QuadGuard M10 crash cushion is MASH compliant

Trinity Highway Products/Energy Absorption Systems of Dallas has introduced the QuadGuard M10, calling it the industry’s first crash cushion accepted for use on the National Highway System under the provisions of the Manual for Accessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test Level 3 (TL-3) standards. The QG M10 is built on the original QG platform featuring the monorail and Quad-Beam fender panels common to all previous QuadGuard versions. Only three modifications are necessary to transform the original QG to a QGM10 – an engineered steel nose, MASH-compliant cartridges and monorail shims. This combination of old and new allows for a simple and cost effective conversion from NCHRP 350 TL-3 compliance to MASH TL-3 compliance.

Trinity says that previously, when new crash test standards were introduced, agencies were required to completely overhaul their existing inventories. Existing QuadGuards, both installed and un-installed, are easily transitioned to the next generation of crash standards. www.energyabsorption.com; www.highwayguardrail.com

Versilis solar-powered, remote signage

From Versilis comes SwiftSign dynamic signage, a safe, fast and easy way to activate traffic signage or message boards from a distance. The system is comprised of a pivoting sign, a solar panel and a control box. Flashing lights can be added to the traffic sign to increase its nighttime visibility and to catch drivers’ attention under specific circumstances, such as emergency procedures. The dynamic signage is completely independent of wiring for ease of installation or relocation. It can be activated with an RF unit, cellular phone or web-based application.

Applications include:

- Signage for reversible lane

- Signage for repetitive lane-closure operations

- Signage for emergency operations

- Traffic signage that needs activation at hard-to-reach or dangerous sites

- Variable dynamic road messages (possibility of two or three different messages)

www.versilis.com

Portable Highway Advisory Radio

VoiceStar from American Signal Company is a ready-to-roll portable advisory radio station, available with or without a changeable message sign. Stations can be integrated into a system of several units to instantly notify the public at highway construction zones, traffic incidents or emergencies. Using solar power and wireless communication, operators may program broadcast messages and changeable signs remotely.

VoiceStar is a “quick startup,” providing its message in fewer than 5 minutes. The operator simply swings up the antenna, lays out the portable groundplane and flips on the power. Batteries are immediately online. If AC power is available, the operator can plug in and charge the system’s batteries while operating. The solar array is aligned flat to allow positioning of the trailer in any roadway orientation. www.amsig.com

X-Last Bollards: Durable and Flexible

Pexco says its “tough as nails” bollards will not bend, break or dent while they ensure vehicles do not enter prohibited zones. With their extreme flexibility, they are virtually impossible to break, says the company, and even if they are hit and knocked down, they return to their full, original upright form. X-Last bollards are highly rigid, strong and will never rust, according to the company. When emergency vehicles need to gain access, they can pass over them easily. There is no need to remove the bollards or replace them afterward. The flexibility and “memory” of the X-Last material returns the bollard to a full upright position. www.pexco.com/Pages/PexcoTrafficBollards.aspx

Henderson Products

A floating snow wing mast?

That’s Smart

If you’re plowing snow this winter, chances are the road you’re on is not perfectly contoured. In fact, it’s probably pretty much beat up – with dips, ruts and possibly breaks – topped off, of course, by snow- and ice-covered obstructions just prime for costly municipal insurance claims running rampant throughout North America. Responding with up to 13 inches of float instantly adjusted in the wing’s toe, the Smart Link rotational floating wing mast from Henderson Products provides conformance to varying road conditions, as well as the elimination of both toe dig and the binding associated with conventional mast/slides. According to the manufacturer, impact forces are reduced by as much as 70 percent over traditional front-wing mast configurations, which require additional bracing. Converting easy from existing wing systems, the Smart Link has a low-profile design providing full access to the engine compartment and a clear line of vision for the driver. A large access hole in the front makes maintenance easy. A locking pin secures the wing when not in use.

Caterpillar

Excavator range goes big on compacts

When the king of big yellow iron, Caterpillar, moved into the compact equipment market in the 1990s, it triumphed the future role of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) as a full-range supplier. No longer were Caterpillar and other large OEMs willing to concede the compact market to niche players. Well, with its recent compact excavator product introduction, Caterpillar has one taken step further – a little step, that is. Three models ranging up to 2.7 metric tons in operating weight include Caterpillar’s foray into the “micro” market. Easily transported from site to site on a trailer behind a van or pickup truck, the 300.9D model weighs in at just 2,061 pounds – less than one metric ton – and has an overall width of only 28.7 inches for easy movement through a standard doorway. The 18.4-horsepower, diesel-powered excavator leverages a twin gear pump hydraulic system for maximum bucket breakout force of 2,000 pounds and stick breakout force of 1,011 pounds. Specifically to work with this model, suited to demolition contractors working in confined spaces, Caterpillar will be introducing a new H25 compact breaker. Maximum digging depth is 69.4 inches and maximum excavation radius is 121.7 inches. At the same time, Caterpillar introduced the 301.4C excavator model ranging 2,921-3,340 pounds in operating weight and the 302.7D CR maxing out at 5,886 pounds with a full cab. The latter is Caterpillar’s smallest compact radius excavator, offering zero tail swing when equipped without counterweight.

John Deere

Tractors built specially for scrapers

John Deere has unveiled three track models – the 9460RT, 9510RT, and 9560RT – as its new 9R/9RT Scraper Special Series Tractors. The new lineup also includes three wheeled models (9460R, 9510R, 9560R). The full line is equipped with a fuel-efficient, high-torque IT4 13.5L PowerTech PSX engine featuring 460 to 560 horsepower. The 9460RT, 9510RT, and 9560RT are equipped with the Durabuilt 5500 Series Scraper rubber track in a 30-inch width. The functions and features formerly located on the right-hand console were relocated to the redesigned CommandArm, including a new 7-inch color CommandCenter display. The CommandArm provides fingertip controls of key tractor functions, including throttle, transmission speed and direction, and selective control valves. Additional adjustments and configuration settings are made on the optional touch-screen capable GreenStar (GS3) CommandCenter display.

Caterpillar

Upgrades boost productivity, performance

New features on the Caterpillar D9T Track-Type Tractor include enhanced operator safety, comfort and convenience, while also refining performance and productivity. The machine is powered by a Cat C18 engine with ACERT Technology, rated at 410 horsepower with an operating weight of more than 110,000 pounds. A low-effort electronic dozer control handle gives the operator control of all dozer functions with one hand. An optional Automatic Ripper Control keeps the drawbar load constant and minimizes track slip. In addition, Automated Blade Assist uses blade-pitch presets to simplify positioning, and an optional auto carry system automatically adjusts blade load during the carry segment. The new Dynamic Inclination Monitor provides readouts of the tractor’s pitch angle and side-to-side slope, and a new operator-presence system locks out the power train and hydraulic system to avoid unintentional machine movement.

Terex

Automatically change crown while paving

Terex Corp. will exhibit its Bid-Well concrete paving equipment – the 4800 bridge paver and 2418 work bridge – at World of Concrete 2012 in Las Vegas this month. With standard paving widths exceeding 170 feet, the 4800 paver display unit will be set to 36 feet wide. A new style fogging system features all poly tubing to increase up-time and individually controlled spray nozzles to direct the fog where it’s needed. A new skewable power crown adjuster enables operators to automatically make changes to the crown when paving bridge decks at the skew angle. Featuring two new Evaporative Emissions (EVAP) compliant gas engines the show machine will display two-leg options available to paving contractors: a swing-leg design for zero-clearance paving; and a pivot-leg design for paving cross slopes of 6 to 8 percent.

Gomaco

Right-side, left-side slipforming

GOMACO Corp.’s new 4400 barrier machine for right-side and left-side slipforming will be at World of Concrete. Built specifically for barrier applications, it features a high-capacity cooling package on the engine. The manufacturer’s proprietary G+ control system makes the machine capable of operating in multiple languages. The 4400’s design concept was built around a left-side and right-side slipforming capable machine with symmetrical steering and minimal set-up changes for switching profiles from side to side. The U-shaped platform, which features vibration insulation and a side to side sliding control console, accommodates right-side and left-side pour and provides a 360-degree view of the entire paving operation.

MB America

Crush rocks, concrete onsite

MB America’s crushers are excavator buckets with an internal hydraulic jaw-crusher system that crushes rocks, concrete and any other hard material onsite, directly into the bucket. The machine also crushes reinforced concrete, returning both clean rebar and crushed material ready for recycling. Because the crusher bucket is used in conjunction with an excavator, it can be used in tight spaces and is easily transported. Four models are available and may be used on an entire range of excavators, from 9 tons and up. For a video from Better Roads Executive Editor Tina Grady Barbaccia go to http://www.tinyurl.com/BetterRoadsFB.

