Across US, Infrastructure Is Crumbling

SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 29) — Billions of dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are being spent on infrastructure projects across the country, but as last week’s closing of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge shows, for every problem that gets addressed, it seems like 10 more are waiting.

Built in 1936, and severely damaged in1989 by the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Bay Bridge closed over Labor Day weekend for retrofitting designed to help it withstand further quakes. In the process of the repairs, an enormous crack was found in an I-bar, requiring further fixes.

Last Tuesday, a portion of the second emergency repair gave way, sending steel cables onto the roadway, damaging cars and closing the bridge to traffic once more. The bridge remained closed Monday morning, but CNN reported it would reopen later in the day.

Bridge safety is by no means an isolated issue, however. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, more than 26 percent of the country’s bridges were found to be either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Even more worrisome, in 2008, 1 out of every 3 bridges in America’s urban areas was found to be deficient.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has personally witnessed the consequences of putting off infrastructure repair and maintenance. On Aug. 1, 2007, his city’s I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed, killing 13 people and injuring 145.

To read the remainder of this article by David Knowles, go to: http://www.sphere.com/2009/10/29/across-us-infrastructure-is-crumbling

Six Ways to Control Construction Costs in a Volatile Materials Market

“Since December 2003, the overall cost of construction material has climbed 41 percent, not including distribution costs. For comparison, the cost of consumer goods has increased 19 percent.” -Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America If you’re a general contractor you’ve seen price increases far more than 41% since 2003, especially metals and petroleum-based materials. This article proposes 6 strategies for controlling your costs and closes with several resources for further investigation. The sections are:

1) Know What Accountants Look for During an Owner Audit

 2) Be Aware of the Market and Stockpile Materials

3) Stop Material Theft on Your Jobsite

4) Find Value Engineering Opportunities

5) Know Your Cost Estimator

6) Cost Projections and Contingency Planning

7) Recommended Construction Cost Saving Resources

To read entire article, go to: http://www.allbusiness.com/trends-events/investigations/11469905-1.html

Road, bridge cash in limbo

WASHINGTON — Road, bridge and mass transit projects still in the planning stages in New Jersey could be delayed — or even canceled — because Congress hasn’t passed a new six-year transportation law. 

Excerpt of article by RAJU CHEBIUM • Courier-Post Washington Bureau • October 4, 2009

With health care reform and climate change legislation getting all the attention, lawmakers have neither the time nor the inclination to debate transportation policy, advocates say. They expect Congress to adopt a new law, but the big question is when.

The delay means it’s uncertain what will happen to future projects aimed at easing gridlock, reducing business costs and increasing mass transit usage. Projects already under way won’t be affected.

“Certainty is a necessity when you are a state department of transportation or a city public works department,” John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said Tuesday. “States will be reluctant to enter into long-term contracts . . . to design replacement of a bridge or improve a highway. (Uncertainty) will almost bring that work to a halt.”

To read further: http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091004/NEWS01/910040345/1006

Transportation Investments in Stimulus Law Creating Jobs and Working as Intended, ARTBA Leader and Illinois Contractor Tells Congressional Committee

Transportation Investments in Stimulus Law Creating Jobs and Working as Intended

 

Author: Matt Jeanneret

10/01/09

Series: News

An Illinois asphalt contractor whose company was awarded contracts for eight new transportation improvement projects that helped save 260 jobs and create 30 new ones told Congress that the economic stimulus law is working as intended.

Charles Gallagher, president of the family-owned Gallagher Asphalt Corporation in Thorton, Ill., testified on behalf of ARTBA at an Oct. 1 House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee hearing on implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). 

“Without a doubt, the stimulus has helped keep my company afloat during one of the most difficult economic periods our industry has ever experienced,” Gallagher said. “For that, I would like to thank the members of the committee for your efforts to secure as much transportation investment as possible in the recovery act.”

Citing Federal Highway Administration data, Gallagher told the committee the states are meeting the law’s timelines for obligating their transportation funds, and that nearly 4,000 ARRA-financed projects valued at $11 billion are now under construction all across America.

The impact of the ARRA is even more evident when looking at new highway contract awards, Gallagher said. During the first four months of 2009, state and local transportation departments awarded $2.1 billion fewer contracts for highway and bridge construction projects than during the same months of 2008, reflecting recession-driven cuts to state and local highway funding. Since that time, however, in the period between May and August, the value of new contracts for highways and bridges has exceeded 2008 by almost $4 billion, with the ARRA more than offsetting state and local budgetary difficulties. The additional work has allowed transportation contractors to sustain—and add to—their workforce, he testified. 

To see full article, go to: http://www.artba.org/article/transportation-investments-in-stimulus-law-creating-jobs-and-working-as-intended/

THE BRIDGE BUILDER

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,
“You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?”

The builder lifted his old gray head.
“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,
“There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.”

-WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE

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Local and National News – 05/19/2009

Battle Creek I-94 bridge to partially open Friday

“A stretch of eastbound I-94 that has been closed because of a bridge problem is expected to partially reopen by the end of the week.

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A nearly 5-mile stretch of I-94 was closed last week because the soil shifted beneath the foundation of bridges over Riverside Drive in Battle Creek…”

UPDATE: Pink Bridge Paint Job Delayed

“Update 5/10
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — Rain has delayed the plan to paint the 8th Street bridge to its original white color. The concrete was too saturated with water, which would have caused the new paint to bubble.

The paint job is a community service project for medical students at Marshall University. They will do some prep work this week and plan to repaint it now over the Memorial Day weekend”.  Click here for more.

The Hood Canal Bridge is Closed to All Traffic

“The Hood Canal Bridge is closed to all traffic.  The bridge reopens in mid-June 2009 when crews complete the east-half replacement project. (See latest construction photos)”

Build in the USA – 05/19/2009 – From Pat’s Pen

With the stimulus work well under way across the nation, the demand for under bridge access equipment has never been greater.  I have been working with Terex in Rock Hill, South Carolina to increase our fleet of under bridge access platforms in an effort to meet that demand.

I am so impressed with the quality of this equipment that I often send our operators out to job sites for free, live demonstrations. Once potential customers see how versatile and easy to use these machines are, they cannot wait to use them on their bridge inspection and repair jobs.

There are many reasons why we exclusively carry Hydra Platforms and I’d like to share just a few of them with you today. First of all, I’m excited about carrying an American-made product.  Hydra Platforms are the only U.S. built under bridge access equipment offering true platform design throughout the entire line.

I also like the fact that they were designed with safety and ease of use in mind. The hydraulically erecting platform deploys in five minutes and each unit takes only one lane of traffic, keeping lane closures to a minimum.  There is a lot to love about this Terex’s line of Hydra Platforms. You can read more about them on our website www.inspectabridge.com.

Northern states are gearing up for bridge work during the spring and summer months and all of our DOT’s, bridge contractors and engineering firms are looking to get started on some of the jobs created by the stimulus funding. We are also getting calls from fiber optics and utilities companies who are excited about using our platforms to hang conduit and cabling, so I’m looking forward to a busy summer. We are ready to deliver nationwide. Call 770-315-6993 for a quote today.

Pat

How Under Bridge Units Work

The SSEMC

The Southeastern States Equipment Managers Conference is “comprised of the thirteen southeastern states and several other states that have become a part of this group. The delegates are the people that write the specifications and/or purchase the equipment.”

InspectABridge.com is pleased to be a sponsor at the 23rd Annual SSEMC this June, 2009.  Round table topics includ Going Green, Recapping Tire, Equipment Perfomance Reports, and much more!  If you would like to know more, please email robyn@inspectabridge.com.

Watch for more updates to follow…