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December 1, 2012 • Vol. VIII • No. 24 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910
Inside
Surviving Carmageddon II, ARTBA-Approved... ACHP Votes to I-405 Job Pushes Forward Reduce Bridge Motorists eagerly rejoin the freeway following the successful final demolition of the Mulholland Bridge.
Noble Hosts Open House...8
Efficiency Production Aids Houston C ontractor ...28
By Jennifer Rupp CEG CORRESPONDENT
Holt CAT Invests in Tech Skills Program...56
It was labeled “Carmageddon” in 2011, and “Carmageddon II” in 2012 by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro); a 10 mi. (16.1 km) construction project on the nation’s busiest freeway, in Los Angeles County. More than 250,000 motorists travel the I-405 over the Sepulveda Pass, which is only one segment of this gargantuan $1.48 billion project freeway improvements project managed by Metro. The I-405 Sepulveda Pass Improvements Project involves the addition of a 10 mi. (16.1 kg) HOV lane and improvements for supporting infrastructure such as ramps, bridges and sound see CARMAGEDDON page 46
Table of Contents ................4 Trailers Section ............16-25 Paving Section ............37-45 Auction Section ..........52-63 Business Calendar ............54 Advertisers Index ..............62
AGC Warns of Higher Prices Construction contractors face a continuing cost squeeze, even though a key price index for construction materials dipped in October and showed only a moderate increase over the past year, according to an analysis of federal figures released Nov. 14 by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials warned that recent and announced price increases may threaten the survival of some contractors.
“Although several materials retreated in price last month, prices in the past year have still outpaced the tiny increases in contractors’ bids,” said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the construction trade association. “In addition, some of the price drops have already reversed, or will soon, leaving contractors who have already submitted bids vulnerable to losses.” see AGC page 60
Project Delays A change in the way the federal government reviews bridge projects for possible historical significance — one longadvocated by the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) — could save taxpayers an estimated $78 million and reduce wait times for repair projects on more than 196,000 U.S. bridges. A Nov. 16 decision by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) will allow the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to streamline the historic preservation process for concrete and steel bridges built after 1945 by allowing the projects to go through the regulatory review process as a group, rather than individually. In an Oct. 1 letter supporting the change, ARTBA noted that the approach is similar to how the agency dealt with historic preservation issues impacting rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Interstate Highway System (IHS) under the prior surface transportation reauthorization law. At that time, ARTBA similarly supported exempting large portions of the IHS from historic preservation regulations by identifying areas with historic value beforehand. ARTBA said the new review process “recognizes while there will certainly be instances where active steps to preserve historical portions of the bridges will be necessary, the majority of bridge improvements in this class will not affect anything of historical significance.” For more information, visit www.artba.org.