july/august "transportation builder" magazine

July-August 2014 TransportationBuilder 1

builder® July-August 2014

AMERICAN BRIDGES

2014 ARTBA Convention

Preview

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JULYAUGUST 2014VOL. 26, NO. 4contents

The official publication of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association

www.transportationbuilder.org


FEATURES COLUMNS

Chairman’s Message

President’s Desk

AEM Corner

2014 National Convention Preview

Creativity & Teamwork Save a Landmark Bridge

Transportation Investment Legislation & Ballot Initiatives Have Strong Bipartisan Backing, New Analysis Finds

DBE Program Focus of ARTBA’s Latest Legal Challenge

Chimney Rock Road over I-287, Bridgewater, N.J.

Building America’s Backbone

610

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15

35

37

22

32

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TransportationBuilder 3

32

ON THE COVERRecent Emergency Bridge Repairs & Lessons Learned26

On the cover: Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Fla. Photo courtesy of RS&H.

22

July-August 20144 TransportationBuilder

StaffPUBLISHERT. Peter [email protected]

DEPUTY PUBLISHER Matt [email protected]

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Beth [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS EDITOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNERJenny [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Dr. Alison Premo BlackARTBA chief economist

Jack Haynes, P.E. RS&H vice president, transportation/infrastructure leader

Todd KincaidRS&H marketing/technical writer

Richard C. Menino, P.E.An associate vice president in Dewberry’s Bloomfield, N.J. Office

Terrence Tiberio, P.E. Michael Baker International senior technical manager in bridges

Kenton Zinn, P.E., S.E.Michael Baker International vice president

Jonathan HirschfeldHirschfeld Industries vice president, project coordination/business development

Nick GoldsteinARTBA assistant counsel and vice president of regulatory affairs

Transportation Builder® (TB) is the official publication of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, a federation whose primary goal is to aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel. In support of this mission, ARTBA also provides programs and services designed to give its members a global competitive edge. As the only national publication specifically geared toward transportation development professionals, TB represents the primary source of business, legislative and regulatory news critical to the success and future of the transportation construction industry.

Transportation Builder® (ISSN 1043-4054) is published bi-monthly by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Postmaster: Send change of address to Transportation Builder®, c/o ARTBA, The ARTBA Building, 1219 28th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007. Telephone: 202-289-4434, Fax: 202-289-4435, Internet: www.artba.org; E-mail: [email protected]. Periodicals postage paid at Washing-ton, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions are $105/year for ARTBA members, which is included in the dues; $120/year for non-members; and $200/year non-U.S. mailing addresses. Copyright ©2014 ARTBA. All rights reserved. Material may not be repro-duced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Visit us: www.transportationbuilder.org

builder®

Executive CommitteeChairman: Doug Black John Deere Landscapes, Atlanta, Ga.

Senior Vice Chairman: Nick IvanoffAmmann & Whitney, New York, N.Y.

First Vice Chairman: David S. ZachryZachry Construction Corporation, San Antonio, Texas

Northeastern Region Vice Chairman: John KulkaHRI, Inc., State College, Pa.

Southern Region Vice Chairman: Tom ElmoreEutaw Construction Company, Aberdeen, Miss.

Central Region Vice Chairman: Kathi HolstRoadway Construction & Maintenance Services,

Warrenville, Ill.

Western Region Vice Chairman: Steve McGoughHCSS, Sugar Land, Texas

Vice Chairman At-Large: Ward NyeMartin Marietta Materials, Inc., Raleigh, N.C.

Vice Chairman At-Large: Scott L. CasselsKiewit Infrastructure Group, Inc., Kiewit Corporation,

Omaha, Neb.

Vice Chairman At-Large: Melissa TooleyTexas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas

Vice Chairman At-Large: Bob AlgerThe Lane Construction Corporation, Cheshire, Conn.

Vice Chairman At-Large: Mike DonninoGranite Construction Company, Lewisville, Texas

Vice Chairman At-Large: Paul Acito3M Traffic Safety & Security Division, St. Paul, Minn.

Treasurer: Tom HillSummit Materials, LLC, Denver, Colo.

Secretary: Pete RuaneARTBA, Washington, D.C.

ARTBA-TDF Board of Trustees Chairman: Leo Vecellio, Jr.Vecellio Group, Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla.

Contractors Division President: Pete GetchellPKF-Mark III, Inc., Newtown Pa.

Contractors Division First Vice President: Jeff ClydeW.W. Clyde & Co., Springville, Utah

Research & Education Division President: Dr. R. Clark GravesKentucky Transportation Center, Lexington, Ky.

AEM Representative: Ron DeFeoTEREX Corporation, Westport, Conn.

Materials & Services Division President: Mike FlowersAmerican Bridge Company, Corapolis, Pa.

Planning & Design Division President: Matthew CummingsAECOM, Philadelphia, Pa.

