New Texas AGC President Focusing on Highway Funding
The newly-appointed AGC of Texas President Wade Miller plans to keep the association focused on some big issues in the year ahead: highway funding, workforce development and industry safety.
Miller thanked outgoing President Stacey Bryant and expressed humility and gratitude after becoming president at the January AGC of Texas Luncheon at the Hyatt Regency.
The president of family-run Big Creek Construction reflected on the status of the industry and shared his ideas for the next year, which is especially important, he noted, because it coincides with the 100th anniversary of AGC of Texas. Miller becomes the 80th president of the highway chapter of AGC of Texas. Some of his predecessors served multiple terms. An
younger people. see AGC page 8
TXAPA CEO Harold Mullen addresses the gathering before the TXDOT-TXAPA awards presentation.
TXAPA Hosts Annual Meeting, Awards Members
The Texas Asphalt Pavement Association (TXAPA) held its annual meeting on Sept. 9-12 at the La Cantera Resort and Spa in San Antonio.
The event, which has been held annually since 1974, combined education, networking, a trade show area and plenty of fun.
A highlight of the event was the TXAPA/TXDOT Texas Quality Asphalt Pavement Awards, which honor paving contractors, producers and TXDOT personnel for excellence on road projects.
see TXAPA page 14
Heavy Equipment Used and Rebuilt Parts
A large crowd of contractors and other paving industry professionals gathered at the La Cantera Resort in San Antonio for TXAPA’s annual meeting and awards
Agricultural Tractors
2015 JOHN DEERE 6215R......................$120,000
2020 JOHN DEERE 6130M....................$115,000
(5) 2018-2021 JOHN DEERE 6120M....From $67,500
2018 JOHN DEERE 5125R......................$98,500
2022 JOHN DEERE 5125M ....................$125,000
2023 JOHN DEERE 5115M......................$98,500 (3) 2021-2023 JOHN DEERE 5100M....From $81,000
Artic Trucks
(2) 2019 CATERPILLAR 745............From $289,500 (2) 2019 CATERPILLAR 740GC................$439,500 (2) 2022 CATERPILLAR 725............From $395,000 (9) 2023-2024 ROKBAK RA30....................$CALL (5) 2023 ROKBAK RA40............................$CALL
Attachments
(3) CATERPILLAR LIFTS......................$5,000 Ea.
CATERPILLAR D6 ANGLE BLADE................$7,500
CATERPILLAR D8T ANGLE BLADE..............$7,500
CATERPILLAR D10T SS RIPPER..................$CALL
CATERPILLAR ANGLE BLADE....................$7,500
Ea.
Crawler Carriers
(2) 2019-2020 MOROOKA MST4000VDFrom $259,500 (2) 2018 MOROOKA MST3000VD......From $159,500 (3) 2018-2019 MOROOKA MST2200VD..From $124,500 2020 MOROOKA MST660VD....................$72,500
Compactors - Padfoot/Smooth Drum
(2) 2007-2023 CATERPILLAR 815................$CALL 2017 CATERPILLAR CS66B....................$119,500
(7) 2016-2022 CATERPILLAR CP56B..From $109,500 (7) 2017-2022 CATERPILLAR CS56B..From $119,500
2013 HAMM H13I................................$72,500 2020 HAMM H12I..................................$CALL
Dozers
-
Crawler
(2) 2023 CATERPILLAR D10T2......From $1,950,000
2023 CATERPILLAR D9............................$CALL
(5) 2012-2022 CATERPILLAR D8T....From $279,500
(2) 2020 CATERPILLAR D6..............From $319,500
(12) 2019-2024 CATERPILLAR D6 LGP..From $299,500
(3) 2019-2020 CATERPILLAR D6XE LGP................ ..............................................From $269,500
2020 CATERPILLAR D6 XL....................$369,500
(2) 2016-2018 CATERPILLAR D6T XW..From $154,500
2018 CATERPILLAR D6N XL......................$CALL
2023 CATERPILLAR D5 LGP..................$415,000
2019 CATERPILLAR D5K2XL..................$169,500
2023 CATERPILLAR D4........................$275,000
(2) 2022-2023 CATERPILLAR D3......From $205,000
2022 CATERPILLAR D2............................$CALL 2019 JOHN DEERE 700K LGP..................$142,500
KOMATSU D61EXi-24....................$229,500
