Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 2, No. 5 ● March 6, 2008
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Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economic Indicators
eRoadPro Index
Illinois, Missouri announce agreement to construct a new Mississippi River bridge
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Highest-ever price for parcel of Arizona DOT excess land The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has announced the sale of a parcel of excess freeway property in Glendale for $16 million. The sale price is the largest on record for an ADOT land sale. The 41.5-acre site is on the southwest corner of the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) and Bethany Home Road near University of Phoenix Stadium. The property has been purchased by Stadium Holdings, which has indicated plans to develop a mixed-use project on the site. Full Story
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Bush cool to states' call for public works projects President Bush rebuffed appeals from the nation’s governors to increase spending on roads, bridges and other public works as a way to revive the economy. Governors said Mr. Bush had told them at a White House meeting that he wanted to see the effects of his economic stimulus package before supporting new measures. A bipartisan group of governors is pushing for major road and bridge projects as a way to create jobs and foster economic development. Full Story
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Cause of Pittsburgh bridge failure: bad bearings Rocker bearings, which allow movement of a bridge superstructure as it sits on piers, were not functioning when part of Pittsburgh's Birmingham Bridge dislodged and dropped about eight inches in early February. The devices, which function in a way similar to an ankle and foot, were "frozen" on the southbound span instead of rotating normally, creating enormous stresses that contributed to the failure. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials have indicated the condition was a probable cause of the 2.1 million-pound span literally going off its rockers and falling onto Pier No. 10 along Second Avenue. Full Story
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Washington State DOT seeks qualified contractors to design-build SR 519 project The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking qualified contractors to finish the design and build the SR 519 Intermodal Access Project: Phase 2 – Atlantic Corridor. WSDOT has issued a request for qualifications to determine which companies are interested in completing this design-build project. WSDOT is moving quickly on SR 519 design, with construction starting this fall. Full Story
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FHWA offers new quarterly electronic newsletter on alkali-silica reactivity "Reactive Solutions," a new quarterly online newsletter, has been introduced as a communication tool for the Federal Highway Administration's Alkali-Silica Reactivity (ASR) Development and Deployment Program. The newsletter will include deployment of technologies through field trials, share methods of mitigation and prevention through demonstration projects and provide engineering practitioners with the tools necessary to address ASR in their states. Full Story
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Coast Guard OKs barge for giant Chinese crane California's Bay Bridge contractors and federal maritime regulators have struck a deal that will avert a time and dollar catastrophe on the new span, and allow state and Bay Area transportation officials to heave a huge sigh of relief. After months of tense talks over the interpretation of a 1920 law that protects the U.S. shipping industry, the Coast Guard has granted permission for bridge builders to use a barge built in Oregon and outfitted with a Chinese crane. Without the unique $50 million barge and crane, the largest of its kind on the West Coast, work would have stalled for months, risking the lives of thousands of motorists on the old quake-vulnerable bridge and costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. Full Story |
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Senator outlines challenges ahead for transportation funding
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Alaska DOT&PF approves long-range transportation policy plan The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has approved "Let’s Get Moving 2030," Alaska’s new statewide long-range transportation policy plan. The document was signed by Commissioner Leo von Scheben, following public review and comment on the draft plan. The main document and appendices can be downloaded from the DOT&PF website: www.dot.alaska.gov/2030: it creates a tool to measure improvements of management practices and determines if additional funds are necessary to maintain existing facilities. The plan also sets system development priorities and the best use of limited project funding. Full Story
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ARTBA relaunches award-winning “Transportation Makes America Work!” campaign The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has a new plan to “reform, refocus, restructure and refinance” the nation's federal surface transportation program for the future, and is re-launching an award-winning grassroots lobbying and advocacy communications campaign to help build political support for it on Capitol Hill. ARTBA's vision for the next highway/transit bill calls for new user fees to protect and upgrade past infrastructure investments, and finance a 25-year “Critical Commerce Corridors” construction program to add needed multi-modal capacity across the nation to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of freight. Full Story
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Minnesota legislature overturns transportation veto The Minnesota legislature overturned Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a $6.6 billion transportation funding bill. The House voted 91-41 to override the veto – supporters needed 90 votes – and the Senate followed with a 47-20 vote. The vote marks the first override of a Pawlenty veto since the Republican governor took over as the state’s chief executive in 2003. It also is the first time the Minnesota Department of Transportation has seen an infusion of new funding from state tax increases in 20 years. The state’s 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax was last raised in 1988. Full Story |