Komatsu

Large undercarriage design significantly increases lift capacity

Komatsu’s PC390LC-10 hydraulic excavator is powered by a Komatsu SAA6D114E-5 engine and is EPA Tier 4 Interim (Tier 4i) and EU Stage 3B emissions certified. The excavator is built upon a proven Tier 3 engine platform and contains a 257-horsepower flywheel. With an operating weight of 89,072 pounds, the excavator features improved hydraulic efficiency, improved operator comfort, simplified maintenance to extend component life, and a large undercarriage design that significantly increases lift capacity. The Komatsu Tier 4 Interim engine uses an advanced electronic control system to manage airflow rate, fuel injection, combustion parameters, and aftertreatment functions to optimize performance, reduce emissions, and provide diagnostic capability.

Dexter + Chaney

Deploy software on-premise

Dexter + Chaney is launching a new version of its Spectrum Construction Software at World of Concrete, as well as a completely new product line. The latest version of Spectrum software will be released as a full-featured Web-based product. Spectrum Version 14 will be the first release from Dexter + Chaney’s newly-formed Operations Group. Users will be able to deploy the software on-premise or access it through a cloud environment.

The Boss Snowplow

Plows for UTVs

The Boss Snowplow UTV Plows are now available for a wider selection of popular UTV brands. New brands compatible with the plows include Bobcat, Case IH, Club Car, Honda, Husqvarna and New Holland. These UTV brands join off-road vehicle brands John Deere, Kawasaki, Kubota, and Polaris for the UTV plow lineup. The plows are available in two models, a 6 foot 6 inch Power-V XT and a 6-foot Poly Straight-Blade. The hydraulic pumps on the plows are fully enclosed to protect against corrosion and hydraulic freeze-up for enhanced durability. The hydraulic and electrical system is operated from an in-cab button. A unique sloped-profile undercarriage does not hinder ground clearance or inhibit trail riding when the snowplow is detached.

Doosan Portable Power

Mobile generators for Tier 4 final

Doosan Portable Power has released four new models of its Tier 4 Interim (Tier 4i) mobile generators. The G150, G190, G240 and G325 join the lineup of 10 Doosan models ranging from 25 to 570 kVA. The new models complete Tier 4i development from Doosan Portable Power for products with power ratings greater than 174 horsepower and have been designed for the implementation of Tier 4 Final (Tier 4f) technologies effective in 2014. In addition, Doosan is finalizing the development of new G70, G85 and G125 models to meet the 2012 Tier 4i regulations for the respective power ratings. New G25 and G45 models will meet Tier 4f regulations required in 2013.

Chicago Pneumatic

Handles demanding compact jobs

The Chicago Pneumatic line of seven forward and reversible asphalt plates range in operating weight from 344 pounds to 1,111 pounds, and boast centrifugal forces ranging from 7,875 pounds to 13,488 pounds. With hydraulic steering, the machines are available with gas-powered Honda engines or diesel-driven Hatz engines. The wear-and-tear resistant plates have heavy-duty frames and engine covers that protect vital components. The bottom plates are constructed from wear-resistant Hardox 400 steel with a hardness of 400 HBW. An electric start on the MV480, the heaviest model, boosts efficiency on jobsites.

Caterpillar

High lift capacity, enhanced stability

The Cat PL83 pipelayers replacing the 583T, has a rated lifting capacity of 160,000 pounds – a 14-percent increase over the previous model. The PL87, replacing both 587T and 587R, has a rated lifting capacity of 214,000 pounds, for a 6-percent boost in lifting capacity. Both new models use the Cat C15 ACERT engine, with a net horsepower rating of 310 horsepower in the PL83 and 366 horsepower in the PL87. The increased lifting capacity for the PL83 and PL87 results from undercarriage and counterweight changes. The track roller frame on both machines has been lengthened and the rear idler repositioned, yielding higher lift capacity and enhanced stability when the machines work on slopes.

Worksaver Inc.

Clamp-on snow blades

Worksaver’s new clamp-on snow blades are ideal for compact tractors with non-quick-attach buckets, the manufacturer says. The snow blades are designed to install easily and to remove with a chain and turnbuckle system. The attaching frame slides over the bucket cutting edge and the frame extends under the bucket bottom for complete support of the system. The snow blade features a 3/8-inch by 6-inch cutting edge of 1044 steel and the ability to angle right or left. The clamp-on snow blade is available in 5-foot and 6-foot models.

Atlas Copco

Generator for extreme weather

Atlas Copco’s QAS 150 portable generator is designed for extreme weather conditions. Enclosed in a zincor-coated steel canopy and skid-mounted on a standard, sealed, spillage-free frame, the generator features a six-cylinder John Deere Tier 4a diesel engine with 169 horsepower at 1800 rpm. The generator offers 125 kW / 155 kVA of rated standby power and 112 kW / 140 kVA of rated prime power. The unit’s sound pressure level at 23 feet at 75-percent load is rated at 71 db (A). The skid-mounted version measures 133 inches long, 76 inches high, 47 inches wide and weighs 7,484 pounds. The trailer style measures 191 inches long, 92 inches high, 84 inches wide and weighs 8,541 pounds.

Our December reader outlook survey that was a primary component of my cover story forecasting 2012 [page 8], was sent to leaders in transportation contracting industries and leaders of government agencies responsible for highways and bridges (i.e., you). I asked for more than numbers. I asked for voices. Give me your numbers, I asked, and then talk to me. Here, I thought, was a chance to gauge mood and mindset across a broad base.

I had lit a fuse. I got all that I bargained for and more in the piled-up pages of comments. Pent-up frustration is pressing on people who are deeply attached to their livelihood, people who have to find a way through another flat year. It is impossible not to feel the emotion and the frustration. But digging into the comments I began to find what I was looking for.

John Latta, Editor-in-Chief, jlatta@rrpub.com

There are patterns, trends and priorities. No, you don’t expect a great year, no surprise there. But you also don’t expect to sit back and hope it passes. You expect, come hell or high water, to get work done. Strategies to squeeze every funding dollar and cent emerge, concerns and plans for worst case scenarios are in there, and so are some optimistic, or at least bold, plans to take on the economy head first. The repair/maintenance/preservation balancing act features prominently in plans, so does an expectation for more bridge repair and rehab work.

There are fears of an “election-year slowdown,” and, how shall I put this, some colorful words for our elected representatives in Washington. A few of you expect some good times.

Surveys are important to us. In the last quarter of 2011 we reaped a harvest of information about our readers’ use of, and attitudes towards, social media, and we also conducted a general reader survey. And then the 2012 outlook survey.

Perhaps I ask too much, but the responses suggest you are willing to help us. In this rapidly-changing media environment, the role of magazines changes. In some fields, editors can run with the herd, making changes dictated by consultants and various shades of media gurus. But in our world, where magazines must have a use value, knowing who your audience is and what your audience wants and needs, are still the overwhelming driving forces.

That’s why we keep up with you.

Launching a new generation of motor graders a few years ago, Caterpillar had a dozen or so magazine editors manually operate the machines in a demonstration area . . . and in less than an hour we created a patchwork quilt of moguls and gashes and other signs of man’s inhumanity to soil.

kirk.landers@att.net

Walking across it was enough to damage one’s kidneys. Driving a wheeled machine across it was an invitation to permanent neck and spine damage. Then our hosts engaged the automatic grade-control systems on the machines and turned us loose again. Suddenly, we were all relatively competent blademen. Each of us was able to push through the lunar landscape we had just built and leave a relatively level path in our wake.

As I watched my editorial colleagues work, I felt a pang of sadness. I was thinking of the grizzled motor grader operators I’d met over the years, of watching them work their miracles, twitching eleven different levers at just the right time as the machine traversed winter-ravaged roads, magically erasing bone-jarring potholes and washboards, leaving behind an impossibly level and smooth driving surface.

In my mind, those operators were uniquely gifted, set apart from the rest of us mortals by an odd blend of vision, coordination and maybe balance that let them create a perfect surface with a machine that should have been impossible to operate. I was seeing the end of their era. It was like reading an homage to the cowboys of the late 19th century, or the fur trappers of the early 19th century.

In a few years, when the last of the great blademen retires, rural road maintenance will be in the hands of people not much more skilled than me.

This is perhaps a good thing for rural road agencies and for contractors, but it seems like a sad milestone for humanity. A human skill that once set a precious few apart from the rest of us, that defined a special dimension of human capability, is going to disappear just as the hard-riding cowboys and wilderness-exploring fur trappers disappeared.

For some reason I remembered a senior engineer I met at my first construction equipment press conference in the 1980s. He headed a team that created a new product line from a blank sheet of paper. He was still excited about it. So I was taken aback when he said he was retiring soon.

“Why?” I asked.

There were no groundbreaking new machine projects left to be done, he said. We were entering an era of caretaker engineering, tweaking this, painting that.

But by the end of that decade, we saw breathtaking advances in hydraulics, among other things. Next decade, it was electronics and computer controls. In the one after that it was merging electronics and hydraulics and exploring the potential of GPS and laser guiding systems. Along the way, the number of machine categories mushroomed, and the number of models within those categories grew exponentially.

Which brought us back to the Caterpillar demonstration, and the motor graders that even I could operate successfully.

(www.betterroads.com/specguide) to find the full range of America’s slipform pavers.