Public-Private Partnerships Division President: Matt GirardPlenary Concessions, Denver, Co.

Transportation Safety Industry Division President: Sue ReissImpact Recovery Systems, San Antonio, Texas

Transportation Officials Division President: Eric SeibringPiatt County, Ill. Assn. of County Engineers, Monticello, Ill.

Council of State Executives: Pat GossWIsconsin Transportation Builders Association,

Madison, Wis.

Immediate Past ARTBA Chairman: Steve WrightWright Brothers Construction, Co, Inc., Charleston, Tenn.

Past Chairman’s Council Chairman: Jim MadaraGannett Fleming, Allentown, Pa.

Young Executive Leadership Council Chairman: Ponch FrankRanger Construction Industries, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Joint Committee Representative: Dave GehrParsons Brinckerhoff, Herndon, Va.


Whether it’s a short highway overpass or a mile-long suspension bridge, there is a good chance you will cross a bridge at some point in your daily routine. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of crossing the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina. Its endless rows of triangular cable-stayed suspensions created an optical illusion that made me reflect on the child-like wonder bridges can inspire.

While the Ravenel bridge is still pretty new, unfortunately, there are many other U.S. bridges in need of repair and modernization. In this issue, we take a look at some of the measures being taken to help rebuild and protect these essential tools of daily American living.

Our cover story on page 27 looks at “lessons learned” during three recent emergency repairs in Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin. With transportation improvement resources stretched thin, owners, designers and builders must work creatively and collaboratively in order to address structural problems.

On page 16, we spotlight the story of the Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Fla., which was repaired in just 32 days after being struck by a Navy ship. And on page 20, learn how the Chimney Rock Road in Bridgewater, N.J., is getting a much-needed expansion.

Finally, beginning on page 10, we have the “download” on all of the activities relating to the September 7-9 ARTBA National Convention, located oceanfront at the Terranea Resort in southern California. There is something on the program for everyone, and a spouse program not to be missed! Register now at www.artbanationalconvention.org.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue, and please feel free to share your reactions at: [email protected].

editor’s note

Jenny Ragone,

Publications

Editor & Graphic

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from the chairman

Doug Black

CEO, John Deere Landscapes

2014 ARTBA Chairman

The Stories of Transportation Investment Advocacy

When a University of Maryland graduate student attending the

inaugural July 16 “National Workshop for State & Local Transportation Advocates” in the Nation’s Capital was asked what he thought of the event, he replied: “I think life is one big story and I liked hearing the story about Pennsylvania.”

He was referring to the panel session where three industry executives explained how they built political support and achieved final passage of a 2013 Pennsylvania law that substantially boosts investment in that state’s transportation infrastructure.

Sharing the Pennsylvania story and getting such a reaction from attendees are what we had in mind when creating the workshop. Transportation construction executives, “better roads

and transportation” professionals, state legislators, and chamber of commerce officials from 22 states participated.

Throughout the day it became clear that there are at least three keys to success: 1) Building broad-based coalitions, including with non-tradition-al allies when necessary; 2) developing strong partnerships with the governor, state legislators and public agency officials; and 3) creating an integrated communications plan that delivers consistent messages to the public about the value and benefits of the resulting infrastructure improvements.

ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black highlighted trends in state transportation investment initiatives since 2000. Public affairs executives, polling experts, and policy shapers also detailed “what worked” and “lessons learned” on a legislative proposal in Virginia and ballot initiatives in Georgia and Arkansas. And Oregon State Senator Bruce Starr, president of the National Council of State Legislatures, offered advice on how to make transportation investment a top priority for elected officials.

The workshop, hosted by ARTBA’s newly formed Transportation Investment Advocacy Center™ (TIAC), is a direct product of the ARTBA 2011 Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) report. The SPC, which I had the pleasure of co-chairing with immediate past ARTBA Chairman Steve Wright, believed that such a resource would be very useful to transportation investment proponents outside Washington, D.C.

TIAC is anchored by a robust website, www.transportationinvestment.org. It features 39 detailed case studies of recent transportation funding campaigns—both successful and unsuccessful—mounted in 28 states, and includes the actual

television, radio and print ads, polling data, and media and coalition strategies used in the campaigns.

The workshop concluded with ARTBA announcing the launch of a “Transpor-tation Investment Advocates Council” that will create a network of industry professionals throughout the country to share experiences and best practices. We encourage you to become part of the discussions. ARTBA’s Carolyn Kramer ([email protected]) can provide you with additional information.

Just like at the national level, revenue raising initiatives at the state and local levels often face steep opposition from entrenched ideologues and misinformed stakeholders. But when the public understands where the money is being spent and the value that transportation investment provides—they are much more likely to support such measures. Few areas provide the return on invest-ment that transportation delivers—both from an economic and quality of life standpoint. How that is communicated and by whom determines the outcome. By sharing “playbook secrets,” as well as learning from our failures, we can help pave the way for future state and local level transportation investment victories.