KOMATSU D71PX-24....................$259,500 (5) 2023 KOMATSU D71PXi-24........From $445,000 Dozers - Wheel 2015 CATERPILLAR 834K......................$285,000
Excavators - Crawlers
2022 CATERPILLAR 395........................$965,000
2019 CATERPILLAR 390FL....................$925,000 (3) 2019-2020 CATERPILLAR 374FL..From $619,500 (2) 2021-2222 CATERPILLAR 352-07........$475,000 (2) 2017-2019 CATERPILLAR 349FL..From $229,500 (4) 2021-2022 CATERPILLAR 349....From $495,000
2022 CATERPILLAR 340........................$395,000
(3) 2019 CATERPILLAR 336............From $165,000
2018 CATERPILLAR 336FL....................$209,500
(2) 2023 CATERPILLAR 330-07................$339,500
2020 CATERPILLAR 326-07....................$289,500
2020 CATERPILLAR 320........................$189,500
2017 CATERPILLAR 316FL....................$149,500
(2) 2018 CATERPILLAR 304E2..................$52,500
Motor Graders
(2) 2022 CATERPILLAR 16..................$1,325,000
2024 CATERPILLAR 14........................$795,000 (3) 2020-2024 CATERPILLAR 150....From $329,500
2008 CAT 140M AWD............................$99,500
2017 CATERPILLAR 140M3....................$239,500
Skid Steers - Track
(7) 2020-2021 JOHN DEERE 333G......From $57,500 (2) 2021-2024 CATERPILLAR 299D3 XEFrom $62,500 (2) 2020-2022 CATERPILLAR 299D3 XPS.............. ................................................From $67,500
2021 CATERPILLAR 299D3..............From $67,500
Water Equipment - Tower/Tanks
Water Equipment - Trucks
FREIGHTLINER M2............................$85,000
KENWORTH T480 ................................$CALL (18) 2018-2021
Loaders
Texas Legislature Approves $1.5B for 7 State Hospitals
Earlier this summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that seven new state hospital projects were being funded to better serve people in need of inpatient psychiatric services.
With $1.5 billion approved by Abbott and the Texas Legislature, the state Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) projects will expand, renovate and build new facilities across the state.
“Texas continues working to increase access to critical behavioral health treatments for Texans in every corner of our state,” the governor said in a news release. “Last year, I signed a law to provide crucial funding to expand and build new, modern mental health facilities throughout Texas. These new state hospital projects will help ensure that Texans experiencing a mental health issue have access to mental health professionals and high-quality treatments to address their needs.”
He also acknowledged the Legislature and HHSC “for working tirelessly to increase access to mental health care resources that will serve Texans for generations to come.”
Among the new state hospital projects in North Texas are planned facilities in Wichita Falls and Terrell to better serve people in need of inpatient psychiatric services, according to Dallas Innovates.
Additionally, an eighth North Texas hospital construction project — previously funded by the state — is the nearly $500 million Texas Behavioral Health Center at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern, an effort already underway.
HHSC officials said each of the new statewide hospitals will be important to many people in Texas.
“We’re extremely proud of the transformation of our state hospital system and the opportunities being created,” Scott Schalchlin, deputy executive commissioner for the HHSC Health and Specialty Care System, said in a statement. “These projects will improve the well-being of even more people across the state. We’re not just building hospitals — we’re rebuilding lives.”
The newly announced projects by Abbott are in various stages of planning and design, with many slated for construction later this year:
• In Wichita Falls, North Texas State Hospital is constructing a $452 million, 200bed replacement facility.
• With $573 million in state funding, Terrell State Hospital is building a 250-bed replacement treatment center.