Slipform Pavers

GOMACO’s two-track or four-track GP-2400 can slipform widths up to 24 feet. Powered by a 174-horsepower, 6.6-liter turbocharged Caterpillar diesel engine, the travel speed on the two-track GP-2400 is 105 feet per minute, and up to 96 feet per minute for the four-track paver.

The machine is also equipped with the exclusive GOMACO G+ control system, programmed in multiple languages, with self-diagnostics for grade and steering. A “run” screen on the control panel illustrates the various aspects of the paver. It includes leg positioning, steering, travel information, grade information and more. The paver features the GOMACO 3100 Series open-front mold and a telescoping frame that provides extra versatility in width changes. The GP-2400 provides contractors with a range of paving widths up to 16.5 feet with the standard telescoping frame and paving widths up to 24 feet with frame inserts. Ten vibrators and 16 vibrator circuits are standard on the GP-2400. It has the T-Beam mounting rail for accurate and quick mold positioning, quick mounting, and quick removal of the mold on the jobsite.

To learn about GOMACO’s 4400 Barrier Paver for right-side and left-side slipforming that will debut at the 2012 World of Concrete in Las Vegas this month, go to our New Road Products section on page 39.

The Wirtgen SP 15 concrete slipform paver is a multipurpose machine for offset paving. The compact machine has a maximum paving width of 6 feet, maximum barrier/parapet placement height of 4 feet 3 inches, and weighs 27,500 pounds. According to the manufacturer, it has best-in-class trimming capacity, quick on-site changes for left- or right-side pouring, unsurpassed jobsite mobility, and pours the tightest, smoothest radius in the industry with all-track steering and positioning. The SP 15 also features an Eco mode that matches engine rpm to machine power requirements. Different-profile molds can be mounted on the left or right side of the paver without the need for time-consuming machine conversions. The two front-track units can be chosen in pivot design, while the rear track unit can be chosen with mechanical or hydraulic adjustment to either side. Options such as trimmer, concrete feeding via belt conveyor or auger conveyor, and electric or hydraulic vibrators make the machine flexible. The compact, overall dimensions of the SP 15 also allow for easy transport.

Wirtgen also makes the SP 25 slipform paver that has a maximum paving width of 12 feet and maximum barrier/parapet placement height of 6 feet.

The Phoenix 7500 from Phoenix Curb Machines/ConTech International offers curb-and-gutter functions for a single operator from three different positions. It has a 3-foot radius with 24- by 72-inch carbide auger grades around tight turns. The machine, being unveiled at World of Concrete this month in Las Vegas, features below-grade pouring and a pouring speed up to 50 feet per minute, with a travel speed up to 200 feet per minute. Engine options are 60 to 85 horsepower. An expandable hopper varies from 18 to 60 inches.

The SF-1700 compact slipform paver from Power Pavers can pave up to 21 feet wide and was developed to react to the contractor demand for two-pass paving in many highway applications. The frame of the SF-1700 is based on Power Paver’s current leading machine, the SF-2700. By reducing the engine size and main frame width, Power Pavers was able to make the SF-1700 a more compact, economical alternative for contractors to pave highways in two passes. Standard equipment on the SF-1700 includes a 160-horsepower Cummins engine, spread auger and tamper bar, and 12 Wyco vibrators. Editor’s Note: This machine was named one of Better Roads’ Top 20 Rollouts of 2011

More Top Rollouts Coming Up!

New year = new equipment innovations to come. That’s an equation sure to add up to more productive jobsites for road construction agencies and contractors. With World of Concrete this month and World of Asphalt in March, the annual rush of new products and services is upon us. We will not only report on them in the pages of Better Roads, but we want to know what you – the users and ultimate jury of the technologies – feel about them.

Last month, in our annual subjective celebration of the year that was, we chronicled the 2011 Top Rollouts. If you read the blurbs on the 20 introductions that stood out for us over the last 12 months, you undoubtedly realize this is a process the Better Roads’ editors enjoy. Heck, we have a little fun with it. But please let that not hide the fact we do think long and hard about what ultimately ends up on those pages each December. It’s important to you, so it’s important to us, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly at all. So much so that questions were being asked, answers debated and ultimately alterations made right up until the proverbial ink was drying on the December issue.

At this point, I’d be remiss not to point out the efforts – day in, day out; year in, year out – of executive editor Tina Grady Barbaccia and her dogged efforts to keep up with every new product, service and trend hitting your industry.

In recapping what stood out for us over the past year, we always try to keep in mind what we consider to be the true crux of the matter – the need to look ahead. The award-winning products will end up on your jobsites – they might even be there now – and we’d like to know how you will be able to use them to complete jobs safer, quicker and more cost-efficiently.

In working through the candidates for the 2011 Top Rollouts, we were reminded of this when re-reading a September Applications and Innovations story written by Tina. She chronicled the North Texas Tollway Authority’s use of the Mobile Barrier Trailer (MBT), an integrated, rigid-wall trailer that is simply pulled into place on the highway by a standard semi-tractor, providing a one-piece work zone barrier. This product has been accepted by the Federal Highway Administration for use on the National Highway System. Back in 2009, it earned a Top Rollout award for its manufacturer, Mobile Barriers of Golden, Colorado.

Again, can’t wait to see where the 2011 Top Rollouts end up.

A new 50-state report reveals that state governments are losing out on more than $10 billion in transportation revenue every year, contributing to an estimated $130 billion drain on the economy that results from higher vehicle repair costs and travel time delays.

The report, from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), says state lawmakers reluctant to update gas taxes have cost their states, on average, $201 million in annual revenues. It also shows that the average state has not increased its gas tax rate in over a decade, and 14 states have gone 20 years or longer without an increase. Adjusting for construction cost growth, the average state’s gasoline tax rate has effectively fallen by 20 percent, or 6.8 cents per gallon, since the last time it was raised, says the report. Diesel taxes have fallen by a similar 18 percent, or 6.0 cents per gallon.

“It’s basic math,” says ITEP Senior Analyst Carl Davis. “The road repairs you could buy in 1990 with 20 cents, for example, are going to cost 34 cents today. But we still see some states collecting the same flat 20-cent tax that they did back in 1990. That’s the definition of unsustainable.”

The report, Building a Better Gas Tax: How to fix one of state government’s least sustainable revenue sources, offers three policy recommendations for modernizing state gas taxes:

1. Increase gas tax rates to (at least) reverse their long-term declines.

2. Restructure state gas taxes so that their rates rise automatically alongside the inevitable growth in the cost of transportation construction projects.

3. Create or enhance targeted tax credits for low-income families to offset the impact of gas tax reform.

Find the full report at http://www.itepnet.org/bettergastax/bettergastax.pdf

Editor’s Note: The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (itepnet.org) describes itself as is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that works on federal, state and local tax policy issues.

When I’m 64

If you own roads, design roads, plan roads or have to work out how to manage them, consider this:

Florida is home to one of the highest percentages of residents aged 65 and older in the United States. But very few of them have thought about their future behind the wheel.

In fact, 13 percent of older driver respondents to a new survey developed by Florida State University (FSU) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) indicated they would not stop driving at all, with 3 percent expressing the opinion that they would die before they would stop driving.

Older drivers are at a disproportionate risk for being involved in a fatal vehicular crash, according to John Reynolds, the Eagles Professor of Sociology at Florida State and director of the university’s Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy.

Among the findings, according to FSU:

• Most older drivers don’t plan for a future day when they may be unable to drive safely. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents aged 65 and older, and 92 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds, report that they have no “transportation retirement plan.” Very few (slightly under 4 percent) plan to use a community driver program or paratransit service.

• Many aging road users see no alternatives to driving in their communities. Forty percent of respondents aged 65 and older reply that they ride with family or friends, 26 percent say they walk, and 15 percent say there is no other way to get around other than driving.

China Buys U.S.

China State Construction Engineering Corp., the People’s Republic’s biggest builder by market value, intends to buy a U.S. construction company next year as it begins investing as much as $2 billion in the world’s largest economy, according to a Bloomberg report. The builder has shortlisted two potential takeover targets, including one with annual sales of about $1 billion, says the report.

State Taxes Stronger

While we keep worrying about funds for our highways and bridges from Washington, the concern over what states can find in their coffers has also been a constant for the past couple of years. Now the Rockefeller Institute of Government is reporting that tax collection data for the July-September quarter of 2011 shows growth in overall state tax collections. Though “more modest” than the previous three quarters, the growth was “still strong.” Among 48 early reporting states, all but three showed gains in collections over the same quarter in 2010. We now have seven consecutive quarters with rising state tax collections following five quarters of decline triggered by the Great Recession. And after those seven quarters of growth, overall state tax revenues have recovered to pre-recession figures.

SAY WHAT

“Hopefully, we learned a little lesson last year.”

—TxDOT spokesman Mark Pettit, as Dallas — still smarting from its struggle with a freak snowstorm during Super Bowl week last year — gets it first fleet of snowplows.

