Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 2, No. 4 ● February 20, 2008
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In
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Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economic Indicators
eRoadPro Index
Toll road privatization may result in indirect impacts Privatizing toll roads in the U.S. may result in significant diversions of truck traffic from privatized toll roads to "free" roads, and may result in more crashes and increased costs associated with use of other roads, according to a new study. The study used data from the State of Ohio, the Federal Highway Administration and the Ohio Turnpike to predict annual turnpike truck vehicle miles traveled, and therefore diverted vehicle miles, based on national truck traffic and turnpike rates. Full Story Sponsored by: |
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Heavy snows lead to limited availability of salt in parts of U.S. and Canada The Snow & Ice Management Association has had several reports of limited availability of rock salt in parts of the Midwest, Northeast and Canada. Due to above average amounts of snowfall this winter season, these areas are experiencing shortages in rock salt, a de-icing agent used to remove snow and ice from roads and parking lots. Full Story
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U.S. DOT gives South Carolina the go-ahead to start building I-73 South Carolina can move forward with plans to build I-73 now that the U.S. Department of Transportation has approved environmental documents for the project. With all federal clearances in place, South Carolina can take the next step to explore financing options to start constructing this new section of interstate. I-73 in South Carolina is the first project to have a slot reserved under the department's new Interstate System Construction Toll Pilot Program, which gives the state authority for tolling and allows other states to expand I-73. Full Story
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In Memoriam – Kenneth Yost, Kirkwood, Missouri
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Mississippi DOT Launches Redesigned Website The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced the launch of its revamped website www.goMDOT.com, designed to provide more extensive and more user-friendly information to the citizens of Mississippi and to motorists traveling through the state. Among other features, the site now includes the posting of letting and bid information coordinated with MDOT’s newly enhanced Bid system. Full Story Sponsored by: |
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Alaskan road closure didn’t hamper Yukon Quest race mushers Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Northern Region Maintenance and Operations road crews battled fierce winter weather along the Steese Highway to clear blowing and drifting snow and reopen the road following an earlier closure.The closure coincided with the beginning of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in Fairbanks. Mushers transport dogs, via the Steese Highway, from the Chena Hot Springs Resort checkpoint to Mile 101 of the Steese for restart. Full Story
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Aerial seeding and fertilizing set to begin along Iowa's highways Aviation contractors hired by the Iowa Department of Transportation will be performing aerial seeding and fertilizing along the state's highways as soon as the weather permits. This method of roadside erosion control has been used by the Iowa DOT for many years because of its cost-saving benefits, ability to cover vast areas and success rate. Seed is best applied in the late winter months so that it will germinate in the spring. Full Story
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Name change for Barlow Marketing Group The company has announced that it began a transition from Barlow Marketing Group to BMG on February 15, 2008. Full Story
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Votorantim Cement North America acquires Prairie Material Sales On February 1, Votorantim Cement North America, through its U.S. affiliate, Votorantim Cimentos North America, acquired Prairie Material Sales and some of its affiliated ready-mix concrete, aggregates and related cartage businesses. Prairie is a leading supplier of ready-mix concrete, with 81 plants in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin; and aggregates, with 17 aggregate mining operations in Illinois and Indiana. Full Story |
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American Concrete Pavement Association launches Pavements for Life Campaign As part of an educational and advocacy campaign called “Pavements for Life,” motorists and taxpayers are being asked to speak out on the importance of safe, cost-effective and environmentally-responsible choices for pavements used on America’s highways and roadways. Site visitors have the opportunity to write short essays or even informal remarks about the right choices for sustainable, cost-efficient, safe highways and roadways. The best of those responses will be eligible for a $150, $250 or $500 gift card presented as an honorarium for those whose personal experiences and perspectives are judged to be the most compelling arguments in favor of investment in better highway and roadway pavements. Other site visitors also may show their support simply by signing on an electronic petition in support of key issues. Full Story |