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ACCOUNTING CONTENT MANAGEMENT MOBILE PROJECT COLLABORATION


T. Peter Ruane

President & CEO

ARTBA

president’s desk

Highway Trust Fund Solution: Setbacks Breed Success

As I write this, Congress is preparing to complete action on its fifth

short-term Highway Trust Fund (HTF) patch in seven years. The cynics out there—and there are many—will claim this is further evidence that Congress is unable to pass anything resembling a long-term transportation package in today’s hyper-charged political environ-ment. I certainly understand the frustra-tion this situation engenders, but it also requires a broader perspective.

I am reminded of a Nike commercial with Michael Jordan where he tells the audience:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

The contribution of perseverance to success is not confined only to the sports world, but that trait is a precursor to achievement in virtually every other human endeavor—including business and public policy.

Yes, Congress has again kicked the proverbial HTF can down the road, but there are two things that should not be overlooked:

Since 2008, members of the House and Senate have infused the HTF with roughly $65 billion from else-where in the federal budget. These actions repeatedly reinforce the broad bipartisan support that exists for highway and transit investment and the lengths Congress will go to avert cuts in this area; and

The growing interest on Capitol Hill for a long-term HTF revenue fix is palpable. When the trust fund faced its first revenue shortfall in 2008, no member of Congress talked about generating new revenues to stabilize the fund. Virtually every speech on the floor of the House and Senate during the debate on this latest measure included a call to end this current dysfunctional cycle.

What does this mean for us?

As Winston Churchill once observed, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Since MAP-21 was enacted in July 2012, ARTBA’s mission has been clear: build support for a long-term HTF revenue fix. This continues to be our North Star, and we are making progress.

While federal highway and transit investment enjoys broad support on Capitol Hill, our challenge is increasing the HTF’s revenue base to be able to support these investments—a sufficiently more complex political

obstacle. Legislative bodies, by their nature, are slow moving institutions that attempt to avoid controversy. It is easy to see how these attributes have impeded a solution over the last seven years.

The HTF’s worsening fiscal outlook has become so severe, however, that it is becoming more and more difficult for Congress to develop temporary patches. As an example, the first trust fund crisis required $8 billion infusion. Today, the trust fund requires $16 billion each year just to maintain current levels of investment.

Washington has earned well its reputa-tion for dysfunctional behavior. At some point, the pressure of repeated trust fund patches and the sheer amount of money that Congress must find will produce a decision that our elected officials have been trying to avoid.

Therefore, it is incumbent on ARTBA and its allies in the general business and transportation communities to keep pressuring Congress to solve this situation once and for all. Do not be put off or let your representatives ignore you. Continual engagement with lawmakers in and outside of Washington, D.C., about the HTF will help reinforce the fact that this issue is not going away!

Make sure representatives and senators know the short-term patch they just approved is nothing to celebrate. Congress is now on a five week recess until the second week of September. I urge you to find your elected officials while they are home to let them know you expect them to make enacting a long-term HTF solution a priority for the remainder of the year.

Our perseverance will pay off and the country will be better for it!


Chairman’s Message

The venue for this year’s September 7-9 ARTBA National Convention is very special.

Rancho Palos Verdes, the home of Terranea Resort, takes its name from Cañada de Palos Verdes or “canyon of green trees,” and was originally inhabited by the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe. The Terranea is nestled along one of Southern California’s most

award-winning golf course and three swimming pools.

ARTBA government affairs and economics teams will update you on the current situation with the Highway Trust Fund and the reauthorization of MAP-21, and provide a construction market conditions report and an early forecast for 2015.

We will hear from a very unusual speaker with a powerful and inspiring story. Gunnar Hanson, a decorated former Navy Seal turned pastor, nearly threw all of his accomplishments away in one night. Now known as “Pastor Gunnar,” he will discuss some of his personal losses, and the lessons learned from them, and share the keys to his perseverance.

Construction Corporation sharing their perspectives on “big picture” issues ahead.

The spouses will visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and the world-famous Getty Museum.

Ammann & Whitney. At the event, our old friend and veteran Hollywood comedian Larry Miller, who had us laughing at the 2007 and 2011 conventions, will return for an encore performance.

A pristine venue… substantive sessions… and a little taste of Hollywood. All good

The Canyon of Green Trees

Doug Black2014 ARTBA Chairman


ScheduleRegister: www.artbanationalconvention.org

Sunday, September 7

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

6:30 – 7:30 p.m.Welcome Reception

7:30 – 10:00 p.m.

Monday, September 8

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

8:00 – 10:00 a.m.Buffet Breakfast

8:00 – 11:30 a.m.ARTBA Contractor Safety Awards Judging

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. – Noon

Noon – 2:30 p.m.