Clarification: In the “The State of Bridges” article in Better Roads’ November 2011 issue, the number of Texas’s structurally deficient (SD) and functionally obsolete (FO) bridges were transposed in the left-hand column on page 11. Texas has 1,469 SD bridges and 7,480 FO bridges. The table on page 12 titled, “Highest Percentage of SD/FO State/Interstate Bridges” contained the data for “Highest Percentage of Total SD/FO City/County/Township Bridges.” The corrected article is on the Better Roads website, www.betterroads.com/the-state-of-our-bridges/, and also in the November digital edition on the website.

Timely blueprint will direct research into pavement management and preservation

Anew “roadmap” indicating the direction of research in pavement management and pavement preservation is coming at just the right time, as states begin to openly curtail capacity improvements in favor of pavement preservation.

Chip seal is a fundamental pavement preservation process, here placed in Minnesota.

The Pavement Management Roadmap (FHWA-HIF-11-011) was articulated in 2011 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and helps identify the steps needed to address current gaps in pavement management – thus preservation – and to establish research and development initiatives and priorities.

Pavement preservation is a network-level, long-term strategy that enhances performance and extends pavement life by using a variety of cost-effective surface treatments, and its successful application is intertwined with effective pavement management.

For states fleeing to pavement preservation, the issue is money. As cash streams dwindle, state DOTs are compelled to use available funds to preserve their existing road network with a goal of improving their pavement condition indices (PCIs).Take these examples:

• Missouri DOT has put citizens on notice that it will spend money to preserve the existing system, and that the days of major capacity rebuilds – like the massive New I-64 total expressway rebuild in St. Louis, where reconstruction resulted in the complete closure of portions of the expressway in 2008 and 2009 – are over.

In its five-year plan of June 2011, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission chose to reduce the size of DOT staff by 1,200, close 131 facilities and dispose of more than 740 pieces of equipment.

Unit of American Asphalt and Grading Company places slurry seal as part of year-long work with the City of Las Vegas in 2009

“By 2015, the proposed direction will save $512 million for vital transportation improvements,” the plan’s executive summary states. “As of Sept. 30, we had eliminated 667 staff positions, closed 23 facilities and disposed of 245 pieces of equipment. Those moves have allowed us to save $177 million since March of 2010 when the initial plan was put into action. More than $64 million of that money has been used to improve the state’s rural roads.”

In his November 2011 address to the Asphalt Emulsion Technologies Workshop sponsored by the Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Association, MoDOT chief engineer David Nichols, P.E., said given current cash flow, system preservation would take priority over capacity improvements, as one of three goals.

“We are committed to keeping our roads and bridges in good condition for as long as we can with the resources we have, keeping our citizens safe, and delivering outstanding customer service,” Nichols said in St. Louis. He added that, in January 2012, MoDOT was going to seek legislative authority to create a public-private partnership with a goal of rebuilding I-70 from St. Charles to Kansas City as a toll highway, as tolls were the only way the project could be paid for given current funding levels.

• Wyoming DOT in November announced a strategy of preserving the state’s highways and bridges during the state’s current transportation funding crisis.

Asphalt rejuvenator is placed on U.S. 25 near Jackson, Miss., using a BearCat 2,000-gallon distributor on an abraded surface.

“In anticipation of major funding decreases, WYDOT is making sweeping changes,” says director John Cox. “WYDOT has shifted its focus away from the kind of reconstruction and improvement projects we’ve been doing for the past four decades into more of a survival mode.”

In a video released by the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Cox says changing the department’s focus to preservation will make the decline in the condition of the state’s highways more gradual. “Our primary goal is to preserve the existing highway system as long as possible,” Cox says. “What that does is it kind of staves off the inevitable, because sooner or later we’re going to have to take care of the system by getting underneath the pavement and reconstructing pavements.”

However, this approach will also result in fewer safety improvements to highways and a smaller number of projects designed to accommodate increasing traffic volumes, he says.

• Ohio DOT’s director said in October that his state was shifting to preservation. In today’s lean times, system preservation has become the priority for ensuring serviceable pavements, says director Jerry Wray, P.E., P.S., also in an AASHTO video.

New ‘Roadmap’ points path to improved pavement management and preservation in the decade to come.

In the video, Wray explores Ohio’s strategy for preserving its highways and bridges during the current transportation funding crisis “There’s a limited amount of resources for an unlimited amount of wants, desires and needs,” Wray says. “We have to focus on the basics: What improves safety, the economy, and the quality of life for the people of Ohio.”

ODOT is working to be leaner, more efficient, and more effective. “We have a responsibility to all Ohioans to get the best value and highest rate-of-return for every dollar we spend,” Wray says. Like Missouri, that also will include public-private partnerships, which due to a change in Ohio law are now allowed.

New ‘Roadmap’ is a Guide

As more governments drift toward pavement preservation, they will become part of a national approach to pavement preservation which was bolstered in 2011 by the release of FHWA’s national Pavement Management Roadmap.

The roadmap is authored by Kathryn A. Zimmerman, Linda M. Pierce and James Krstulovich of Applied Pavement Technology, and helps identify the steps needed to address current gaps in pavement management, and to establish research and development initiatives and priorities.

While the roadmap nominally considers pavement management, the ability to preserve pavements economically via enhanced pavement management is a fundamental part of the roadmap.

“Unfortunately, decreases in the purchasing power of available funding, coupled with reduced funding levels, have led to deteriorating network conditions within most transportation agencies at the same time that demand for these facilities is increasing,” the introduction states. “As a result, many transportation agencies are shifting their priorities from a focus on system expansion to an increasing focus on system preservation. In fact, a number of agencies have recognized the cost-effectiveness associated with the use of preventive maintenance treatments to slow the rate of deterioration and to postpone the need for the most costly rehabilitation strategies.”

Pavement preservation is changing how road agencies work, the introduction says, and this is reflected in the examples of Missouri, Wyoming and Ohio above. “[T]he shift towards pavement preservation has not been entirely free from problems,” the introduction says. “For example, organizations that had previously separated the maintenance and capital improvement decision processes have had to overcome these institutional barriers in order to develop effective improvement programs that include preventive maintenance treatments.

“As a result of these and other changes impacting transportation agencies, the role of pavement management is changing,” the roadmap says. “In the past, pavement management was primarily considered to be used for assessing and reporting pavement conditions, prioritizing capital improvements, and estimating funding needs. Today, pavement management has the potential to fulfill a much broader (and more significant) role within a transportation agency.”

In addition to the more traditional roles it serves, pavement management can provide a link to maintenance and operations through the analysis of pavement preservation options. And it can provide the pavement performance data required to evaluate and calibrate the mechanistic-based performance models for use within a specific transportation agency.

A Vision for 2020

The roadmap attempts to clarify what the next 10 years will mean for agency pavement investments in its Vision for Pavement Management in 2020.

“Pavement management will make use of a new generation of technology so agencies are less dependent on manual labor for data collection,” the vision statement says. “Pavement management tools will allow agencies to communicate effectively with stakeholders, using clear statements that are tied to agency goals and pavement worth.

“Within an asset management framework, pavement management will be used for investigating decisions and program options in both private and public sectors,” the roadmap envisions. “A pavement management analysis will consider new materials and construction/design practices, as well as other factors that influence project and treatment selection, including safety, congestion and sustainability. As a result of these changes, pavement management will be robust, comprehensive and credible, and will address agency needs at the project, network and strategic levels.”

Asset management goes hand-in-hand with pavement management and pavement preservation. It provides a coordinated approach to managing infrastructure assets over the course of their entire life cycle, thus improving performance, increasing safety and providing greater value to the community.

With an asset management approach, optimal decisions on what would be the most effective mix of preserving, maintaining, renewing or replacing infrastructure components are based on accurate data, economic analysis and sound engineering.

Decisions are also supported by performance measures and performance-based goals. “The availability of quality data has had a tremendous impact on an agency’s ability to compare different investment options and to make sound business decisions that consider both engineering and economic factors,” says Nastaran Saadatmand of FHWA’s Office of Asset Management.

Short/Long-Term Needs

FHWA developed the roadmap through three regional workshops held in Phoenix, Dallas and McLean, Va., in 2010. Stakeholders participating in the workshops included representatives from state and local highway agencies, Canadian government agencies, academia and private industry.

Twenty-three short-term needs (the next five years) and 24 long-term needs (the next five to 10 years) were identified and prioritized by participants. Meeting these needs would require more than $14.5 million in funding. Needs were grouped by four theme areas:

• Use of Existing Tools and Technologies;

• Institutional and Organizational Issues;

• The Broad Role of Pavement Management; and

• New Tools, Methodologies and Technology.

Top short-term needs outlined in the roadmap include communicating pavement management information and benefits, developing and using effective performance measures, improving the skills of pavement managers, developing automated condition data processing tools, and developing methods to quantify the benefits of pavement management.

The long-term needs include ones that will require research to improve existing practices. Priority long-term needs include defining and calculating the effect of pavement preservation treatments on pavement life, defining the impact of pavement management investment levels on benefits, using pavement management data to support design activities, developing performance models that consider a series of pavement preservation treatments, and developing a method for effective modeling of structural condition.

The roadmap also looks at the steps required to make these identified priorities a reality, noting that “the successful implementation of the roadmap demands a focused, cooperative approach among national and international organizations,” the document says.

