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February 20 2010 Vol. XVII • No. 4
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded 1957.” 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215/885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215/885-2910 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com
Inside
KTAProject Replaces Bridges, Interchanges
Alta Acquires Wolverine Tractor’s Assets...30
Cat corporate executives also are working through a dealer in Haiti called Haytrac in the deployment of equipment and operators to the stricken area.
Industry Responds to Haiti’s Needs By Giles Lambertson
CAM Holds 26th Annual Expo...50
CEG CORRESPONDENT
A Challenging Project The project is challenging, not only because of its scale, but also because of engineering problems as well as environmental and timing restrictions. “The biggest portion of the project is building the 17 bridges,” said Luke
General contractors and equipment dealers in the United States have limited options right now in responding to Haiti’s destructive earthquake. Contributing funds to recovery efforts is the big-ticket response at this point. Shortly, however, the companies’skilled personnel and equipment will be in greater demand. The 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti just before dusk on Jan. 12 collapsed thousands of concrete-block homes and larger buildings. The next morning’s light revealed wholesale destruction and loss of life in the nation’s capital, Port-Au-Prince. Deaths are estimated at somewhere between 75,000 and 200,000, with another 200,000 injured. Because Haiti generally is considered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, recovery is expected to be slow amid enormous human suffering.
see REPLACEMENT page 16
see HAITI page 12
The old bridge was demolished using a series of detonations between Nov. 15 and Jan. 13, 2009.
By Richard Miller CEG CORRESPONDENT
Alex Lyon & Son Kicks Off Florida Auctions...85
Table of Contents........ 4 Pavers Section .... 33-45
On May 23, 2008, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) awarded a $113.4 million contract to Hamm Inc. of Perry, Kan., to improve 3.38 mi. (5.44 km) of the Kansas Turnpike. The project includes replacement of the twin bridges that cross the Kansas River at Lawrence, Kan., as well as construction of 15 other bridges; reconstruction of the East and West Lawrence interchanges and toll plazas;
and milling and paving the entire 3.38-mi. stretch of roadway. Completion of the largest single project in KTA history is scheduled for late 2011.
Business Calendar......48 Parts Section ..............54 Excavators & Attachment Section ..............................55-78 Auction Section .83-89, 91 Advertisers Index ......90
MoneyWoesThreatenU.S.High-Speed Rail’s Future By Michael Tarm ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
CHICAGO (AP) The $8 billion in stimulus cash awarded to 13 high-speed rail corridors across the United States may seem like a windfall for advocates, but there’s a catch: The money isn’t enough to finish any of the major projects.
State coffers are dry and federal spending is being cut back, so it’s unclear who, if anyone, will pay the rest of the multi-billion dollar bill. Many states have been vague about how they would pay their part of the bill. But experts say most are counting on the federal government to cover at least half of their costs over the next few decades — a hope that may clash with President Barack Obama’s recent
pledge to curb spending. Optimists point to the 2011 federal budget Obama proposed that seeks $1 billion more for high-speed trains on top of the $8 billion he already announced in stimulus money. There’s another $2.5 billion tucked away in the 2010 federal appropriations bill that has been approved but not yet allocated. see RAIL page 81