Speaker: Gunnar Hanson, pastor, Valley Baptist Church:

2:45 – 5:30 p.m.

6:30 – 10:30 p.m.ARTBA Political Action Team Reception on the Queen

The Terranea | Rancho Palos Verdes


7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Larry Miller

10:00 – 11.00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 10

Departures

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.ARTBA P6 Scheduling Academy. Pre-registration is required.

Thursday, September 11

8:00 a.m. – NoonARTBA P6 Scheduling Academy. Pre-registration is required.

Tuesday, September 9

6:30 – 9:00 a.m.Buffet Breakfast

7:00 – 8:45 a.m.Division Meetings:

8:45 – 10:00 a.m.General Session: “State of the Transportation Construction Industry (1.0 PDH)Moderator: Bill Wilson, editorial director, “Roads & Bridges”Speakers: Greg Kelly Randy Lake David Zachry Ben Brock Vahid Ownjazayeri

10:00 – 10:30 a.m.General Session

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.Networking Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.

and Transportation Construction Market Conditions Update (1.0 PDH)Speakers: Dave Bauer, senior vice president of government relations, ARTBA Dr. Alison Premo Black, chief economist, ARTBA Nick Goldstein, vice president of environmental & regulatory affairs, ARTBA

12:15 – 1:30 p.m.Buffet Lunch 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.ARTBA Board of Directors

1:30 – 5:00 p.m.ARTBA P6 Scheduling Academy. Pre-registration is required.

3:30 – 5:15 p.m.

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.Chairman’s Reception

100 Terranea WayRancho Palos Verdes, California 90275

www.terranea.com

Room Rate: until August 7Reservations: 1.866.802.8000 or 310.265.2770

the Chairman’s Banquet, are business casual, meaning

Chairman’s Reception & Banquet on Tuesday evening is business attire—suit for men and cocktail attire for women. All spouse and guest program events are casual

Hotel Information

July-August 201414 TransportationBuilder July-August 201414 TransportationBuilder


Transportation Investment Legislation & Ballot

Initiatives Have Strong Bipartisan Backing, New

Analysis Finds by Dr. Alison Premo Black

A new ARTBA analysis of the political makeup of state and local

governments, and the citizens voting on more than 500 legislative and ballot initiatives aimed at boosting transportation investment reveals broad bipartisan support for the measures.

ARTBA looked at proposals to increase state gas taxes, issue bonds and levy or extend sales and use, property or income taxes dating back to 2000.

State Gas Tax Increases Politically Feasible Twenty-three state governors have approved an increase in either their state gas tax, a state sales tax on gasoline or some other fuel related user fee a total of 32 times since 19971. These were bipartisan efforts and all of the governors who signed these measures into law and sought reelection were successful. In addition to these 32 increases, there are also seven states that have a variable gas tax rate that adjusts

automatically for some sort of pricing mechanism or inflation.

Both Democrats and Republicans have spearheaded efforts to increase user fee revenues for transportation investment at the state level. Between 1997 and 2013, 13 gas tax-related increases were passed by states with a Republican majority in both the House and Senate of the legislature and a Republic governor. Seven measures were approved by states with Democrats in

Political Party of the Governor in States that Increased Gasoline-Related Tax User Fees 1997 to 2014

*Rhode Island increased its gas tax under a Republican governor in 1999 and a Democratic governor in 2014.


Federal Aid Is Still Critical Although state and local governments have been active in increasing revenues over the last 17 years, this has not fundamentally shifted the importance of the federal-aid program, which accounts for an average of 52 percent of state highway and bridge capital outlays on construction, right of way and engineering over the last decade.

This is because state and local government expenditures for highways and bridge programs include such things as maintenance, administration costs, bond and debt service payments and even highway-related law enforcement costs. State and local governments spent a total of 47 percent of their total highway and bridge program revenues on capital outlays in 2012, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration. By law, revenues from the federal-aid program must be spent on capital outlays, so this program has become a critical component of the national highway and bridge construction market.

To see detailed case studies and learn more about many of these initiatives and a list of legislation currently being considered, visit the new ARTBA Transportation Investment Advocacy Center’s™ comprehensive website: www.transportationinvestment.org.

1Although most of the increases have been in

the state motor fuel tax rate, some states, such

as Pennsylvania, have other user-based fees. In

2013, Pennsylvania approved increasing the cap

on the oil franchise fee as part of their effort to

increase transportation revenues. Some of the

other state initiative approved in 2013 included

levying a sales tax on gasoline while reducing

the motor fuel tax rate.

2 To determine if a county was either

Republican or Democrat, we examined the voter

registrations at the time of the initiative or used

the county voting outcome in the last three

presidential elections. At this time, we are able

to identify affiliations for 126 of the 137 counties

with initiatives between 2005 and 2013.

