Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 2, No. 8 ● April 18, 2008
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the News Funding
Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economic Indicators
eRoadPro Index
NRMCA, EPA sign landmark agreement to reduce environmental footprint of operations The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has signed an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and promote environmental management tools to help ready mixed concrete plants comply with their Clean Water Act obligations. "'Beyond Compliance' Principles of Environmental Stewardship - New Agreement to Reduce Environmental Footprint of Ready Mixed Concrete Operations" was signed last month at NRMCA’s Annual Convention in Las Vegas. Full Story Sponsored by: |
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Regional in-place recycling conferences and workshops scheduled The Asphalt Recycling and Reclaiming Association and FHWA have joined together to develop a series of regional in-place recycling conferences and workshops. These regional forums of pavement and recycling professionals are designed for representatives of state agencies, contractors, suppliers, consultants, academics, local, MPO's and federal government officials. The first workshop, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 3-5, is for the Rocky Mountain and Western states. Full Story
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Construction equipment Hall of Fame honors industry innovators and leaders
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ARTBA opposes Senate bill expanding federal wetlands jurisdiction The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) urged members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to oppose S. 1870, the “Clean Water Restoration Act” (CWRA). If enacted, the CWRA could expand federal jurisdiction beyond bodies of water not previously covered by federal law and delay or block critical transportation and congestion relief projects, ARTBA argues. Full Story
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100th anniversary of modern road building exhibit opens The public is invited to view an exhibit that explores the century of modern road building that has made Maryland the home of one of the most heralded highway systems in the nation. The exhibit opened April 11 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry and will be on display throughout 2008. The exhibit displays scores of historic photos culled from thousands taken over the course of the last century. It also features artifacts that have been preserved through the efforts of the State Highway Administration’s Cultural Resources Department. Full Story
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VTrans identifies $3 million in spring pavement improvements The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will rejuvenate nearly 80 miles of roadway during a supplemental paving program, Operation Smooth Ride, that will take place this spring. Governor Jim Douglas in March instructed VTrans to develop the program to improve the condition of selected state and class one town highways that incurred some of the worst damage caused by this year’s extreme winter. Operation Smooth Ride is not a replacement program for VTrans’ normal roadway maintenance efforts. Road crews will conduct additional roadway patching and leveling throughout the spring and summer at locations that have yet to be determined. Full Story |
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Employment shortages not keeping West Virginia DOH from its mission Although the West Virginia Division of Highways is experiencing employment vacancies in all 55 counties, it plans to continue construction of major highways projects and has scheduled many resurfacing projects throughout the state. To aid employees, DOH recently purchased a number of new trucks and other equipment that will allow workers to work more efficiently and effectively. Full Story |
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Georgia governor requests transportation audit The Georgia Department of Transportation may be in a $1 billion hole to pay for projects it has promised in the near future, DOT officials said April 9, just after Governor Sonny Perdue said he has authorized calling in an outside company for an audit of DOT finances. The implications of the shortfall are bad enough for projects already earmarked for funding, which could be cut or postponed. But the picture is even grimmer for the thousands of projects on department books for future funding. Full Story
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Connecticut governor expresses concerns about reduction in federal highway funds Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has a letter to Connecticut's congressional delegation expressing concern that Connecticut's share of Federal Highway Administration funding for the 2008 fiscal year was reduced by $45.55 million, including $21.9 million in bridge rescissions. Full Story
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Michigan Transportation Funding Task Force to meet The Transportation Funding Task Force, a bi-partisan panel appointed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and approved by the senate, will hold its next meeting in Grand Rapids on April 21. The 13-member task force will review the adequacy of surface transportation, aeronautics service provision, and finance in Michigan, including strategies to ensure that Michigan receives a greater financial return on transportation investments. It also will evaluate the potential of alternate strategies to replace or supplement state motor fuel taxes, existing and alternative user fees, and non-user revenues to support economic activity and personal mobility in Michigan. Full Story
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ODOT invites Ohioans to join the “Transportation Conversation” Inviting all Ohioans to join in a first-of-its-kind “Transportation Conversation” to determine the type of transportation system the state needs for the future, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) officially launched the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force by naming a diverse mix of industry experts and state leaders who will lead the historic endeavor. The task force will explore a broader spectrum of issues facing the state, and identify the fairest ways to finance Ohio’s future transportation system, finding new funding tools for state and local governments, and innovative ways to partner with the private sector. Full Story
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Virginia kicks off hearings on downsized six-year plan The Commonwealth of Virginia will host six public hearings across the state in April and May to receive public input on a scaled-down program for highway and transit improvements. Six-year transportation revenue projections are down $1.1 billion from a year ago. These revenue shortfalls will result in a 44 percent reduction in funding for primary, secondary and urban highway construction, and a 10 percent reduction in transit allocations. Full Story
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New report documents nation’s surface transportation needs are substantial The gap between America’s surface transportation needs and the financial resources required to bridge them is large, immediate and long-term, according to a report released by the Intergovernmental Forum on Transportation Finance, a body convened by the National Academy of Public Administration on behalf of six national associations: National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, National Conference of State Legislatures, The Council of State Governments, and International City/County Managers Association. The report contains six recommendations and describes the roles and responsibilities of the governments and other entities that support the nation’s highway and transit systems. Full Story
