported. Most of the costs are related to design errors by the state Department of Transportation (DOT) that caused cracks in the first four giant pontoons. These required repairs, while see BRIDGE page 52
ConExpo Retro
See page 18 for an ongoing series of highlights from past ConExpos as they were reported in the pages of CEG.