Pacific Builder and Engineer articles from January 2006

Pacific Builder and Engineer archives from January 2006

Contract Awards Summary.
January 2, 2006... Staff How To Use the Contract Awards Summary: All numbers and charts are in real dollars. The chart immediately below tracks cumulative awards for all categories of construction in PB&E's five-state area. The last two years are shown...

Another Good Year Ahead.(Contract Awards )
January 2, 2006... By Carl Molesworth Despite Rising Costs, Northwest Contractors Can Look Forward To 2006 With Optimism How is the construction industry in the Pacific Northwest going to top a record-setting 2005? The answer is simple: Just keep the...

Bridge Discussed At Conference.
January 2, 2006... Staff Seattle-- The Helix Pedestrian Bridge on the Amgen campus along Seattle's Elliott Bay waterfront is garnering international attention. KPFF Consulting Engineers, a Seattle civil and structural consulting engineering firm,...

Revenue For Roads Needed, Says ODOT.
January 2, 2006... Staff Salem, Ore.-- The state of Oregon needs to find new sources of revenue in order to keep up with the demands for maintenance and growth of its transportation system over the next 25 years, the Oregon Transportation Commission says....

Contract Provides Route Optimization.(Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities )(Quantm Ltd)(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Staff Juneau, Alaska-- The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities has contracted with Las Vegas-based Quantm Ltd. to provide ADOT&PF regions and their project managers with fast and easy access to the Quantm route...

Briefs.(Oregon Department of Transportation appoints of Matthew Garrett )(University of Washington appoints Mike Purdy )(BNBuilders appoints Kurt Hildedrand )(Brief Article)
January 2, 2006... Staff Salem, Ore. -- Matthew Garrett has been appointed director of the Oregon Department of Transportation, effective Dec. 19, 2005. The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation. Interim Director Lorna Youngs will resume her position...

Industry Watch.
January 2, 2006... Staff Rochester, Wash.-- Modern Machinery has opened a new branch operation in Rochester, just off Interstate 5 at exit 88. The branch is a full-service sales, rentals, parts, and service facility located on approximately five acres....

People.
January 2, 2006... Staff Missoula, Mont. -- Felco Industries has hired Christine Johnson as marketing director. Johnson has a bachelor's degree in professional and technical communications from Montana Tech of the University of Montana, and she earned a...

New Products.
January 2, 2006... Staff Boise -- GMJ Co. LLC recently introduced the Grab-n-Tote concrete slab remover and has been promoting the product around the Pacific Northwest. Gary Justice developed the Grab-n-Tote for use in his concrete cutting business in...

Engine Lube Oil For Heavy Equipment.
January 2, 2006... By Gary Karl, Caterpillar, Inc. Choosing, Handling And Maintaining Engine Lube Oil For Your Machines Take a guess at how many brands of diesel engine oil are available today. Twenty-five? (Not even close.) Fifty? (Keep going.) More?...

Editor's Report.
January 2, 2006... By Carl Molesworth Elsewhere in this edition of PB&E you will find my latest solution to a challenge I've face almost annually as editor of this magazine. For 11 of the 12 years that I have been writing our annual construction forecast...

Moving Right Along.
January 16, 2006... Story By Carl Molesworth Self-Launching Gantry Crane Speeds Progress On Elevated Guideway For Light Rail The mystery is over. Since last summer, many travelers on their way to and from SeaTac Airport had been wondering what PCL...

Fluid Analysis.
January 16, 2006... Staff Expanded Lab Facility Helps Oregon Contractors Keep Tabs On Equipment Wear When people want to see how their body is doing they take a blood test. If contractors want to see how their equipment is doing they have a fluid...

A Different Drum.
January 16, 2006... Staff Flexible Geometry Fins Produce Smoother, More Consistent Concrete If you're like most construction contractors, chances are you've never thought twice about the type of mixer drum that's used to deliver concrete to your job site....

Briefs.
January 16, 2006... Staff Redmond, Wash. -- Industrial painting contractor Dunkin & Bush recently announced several management changes. Tom Dunkin II , previously president of the company, was named chief executive officer, and Deidre Dunkin was appointed...