Dr. Alison Premo Black is ARTBA chief

economist: [email protected].

both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office. The remaining 12 initiatives were approved by a mix of Republicans, Democrats or Independents in control of different branches of the government.

The governors who approved measures to raise transportation revenues did not appear to suffer any political consequences from their actions. All 11 governors who sought reelection after passing a gas tax increase, including nine Republic governors, were voted into office for another term.

Six states approved increases in transportation-related user fee revenues in 2013: Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming. New Hampshire and Rhode Island approved gas tax increases in 2014. There were only three measures to increase state gas taxes between 2008 and 2012. Given the state of the U.S. economy after the Great Recession of 2008, it is not surprising that states held back on any sort of user fee increase that was not already in place through an indexed rate.

Local Voters Get It Voters have approved 73 percent of the 425 initiatives to increase county and local funding for transportation investment since 2000. These include

bond measures and the renewal, extension or implementation of a sales tax, property tax or income tax. Voters demonstrated broad support for all of these revenue sources. Of the 310 that passed, voters approved 75 percent of bond measures, 65 percent of sales taxes and 81 percent of income or property tax initiatives.

The ARTBA research also identified the political makeup of many of the counties that brought these initiatives to the voters between 2005 and 20132. Once again, the analysis finds that transportation is a bipartisan issue. Both Republican and Democratic voters approved measures to tax themselves to increase local investment in transportation. Just over half of the counties identified, 54 percent, were majority Democratic and 46 percent were majority Republican voters.

Not only are local Republicans and Democrats bringing these measures up for vote, both groups are also approving them. ARTBA found that Republican counties approved 81 percent of the measures up for vote and Democratic counties approved 70 percent.

Large Number of Initiatives on the November 2014 Ballot There are already 28 state and local ballot initiatives to be voted on in 2014, with more measures expected to be announced as the fall elections draw closer. Four state level initiatives are on the November ballot, including a measure to redirect $1.2 billion annually in Texas to support transportation im-provements. Maryland and Wisconsin voters will be asked to approve trans-portation trust funds, and a Missouri measure calls for temporarily raising the state sales and use tax by .75 percent for 10 years to fund transportation projects.

There have also been 38 transportation funding-related measures proposed in 20 state legislatures through July. So far, the only recurring revenue measures that were approved were gas tax increases in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Additional investment plans through one time surpluses or transfers were approved in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Strong Voter Support for Transportation Funding Measures Since 2000

73% Approved

27% Not Approved

Voters approved 310 of 425, or 73%,

of initiatives to increase county and

local transportation investment.

July-August 2014 TransportationBuilder 17July-August 2014

TMDr. J. Don Brock

The 2014 Dr. J. Don Brock TransOvation™ Workshop

November 17-19 | Microsoft Headquarters, Redmond, Wash.

Key Speakers

Space is limited. Register: www.transovation.org

Ross Smith Microsoft

Ted Zoli

John Hillman

Company

Raymond Chiu

Systems Division


CREATIVITY AND TEAMWORK SAVE A

LANDMARK BRIDGEby Jack Haynes, P.E. and Todd Kincaid


In late September 2013, the Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Fla. was struck by a Navy transport ship that was being towed to a local shipyard. The geometry and stability of the

bridge was compromised and immediate replacement of a severed lower chord was required. Working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), RS&H led a team that produced plans and a full bid package for repairs within 76 hours. What followed is a remarkable story of engineering excellence and interagency coordination. Working non-stop, the design and construction team repaired the bridge in a mere 26 days—12 days ahead of an already aggressive schedule—while overcoming numerous obstacles in an unprecedented repair operation.

Creative, Complex Solution The Mathews Bridge is Florida’s first and oldest high-level cantilever truss bridge and serves as a main corridor into the heart of the city. Restoring it safely was critical for local residents and area mobility, particularly with the additional traffic from the looming annual Florida-Georgia football game.

At the point of impact, the bridge’s tension forces are concentrated in the lower chord, and when it was severed, the truss pulled apart and sagged. Because of the lack of

redundancy, these members are considered “fracture critical,” meaning the loss of one would likely result in system failure. State officials filed a “declaration of emergency,” which launched immediate repair efforts.

Leveraging an existing districtwide contract, FDOT and RS&H assembled a team that included maintenance personnel, bridge design engineers, contractors, surveyors, steel heat straightening professionals, steel fabricators, pin testers, bridge and construction engineering inspectors, and strain gage professionals.

With the ultimate goal of restoring the safe load carrying capacity of the bridge, the team’s biggest challenge was how to pull the ends of the severed chord back into position to restore geometry, relieve stresses and hold the chord ends in place temporarily in order to perform permanent repairs. A tem-porary repair was needed to restore the truss so that heavier equipment could be brought onsite for permanent repairs.

