Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 1, No. 12 ● October 20, 2007
Quick Links:
In
the News Funding Issues
Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economic Indicators
eRoadPro Index
|
Truck tunnel crash closes I-5 near Los Angeles
Sponsored by: |
|||
|
|||
|
AASHTO elects new president: Pete Rahn of Missouri
|
|||
|
AGC economist suggests materials cost calm ending soon The Associated General Contractors of America has released its fifth Construction Inflation Alert, warning owners, budget setters and contractors to expect larger materials and labor cost increases in 2008 than they have experienced in the past 12 months. The cumulative increase in the producer price index (PPI) for construction inputs since December 2003 (28 percent through August 2007) remains more than double the 13 percent increase in the most common measure of overall inflation, the consumer price index (CPI) for all urban consumers. Labor costs, in contrast, have risen at similar rates for construction and for the private sector as a whole. Full Story
|
|||
|
Report shows retainage reform as important trend in 2007 In 2007, several states benefited from powerful new laws that address business practices that, for decades, have created cash flow and other financial problems for construction subcontractors. Working through the American Subcontractors Association’s (ASA) chartered local chapters and state organizations, ASA members played an integral role in generating this “wave of change” by educating policymakers about the effects of business practices such as retainage, slow payment, and inequitable risk transfer. ASA has documented these policy changes in its 2007 edition of The ASA Report: The Policy Environment in the States. Full Story
|
|||
|
2007 National Traffic Signal Report Card shows improvement
|
|||
|
Ceremonial parade of pink mixers shows support for Breast Cancer Coalition
|
|||
|
Better Roads eRoadPro |
|||
|
Wyoming 2008 State Transportation Improvement Program now available A slate of upcoming highway projects and other work is detailed in WYDOT’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2008, now being made available throughout the state. Copies can be found at WYDOT offices, and also at public libraries and city and county government offices. It is also available on the WYDOT website for viewing and downloading. The STIP lists infrastructure projects tentatively planned for the next 12 months and a compilation of engineering and environmental work the department will undertake over the following five years. In addition to highway projects, the STIP also lists scheduled airport improvements and contains a funding summary for public transit programs throughout the state. Full Story
|
|||
|
Wisconsin legislature has chance to pass 15-week late budget The Wisconsin legislature had a chance to end the nation's longest budget-impasse, but assembly leaders said the so-called "compromise" had little chance of winning over enough Republicans to pass. The Senate also planned to take up proposed oil company tax and transportation funding separately, even though its sponsor wanted to delay debate of those issues until after the budget passed. Full Story
|
|||
|
Group wants to plug holes in West Virginia roads A statewide lobbying group is warning the state is coming up dangerously short on funding for roads and bridges. West Virginians for Better Transportation held a public forum on October 15 in Morgantown to discuss possible solutions to what the Department of Transportation estimates is a $350 million annual shortfall. Full Story |
|||
|
Local incentives could speed up Alabama highway construction It's never been done before, but many in Alabama think an answer to drawn-out construction projects could be local contributions to incentives for early completion of Department of Transportation projects. The president of the Alabama Road Builders Association said he thought locally financed incentives for early completion of road projects could be a powerful tool. Partnerships between DOT and local governments have evolved as local governments realize the economic and quality-of-life issues tied to road construction. Full Story |
|||
|
St. Louis shuts down aging bridge A downtown St. Louis artery that is actually a bridge over a tunnel has shut down for repairs over concerns about its secondary supports. About 20,000 drivers use Tucker Boulevard daily, but many aren't aware that a section of the road is a bridge that stands above a 30-foot-tall tunnel. Parts of the span are so corroded that the city recently shut down a block of Tucker just north of downtown. Full Story
|
|||
|
Truck drivers invited to Oregon DOT open house to talk about safety From October 21 to 28, Oregon DOT, trucking organizations, law enforcement and other safety partners will work together on Operation Safe Driver 2007. Operation Safe Driver 2007 is a nationwide campaign to improve commercial driver safety through effective enforcement, education and awareness. On October 23, 24, and 25, ODOT and its safety partners will host an open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the Woodburn Port of Entry on Interstate 5 southbound just north of Woodburn. Full Story |
|||
|
Ten top winter maintenance photos at BetterRoads.com More than 400 Better Roads readers submitted photos of their equipment in action fighting winter weather. The October issue features the 10 best; you can see them now - click here.