2006 CostWorks and Cost Books.
January 16, 2006... Staff RSMeans, Kingston, Mass., www.reedconstructiondata.com or call (877) 733- 3411. The 2006 editions of all the RSMeans cost data products are now available. They start with the top-selling Building Construction Cost Data,...

Industry Watch.(Cascon Transportation Equipment)(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Staff Ridgefield, Wash.-- Cascon Transportation Equipment recently was granted Membership Verification Program status by the National Truck Equipment Association. The MVP Program identifies business practices common to successful...

People.
January 16, 2006... Staff Portland-- Clyde/West Inc. recently announced the addition of two people to the sales staff. Jim McNeal joined the Volvo distributor as sales manager for the Portland branch, responsible for leading the sales staff in Oregon and...

Water Needs Get Attention.
January 16, 2006... Staff Congressman John J. Duncan (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, has introduced important legislation to address the projected shortfall in water infrastructure investment. The Clean Water Trust...

Energy Investment Promoted.
January 16, 2006... Staff The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed transmission pricing reforms designed to promote needed investment in energy infrastructure. The proposed rules could benefit energy customers by bolstering power-grid reliability...

Wetlands Cases Combined.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Staff One of the most significant transportation-related environmental cases in the past five years will soon come before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue are two separate wetlands cases which have been consolidated for the court's...

Paving the Way: Asphalt in America.
January 16, 2006... Staff By Dan McNichol. The National Asphalt Pavement Association, www.hotmix.org . $25 plus shipping (302 pages). This new hardbound book covers the history of hot-mix asphalt. As the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the...

Communicating With Spanish-Speaking Workers: Contractor's Edition.
January 16, 2006... Staff By Trish Rodriguez. Cool Springs Press. PO Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214, $12.99. Hispanic workers are becoming increasingly important to the U.S. economy, but the language barrier between Hispanics and Anglo-Saxons continues...

Good Until The Last Drop: A Practitioner's Guide to Water Reuse.(book review )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
January 16, 2006... Staff American Public Works Association, .apwa.net/bookstore/ . $45 for members; others $55. A team of HDR water reuse experts has written this new book for the American Public Works Association. "Good Until The Last Drop: A...

Idaho Reconsiders Management Contract.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Staff Boise-- Facing a lawsuit and pressure from the Federal Highway Administration, the Idaho Transportation Board has rescinded a contract to manage the state's $1.6-billion Connecting Idaho highway construction program. The...

Cable Barrier Project Completed.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Staff Wenatchee, Wash.-- The first of 16 median cable barrier projects funded with the 2005 Washington legislature's Transportation Partnership Account was completed in December, 29 days earlier than expected. The project -- actually...

Firm May Build Ethanol Plant In Oregon.
January 16, 2006... Staff Boardman, Ore.-- A California company has leased 25 acres from the Port of Morrow and may build a $90-million ethanol plant on the site. WestPac Fuel of Mill Valley, Calif., could begin construction by late spring but will likely...

Mentor Program Needs Volunteers.
January 16, 2006... Staff Portland-- A unique career mentoring program, developed by Portland YouthBuilders, is seeking volunteer career mentors who can devote two hours a month to the program. The PYB Mentoring Program aims to support very low-income...

Beluga Mine Construction Possible.
January 16, 2006... Staff Anchorage-- Construction of a long-planned surface coal mine in the Beluga coal fields about 50 miles west of Anchorage could begin in 2007. PacRim Coal LP hopes to see scoping for a supplemental environmental impact statement...

Corroded Cable Wire Found At Narrows.(Brief Article)
January 16, 2006... Staff Tacoma, Wash.-- The state Department of Transportation has reported that at least some of the 19,000 miles of steel wire being used to form the cables for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge is so badly corroded it is unusable. ...

Two Otak Projects Earn Awards.
January 16, 2006... Staff Portland-- Two recent design projects completed by Otak Inc. have earned accolades from prominent professional organizations: the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officers and the American Society of Landscape...

Knife River Acquires Oregon Companies.
January 16, 2006... Staff Klamath Falls, Ore.-- MDU Resources Group Inc. has acquired seven Klamath County, Ore., companies and will merge them into its Knife River Corp. unit, which has companies in 11 states. Jefferson State Redi-Mix Inc., Concrete...