In the News

Missouri lawmakers pass bridge fix plan

Missouri lawmakers approved a massive bridge repair project August 29 that could serve as a national model following the deadly Minneapolis bridge collapse. The state plans to quadruple the pace of its bridge repairs by awarding a single 30-year contract to fix and maintain 802 of its worst bridges. The sheer scope and duration of the project is so unusual that Missouri lawmakers met in a special session to waive conventional contractor requirements.   Full Story

AASHTO provides bridge information website

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which represents the state departments of transportation in Washington, announced a website of resource information regarding bridges for the use of the media and the general public. The site can be found at http://www.dot.state.ia.us/subcommittee/default.aspx, or by clicking on the "U.S. Bridge Information" link on AASHTO's home page.   Full Story

New U.S. DOT rule allows states flexibility to build roads and bridges faster

States will have more flexibility to build roads and bridges faster under a new rule that will allow design work and environmental reviews to occur concurrently. The final rule amends Federal Highway Administration regulations to allow states to use various innovative contracting methods ranging from basic design-build contracts to long-term concession agreements while simultaneously pursuing federal environmental approvals. The rule also increases the opportunity for smaller projects to use design-build contracts by eliminating a required dollar amount for projects.  Full Story

Mississippi DOT seeks Katrina photos and stories

The Mississippi Department of Transportation is collecting pre- and post-Katrina photographs taken by the people of Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The photographs will be incorporated into the ceremony and materials marking the November opening of the reconstructed Biloxi Bay Bridge. Photos will be used as part of a slide show that will launch the bridge opening ceremony. Selected images may also be used in print pieces related to the bridge opening—including a book being developed which will capture stories and images of Katrina recovery throughout the Gulf Coast. Contributors will be asked to sign a release authorizing such uses of their photographs.  Full Story

After the collapse, the cleanup begins

Ignoring the thundering jackhammers and the roar of gravel being dumped by the truckload, a crane with a red cab slowly lifted another crumpled piece of metal out of the Mississippi on Friday and turned to set it down on a barge. The river is where the Interstate 35W bridge came to rest, and the river is helping take it away. Some of it's not going very far. The twist of green metal, and many others like it, are being floated not even a half-mile downstream to a swath of land called Bohemian Flats, just north of the Washington Avenue bridge. Parkland until just a few weeks ago, the flats have become a temporary resting place for the bulky remnants of the 40-year-old bridge. The former green space is now a place of barges, high chain-link fences, piles of rebar and a lot of mud. It's where the bridge parts that the National Transportation Safety Board wants to study more closely are being stored.  Full Story

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Funding Issues

South Carolina to begin plans to build I-73 under a new pilot program for tolling interstates

South Carolina can now move forward with plans to build I-73, thanks to a new program that allows tolling to pay for new interstate highways. The highway is the first project to have a slot reserved under the U.S. Department of Transportation's new Interstate System Construction Toll Pilot Program, which also would allow other states to expand 1-73.  Full Story

North Carolina transportation board to consider nearly $84 million in highway contracts

The N.C. Board of Transportation will consider awarding contracts totaling $83.7 million for highway improvement projects in 20 counties at its meeting Thursday, September 6, in Raleigh. The contracts are for projects in Alexander, Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Currituck, Davidson, Durham, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Mecklenburg, McDowell, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Sampson, Stanly, Union, Vance and Warren counties.   Full Story

Tulsa mayor proposes city build new toll bridge

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor is suggesting that Tulsa - rather than a private company - build a proposed toll bridge in south Tulsa County to reap some of its revenues. In an August 23 letter to Bixby's and Jenks' mayors, Taylor states that if Tulsa built the bridge, its revenues would be sufficient to pay for its construction as well as cover Tulsa's infrastructure needs, pay off the debt of Jenks' Oklahoma Aquarium and reimburse the private developer's costs to this point. By using public financing, the city could construct the bridge at a lower cost than the private sector could, she said.  Full Story

Safety Issues

Mississippi River bridge temporarily closed at Memphis

Officials closed the approach span for the Interstate 40 bridge across the Mississippi River between Tennessee and Arkansas for nine hours August 27. Engineers closed the span just after morning rush hour after finding a pier near the river had settled 3-1/2 inches.  Full Story

PennDOT releases sufficiency, condition ratings for 25,000 state-owned bridges

Both the sufficiency and condition ratings for all 25,000 state-maintained bridges are now available on PennDOT’s website, www.dot.state.pa.us. The release of the list of 25,000 bridges follows closely the August 14 release of condition rating and sufficiency rating information for the 54 steel deck truss bridges that are similar in design to the collapsed Minnesota bridge.  Full Story