The design team used a model previously developed by RS&H, because it has a long history of working on the bridge. The model was developed during the Mathews Bridge main span deck replacement and truss strengthening project in 2006. Many of the same team members from the previous project

Side view of damage prior to repairs on the Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Fla. Photo courtesy of RS&H.


were brought in for the repair project, including Hardesty and Hanover.

The solution for the temporary repair involved pulling the lower chord back into place. This was accomplished by attaching fortresses at anchor points on either side of the chord gap and restoring the truss with the missing tension force of the absent chord. Jacks were used to tension four post- tensioning bars to pull the chord back into place. Permanent repairs could then begin, since the load carrying capacity of the truss was restored.

FDOT actively informed the public about the project as the crisis unfolded and coordinated with local officials, police, and the U.S. Coast Guard. In order to reduce closure time, the contract included an incentive to award or penalize the contractor $50,000 a day for finishing early or late. To minimize disruption, construction projects on the major detour routes to downtown were halted or closed, and lanes were opened to provide additional capacity during rush hour. In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, marine vessels were also allowed to travel beneath the bridge once the initial assessment determined that the structure would not collapse due to self-weight alone.

Numerous Innovations During repairs, one key safety innovation was the use of an above-deck strongback system with saddles to provide additional safety and redundancy for loads from the truss. Steel components for temporary and permanent repairs were fabricated in the Tampa Bay area by Florida Structural Steel, and the Florida Highway Patrol escorted permitted oversized loads to get material to the site as quickly as possible.

Major design and construction innovations included heat straightening the damaged gusset plates, a custom pulley system used to hoist repairs from the deck, and using an overlapping gusset plate to restore full joint capacity without having to unstitch major complicated connections. A stub-beam was used to facilitate the west connection of the new lower chord section to the existing gussets. This eliminated fit-up issues inherent in replacing the entire chord at once.

Project management also had to be creative and innovative. The team quickly assembled necessary resources, remained on-call 24 hours a day, and worked long hours to complete the job. Because of weight restrictions, climbing engineering inspectors from RS&H and Burgess & Niple continually monitored the bridge as repairs were made. The

Installation of the permanent chord almost complete with outer gusset plate installed. Photo courtesy of RS&H.


team chose local construction engineering and inspection services firms (HNTB, JEAcs, GPI) that had familiarity with both the Mathews Bridge and the design team from the previous deck replacement project.

Historic Bridge Restored The Mathews Bridge emergency repair was an unprecedented effort with eerie similarities to a historic disaster. On May 9, 1980, a freighter hit one of the main piers of the Mathews Bridge’s twin structure, the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa. The impact resulted in the immediate collapse of 1,260 feet of bridge and significant loss of life. On the Mathews Bridge incident, by some engineering estimates, an additional severing impact to the opposite south truss or an impact in another panel a few feet away might have caused an immediate collapse.

Permanent repairs to the Mathews Bridge were completed on Sunday, October 27, 2013, 32 days after impact with traffic resuming on day 34. This was accomplished through the dedication of nearly 200 professionals working around the clock to restore the bridge safely and to eliminate the economic hardship to more than 50,000 motorists who use the bridge daily.

Nearly 20,000 pounds of permanent steel was replaced and more than 1,000 bolts were installed. The project posed considerable challenges, including the severity of the damage, weather, complex and concurrent aspects of design, plans production, shop drawing process, steel fabrication, material delivery, tensioning stages, heat straightening, member repair and removal, strain gage installation, and load testing. Overcoming these and quickly repairing the bridge was an amazing accomplishment for all involved. Among other awards this project has won, Superior Construction Company Southeast won the 2014 Florida Transportation Builders Association’s Best in Construction Partnering Award.

Team photo after final installation of permanent member. Photo courtesy of RS&H.

Project video: “In the Blink of an Eye”When Mathews Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, was hit by a ship in

September 2013, the Florida Department of Transportation called RS&H to

help design the repairs. More than 200 workers came together to safely

reopen the bridge. This documentary details the team’s quick action and

impressive efforts to repair the bridge. Link: http://vimeo.com/97370834

Jack Haynes is RS&H vice president, transportation/infrastructure leader:

[email protected]. Todd Kincaid is an RS&H marketing/technical

writer: [email protected].


View of the existing bridge’s four-span

configuration and rigid frame, column and cap

type piers, prior to construction. The new bridge

will be a two-span continuous structure

eliminating the existing shoulder piers located

along I-287 and encapsulating the existing pier in

the center median. Photo courtesy of Dewberry.

CHIMNEY ROCK ROAD OVER I-287,

BRIDGEWATER, N.J.by Richard C. Menino, P.E.