The roadmap is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/asstmgmt/index.cfm, along with an accompanying Executive Summary (Pub. No. FHWAHIF-11-014). Download your copy at www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/hif11011/hif11011.pdf.

Bridge Preservation Guide

A new guide to bridge preservation also was released in 2011 and is available for download.

Published in May 2011, the new Bridge Preservation Guide: Maintaining State of Good Repair Using Cost-Effective Investment Strategies provides an overview of preventive and systemic preservation activities for bridge structures.

Bridge preservation is defined as actions or strategies that prevent, delay or reduce deterioration of bridges or bridge elements, restore the function of existing bridges, keep bridges in good condition and extend their life, according to the guide.

Like pavement preservation, effective bridge preservation actions are intended to delay the need for costly reconstruction or replacement actions by applying preservation strategies and actions on bridges while they are still in good or fair condition and before the onset of serious deterioration. Bridge preservation encompasses preventive maintenance and rehabilitation activities.

An effective bridge preservation program:

• employs long-term strategies and practices at the network level to preserve the condition of bridges to extend their useful life;

• has sustained and adequate resources and funding sources; and

• has adequate tools and processes to ensure that the appropriate cost-effective treatments are applied at the appropriate time.

Download the new Bridge Preservation Guide at www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/preservation/guide/guide.pdf.

High-Volume Road Preservation

In addition to the Bridge Preservation Guide, new guidance is now available for the preservation of high-volume roadways.

Even as road agencies have turned to pavement preservation to extend the life and improve the condition of their roadway networks, the use of many strategies has been restricted to lower-volume roadways, with little use on high-volume roads. To remedy this, a new report has been issued by the Second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), Guidelines for the Preservation of High-Traffic-Volume Roadways.

The guidance provides information to help expand agencies’ ability to use varied treatments to best meet the preservation needs on higher-volume roadways. As the guidelines note, “most preservation treatments will have the same beneficial effects on a pavement regardless of traffic volumes.”

Barriers historically inhibiting the greater use of preservation treatments on high-traffic-volume roadways have included increased performance expectations, increased risk of failure associated with the durability of treatments under higher traffic volumes, and lack of agency experience with certain treatments.

The guidelines include details on factors affecting project and treatment selections for pavement preservation, including traffic level, pavement condition, climate and environment, work zone duration restrictions, expected treatment performance and relative costs.

A sequential approach for evaluating possible preservation treatments for an existing pavement and identifying the preferred one is presented in the guidelines, diagramming how data sources and project constraints are considered.

Also presented is information on pavement distresses and how the various preservation treatments can address them. The treatments are described in initial feasibility matrices that outline possible applications for specific distresses and the treatments’ ability to prevent or slow pavement deterioration or to restore functionality or surface characteristics.

Download the document at http://www.onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/shrp2/SHRP2-S2-R26-RR-2.pdf.

2012 National Conference on Pavement Preservation

A national conference on pavement preservation will be held in Nashville in August. FP2, Inc. – in collaboration with the National Center for Pavement Preservation – will sponsor the National Pavement Preservation Conference which will be held Aug. 27- 30.

The national conference theme, Road Trip: Driving the Message for Change, promotes the idea that spending money to keep good roads in good condition is a cost-effective way to save America’s highways. Communicating the importance of preserving our highway investment will be an important conference objective.

The Renaissance Nashville Hotel is the venue for 2012, and is located in the heart of downtown near popular attractions. Building on the success of the First International Conference on Pavement Preservation in April 2010 in Newport Beach, Calif., this conference incorporates the first combined meetings of the Midwestern, Northeast, Rocky Mountain West and Southeast Pavement Preservation Partnerships, to examine advancements in current practice and new treatment technologies that offer improved reliability and enhanced performance.

For more information, visit www.nationalpavement2012.org or call (517) 432-8220.

12 Months

The recovery continues. Slowly. Slowly.

It’s frustrating (again) to have to say it, but it appears that this new year will offer us more of the same. Last year virtually repeating itself, as did the year before that and the year before that.

But this time there appears to be at least some optimism that the economy’s vicious cycle may be approaching its end, albeit with more of a whimper than a bang. And within a handful of bright, or at least not gloomy, spots there may be opportunities for transportation agencies and highway and bridge contractors to be pro-active in their fight against the agonizingly slow recession climb-out.

Not only is reauthorization a pivotal event (whether it happens or doesn’t) but also the states’ struggles to fund even essential work, and the need, that can no longer be put off, to do repair or maintenance work will be key influences. And then there is an election in November. As one leading transportation industry group analyst told Better Roads in Washington, D.C., in December: “2012: It’s a make-or-break year for transportation infrastructure.”

As the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)’s Dave Bauer points out, there are “50 autonomous markets” out there, making it not only difficult to come up with a single estimate for the United States, but also meaning that amid a sea of gloomy news there can be patches of economic sunshine that could make 2012 a very different place for some local or regional contractors and agencies.

A look at some of the leading forecasts for 2012 find a general agreement on the course the year will follow.

If economic forecasting is something of a crystal ball process, 45 professional forecasters surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia may be the best gazers in the business. These forecasters, surveyed by the Fed in November, predicted, on average, a real GDP growth of 2.4 percent in 2012 (the same figure that the National Association for Business Economics predicts; but Morgan Stanley and Kiplinger estimates are closer to 2 percent) and a 2012 unemployment rate of 8.8 percent. The Fed’s forecasters predicted growth of 2.7 percent in 2013 and 3.5 percent in 2014. The forecasters also predicted unemployment at 8.4 percent in 2013 and 7.8 percent in 2014. They expect nonfarm payroll employment to grow at a rate of 123,200 a month in 2012, compared to 106,500 a month in 2011. These same Fed forecasters estimate core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation in 2012 will average 1.6 percent, and 1.8 percent in 2013.

A Wall Street Journal survey of 52 economists in November put GDP growth in 2012 at 2.3 percent and 2.6 percent in 2013, with unemployment at the end of 2012 at 8.7 percent, and at 8.1 percent at the end of 2013.

But there seems to be little doubt the unemployment rate in construction, including transportation infrastructure, will exceed the national average through 2012 as it did, by a wide margin, through 2011.

Because the Federal Reserve is keeping the lid on short-term interest rates and also trying to bring down already low long-term rates, various estimates suggest there will be little significant movement of rates in 2012.

The election has the potential to be very influential to highway and bridge industries both before and after the polls close. “2012 is an election year, which does not body well for meaningful action in Washington,” says Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) President Dennis Slater. “Both sides are already in full ‘campaign mode,’ it seems, and this presents a real danger of a stalling economy.” But the November elections may also offer some possible cause for optimism. A late-winter or early spring reauthorization, increasingly finding bipartisan support and looking more and more likely, might well help cement the idea in the public mind that transportation infrastructure is one of the essential investment programs for America’s future. This in turn may well become a position that might replace the refuse-to-spend-anything stands of some hardline politicians. Transportation investment may also be reasonably popular in the new Congress of 2013 which could be more supportive of transportation infrastructure funding than this one.

One thing that did happen in 2011 and that must continue in 2012 is the role of contractors in pressing Washington. Pressure in 2011 helped build the bipartisanship that unlocked stalled reauthorization negotiations. Industry groups urged contractors to be aggressive with members of Congress when they came back to their home districts, and get them out to jobsites and company facilities. Just how much of an effect such visits had is hard to pin down, certainly there have been major political and economic pressures, but there’s little doubt that contractor visits by congressmen helped start the ball rolling away from intransigence and towards bipartisanship. One leading Washington industry group lobbyist told Better Roads in December, “You can tell when you walk into the office of a member of congress who has made visits and who hasn’t, it’s a different atmosphere. They get it.” But as another said, “Our message is still not compelling enough.”

Our Survey

A Better Roads’ December survey of both agency and contractor readers reinforces the impression of uncertainty in the near future. But it also reinforces a growing hope for the long term, something that has been largely absent in our last two surveys. It’s almost as if the respondents were in a holding pattern mindset, working with less of everything – money, equipment, manpower, jobs – and looking beyond 2012.

From the Better Roads 2012 Outlook survey

Contractors

Do you expect changes next year in dealing with government agencies, e.g. contract bids, environmental regulations, sustainability requirements, etc.?

It’s a fine distinction, but interestingly, government agencies are a little more optimistic than contractors. But when it comes to specifics, the uncertainty is equally shared.

Only a few contractors (9.7 percent) plan to increase spending on new equipment or fleet replacements, 43.1 percent expect to spend the same as 2011 but 47.2 percent expect to spend less. A lot of contractors (43.1 percent) expected their financial results in 2012 to be about the same as 2011, with little more than a quarter (26.4 percent) predicting better results, but 30.6 percent expecting to fare worse.

Both surveyed groups expect more maintenance and less big new projects, something we have come to expect in these times.