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Filet mignon expectations, Filet O' Fish funding "Look how far we've come!" declared Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn as he touted the dramatic improvement of the state's transportation system and the department itself during his annual State of Transportation address. He also emphasized future challenges, including a big decrease in funding coming in 2010 and an $18 billion gap between transportation needs and projected funding. "The public has filet mignon expectations, but MoDOT has Filet O' Fish funding," Rahn quipped. Rahn, however, said that MoDOT has earned the trust of Missourians by demonstrating credibility in the five years since the State of Transportation Address was created as an accountability measure. He said the proof is in the results such as an amazing drop in roadway fatalities. Full Story |
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South Carolina’s traffic fatality rate far exceeds national average The traffic fatality rate on South Carolina’s rural, non-Interstate roads is the highest in the nation, while traffic fatalities on all state roads occur at a rate more than 50 percent higher than the national average, according to a new report released by TRIP. The report, “Getting Home Safely: An Analysis of Highway Safety in South Carolina,” examines traffic safety in the Palmetto State and includes a list of roadway sections with the highest rate of serious and fatal traffic crashes. Full Story
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Delaware DOT, farmers reach agreement on roundabouts A delegation of agricultural leaders from the Middletown area and statewide worked out an agreement with engineers from DelDOT concerning the roundabout at the intersection of Bunker Hill and Choptank Roads in Middletown. Using data gleaned from a January 25 test at the site, DelDOT engineers went back to the drawing board and made design modifications to the roundabout. The inner circle will be narrowed, widening the truck apron from nine feet to about 20 feet wide. The curbs along the outside edges of the pavement will be lowered and the area behind the curbs stabilized to support traffic in case the tires of a large vehicle need to move to the outside edge of the pavement to negotiate the roundabout. Full Story
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VTrans dips farther into reserves to help towns with salt shortage The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced that it will dip deeper into its dwindling road salt reserves to loan salt to municipalities for the remainder of the winter, which has been particularly severe and has strained both state and local salt supplies. VTrans Secretary Neale Lunderville said all VTrans Maintenance Districts will loan salt to their regional municipalities until the district’s supply reaches 25 percent of capacity, which is less than a 48-hour supply. Full Story |
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Kenworth medium-duty hybrid utility truck enhances fuel economy for Washington's King County
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ICRI Announces 2007 Project of the Year The International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) has announced the winners of the 2007 Project Awards. The Repair and Preservation of the historic Rainbow Bridge, Valley County, Idaho, was chosen as the ICRI 2007 Project of the Year. ICRI presented the award to Vector Corrosion Technologies on November 8 at the ICRI 2007 Fall Convention in Las Vegas. The Rainbow Bridge is the largest single-span concrete arch bridge in Idaho and a landmark structure on the Payette River National Scenic Byway. Designed by Charles A. Kyle, the first Chief Bridge Engineer in Idaho, the structure was designed to blend in gracefully with its stunning surroundings. The structure is a reinforced concrete arch bridge approximately 410 ft. long with a main span of approximately 210 ft. over the North Fork of the Payette River. The federally funded bridge was originally completed in 1933 at a cost of $74,000. ICRI also awarded nine 2007 Awards of Excellence. Detailed descriptions of the winning projects can be found at www.icri.org. The winner in the High-Rise Category was Country Club Towers Apartments, Arlington, Virginia, for balcony, plaza retaining walls, and garage improvements. The entry was submitted by Tadjer-Cohen-Edelson Associates. In the Historic Category, the Bok Tower Restoration in Lake Wales, Florida, won. The entry was submitted by Sika Corporation. The winner of the Industrial Category was Port of Canaveral North Cargo Piers Concrete Repair and Cathodic Protection, Cape Canaveral, Florida. The entry was submitted by Vector Corrosion Technologies. In the Longevity Category, the winner was Montgomery County Underground Garage Restoration, Dayton, Ohio. The entry was submitted by Carl Walker, Inc. The winner of the Low-Rise Category, for balcony repairs, was Marriott Frenchman’s Reef and Morningstar Beach Resort, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The entry was submitted by