|
|||
|
Quietest concrete pavement to open to traffic near Chicago
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Nearly two million square feet of epoxy will protect Kansas bridge A Kansas Department of Transportation bridge resurfacing project near Wichita - using epoxy - will cover about 1.76 million sq. ft. when complete. That's 14.4 lane-miles or nearly 40 acres. The resurfacing is expected to cut bridge maintenance costs and repairs while providing a safer driving surface. More than halfway complete, it's believed to be the biggest polymer bridge-resurfacing project ever tackled in the U.S. Full Story
|
|||
|
Missouri DOT testing soy stripes
|
|||
|
NYSDOT receives $1 million "Highways For Life" award New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn announced the receipt of a competitive award and the accompanying $1 million Highways for LIFE grant from the Federal Highway Administration. The grant was awarded to NYSDOT to be used on an innovative project to replace 15 bridge approaches on Interstate 88 in Delaware and Schoharie counties. The project will consist of replacing 15 bridge approaches with precast concrete slabs. The precast slabs are prepared in a controlled environment that renders them both higher in strength and more resistant to deterioration. The purpose of Highways for LIFE awards is to provide an incentive to help develop new approaches to transportation construction. LIFE is the acronym for Longer-lasting highway infrastructure using Innovations to accomplish the Fast construction of Efficient and safe highways and bridges. Full Story
|
|||
|
Better Roads website offers exclusive buying and specifying ideas for government trucks To avoid buying too much or too little truck, take a good look at your basic truck needs before you start specifying engines and suspension systems. Leasing can be a very attractive alternative to owning trucks - even for municipalities and other government agencies. Full Story |
|||
|
Iowa DOT vehicle auction More than 250 vehicles and pieces of equipment will be sold by the Iowa Department of Transportation at an auction Saturday, Oct. 27, beginning at 9 a.m. The sale will be held at the auction lot at South Fourth Street and Oak Avenue in Ames. Vehicles and equipment to be sold are from the DOT, University of Iowa, Iowa State University, cities, and counties. Full Story Connecticut Governor’s Commission on the
reform of the DOT The Governor’s Commission on the Reform of the Department of Transportation will meet Monday, October 29, 2007, at 1 p.m. in the Legislative Office Building adjacent to the State Capitol in Hartford. American Highway Users Alliance Annual
Meeting National Precast Concrete Association
42nd Annual Convention American Segmental Bridge Institute 19th
Annual Convention Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Annual Conference National Partnership for Highway Quality
Annual Conference |
|||
|
For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
|||
|
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales U.S. total business sales for July were $1,119.1 billion, down 0.4% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,420.8 billion, up 0.1% from last month. 10/12/07 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services The nation's international deficit in goods and services decreased to $57.6 billion in August from $59.0 billion (revised) in July, as exports increased and imports decreased. 10/11/07 Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories August 2007 sales of merchant wholesalers were $360.9 billion, up 0.4 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $399.0 billion, up 0.1 percent from last month. 10/10/07 Economy At A Glance: http://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 . Interested in being a sponsor of our newsletter? Contact your sales representative for more information. Click here for list of contacts.
|
|||
|
|
November 2007 Issue Highlights:
Visit
www.BetterRoads.com for
online |
||
Firefighters
and highway workers searched for bodies and worked to remove charred
debris from a freeway tunnel north of Los Angeles after a fiery
pileup that killed three people and could keep the major interstate
highway shut down for days. The crash late Friday, October 12,
involved five to six big rigs and several passenger cars and sent
people fleeing for their lives from the flaming tunnel. Firefighters
began hauling debris out of the tunnel Saturday. Traffic moved
smoothly during rush hour Monday morning as transportation officials
reopened the highway. All main lanes on both sides of the freeway
were open, while the truck tunnel where Friday's deadly crash
occurred remained closed.
Pete Rahn, the Director of the Missouri
Department of Transportation and a former Director of the New Mexico
Department of Transportation, was elected president of the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
which represents the state departments of transportation in
Washington, DC. The AASHTO Board of Directors also elected Allen
Biehler, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,
as vice-president for 2007–2008. Both officers' terms will run
through the Board of Directors meeting of the next AASHTO annual
meeting.
The
2007 National Traffic Signal Report Card shows that improved signal
operations can be achieved for lower costs and in shorter time
frames than most other capital-intensive transportation improvement
options—and with benefits exceeding costs by 40:1 or more. Findings
indicate that, overall, traffic signal operations in the United
States score a D, up slightly from a D- in 2005. There are more than
272,000 traffic signals in the United States.4 Traffic signals are
owned, operated and maintained by state and local governments. A
grade of D means that agency programs to support efficient
maintenance and operations of traffic signals are not as effective
as they could be.
Pink
is an unusual choice for the cement and construction industry, but
Pennsy Supply employees wore it proudly in the name of breast cancer
awareness and support when they paraded four pink cement mixer
trucks from City Island to downtown Harrisburg on October 15. The
campaign website -
The
quietest concrete pavement texture in North America will open to
traffic for the first time after the culmination of a collaborative
industry effort. In early October, American Concrete Pavement
Association member Quality Saw & Seal diamond-ground 1,200 feet of
the surface creating the new texture on northbound I-355 in Chicago.
After grinding the section, the texture performed at just under 100
dBA, confirming in the field the desired results achieved in
laboratory and test facility settings.
MoDOT
is testing four types of yellow and white soy-based paint that
contain varying amounts of soybean oil to see how they work for
highway striping. The soy-based paint is made by using the same raw
materials and processing techniques as traditional, water-based
paint except the soybean oil replaces some of the petroleum
ingredients. Soy paint is considered to be more environmentally
friendly than other paints because it’s made from soybeans.