It has been my sense that the industry is changing and will never return to a pre-recession structure, that changes wrung by the recession will exert a long-term influence. Precisely how is, of course, still largely guesswork as the economy still barely avoids stalling. Our survey shows a majority of contractors (56.9 percent) are unsure what changes will happen to the industry in 2012, but only a few (8.3 percent) expect it to return to the way it was before the recession. More than a third (34.7 percent) believe the industry has changed forever. Slightly less than half (45.8 percent) of contractor respondents anticipate that the kind of highway and bridge construction work put up for bids by their state will change in 2012. Among agencies, 33.9 percent say they expect to make changes to the kind of work they out up for bid.

From the Better Roads 2012 Outlook survey

Contractors

Do you expect your financial results this year to be better than last year, about the same, or worse?

Survey comments suggest contractors expect changes to include more maintenance and repair work and less new construction, smaller job packages, and relatively more bridge work as older bridges can no longer be left unworked. Or, as one respondent puts it, “What $ they have will be to band aid [sic] today’s problems.” Agencies looking at how the job mix may change also commonly see more repair and maintenance, smaller projects and more bridge work. Innovative bidding and “more quick fix, less rebuild” are also responses. One response suggests that, “projects will likely be those that can be advanced quickly, and will be projects that can be constructed within the existing footprint.”

From the Better Roads 2012 Outlook survey

Contractors

Do you anticipate that the levels of highway and bridge construction work put up for bids by your state in 2012 will increase, decrease or stay about the same?

Almost half (48.6 percent) of contractor respondents say they expect the levels of highway and bridge construction work put out for bids by their state agencies to stay about the same, and almost 40 percent (38.9 percent) expect it to go down. Only 12.5 percent saw a raise, perhaps reflecting the fact that some regions may actually buck the trend either through better income streams or by addressing needs that can no longer be avoided. Among agencies a majority (53 percent) expect the amount of work they put up for bid will stay about the same, but 26.8 percent expect it to fall, with 20.2 percent looking at an increase, again possibly reflecting regional or local factors.

From the Better Roads 2012 Outlook survey

Government Agencies

Do you anticipate that levels of highway and bridge construction work put up for bids by your agency in 2012 will increase, decrease or stay about the same?

Looking back at their operations over the past five years, most contractors say they have become leaner and more efficient, and those changes came not in the pursuit of expansion or profit but in the struggle for survival. In the coming year a majority of companies say they are seeking out new areas of work (51.4 percent) and nearly half (48.6 percent) say they would work in cooperation with other companies more than they have in the past. More than a quarter (26.4 percent) of contractor companies intend to use more software and digital planning and tracking, and almost one-fifth (19.4 percent) say they will bid a narrower range of work, i.e. specialize more. When asked where they see their companies in three years, a lot of respondents said they expected to be in much the same position they are in today, facing uncertainty and fighting for survival. But some expected to be beyond that stage and expanding.

When it comes to hard numbers, a little over a quarter of contractor respondents believe their financial results will be better this year than last year (26.4 percent), 43.1 percent percent results to be about the same and 30.6 expect a worse year.

Among surveyed agencies, 45.2 percent anticipate that transportation infrastructure in their area a year from now will be in “about the same” condition and 32.7 percent predict it being “worse.” This leaves only 22 percent of agencies who see the state of their infrastructure better a year from now. And nearly two-thirds (64.3 percent) of the agencies expect to make changes in the way they operate in 2012, as they continue to respond to economic pressures. One agency respondent says, “Hope I’m wrong!” and another, “We have already changed operations to a ‘new normal.’”

One major concern among contractors for 2012 is dealing with changing government regulations and practices. Asked if they expected changes in dealing with agencies, a huge 59.7 percent say yes. But how? Uncertainties seems to be present here too, with contractors expecting changes but not really sure what they’ll be. Comments in the survey suggest contractors expect more environmental restrictions, a possible backlog in processes as fewer people in government departments handle the same amount of regulation, and more sustainability requirements. One happy camper reports wryly, “Sure, there is never enough government regulation,” and another responds, “MORE, MORE and MORE REGS.” Says another, “Our government is always changing the way we do business. It is shameful how much time and effort is spent in reinventing the wheel.”

Outside Looking In

FMI, a company that describes itself as the largest provider of management consulting and investment banking for the engineering and construction industry, succinctly sums up the domestic construction market for this year by saying that “the broad picture is not dramatically different from last year.” The company sees a long and slow recovery in construction markets with put-in-place construction volume pushed out to 2015 before it matches the prior peak of 2007. Housing, says FMI, is a cloud hanging over an economic recovery, and another key issue is the expected decline in public spending.

FMI’s President and Chief Executive Officer Hank Harris tells us that he expects “a fairly slow crawl” out of the recession, but he is optimistic about the heavy-highway sector. “I think there’s a lot of good news looking out there five years. There’s bad news, too, of course. There’s government spending being down, continued uncertainty from government until at least after the elections at the earliest and there’s reauthorization. But I think if you had to pick a sector of construction to be in, heavy highway would be a good one.”

One reason for Harris’ optimism: “I think there is immense pent-up demand out there.”

And, says Harris, “If you look at the intermediate and long-term, there’s some very smart money betting on infrastructure, for example, some of the investment banks. People see we are underinvesting in infrastructure, that’s we are way behind. We’ve taught Americans that seeing orange barrels every five miles is normal. It’s not.”

Alison Premo Black, senior economist for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, says that “no matter how you slice it, the outlook for the 2012 transportation construction market is mixed.” There is, she says, “good news and bad news for 2012, depending on the mode of transportation.” The bad news? “The highway and bridge construction market is expected to contract 6 percent, to $72.6 billion from an estimated $77 billion in 2011.” The value of bridge work is expected to drop by 10 percent from $26.3 billion to $23.6 billion, says Black, “primarily because nearly all projects that include ARRA investments are finished or underway, and state and local DOTs are pulling back on new projects. This is, she says, likely due to a combination of the delayed federal reauthorization bill and the continued state and local budget challenges.

The good news is out there in the form of more investment for ports and railroads. But, says Black, there is also good news in that, “the transportation construction market sector will remain the most stable industry sector as it has been for the past five years.” Black says between 2007 and 2011 the real value of highway and bridge construction, adjusted with the ARTBA Price Index for material prices, wages and inflation, fell only 10 percent. Over the same period, the real value of total construction work in the United States fell by one-third, from $1.1 trillion to an estimated $769 billion. “The historical stability of the transportation market is in large part due to the role of public-sector financing,” says Black.

And “public-sector financing” means reauthorization, which Black calls a “wild card,” and state budgets.

“I am as optimistic as I have ever been about the chances of getting a surface transportation bill done in 2012,” says Janet Kavinoky the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s leading transportation expert. “Six months ago it would have been a very different story. The House was looking at doing a bill with only Highway Trust Fund money, which would have been a 35-percent cut. There was a lot of talk in the Senate but in fits and starts. In the fall, a lot of things changed, especially when House Speaker John Boehner announced he wanted to move a multi-year transportation bill and was willing to look for the money for it. I can’t tell you how significant that was – especially coming from someone who has never voted for a surface transportation bill. All of this is movement in the right direction. If no one believed a bill was going to get done, I don’t think we would see this progress.

“So I’m going to be positive – it’s been about five years since I said that,” says Kavinoky. “It’s nice to feel good about it for once.”

‘A Sigh of Relief’

But reauthorization is not going to turn on the light switch in a room darkened by the economy. It will take time to begin to help lift transportation infrastructure work back toward old levels.

“We are talking about bills that substantially change federal programs and structures, for example provisions designed to speed up project delivery and others to move more private investment into the system,” says Kavinoky, “and it will probably take a couple of years to get things implemented, and remember we are not talking about adding funding for transportation we are talking about trying to keep levels the same. We’re not seeing a sea change but at least a sigh of relief – so states can move forward with some projects instead of standing around waiting. I’ll take half full.”

Opportunity

Contractors do have some choices this year, says FMI’s Hank Harris, which may be accessible with an entrepreneurial or innovative mindset. Two possibilities in particular that Harris mentions stand out to Better Roads: partnering and unsolicited bidding.

“If you have private jobs,” Harris asks, “how do you get to the markets where the spending stream is likely to be healthier and get yourself participating? We’re not out of the woods in heavy highway. Clients tell us it’s very, very tough, but the good ones are getting through it and doing okay. Margins are not good, and there are very significant challenges. It’s tough, but they are finding work and staying in the black. The key is to avoid taking imprudent risk because you get panicked about your market. Manage your risk and be ready to hit it when things get better, as we think they will. Labor and equipment are the two biggest risks to manage; costs here must be managed and controlled. It’s blocking and tackling, but that’s what isnecessary now.

“But also be ready for growth. And opportunity.”

For example:

“There is a lot of partnering opportunity in this industry; some domestic, some with international firms trying to enter the U.S. market. And you can also work for smaller partners,” says Harris. “There are some gigantic jobs out there so big that they need more than one bonding company, let alone one contractor.” A lot of contractors responding to our survey (48.6 percent) indicate that partnering is one of the tactics they intend to pursue this year.