• Amarillo’s Panhandle State Hospital is due to get soon a facility to serve 75 patients in a non-maximum security unit. The construction budget is $159 million.
• Lubbock Psychiatric Center’s new state
hospital will include a 50-bed maximum security unit. It is expected to cost $121 million.
• In Harlingen, the Rio Grande State Center has undertaken a $120 million effort to expand its facility to add a 50-bed maximum security unit.
• The $15 million transformation of an existing building into a maximum-security facility at the San Antonio State Hospital will include 40 beds.
• With $50 million from state officials in Austin, planning and land acquisition to expand the current El Paso Psychiatric Center facility by 50 non-maximum-security beds will soon get underway.
Among the Terrell State Hospital’s 250 beds will be 50 living areas for patients in
maximum security, 140 in forensic nonmaximum security, 35 for adolescents and 25 civil commitments. Construction is scheduled to begin late this year.
Dallas Innovates reported that HHSC’s plans for a replacement of the facility on the North Texas State Hospital-Wichita Falls campus has prioritized its 200 beds so that 24 of them are in maximum security, 136 in non-maximum security, 24 are set aside for children and 16 are for civil commitments.
Crews will begin building the hospital later in 2024, according to the commission.
Already this year, grand openings for replacement hospitals in Austin and San Antonio were held.
HHSC also completed renovations at Kerrville State Hospital and opened new
facilities at Rusk State Hospital and the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center in Houston.
Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern
Beyond the seven newly funded state hospital projects, HHSC said construction continues on the 292-bed Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern in Dallas.
The 200-bed adult wing and the 92-bed pediatric unit are being built on different timelines and will be completed in summer 2025 and spring 2026, respectively.
The state commission partnered with the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas to design, construct and operate the Texas Behavioral Health Center.
The facility’s $282.5 million for the adult wing was approved by the 87th Texas Legislature, and an additional $102 million was approved by the 88th Texas Legislature to complete construction. Children’s Health provided another $200 million to construct the pediatric wing.
Abbott and the Texas Legislature have provided $2.5 billion since 2017 for capital projects to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in the state.
HHSC owns and operates nine state hospitals and one residential treatment center for youth.
State hospitals provide inpatient psychiatric services to individuals on civil commitments and competency restoration services for people on forensic commitments who have been determined incompetent to stand trial or are found not guilty by reason of insanity.
(Photos courtesy of Office of Gov. Greg Abbott.)
A rendering of the main entrance at Terrell State Hospital.
A rendering of the Terrell State Hospital replacement hospital.
Bobcat of Abilene
325-673-7361
Bobcat of Amarillo
806-622-9593
Bobcat of Austin 512-251-3415
Bobcat of Buda 512-884-5533
Bobcat of Corpus Christi 361-884-3959
Bobcat of Lubbock 806-745-1322
Bobcat of Marble Falls 830-220-6070
Bobcat of Marion 830-420-9020
Bobcat of Midland–Odessa 432-685-9298
Bobcat of Pleasanton 830-580-4020
Bobcat of the Rio Grande Valley 956-425-4300
Bobcat of San Antonio 210-337-6136
Bobcat of Temple 254-523-4900
Bobcat of Victoria 361-579-0922
Bobcat of Waco 254-488-7004
Bobcat of Wichita Falls 940-285-7777
Ranchers ATV and Tractor Kerrville 830-315-2330
Workforce Development, Industry Safety Among Priorities
Miller views the current highway industry as benefitting from “the golden age” because of historic funding levels driven mostly by the tens of billions of dollars flowing from voter-approved Prop 1 and Prop 7 issues on the 2014 and 2015 Texas election ballots.
He noted that TxDOT letting will average more than $13 billion a year over the next decade.
“As a contractor, I am truly thankful for the opportunities now in front of us. … We’ve got to figure out to build out this work,” Miller told colleagues. “And the only way we're going get this work done is by having workers to build it. So, we got to really focus on workforce development.”
An aging construction workforce amplifies the need for AGC of Texas leaders to find better ways of attracting and retaining younger people, Miller emphasized.
