Underground Construction articles from June 2004

Underground Construction archives from June 2004

Heating up: (and don't let TV news get you down).(Editor's Log)
June 1, 2004... Summer has arrived, but temperatures are not the only thing heating up around North America and much of the world. An economic rebound seems to be serious and sustained. That's very good news to the underground infrastructure industry, but...

Fiber optic network connects commercial development.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... The Willits Commercial Development, located in Basalt, CO, has teamed up with Glenwood Springs-based, Zoomy Communications (ZoomyCo), to provide 600,000 feet of fiber-optic network to every business in the new commercial Town Center. ...

Long-haul fiber contracts awarded.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... The United States Defense Information Systems Agency has awarded three multiple year contracts to procure fiber optic infrastructure to help transform the Department of Defense's Global Information Grid (GIG). The contracts are firm fixed-price...

States allowed to ban telecom services.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling will allow states to prohibit cities from providing telecommunications services such as Internet access. The decision came in a series of cases involving the Missouri Municipal League, which argued that...

CIGMAT focuses on construction, geotechnical & flooding.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... For the ninth year, a one-day conference and exhibition was organized by the Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston at the University of...

DCA endorses Swerdfeger's candidacy.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... Keith Swerdfeger of K. R. Swerdfeger Construction, and president of the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA), announced in March that he will challenge Democratic incumbent Lianne McFadyen for her seat in the Colorado State Legislature....

EPA supports WEF's investment in infrastructure.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... Issues important to the water quality community and its efforts to protect public health were discussed during the Water Environment Federation's (WEF) annual Washington Briefing held in April. Following opening remarks by WEF President...

Firms collaborate to meet pipeline integrity challenges.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... Recent changes made by the Office of Pipeline Safety to regulations that oversee pipeline integrity management are having major impacts on the natural gas industry. To help natural gas operators make the necessary changes to come into...

DOE partners with new industry energy alliance.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... The GridWise Alliance, a newly formed, not-for-profit consortium of companies whose shared vision is to transform the U.S. electric system through innovative new technologies, has formed a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. ...

World's third directional drilling rig.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... David Ferry, a contributing author to Underground Construction, says that the Harbert Rig 3 shown here was the third directional drilling rig ever built. Although not originally constructed as a directionally drilling rig, it was converted from...

Who will replenish the labor force?(newsline)
June 1, 2004... A Construction industry Institute study indicates that 75 percent of contractors are experiencing shortages--and the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the construction industry will need to attract 240,000...

In memorial.(newsline)
June 1, 2004... Trap Briscoe, former president of Parkhill Pipeline Services, passed away in Tulsa, OK, April 10, at the age of 91. Briscoe was born near Austin, TX, and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin majoring in business, receiving both a...

Kvisle details challenges to industry.(washington watch)
June 1, 2004... Hal Kvisle, president and chief executive officer of TransCanada Corp., doesn't speak with much of a Canadian accent, which may be just as well given the fact over INGAA which is dominated by American companies. The first Canadian to ever head...

OSHA publishes rule on pipeline whistle blowers.(washington watch)
June 1, 2004... While the high-visibility provision in the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 dealt with the terms of a pipeline integrity program, that law had other provisions as well. That is the case with the whistle blower provision of the bill. OSHA...

Beat the heat: how modern equipment, proper procedures keep equipment running in high heat conditions.
June 1, 2004... Summer has arrived in North America and, in many areas, extreme heat will cause serious problems for construction equipment not prepared for hot-weather work. Overheated engines and hydraulic, systems decrease performance and cause...

Inspection basics.
June 1, 2004... It is often said that the inspector is the public works official's eyes and ears. After interviewing five officials, though, it is obvious that inspectors are more valued for their voice and brains. The overwhelming answer to the question "What...

Building a better: Cambridge.
June 1, 2004... The Cambridge, MA, Department of Public Works, also known as The Works, Stormwater Management and Sewer Separation Program encompasses the entire city--business districts, residential, schools and universities and recreational areas....

Pipe solutions: a guide to the properties & value of modern underground infrastructure pipe options.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... Life as we know it would be impossible without the complex underground utility systems that bring vital services to homes, businesses and industrial facilities. And this infrastructure is largely composed of pipe. Pipes transport...

