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February 6 2010 Vol. XVII • No. 3
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AEM Leader: Infrastructure Equals Jobs
Inside
multiple elevators, private baths and meeting rooms — all near the post’s hospital. The housing is part of a 5-acre complex being built at the installation on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line to create a better community for healing. The first building, called the Soldier Family Assistance Center, is almost complete. Lt. Col. Chris Jarvis, the commander for the Warrior Transition Battalion, said construction began on the barracks in November, and it’s expect-
Speaking at a press conference following an invitation-only meeting of key U.S. senators, Dennis Slater, president of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), forcibly relayed the direct connection between infrastructure investment and job creation for the construction industry and entire manufacturing sector. The meeting and conference were held to highlight the importance of infrastructure investment to putting Americans back to work. Slater was selected to attend as the sole representative of the manufacturing sector, in recognition of AEM’s leadership role in support of critical infrastructure investment and the Start Us Up USA campaign, which advocates timely passage of multi-year transportation legislation. AEM also is active in advocating for adequate water infrastructure investment. “The single best way to bring back hundreds of thousands of good-paying, sustainable manufacturing jobs in the U.S. is to pass major long-term investments in our critical national infrastructure,” Slater noted. Senators at the meeting are working on a new “jobs creation” package of legislation, and they recognize that a central piece of that effort will be rebuilding America’s infrastructure to create jobs, grow the economy and maintain and improve our nation’s safety, environment and international competitiveness, Slater noted. The meeting in the U.S. Senate was cochaired by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV); Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee; and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. In addition, 19 Senators attended, including — in addition to Reid, Stabenow and Murray — Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the
see VETERANS page 69
see INFRASTRUCTURE page 57
AED Holds Annual C o n v e n t i o n , C O N D E X… 1 2
Gateway Constructors smoothes out the concrete on “Highway 40.”
MoDOT’s Most Expensive Project Wraps Up Under Budget, Early MITA Holds Sixth Annual Conference, Show…14
Columbus Equipment Touts Hybrid Machine…33
Table of Contents ............4 Parts Section ................40 Crushing, Screening & Recycling Section ....41-48 Truck & Trailer Section .... ..................................59-63 Business Calendar ........54 Auction Section..69-73,75 Advertisers Index ..........74
By Kathie Sutin SPECIAL TO CEG
St. Louis area drivers are still celebrating what turned out to be an early holiday gift last month—the long-awaited reopening of I-64, known locally as “Highway 40.” Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) officials are still celebrating the fact that the project—the largest and most expensive in MoDOT history—came in under budget as well as
early. Projected at $535 million, the cost is expected to be $524 million. The reopening came Dec. 7, three and a half weeks earlier than the Dec. 31 deadline in the contract. Gateway Constructors, the general contractor, will receive $5 million in bonuses — $2 million each for meeting the deadlines for completion of the east and west sections and $1 million for ensuring “regional mobility during the project.” The 10-mi. (16 km), project also marked a first in see I-64 page 24
Ky.’s Fort Campbell Eyes Improved Healing Facilities for Returning Vets By Kristin M. Hall ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) Army barracks have always been very Spartan with multiple floors of tiny rooms and shared bathrooms providing just the basic needs for large numbers of young soldiers. But due to the growing number of soldiers with severe war injuries, Fort Campbell is building barracks to accommodate their long-term recovery. The housing will include wheelchair-accessible rooms,