The AGC scholarship is important and helps steer at least 25 younger people into the industry, he noted, but many more are needed – as in “thousands.”
AGC of Texas, TXAPA, and TxDOT have joined a workforce coalition designed to recruit and train construction workers as part of a three-phase program. It starts with a marketing blitz followed by school visits and job fairs to help inform and interest students in a potential career in highway construction. A training program will prepare them to run heavy equipment while learning more about the industry.
“And that's a big task. We need thousands of workers. It's still in the early phases,” Miller said of the initiative. “I tell our folks
you just never, never stop hiring … You just never can get complacent on hiring. Do they all work out? No. As a matter of fact, most of them don't work out. But you got to keep trying.”
Miller got his start in the highway industry doing grunt work for F.M. Young’s
Young Construction company, where father, John Miller, worked for more than 30 years.
The senior Miller started Big Creek Construction with 30 employees in 1997.
It has some 600 employees today, evolving from a modest, start-up company concentrating on small rehab and maintenance into a vertically integrated heavy highway construction company. Big Creek Construction has multiple plants and quarries in Central Texas and works in 9 of TxDOT’s 25 districts.
It’s a family business with the senior Miller still coming into the office, which Wade’s wife, Kristi, manages. A brother and oldest son are involved in the business with two other sons considered prospects for joining once their education is complete.
“Our biggest blessing is having really good people. We've been able to grow because of great people. Many of these employees have been with us for a very long time,” Miller said.
Industry leaders recognize that safety remains a perpetual priority and should be part of workforce development, Miller said.
“Not only do workers need to be trained for the job, they need to be trained to do the job safely,” Miller said. “Our business is a dangerous business. We work in traffic, we work on top of bridges, we work down in trenches. We work on heavy equipment that goes back and forth all day long.”
New workers might not understand the ever-present dangers, he added, which is why he’s going to revive the AGC of Texas Health and Safety Committee to help members share safety-related experiences and ideas “to help us all get safer.”
Work zones are especially hazardous with more than 25,000 accidents in those construction areas and around 200 fatalities each year. Texas has not seen a fatality-free day on the state’s road system in more than 23 years.
Miller reminded colleagues what everyone knows: Safety is big business, meaning high insurance rates and defending lawsuits. Every third-party accident in work zones invites litigation regardless of severity or fault.
“Every contractor in this room and across the state is defending multiple lawsuits right now. Texas is a very litigious state. Plaintiff lawyers are feasting off contractors in this state. They are swinging for the fence in every case. Nuclear verdicts are being awarded, Miller said.
“If a contractor does not have enough liability insurance or a strong enough financial position, they can lose everything,” he said. That’s why it’s imperative for the industry to work with TxDOT to help identify unsafe or unclear situations in our work zones, he said.
(All photos courtesy of TxDOT.)
AGC from page 1
AGC of Texas President Wade Miller views the highway industry as benefiting from “the golden age” because of historic funding levels driven mostly by the tens of billions of dollars flowing from voter-approved Prop 1 and Prop 7 issues on the 2014 and 2015 Texas election ballots.
TxDOT lettings will average more than $13 billion a year over the next decade.
e r • T ailer W
• Overall W
• Deck Length: 21’ Flat (model shown)
• 6’ Beaver
• Deck Height: 34" tail
• Brakes: Air (Full ABS System) ires: Eight 215/75R17.5 (H) i
• Ramps: 72" Long x 22”
• T R72"L22”
Wid
Durable Composite Decking is
Outboardbrakedrumsforeasier HUBPILOTEDWHEELS
Education, Trade Show Area Highlight TXAPA Event
TXAPA from page 1
This year’s meeting included a golf tournament, casino night and a live and silent auction to benefit TXAPA’s scholarship fund. Attendees included TXAPA members along with TXDOT personnel.
The Texas Asphalt Pavement Association serves the asphalt paving industry in Texas.