C.A. Lindman, Inc. In the Parking Structures Category, Auditorium Plaza Garage repairs and improvements, in Kansas City, Missouri, was the winner. The entry was submitted by Structural Engineering Associates. The winner in the Special Projects Category was the historic preservation of Hoare’s Bank in London, England. The entry was submitted by C-Probe Systems. In the Strengthening Category, structural reinforcement of Jaime Roldós Aguilera Bus Terminal, Guayaquil, Ecuador, was the winner. The entry was submitted by BASF Construction Chemicals. And, the winner of the Water Structures Category was the concrete restoration of three underground water storage tanks in Boston. The entry was submitted by Gale Associates. ICRI also awarded fifteen Awards of Merit to the George Washington University Ross Hall Façade Restoration, the restoration of Tucson’s historic Fox Theatre, the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial rehabilitation, the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building roof refurbishment, Pointe Pass-A-Grill condominium repair, United States Air Force Academy Harmon Hall repair project, Ottawa Towers plaza and parking restoration, parking garage repairs at a Chicago condominium complex, parking garage repairs for the Parking Authority of River City, Arizona State University Sun Devil Stadium repairs, a commercial kitchen structural rehabilitation, a shotcrete restoration of JEA Hyperbolic Cooling Tower Veil, the Leon County Courthouse parking garage repair and strengthening, Garden City Skyway substructure corrosion mitigation and the emergency repair of SH 183 Bridge on Loop 12. |
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Challenges in a Changing
Asphalt Market The asphalt market in North America is in a state of flux. Record high crude prices, the addition of substantial coking capacity and weakening asphalt demand have created new challenges in a historically stable market. The conference will explore supply and demand factors affecting the asphalt market and their impacts on trade. It will look at logistical pressures resulting from new trade movements. Full Story Iowa Transportation Commission schedules public input meetings The Iowa Transportation Commission will conduct four public input meetings around the state during 2008. The meetings will give Iowans opportunities to present ideas and comments directly to the commissioners concerning transportation policies and programs without traveling to Ames. The four public input meetings are scheduled for April 8 in Des Moines, June 10 in Coralville, August 12 in Sioux City, and October 14 in Muscatine. Full Story 2008 Annual Conference - AEMA/ARRA/ISSA
Combined Rocky Mountain Asphalt Conference &
Equipment Show 35th Anniversary Convention - National
Demolition Association The Work Truck Show 2008 Convention 2008 Convention - Concrete Sawing &
Drilling Association Annual Convention - National Ready Mixed
Concrete Association 2008 Annual Convention - Associated
General Contractors Annual Convention - National Stone, Sand
& Gravel Association Conexpo-Con/Agg 2008 International Exposition for for Power
Transmission Conference |
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For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
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U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services The nation's international deficit in goods and services decreased to $711.6 billion in 2007 from $758.5 billion in 2006. 2/14/08 Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales U.S. total business sales for December were $1,147.3 billion, down 0.5% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,444.9 billion, up 0.6% from last month. 2/13/08 Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories December 2007 sales of merchant wholesalers were $376.6 billion, down 0.7 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $411.6 billion, up 1.1 percent from last month. 2/08/08 Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders New orders for manufactured goods in December increased $10.1 billion or 2.3 percent to $441.6 billion. 2/04/08 Economy At A Glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm |
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February 2008 Issue Highlights:
Visit
www.BetterRoads.com for
online |
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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.
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On Thursday, February 7, Kenneth Yost,
Director of Public Works for the City of Kirkwood, Missouri, was one
of five city officials fatally wounded in a shooting at the local
city council meeting. An APWA member since 1984, Yost was active in
the APWA St. Louis branch, where he served as chairman in 1991. In
1998, he was honored with the branch’s Engineer of the Year award.
He worked for the City of Kirkwood for more than 35 years.
Kenworth’s medium-duty, hybrid-electric truck for utility operations is now in service with King County in Washington state, and has already provided positive environmental results. “King County has taken a leadership role in adopting new technologies that can reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Harold Taniguchi, director of the King County Department of Transportation.