First look: 14-foot PVC pipe joints prove efficient, economical.
June 1, 2004... For years, 13 fees has been the standard length for PVC sewer pipe. The Diamond Pipe people think that is changing with the introduction of its SDR35 and heavy-wall SDR26 pipe in 14-foot lengths. "Fourteen-foot lengths of pipe make sense...

Common Ground Alliance introduces field manual.
June 1, 2004... Efforts to prevent accidental damage to the nation's buried utility infrastructure continue to gain momentum. The driving force coordinating programs to protect underground pipe and cable is the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a private,...

Municipal trenchless workshop comes to NYC metro area, July 20-21.(UCT Seminar Series)
June 1, 2004... As a sewer and water infrastructure municipal employee, a consulting engineer or a contractor, imagine an environment where you could gain advanced knowledge about modern trenchless techniques and issues in a generic, professional manner. No...

6th annual HDD survey: positive vibes: a rebounding market implies welcome relief.(Directional Drilling)
June 1, 2004... In many ways, 2003 was a dismal year for horizontal directional drilling contractors. Facing a continuing industry-wide depression, there were still too many contractors chasing too few jobs. Cutthroat price competition was driving even more...

Making the grade: HDD, bore planning, Tackle sump drain Installation.(Directional Drilling)
June 1, 2004... Gravity sewer main installations usually present challenges just by virtue of the accuracy needed to keep pipe on-grade. With surface and subsurface obstructions like numerous 14 foot driveways and a shallow maze of existing utilities buried in...

First look: innovative downhole tool monitors tension, torque and pressure at pull-head.
June 1, 2004... An innovative new horizontal directional drilling tool to monitor tension, torque and pressure at the pull-head during product pull-back has been introduced by Horizontal Technology Inc., Houston. Development of the new tool came about when...

Removal, suspension of solid particles in directionally drilled crossings.(Directional Drilling)
June 1, 2004... The success of every directionally drilled crossing project depends upon the ability of the contractor to remove drilled particles (cuttings) from the hole. Failure to adequately clean the hole as it is being bored or reamed results in stuck or...

Coalescence mechanism for multiple flaws in rock.(Underground technology: cutting edge technical information for utility construction & rehabilitation)
June 1, 2004... Rock hardness, brittleness, flaw geometry, friction between intersecting flaws and confining formation pressures can present problems for the horizontal directional drilling contractor when boring rock formations. To understand the process...

Equipment selection guide.
June 1, 2004... AUGER BORING Company Model Type Drive Weight Boring (lbs) Diam. (in) American...

Godwin Pumps.(business)
June 1, 2004... Godwin Pumps Ltd., manufacturer of portable rental pumps and fire pumps, recently announced the appointment of Jeff Couling to head up its Finance Division as the company plans for a major drive to establish Dri-Prime pump distribution...

Sweeney Excavation.(business)
June 1, 2004... Connecticut-based Sweeney Excavation has committed to the use of global positioning system (GPS) technology by investing some $40,000 in additional equipment. The investment will allow the company to expand their capabilities and use the...

Stone Construction equipment.(business)
June 1, 2004... Stone Construction has named four new district managers serving the needs of the company's equipment dealers and rental houses. Tim Collie, previously with G & W Equipment, was appointed district manager in Virginia and South Carolina; Gary...

Dewberry.(business)
June 1, 2004... Dewberry, a civil, structural and construction engineering/inspection firm, welcomes Edward J. Di Mond, P.E., as senior associate and manager of its Mount Laurel, NJ, office. Di Mond has experience in the planning, design and permitting of...

ACEC New York.(business)
June 1, 2004... The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) presented 99 engineering excellence awards to member firms for the design of outstanding projects in the U.S., Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Pakistan. Fifteen...

Source: HDD acquires. StraightLine.(business)
June 1, 2004... Don Cary, president of Source: HDD, a supplier of new and used horizontal directional drilling equipment and accessories, recently announced that Source: HDD recently acquired 100 percent of the assets of StraightLine Manufacturing Inc.,...

Multiquip.(business)
June 1, 2004... Multiqulp's first dealer in Vietnam opened its doors, marking the company's second major foreign dealer/distributorship to begin business. General import & Export Co. in Hanoi carries a full line of Multiquip light- and medium-sized...