Harris also sees opportunities in 2012 for companies that approach the market without their usual routines and methods. “Companies all have their own culture; engineering firms tend to be analytically oriented and look at how they may project themselves into certain markets.” If contracting companies want to respond to private markets, says Harris, their culture in many cases needs to be more market driven. “Companies that do [transportation infrastructure] work are heavy on equipment and heavy on labor, and, by necessity, very operationally driven cultures. Compound that by them trying to be the low bid on any given day, the mindset of the companies can become a little insular and they can think that that is the only way to work. But there are companies that can do a very good job getting out there and making opportunities and getting in the way of opportunities.”

For example:

“We have clients that do unsolicited proposals. Basically that’s going, unasked, to a public entity and saying, ‘Okay there’s been no bids coming from you in while, but you need to do something and you know it, so here’s our design-build, design-build-operate, design-co-own, or whatever structure they present, and it would solve your problem.’ There are mixed reactions, yes. It’s successful in Canada and we are seeing more companies in the United States look into it.”

An Expert Opinion:

Edward J. Sullivan, vice president and chief economist, Portland Cement Association

A year ago the economy seemed poised for stronger, sustainable economic growth. And then, due in large part to the European sovereign debt crisis and rising energy prices, consumer and business confidence waned. Private-sector growth, as a result, entered a period of slowdown. Furthermore, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus decreased as a positive for economic growth, forcing the Federal Reserve to enact a new round of monetary stimulus (QE2) to avert the potential of a double-dip recession. This was supplemented with fiscal stimulus including the “payroll tax holiday” and extended unemployment benefits.

Real GDP, job growth and confidence recovered. Seemingly, the economy was again on a sustainable path of stronger growth and job creation in excess of 200,000 monthly. Once again, however, this proved to be a false start to stronger, sustained growth. The political games played by Congress over the debt ceiling exerted adverse influence on near-term growth. The debt ceiling debate injected new uncertainty and risk onto the economic landscape. Consumers, business and bank confidence was already weak and this added dose of risk hindered real economic activity.

Only recently has better economic news begun to surface – accented by the decline in the unemployment rate. This news could represent another false start. This first quarter of 2012, for example, could represent a significant challenge to economic growth. The payroll tax and extended unemployment insurance benefits will expire year-end. Federal aid to the states has already expired. Furthermore, the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects energy prices will rise. These conditions, and others, could result in significant first-quarter weakness. While PCA expects sustained, tepid economic growth, the potential for a new recession in 2012 cannot be dismissed.

If such a path develops for the economy, it does not imply a further significant step down in construction activity. Quite frankly, residential, nonresidential and public construction activities are already near floor levels. Rather, such a scenario suggests a longer recovery period for construction activity – perhaps by a year or more.

Perversely, it could very well be that weakened economic conditions could result in a shift in political thinking and add pressure to result in a comprehensive new highway bill that addresses the country’s future needs – and not just a patchwork of fixes. Demographics don’t lie. In 20 years the United States’ driving age population is expected to grow by 50 million more licensed drivers. Congestion will worsen and the adverse consequences associated with infrastructure neglect will multiply. The invisible taxes associated with inaction in expanded highway investment will increase.

An Expert Opinion:

Dennis Slater, president, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)

Sales of construction equipment continue to rebound from the depths of the recession, but there’s still uncertainty in the marketplace, both in the United States and globally. For a significant segment of our industry, there is still too little meaningful action on infrastructure funding. Our annual “outlook” survey cites highway funding as a major factor influencing future business.

With 2012 as an election year, this usually means campaign rhetoric instead of real action. But politicians are talking about jobs. It is a chance to put construction jobs “front and center” with not only presidential hopefuls but also legislators as they campaign in their districts.

We’ve used the “I Make America” pro-manufacturing campaign to spotlight infrastructure investment as a proven way to create and maintain jobs for American workers, for a sustainable recovery. We need to continue to frame the discussion for the general public and lawmakers: Infrastructure investment is not just a “potholes” issue that only benefits the construction industry; it is a critical business and quality-of-life issue. It affects every community, company, family and individual. An adequate transportation system translates into safer and more efficient travel that advances commerce and quality of life.

Congress needs to focus on policies that create and maintain jobs, not unnecessary and excessive regulatory and tax burdens. We have a special website – A Day in American Life (found at adayinamericanlife.com) – with real stories from real people in our AEM member companies that underscore how companies are collections of hard-working people, not faceless entities, and they make a positive difference in their communities.

Priority number one in 2012 is making more noise in Washington – a key issue is working to gain bipartisan understanding of and real action on transportation infrastructure legislation. We need Democrats and Republicans alike to stand up and have the political will to do what is needed for the long-term benefit of our economic well-being. And, especially in the current economic environment, we need to realistically look at where the money will come from. We know the current Highway Trust Fund is inadequate; we must look for other practical solutions that ensure the nation’s transportation needs are met.

An Expert Opinion:

John Horsley, executive director,

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

While the federal highway and transit programs have been operating under a series of eight extensions since expiration of SAFETEA-LU in September 2009, recent developments in Congress are providing encouraging signs for 2012.

First, House and Senate leaders have publicly stated their preference to maintain the current annual funding level for surface transportation in the next reauthorization, which is about $40 billion for highways and $11 billion for transit. The knotty question of identifying politically acceptable taxes or fees to enhance the Highway Trust Fund revenues or finding the right “offset” from elsewhere in the federal budget remains unresolved. However, this funding commitment, combined with the multiyear length of the bill, will send an unmistakable signal to all transportation stakeholders that there will be much greater stability and predictability to solidify transportation’s already indispensable role in driving the nation’s economic recovery for years to come.

Second, the proposed Senate legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), and the House outline, place great emphasis on consolidating the number of federal programs. For example, MAP-21 focuses resources on key national goals and core formula programs by reducing the number of program categories from about 90 today down to less than 30. Similarly, the House is looking to eliminate “nearly 70 programs by consolidating duplicative programs and eliminating programs that do not serve a federal purpose.”

Finally, there is strong bipartisan support in Congress to speed up the delivery of transportation projects — a process that currently takes more than a decade for many projects. MAP-21 includes provisions to expedite project delivery while maintaining important environmental safeguards. Similarly, the House is looking at allowing concurrent project reviews, delegating project authority, and placing hard deadlines for decisions on permits and project approvals.

From the perspective of state departments of transportation, all of these elements represent significant improvements to the federal surface transportation program that we look forward to seeing in 2012.

An Expert Opinion:

Pete Ruane, president and CEO, American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)

Winston Churchill once said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

In the hyper-partisan cloud hanging over Capitol Hill, the transportation design and construction industry was faced with its share of difficulties during 2011. In January, House Republicans changed an internal rule that had existed since 1998 to eliminate the requirement that all incoming Highway Trust Fund revenues be spent annually. In April, the House took aim at the highway and transit program again with a budget resolution blueprint that called for a 30 percent cut in overall transportation investment levels for FY 2012.

In the face of these major obstacles, ARTBA, industry coalitions and Capitol Hill allies could have folded the tent and gone home. But, we didn’t because we saw the “opportunity in every difficulty.” The industry’s grassroots activists kept fighting … and hammering home the point that increasing investment was essential for U.S. job creation and economic recovery; outcomes both parties and the President proclaimed were their top priorities.

By the fall, we had successfully turned back the tide against such a massive infrastructure investment cut. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee agreed on a bipartisan reauthorization bill that maintains current investment levels, plus inflation, for the next two years. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), with support and direction from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), is now working on a multi-year bill for early action in 2012 that the GOP says is a key component of their job creation agenda.

As a result, we remain cautiously optimistic about the prospects for action by both chambers on a long-term bill in early 2012. It will continue to be challenging, but if we stick together and keep the heat on all members of Congress to do their jobs as well as do the right thing, better days lie ahead for our industry.

An Expert Opinion:

Mike Acott, president, National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA)

Contractors are the original “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” people. They’re entrepreneurs and they know how to spot opportunities.

In this spirit, contractors have harnessed the pressures of the recession to ramp up innovations in recycling. In the past few years, the asphalt industry – already America’s number one recycler – has sharply increased the use of both reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and reclaimed asphalt shingles (RAS). In 2005, about 12.5 percent of the asphalt pavement material used was made up of RAP. According to a survey that NAPA performed on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration, that number increased to 17.6 percent in 2010. Use of RAS increased 57 percent from 2009 to 2010. The asphalt industry is also the country’s largest user of recycled fuel oil (RFO).

Altogether, the recycling efforts of the asphalt industry, including both the incorporation of RAP and RAS into pavements and the use of RFO in production facilities, saved America more than one billion gallons of oil in 2010.

NAPA continues to advocate at the national level in favor of a robust, multiyear highway program. The “multiyear” aspect is critical to both those who own pavements and those who build them. Many major infrastructure projects are constructed over a period of several years, and capital costs are considerable. If funding in future years is uncertain, agencies and private owners will not be able to commit to projects. If owners do not commit to projects, some workers may lose their jobs and contractors may be reluctant to purchase new equipment. In the absence of a multiyear federal-aid highway program, we at least know the level of federal funding for 2012: $41.6 billion, about the same as 2011.

This economy has provided plenty of lemons – and NAPA’s members are ready to make lemonade.