According to its website, “It serves the needs of asphalt producers, contractors, liquid asphalt suppliers, and interested firms dedicated to improving and growing the asphalt industry. The Association is committed and dedicated to providing the services and information that keeps its member firms and the industry on the competitive edge.” CEG
(All photographs in this article are Copyright 2024 Construction Equipment Guide. All Rights Reserved.)
see TXAPA page 18
(L-R) ROMCO Equipment representatives Ryan Burnell, Chris Wheelock and Chandler Crawford were on hand to promote the company’s paving equipment lines.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers reps Chuck Roberson and Paul Pinegar were on hand to answer questions about the company’s omnichannel marketplace for heavy equipment.
RB Everett & Co. was among the equipment distributors exhibiting at the meeting’s trade show. Shown are Everett’s Chuck Hughes (L) and Rob Via (R) along with John Elko of Bomag.
RDO Equipment’s booth was promoting Topcon’s paving system solutions. RDO reps Jake Downey (L) and Colton Watson (C) were joined by Mark Larranaga of Topcon.
Hunter Industries, Colorado Materials and TXDOT’s San Antonio district were honored for their work on FM 2924 in Atascosa County.
R.K. Hall’s repaving of RM 1061 in Potter County was recognized along with TXDOT’s Amarillo District.
IOC Company LLC and the TXDOT Pharr District earned an award for the repaving on FM 2812 in Hidalgo County.
Work on Interstate 14 in Kimball County earned an award for Allen Keller Co. and TXDOT’s San Angelo District.
NPT1200
Niece Water Towers deliver reliability and durability when you need fast mobile water service. With a 12” discharge tube it fills your tanks at a rate of over 1,000 gallons per minute. Offers removable power pack for security, fifth wheel tow hitch, professionally engineered and constructed.
It features (8) legs for stability
5th wheel set up for quick “tow and go.”
OFF ROAD WATER TRUCKS
OVER THE ROAD WATER TRUCKS
FUEL AND LUBE TRUCKS
FUELER TRUCKS
Central Texas… Mobility Authority Celebrates Opening of Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (Mobility Authority) celebrated the completion on Aug. 28, 2024, of the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project, a series of non-tolled improvements on southbound MoPac at the entry and exit ramps between Bee Caves Road and Loop 360 west of Austin.
The $10M non-tolled project added pavement for auxiliary and merge lanes to alleviate congestion and improve travel times throughout the corridor.
“Completion of the Barton Skyway Ramp Relief Project represents a critical first step in addressing congestion along southbound MoPac,” Mobility Authority Director James Bass said. “It also underscores the commitment by the Mobility Authority to reinvest back into the Central Texas region by delivering equitable and accessible transportation solutions that benefit all.”
The southbound MoPac corridor has struggled to accommodate the influx of residents in Central Texas, leading to unpredictable travel times, particularly during the morning and afternoon peak periods.
The bottleneck created by traffic merging onto southbound MoPac at the Barton Skyway and Bee Caves Road entrance ramps has contributed to traffic congestion, particularly at the Loop 360 southbound exit. Before construction, travel times between 35th Street and Loop 360 reached 38 minutes, ranking a stretch of MoPac including this section among the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI) list of Texas’ 100 Most Congested Road Sections (2023).
As an interim solution to the broader congestion problems along the corridor, the Mobility Authority — which is a local, independent government agency created in 2002 to improve the regional transportation system in Travis and Williamson counties — began developing the non-tolled improvements in 2019. Those include a new southbound auxiliary lane from Barton Skyway to Loop 360; a new acceleration lane for the southbound Barton Skyway entrance ramp: three dedicated through-traffic lanes under Loop 360: and a dedicated left lane exit ramp to southbound Loop 360.
The project delivered expedited benefits to users less than a year after beginning construction, with temporary striping to the final configuration implemented on Jan. 12, 2024, while the final punch list items were completed. Since opening to traffic, these enhancements have reduced travel times by nearly 30 percent on average, offering Central Texas residents a smoother commute.
The Mobility Authority operates 183A Toll, 290 Toll, 71 Toll Lane, MoPac Express Lane, 45SW Toll and 183 Toll.