Thompson leads Pump Bureau.(business)
June 1, 2004... Bill Thompson, president and CEO of Thompson Pump, Port Orange, FL, was recently voted in as the new chairman of the Contractor Pump Bureau (CPB), a product specific industry group within the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). The...

Sempra Fiber Links patents Fiber-Optic Cable Installation Process.(business)
June 1, 2004... Sempra Fiber Links, a unit of Sempra Energy, announced that it has received from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office three new patents related to its technology for installing fiber-optic cable within active natural gas pipelines. Sempra...

Vermeer introduces rig for larger utility work.(new products)
June 1, 2004... Vermeer Manufacturing introduces the D300x500 Navigator horizontal directional drill, combining a powerful large rig with efficient design, mobility and transportability to serve a growing amount of larger utility work. The D300x500...

Bobcat.(new products)
June 1, 2004... Bobcat's new telescopic tool carriers--the VersaHandler TTC V723 and V723 FL (frame level) models feature more lift capacity while maintaining the same compact size. The V723 and V723 FL replace the V623 and V623 FL models, respectively. The...

American augers.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The new Astec DD-8B is capable of up to 80,000 pounds of thrust/pullback and 13,500 foot-pounds of rotary torque. With its 20-feet of drill pipe and high speed rod change capabilities, the high performance DD-8B offers more reliability and...

Grindex pumps.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The Grindex Tubo is an electric submersible drainage pump designed specifically for restricted access situations and deep well dewatering needs. In normal applications the Tubo N has a maxi mum head of 63 feet with the high head version...

Liebherr construction equipment.(new products)
June 1, 2004... Liebherr has introduced four fully hydrostatically powered wheel loaders--the L 538, L 544, L 564 and L 580--with a special paint scheme for their introduction to the American market. All Liebherr wheel loaders use an advanced hydrostatic...

Komatsu.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The WA150-5 wheel loader features art output of 96 horsepower at 2,000 rpm, an operating weight of 17,295 pounds and a breakout force of 16,314 pounds. Powered by a Tier 2 compliant Komatsu engine, the WA150-5 lowers engine speed, reduces...

McLaughlin launches new line of mini skid steer attachments.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The McLaughlin Mfg. Co. line of mini skid steer and skid steer attachments include three new versatile attachments for all types of skid steers and mini excavators. Get more done in less time with McLaughlin's new trench backfill...

Sanders Saws.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The new Diamond Wire Saw is a compact, hydraulic DSM-10A saw that can be attached to a variety of concrete structures or anchored to the floor. Operating at 3,000 psi, the saw's drive feed system utilizes an electric torque converter that...

Ditch witch.(new products)
June 1, 2004... The Ditch Witch RT55 tractor is the most compact of the company's RT series. The RT55 is a high-performance unit that successfully bridges the gap between mid-size and compact equipment. It features an integrated front cast weight that reduces...

Daewoo Solar V excavator series brings new features/Tier II engines.(new products)
June 1, 2004... Daewoo Heavy Industries America recently introduced an entire new lineup of 11 powerful crawler and wheel excavators. In addition to Tier II certification, the Solar V Series offers a host of new cost-saving features that bring usability,...

Volvo construction equipment.(new products)
June 1, 2004... With the addition of the L50E wheel loader, the E-series, which includes Volvo CE's midrange wheel loader product line (L60E, L70E, L90E), is now complete. The L50E wheel loader is powered by a Volvo inline four-cylinder D4DLAE2 diesel engine,...

Century products.(new products)
June 1, 2004... Century Products' hole opener design begins with a solid, heat-treated body with machined pockets. Engineered arm and cone assemblies are then lowered into place and multi-pass welded. This unique format allows the contractor to replace arm and...

Attachments Intl.(new products)
June 1, 2004... New Extreme Service Quick Coupler features Attachments International's patented geometrically balanced design that allows buckets to follow their designed geometric curve for maximum efficiency. Changing buckets is typically accomplished in...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... 2004 June 13-17, American Water Works Association, Annual Convention & Exhibition, Orlando Convention Center, Orlando, FL, PH: (303) 794-7711 July 21-24, Distribution Contractors Association, Mid-Year Meeting, Cape Cod, MA, PH: (972)...

Polyethylene 101.(The Last Word ...)
June 1, 2004... The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a very brief and (to some) a painfully simplified introduction to the material we know as polyethylene. It is my attempt to de-mystify what a growing number of people believe to be very...