An Expert Opinion:

Toby Mack, president and CEO, Associated Equipment Distributors

Aside from some isolated bright spots, the overall picture remains weak for most U.S. dealer markets.

However, if you’re in geography with active energy exploration and production, and with the right products, business is good. Particularly in the Marcellus and Utica shale-gas plays in Pennsylvania, Ohio and (one hopes soon) New York, business is actually great or will soon be. It’s the same with other horizontal drilling/hydraulic fracturing areas in the South Central and West. If you’re in North Dakota or Montana and supplying the Bakken oil fields, you’re maxed out: You can’t find enough people and you can’t get enough product to meet demand. If you’re in strong agricultural areas and, again, have the right products, you’re likely benefitting from strong demand and high prices for corn and beans – largely driven by ethanol production. If you’re in underground products that support broadband expansion, that’s good too. And if your area of responsibility covers coal, copper or gold mining, the same is true. Also reasonably healthy is government-funded institutional building construction such as for education, healthcare or government facilities.

Despite the best efforts of the Obama administration and its regulators to throttle any activity that disturbs the dirt, water or air, or encourages consumption of fossil fuels, I believe the compelling economics of our new-found energy abundance will trump absurd attempts to run the country on windmills and solar panels.

For most of the traditional – and more universal – drivers of demand for construction machinery – residential housing, commercial construction, transportation and water infrastructure – the news for 2012 isn’t much better than it was in 2011. None of these markets appear ready to rebound in 2012.

Thus, for many dealers the challenge remains to keep product support operations – parts and service – at the forefront to support equipment owners keeping old fleet running until a better outlook supports the purchase of new. Rentals will also improve as the jobs that are out there require them, but with little follow-on work in the pipeline to support purchase.

We will see robust demand return in 2013, provided we get a federal government in Washington that understands how to encourage rather than stifle private-sector growth. AED is working hard on this and welcomes any support our industry can offer.

An Expert Opinion:

Ken Simonson, chief economist, Associated General Contractors of America

Construction should finally reverse its five-year slide in 2012. However, the overall increase will be modest and very unevenly distributed among project types.

Rental apartment construction may be the biggest winner. By late 2011, rents were rising and vacancy rates falling in nearly every metropolitan area. Permits and starts were up sharply. These indicators virtually guarantee a strong rate of spending on new rental construction in 2012. In contrast, the much larger single-family market appears to have bottomed out, but has yet to post any sure signs of improvement.

Private nonresidential construction will be led by power and energy projects; manufacturing plants; and warehouse, distribution, trucking and rail facilities. Hospital and private higher-education construction may also rebound modestly. But the once-large retail and office categories are likely to remain in the doldrums, driven by remodeling rather than new stores, shopping centers or office buildings.

Two developments will have a particularly strong influence on the types and locations of construction activity in 2012 and beyond. First, the exploitation of shale-based natural gas and oil formations in Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, North Dakota, several parts of Texas and other states is generating demand for construction in those regions and “downstream.” Downstream activities include new interstate pipelines and storage facilities, factories that will use the gas as a feedstock or fuel and export terminals. Second, the widening of the Panama Canal is leading ports, distributors, railroads and truckers to improve capacity and efficiency along the East and West Coasts, and also inland destinations.

Unlike the generally improving private segments, public construction appears headed for a third consecutive year of decline. Federal government programs that kept some contractors afloat in 2009-2011, such as military base realignment and stimulus projects, have largely ended, and Congress is holding down regular appropriations for both building and infrastructure spending. State tax revenues have been increasing, but not enough to restore funding for most construction. School districts and local governments, which depend heavily on still-shrinking property tax receipts, are cutting construction budgets even more deeply.

Combining these pluses and minuses suggests that construction spending will grow enough in 2012 to overcome the 2- to 3-percent decrease expected for 2011 when the year’s figures are finalized. But the total will remain as much as 30 percent below the peak reached in 2006.

Concrete on asphalt upgrades farm-to-market road

Oak Crest Hill Road South East in Johnson County, Iowa, appears to be just a typical farm-to-market secondary road.

But being one of 11 Iowa highway “Stimulus” projects, worth in total $13.7 million, makes it a little less ordinary. So does its new surface.

The unbonded concrete pavement overlay of Oak Crest Hill Road from south of the city limits of Hills to the Washington County line was a nearly $1.845-million job completed by Iowa City-based contractor Metro Pavers and funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), more commonly known as “the Stimulus.” Iowa received nearly $358 million for state and local roadway, bridge, trail and freight rail projects through the Stimulus, and Governor Chet Culver’s I-JOBS initiative kicked in $115 million for transportation projects.

The Oak Crest Hill Road concrete overlay covered two lanes and spanned approximately 5.5 miles from start to finish. The county required traffic to be maintained in one direction at all times, says Nick Kempf, co-owner of Metro Pavers.

“Because it is not a primary highway, it was not that heavily used, but [the county] still wanted to improve the road system,” says Kempf. “They tried to ‘re-profile’ it and take out some of the bumps.” And work went all the more easily, he says, because “most people along the roadway were happy to see the road improved.”

Straightforward Doesn’t Mean Easy

The Oak Crest Hill Road $1.845-million Stimulus job is a concrete overlay that covered two lanes and spanned nearly 5.5 miles from start to finish. The Iowa road was widened to provide an extra lane for bicyclists.

The overall job was fairly straightforward, says Kempf, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have some challenges. The University of Iowa is located in Johnson County and this means a fair amount of bicyclists. As part of the project, the county asked that bicycle lanes be developed “to make it safer,” Kempf says. However, this means the road has an extraordinary width for a secondary road. “The driving lanes are 24 feet plus the extra lane to bring it up to about 34 to 36 feet,” Kempf says. As a secondary road, there were no contraction baskets, Kempf pointed out, so his team cut every 15 feet for joining.

There has been a great deal of whitetopping in Johnson County. Concrete overlays have become commonplace in Iowa as an economical means to rehabilitate the secondary road system. But for this project, rather than beginning with the removal of existing concrete, the concrete overlay was placed over an asphalt roadway. It was also poured on the shoulders that were compacted and then built up to accommodate the new bike lines. “We tried to maintain about 6 inches on the old roadbed and 8 inches on the shoulder,” Kempf says. “Our ditches had to be filled, compacted and then brought up to grade.”

The rock laid after the shoulders were compacted includes crushed recycled concrete and modified sub base. Although this wasn’t a difficult process, at times it was challenging. “We’d have weeks where the dirt contractor could not work because it was too wet,” Kempf points out. “We had to deal with the weather. We had the shoulders built up and were ready to pour on a Saturday, but then we had 2 inches of rain the night before.”

Keeping it cool

The timing of the job also presented challenges. The Oak Crest Road job was the first time Metro Pavers undertook a concrete overlay in summer. Previous overlays had been done in the fall. The summer presented challenges, but by waiting until fall, Metro ran the risk of the maturity curve taking longer. And as the day warmed up, the asphalt had to be kept cool. “We had to bring in a water truck to cool off the asphalt before we could pour on it,” Kempf explains. “We didn’t need to bring it in until between 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m., but then we would need it all afternoon.”

According to the specs, the asphalt couldn’t be more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit because it would set on the overlay but not on the rock, Kempf points out. “We had to keep a consistent ground temperature,” he says. “We had to cool it down and stay just ahead of the paving machine. We had to have it cooled off, but it couldn’t be wet.”

Concrete overlays can be a good choice for the widening of an old pavement with narrow traffic lanes, the addition of new travel lanes – as was done with the addition of shoulders for bicyclists on Oak Crest Hill Road – or the extension of ramps, according to the University of Iowa National Concrete Pavement Technology Center’s (NCPTC) “Guide to Concrete Overlay Solutions.” (For a downloadable PDF of the guide, go to http://www.cptechcenter.org/publications/guide_concrete_overlays.pdf.) “Adequately designed and constructed widening can improve both faulting and cracking performance of the pavement,” according to the guide. “Widened slabs should be used with care with concrete overlays on stiff foundations (such as on concrete pavements) because of the increased risk of longitudinal cracking.”

NCPTC gives these rules of thumb for widening:

• Keep joints out of wheel paths, especially for bonded resurfacing.

• Tie longitudinal joints with #4 bars to prevent separation.

• Keep panels as square as possible (1.5:1 maximum).

• The width of widening rather than depth has more of a positive effect in reducing loads to the top of the existing pavement.

About the Job

Project: Concrete pavement overlay, unbonded, for Oak Crest Hill Road in Johnson County, Iowa, from south of the city limits of Hills to the Washington County line

Award from Iowa DOT: $1,845,120.47

Contractors: Metro Pavers Inc., Iowa City, Iowa

Equipment used: CMI trimmer, Power Pavers/Power Curbers 2700 slipform paver and Power Pavers/Power Curbers TC-2700 texture curing machine. “The 2700 slipform paver worked very well for the job,” Kempf says. “It’s very mobile for the kind of work we have, but it’s still heavy enough to do this kind of work. It’s a two-track machine – easy to load and easy to unload for transport.”