TXAPA Honors Texas Quality Asphalt Pavement at Event
Parts
James Hamilton Construction, in conjunction with TXDOT’s Lubbock District, performed the repaving of US 180 in Gaines County and were recognized for their outstanding work.
Durwood Greene Construction, American Materials and TXDOT’s Houston district were recognized for the work done on BU 288-B in
Brazoria County.
of Interstate 14 in Coryell County were paved by Texas Materials and Lochner, along with the Waco TXDOT district. All three were recognized for the work.
BU 87 in Howard County was repaved by R.H. Hall. They earned an award for the work along with the TXDOT Abilene District.
The Austin TXDOT district and Lone Star Paving were honored for work on SH 29 in Williamson County.
Anderson Columbia Co., along with TXDOT’s Laredo district, garnered an award for the paving of FM 468 in La Salle County.
TXAPA from page 14
Improvements to US 183 in Williamson County earned Texas Materials and TXDOT’s Austin District recognition for outstanding work
Next Issue Closes October 9th
RNG Production Site Under Construction at Dairy Farm
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. of Newport Beach, Calif., broke ground on a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at South Fork Dairy, 10 mi. south of Dimmitt, a small Castro County town in the Texas Panhandle.
Home to a 16,000-cow herd, the facility will produce RNG, an ultra-clean transportation fuel made from organic waste that receives a negative carbon-intensity score.
The construction of the digesters and processing plant is forecast to cost approximately $85 million. It is projected to be completed in 2025.
Once operational, the South Fork Dairy facility is set to be one of the biggest RNG production developments in the United States, with an anticipated 2.6 million gal. of natural gas to be produced annually. All RNG fuel produced at the site will make its way into Clean Energy’s nationwide network of stations, the company said in a news release.
“We are excited to begin construction on the South Fork Texas project,” said Clay Corbus, Clean Energy’s senior vice president of renewables. “Building anaerobic digesters at a large dairy like South Fork will help the dairy owner, Frank Brand, and his team collect and monetize sizeable amounts of manure waste while also benefiting from the environmental credits an RNG facility brings. We are proud to call Frank, who is one of the most well-respected people in the dairy industry, our partner.”
Brand noted that Clean Energy’s plans will “not only helps us convert our waste
into a clean, useable and sustainable fuel, but it also helps us with managing manure which for a dairy of our size is quite a feat. We do this while simultaneously reducing our environmental footprint; it’s a direction I hope many other dairies will look to pursuing.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted that agriculture accounts for nearly 10 percent of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in this country. The method of capturing methane from farm waste, however, can lower these emissions.
RNG is a transportation fuel made entirely from organic waste and drastically reduces GHG emissions by an average of 300 percent versus diesel fuel. It is so clean that the California Air Resources Board gives RNG from dairy farms an average carbon-intensity score of -330, which is substantially lower than electric vehicles charging with electricity on today’s grid.
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. is the country’s largest provider of the cleanest fuel for the transportation market, according to the company. Its mission is to decarbonize transportation through the development and delivery of renewable natural gas. The company’s RNG production allows thousands of vehicles, from airport shuttles to city buses to waste and heavy-duty trucks, to reduce their amount of climate-harming greenhouse gas.
To facilitate its goals, Clean Energy operates a vast network of fueling stations across the U.S. and Canada, as well as RNG production facilities at various dairy farms across the country.
Clean Energy Fuels photo
Clean Energy Fuels workers examine work plans for a renewable natural gas (RNG) production facility at South Fork Dairy near Dimmitt, Texas.
The Worldwide Leader in Concrete Paving Technology
Specialized machines for waste
Waste Management
Top quality for top performance
Bane Machinery is a family owned and operated business that offers heavy machinery sales, rentals, parts, and service. We are proud to offer Liebherr equipment with full service including preventative maintenance and warranty up to OEM standards.
Liebherr machines are custom-engineered to perform efficiently. From material handling to waste management, these machines showcase a range of what’s possible.
Contact us today to find the right solution for your project application.