With all the activity happening at the heart of the new interchange currently being built at U.S. Route 22 and Chimney Rock Road in Bridgewater, N.J.

reconstruction of the existing bridge carrying Chimney Rock Road over I-287 may hardly be noticed. But for the team of engineers from The Louis Berger Group and Dewberry responsible for designing the interchange, the critical role that reconstructing this bridge plays in the overall success of the larger project was recognized early on. In addition to being a vehicular crossing, the bridge also supports several utilities including water, sanitary, gas, telephone, and electric. It also provides the employees of United Parcel Service with pedestrian access between parking areas and their distribution facility located on the north and south sides of the bridge, respectively.

Critical Infrastructure The planned interchange required that the existing bridge be widened to furnish a 48-foot curb-to-curb width and six- foot-wide sidewalks along both sides in the final condition. The bridge’s vital role within the local infrastructure was clear, including the need to maintain vehicular and pedestrian traffic, as well as the utility services, throughout construction.

The existing 266-foot-long structure, constructed circa 1960, is composed of four, simply supported spans and is positioned on a 24-degree skew with respect to I-287. The two central 96 feet nine inches spans are flanked by a 36 foot and 31 foot span. The bridge provides a 30-foot clear roadway with a six-foot-wide sidewalk along the east side and a three-foot-wide safety walk along the west side. A one-foot-wide by two-foot-six-inch-high concrete parapet, surmounted with chain-link fence, is present along each walkway resulting in an out-to-out deck width of 41 feet. The superstructure consists of an eight-inch reinforced concrete deck composite with six rolled steel or

welded plate girders spaced at seven feet, three-and-a-half inches on center. The substructure is composed of reinforced concrete stub abutments and rigid frame, column and cap type piers supported on spread footings founded on rock.

The interchange improvements required the existing bridge to be widened 21 feet, six inches to provide the 48-foot curb-to-curb width, accommodating a 12-foot lane with a five-foot shoulder for northbound and southbound traffic, in addition to a 14-foot center turning lane. A six-foot-wide sidewalk and one-foot-three-inch-wide by three-foot-six-inch-high concrete parapet will also be provided along both sides of the bridge in the final condition. The resulting out-to-out width of the new bridge deck is 62 feet six inches.

Staged Construction Satisfying the constraints associated with maintaining vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and accommodating the utilities, required that the improvements be constructed using three stages. As design advanced, however, the engineers sought to identify methods to expedite construction. The fact that the existing bridge was founded on rock presented one such opportunity. The team determined that the existing bridge should be reconstructed by completely replacing the superstructure and modifying the substructure to convert the structural framing from four simple spans to two continuous spans. The new, two-span continuous superstructure arrangement offered the advantages inherent withcontinuous spans, which include more efficient design and fewer deck joints, while also eliminating construction operations associated with widening and modifying the existing piers located along the shoulders of the heavily travelled I-287 corridor. This reduced overall costs and enhanced safety.

View of the formwork for the center pier’s extension and the original pier’s

partial encapsulation completed in the first stage of construction.

Photo courtesy of Dewberry.

View of the bridge with the new, two-span continuous steel girders

erected in Stage 1, supported on the extended abutments and the

modified center pier. Photo courtesy of Dewberry.


The new superstructure was designed as a two-span continuous system with spans of approximately 128 feet and 133 feet. The typical section consists of nine welded steel plate girders, having a 44-inch web depth, composite with a nine-inch reinforced high-performance concrete deck. Girders were spaced at either seven feet six inches or six feet eight inches on center to accommodate the construction staging. As noted, by reconfiguring the superstructure framing, the shoulder piers of the existing bridge were completely eliminated. The existing stub abutments and center pier were extended and modified to accept the new superstructure, and were monitored for movement during construction. The design also incorporated lead-core isolation bearings that addressed seismic design forces and offered potential to reduce and redistribute these forces to the substructure.

Encapsulating the Existing Pier Given that the abutments were readily accessible, traditional cast-in-place construction methods were detailed for the extensions and the associated wingwall construction. Although the median of I-287 offered sufficient width to facilitate work at the center pier, it was still important to minimize the duration of construction activities within this area. With this goal in mind, the design team evaluated various options to extend and modify this pier. The results of these assessments led to the design of a cast-in-place wall pier that encapsulates the existing rigid frame, column and cap type pier. Entombing the existing pier required the stem of the new center pier to be five feet thick. However, the scale of the new center pier complemented the increased span lengths of the rehabilitated bridge, and arch-shaped recesses were introduced as an architectural treatment. The proposed construction also simplified staging and expedited construction by eliminating

the need to completely demolish the existing pier.

A Cooperative Effort Construction of this long-awaited interchange is the direct result of cooperation between the Federal Highway Administration, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and Somerset County. The interchange will be created by depressing and realigning existing U.S. Route 22 approximately 16 feet to provide both express and local lanes, while Chimney Rock Road and Norfolk Southern’s adjacent track are slightly re-profiled and carried over U.S. Route 22 on new bridges. In addition to these two new bridges, and reconstructing the bridge carrying Chimney Rock Road over I-287 described above, the interchange requires widening of the existing bridge carrying U.S. Route 22 over Middle Brooke, six retaining walls with a total length of over 2,000 feet and four overhead sign structures. The project’s general contractor, Anselmi & DeCicco, Inc., of Maplewood, N,J., started construction of the $60 million interchange in March 2012. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2015.