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Work-zone speed-enforcement cameras coming This spring, the Washington State Department of Transportation will begin a six-month pilot project for the 2008 construction season to see how well new technology can slow work zone traffic to improve safety for workers, drivers and their passengers. In April, drivers on US 2/97 will see new signs that tell them the work zone speed limit is photo-enforced at the Big-Y, Peshastin East Interchange project. There, and at other projects around the state, automated traffic safety camera systems will be photographing license plates of vehicles as they speed through work zones. Full Story
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New strategy to improve safety on rural roads U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has announced a new national strategy that will bring new focus, including resources and new technology, to reducing deaths on the nation’s rural roads. “We want to put the brakes on rural road fatalities,” said Secretary Peters. The Department’s Rural Safety Initiative will help states and communities develop ways to eliminate the risks drivers face on America’s rural roads and highlight available solutions and resources. The new endeavor addresses five key goals: safer drivers, better roads, smarter roads, better-trained emergency responders and improved outreach and partnerships. The secretary said approximately $287 million in existing and new funding is available to support the effort. Full Story
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Iowa bridges ranked fourth most deficient in the nation Iowa has the fourth highest percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the nation, with more than one-fifth of the state’s bridges in need of immediate repair or replacement because of deterioration, according to a new report released by TRIP. The report, “Iowa’s Deficient Bridges: Strategies to improve and maintain the condition of Iowa’s bridges,” examines the current condition of Iowa’s bridges, as well as future bridge conditions under current transportation funding levels. According to the report, Iowa is falling behind in maintaining its state-maintained bridges. The current rate of repairs and funding is inadequate to keep pace with bridge deterioration, which could lead to an even higher percentage of structurally deficient bridges in the future if needed repairs are not made. Full Story
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Maine salt supplies severely low Salt supplies throughout Maine are becoming seriously low. Drivers on secondary state roads could see a difference in road treatments if the frequency of winter storms continues and regional salt suppliers cannot keep up with regional demands. During this shortage, MaineDOT is expanding the number of low-volume roads that are treated with sand, in order to conserve salt. “We have three different suppliers for the entire state, and their stockpiles are either critically low or depleted,” said a department spokesman. Full Story |
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Concrete to fly over Arizona SR 51 In an innovative effort to promote safety and reduce traffic delays during freeway construction, Arizona Department of Transportation contractors are constructing a bridge and conveyer belt system spanning State Route 51 to transport concrete over traffic to a carpool lane construction site. While similar bridges have been used in smaller projects, a conveyor bridge system is considered a local innovation in freeway building that will cut down on concrete truck traffic in and out of the median, enhance safety and help maintain the flow of traffic along SR 51. The bridge will be in place for approximately six months. Full Story |
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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
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For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
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PCA sees no relief for residential construction market until mid-2009 Already grim conditions facing the residential construction market are expected to worsen in 2008, according to a recent Economic Research report from the Portland Cement Association. High home inventories will cause housing starts to decline 25 percent in 2008 from already depressed 2007 levels. By the end of 2008, PCA expects a 9.5 to 10 month supply of homes to be in "inventory" for sale. According to Edward J. Sullivan, PCA chief economist, the large number of foreclosures caused by the sub-prime crisis is a main contributor to the large inventory that will depress start activity. http://www.cement.org/newsroom/Residential_022708.asp New Home Sales Sales of new one-family houses in January 2008 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 588,000. This is 2.8% below the revised December 2007 figure of 605,000. 2/27/08 Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders New orders for manufactured durable goods in January decreased $12.0 billion or 5.3 percent to $212.8 billion. 2/27/08 Housing Starts/Building Permits Privately-owned housing starts in January 2008 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,012,000. This is 0.8 percent above the revised December 2007 estimate of 1,004,000. 2/20/08 Economy At A Glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm |
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March 2008 Issue Highlights:
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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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Governor Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois and Governor Matt Blunt of Missouri have announced an agreement to construct a new four-lane bridge across the Mississippi River from East St. Louis to St. Louis that will improve traffic safety and reduce congestion across the region. The two governors announced that construction of the new cable-stayed bridge, which will not require a toll, could begin as soon as 2010. The new span and connecting roadways will cost $640 million and will be paid for through a combination of federal and state funding.
Addressing participants at AASHTO's Washington Briefing on February 16, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said his recent push to get infrastructure spending included in the economic stimulus package was an "eye-opening" experience, demonstrating the need for allies at all levels of government. Last month, Wyden and 22 of his Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle signed a letter urging Congress and the Bush administration to include "significant" funding for infrastructure projects in the stimulus package. Their attempt was unsuccessful.