Falling concrete closes road temporarily between Baltimore and Washington

Concrete falling from an overhead bridge - where deterioration found in 2005 has not yet been repaired - forced the closure of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in Greenbelt August 24 and snarled traffic between the two cities for several hours. The closing, which came less than four weeks after the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, raised new questions about the safety of Maryland's infrastructure. One corrosion engineer warned that any instance of concrete falling from a bridge indicates "a serious problem." While the bridge is on a Maryland highway, it is owned and maintained by the federal park service rather than the State Highway Administration.  Full Story

Innovations

MoDOT reduces workers' compensation costs by $7 million

By changing the way it does business, the Missouri Department of Transportation has increased worker safety and saved about $7 million in workers' compensation costs.  The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently recognized these accomplishments with its Pathfinder award for quality. Since January 2006, MoDOT has worked to change the tasks that were causing the most employee injuries by either making different purchases or modifying the work process.   Full Story

Nevada DOT Carson City freeway archeology efforts awarded

The Nevada Department of Transportation has received two awards for Carson City Freeway archeological excavations that unearthed one of northern Nevada’s largest prehistoric villages. The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) awarded a National Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence to the project this spring. At the state level, the ACEC of Nevada presented the project the 2007 Grand Award in Engineering Excellence. As part of the environmental review process for upcoming sections of the new Carson City Freeway, NDOT contracted with the Louis Berger Group to conduct the major archaeological excavations at a prehistoric Native American village site located near planned right-of-way for phase 2A of the freeway.  Full Story

MoDOT electronic plans room debuts

The Missouri Department of Transportation's next foray into the world of electronic business has arrived with a new "electronic plans room." The new web-based service will serve as the sole source for project plans, meaning MoDOT will save the expense of printing and distributing plans. The public will also have direct access to all the project plans. The new service will save more than $200,000 per year.  Full Story

Calendar

West Virginia DOT surplus equipment auction September 15

A public auction of state-owned equipment will be held on September 15 at the Division of Highways, located at the intersection of Rt. 33 and Brushy Fork Rd., Buckhannon, WV, beginning at 9 a.m. Equipment includes tractors, mowers, 4x4 rubber-tire loaders, dozers, graders, weld trucks, welders and more.  Full Story

Iowa DOT small equipment auction September 22

A public auction of state-owned equipment will be held by the Iowa Department of Transportation on the DOT grounds in Ames Saturday, September 22, beginning at 8 a.m. Equipment for offices and shops, automotive supplies and many other items are included in the sale. The sale will be held in the blue building south of the DOT's sign shop on South Fourth Street.  Full Story

09/04/2007-09/06/2007 — Ventura Beach, CA - 39th Annual Conference & Equipment Show
Sponsor: Maintenance Superintendents Association (MSA) 

09/09/2007-09/12/2007 — San Antonio, TX - International Public Works Congress and Expo
Sponsor: American Public Works Association (APWA) 

09/10/2007-09/12/2007 — Washington, DC - 2007 Business Leadership Conference
Sponsor: Intelligent Transportation Society Of America (ITSA) 

09/11/2007-09/13/2007 — Moran, WY - 2007 Annual Meeting
Sponsor: Industrial Minerals Association - North America (IMA-NA) 

09/11/2007-09/11/2007 — San Antonio, TX - Asphalt-Rubber 101
Sponsor: Rubber Pavements Association 

09/13/2007-09/16/2007 — Charlotte, NC - Annual Conference
Sponsor: American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) 

09/17/2007-09/19/2007 — Denver, CO - Fall Meeting
Sponsor: American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) 

09/18/2007-09/19/2007 — Chicago, IL - Fall Meeting
Sponsor: Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) 

09/19/2007-09/21/2007 — Washington, DC - Int'l Conference on Recent Advances in Concrete Technology
Sponsor: Portland Cement Association (PCA) 

09/23/2007-09/26/2007 — Portland, OR - 2007 Annual Meeting
Sponsor: Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) 

09/26/2007-09/29/2007 — Maui, HI - Fall Conference
Sponsor: American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar

Economic Indicators

Manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders

New orders for manufactured goods in July increased $15.8 billion or 3.7 percent to $436.7 billion. 8/31/07

New home sales

Sales of new one-family houses in July 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 870,000. This is 2.8% above the revised June 2007 figure of 846,000. 8/24/07

Advance report on durable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories and orders

New orders for manufactured durable goods in July increased $12.9 billion or 5.9 percent to $230.7 billion. 8/24/07

Housing starts/building permits

Privately-owned housing starts in July 2007 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,381,000. This is 6.1 percent below the revised June 2007 estimate of 1,470,000. 8/16/07

U.S. economy at a glance: www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm
 

Compiled by Larry Green, news editor, Better Roads.  To contact Larry about the newsletter content, send e-mail to .

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