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South Carolina House members support DOT funding South Carolina's Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell has said that the House of Representatives is ready to tackle the issue of maintenance of the state’s roads and bridges as the sixth point in a seven-point agenda for this legislative year. House Bill 4549 would phase in revenue from the existing sales tax on vehicles to the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank to fund new projects, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) for the purpose of maintaining roads and bridges that receive no federal aid. Approximately 27,000 miles of the state’s 42,000 mile highway system do not qualify for federal funds. Full Story
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Wisconsin governor announces $10.8 million to improve county highways Governor Jim Doyle has announced $10.8 million in state funds that will help complete 42 county highway improvement projects throughout the state. The funds are administered through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) County Highway Improvement Program - Discretionary (CHIP-D). Projects are selected based on recommendations from County Highway Improvement Program committees comprised of county highway commissioners from each WisDOT region. Full Story |
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DelDOT inspects storm drainage Everything that goes down a storm drain eventually ends up in streams, lakes, and oceans. The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) will continue to oversee the inspection of the state's entire storm drainage system over the next several years, because healthy storm drains equal healthier waterways. DelDOT has hired professional consulting firms KCI Technologies and Century Engineering to inventory and inspect its storm drainage system statewide under the $3.5 million program. Full Story
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Wire theft continues in Washington's Pierce County Recent wire thefts have forced WSDOT to power an electronic overhead sign on State Route 16 with a gas generator until the wiring can be replaced. The electronic sign, called a variable messaging sign or VMS, is used to inform motorists of amber alerts and advise drivers during traffic incidents. Statewide losses from wire theft since December 2006 are approaching a half-million dollars. So far this year in Pierce County, wire thieves have darkened lights and signals on I-5, SR 410, SR 512 and SR 161. Full Story
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Indiana's Crown Point resident Mary Ann Zubak was invited to activate the new Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) traffic signal at State Road 55 and Greenview Place. The new signal was installed after Zubak contacted INDOT about the intersection's increasing traffic. A 12-hour traffic study determined the signal was warranted. Full Story |
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DBE tool kit available from Associated General Contractors AGC has been working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the past several years to clarify numerous issues related to implementation of the U.S. DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which was to be compiled into a toolkit document to assist contractors in meeting FHWA requirements. The discussions are now complete, and while the U.S. DOT has informed AGC that it cannot be listed on the document, nevertheless, DOT believes the toolkit - http://www.agc.org/galleries/addind/DBE Tool Kit 8-21-07FD.pdf - is a useful document for assisting contractors to meet DBE requirements. There has been a heightened effort in the past several years by DOT to audit state DBE programs, which has resulted in problems for both contractors and states over a number of implementation issues. During the toolkit discussions, AGC reached out to the National Association of Minority Contractors, Women 1st, ARTBA and AASHTO for input. As an outgrowth of this effort, AGC recommended the creation of a DBE Roundtable to have ongoing dialogue between DOT and the stakeholder groups. The first meeting of the DBE Roundtable was held on April 2, 2008 at DOT headquarters. Representatives from AGC, NAMC, AASHTO, ARTBA, state DOTs and U.S. DOT agencies - including the FHWA, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Transit Administration - participated and discussed what assistance is the prime contractor allowed to provide to DBE subcontractors; permissible use of joint checks; certification consistency, and eligibility to count DBE participation. DOT intends to determine if, based on the discussion, it is necessary to issue official guidance on these compliance issues. Further meetings of the roundtable are being planned to discuss a variety of other DBE program implementation issues. |
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Calendar |
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2008 Conference - National Association of
County Engineers Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute Annual
Convention 83rd Annual Meeting & Technical Sessions -
Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists 2008 Concrete Bridge Conference - Federal
Highway Administration 2008 Conference & Exhibition - National
Highway Institute Spring Meeting - AASHTO Public Fleet Management Workshop - Canadian
Public Works Association |
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For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
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U.S. DOT again revises estimate of highway investment job impact The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has revised its estimate of the number of jobs supported by federal highway investment. The agency acknowledged the estimate it released March 26 was faulty. DOT now reports that every $1 billion of federal highway investment (including the accompanying state match) supports 34,779 jobs - significantly higher than the 30,076 estimate released last month. According to Bill Buechner, ARTBA Vice President for Research and Economics, it is important to note the total number of jobs supported by highway investment - including construction-related jobs and dependent industries - rose about 12.5 percent from 1.65 million jobs in 1996 to 2.13 million jobs in 2007 as a result of increased highway investment from all levels of government. Although the number of jobs supported by each $1 billion of federal investment may be lower than a decade ago, highway investment remains a significant source of good-paying jobs in the economy. Source: ARTBA Washington Update April 08, 2008 Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales U.S. total business sales for December were $1,142.8 billion, down 1.1% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,468.4 billion, up 0.6% from last month. 4/14/08 U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services The nation's international deficit in goods and services increased to $62.3 billion in February from $59.0 billion (revised) in January, as imports increased more than exports. 4/10/08 Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories February 2008 sales of merchant wholesalers were $377.4 billion, down 0.8 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $421.9 billion, up 1.1 percent from last month. 4/9/08 Economy At A Glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm. |
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April 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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The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)
has announced it is accepting nominations for inductees into the
Construction Equipment Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame aims to create
a wider public understanding and appreciation of the industry’s role
in global economic and social prosperity. It will help focus
increased attention on issues such as infrastructure renewal and
workforce shortages.
Flipping the switch on "Grandma's stoplight"