View of the bridge with the new deck, parapet formwork and shielding

installed along the new steel superstructure. Photo courtesy of Dewberry.

View of the center pier at the conclusion of Stage 1. The top of the original

pier cap and pedestals, still supporting the girders of the original bridge,

can be seen, along with the arch-shaped recesses introduced as an

architectural treatment on the new pier. Photo courtesy of Dewberry.

Rick Menino is an associate vice president in Dewberry’s Bloomfield,

New Jersey office: [email protected].


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RECENT EMERGENCY BRIDGE REPAIRS &

LESSONS LEARNEDby Terrence Tiberio, P.E. and Kenton Zinn, P.E., S.E.

With the national interstate system continuing to age, the

implications of emergency closures of major interstate bridges have recently hit home in several parts of the country. Coupled with the short-term uncertain outlook for enhanced federal transportation funding, the continued aging of large bridges is putting state departments of transportation and other agencies in a position of increased risk. Owners increasingly need to be prepared to react swiftly and with a steady hand to the possibility of closing a major structure and significantly affecting communities and local economies.

Michael Baker International (Baker) recently provided engineering and construction services related to the emergency closure and accelerated repair of several major structures. Two of these bridges, the Sherman Minton Bridge in Louisville, Ky., and the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wis., carry high volumes of interstate traffic into and out of urban areas. A third bridge, the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge over Kentucky Lake in western Kentucky, provides one of the few access points onto the land between the Lakes National Recreational Area. Each of these projects provided important lessons that are worthy of consideration given the potential for future emergency closures.

Installation of Steel Plating for Sherman Minton

Bridge Arch Ribs. Photo courtesy of Michael

Baker International.


Description of Projects Sherman Minton Bridge. The Sherman Minton Bridge carries I-64 East Bound and West Bounc over the Ohio River between New Albany, Ind. and Louisville, Ky. The bridge has two 800-foot-long fracture-critical double-decker steel tied arch truss spans that carry approximately 80,000 vehicles per day. During the course of Baker’s in-depth bridge inspection, criti-cal defects were encountered in the fracture critical steel arch ties that prompted the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to impose an emergency closure on September 9, 2011. Baker developed a repair procedure in cooperation with INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that involved installing bolted steel plates along the full length of each of the 800-foot arch ties. The repair plan allowed for the bridge to be reopened in February 2012.

Leo Frigo Bridge. The I-43 Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wis., closed in September 2013 after corroded steel piles failed under one of the approach piers, causing a 400-foot section of the bridge to sink by approximately two feet. In cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), FHWA, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE), Baker’s structural and geotechnical engineers investigated the source of the failure and recommended a repair that involved the installation of four concrete drilled shafts per pier that were socketed into bedrock and post-tensioned to the existing

footings. The drilled shafts were designed to fully support all structural loads with no help from the existing corroded piles and the superstructure was jacked back into its original position. The investigation and repair were completed and the bridge reopened 102 days from the incident, returning service to 40,000 vehicles a day.

Eggner’s Ferry Bridge. On January 26, 2012, a barge of unusual height collided with and collapsed a 322-foot span of the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge that carries U.S. 68/KY 80 over Kentucky Lake in western Kentucky. The subsequent bridge-closing cut off a vital link to the area and the western gateway to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area. The detour spanned nearly 50 miles. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) prescribed a single span steel truss and an accelerated bid procurement process for replacement of the failed span. Through time saving techniques and close cooperation between KYTC, Baker as the designer, Tensor Engineering as the steel detailer, and the general contractor Hall Contracting of Kentucky, Inc., the bridge reopened to traffic on May 25, 2012, just 16 weeks after closure.

Lessons Learned While each of these emergency replacements involved unique challenges and significantly differing site conditions, the lessons provided by each offer strategies that can be of value to

Sherman Minton Bridge over the Ohio River. Photo courtesey of Michael Baker International.


management may be best handled by the use of an independent firm, working in parallel with the main design firm and in constant communication. In the case of the Leo Frigo emergency repair, Baker’s design team benefitted significantly from the review efforts of WisDOT’s in-house structural engineering staff, in addition to WJE’s independent quality assurance.

Intelligent design. The development of design and fabrication details that balance material cost with ease of fabrication is critical. Too many designs over-prioritize material savings to the point of increasing fabrication complexities which produce delays due to errors and shop fit-up challenges. More repetitive and simplified design details used on both the Eggner’s Ferry and Sherman Minton Bridges allowed an enhanced delivery with minimum field adjustments. In the end, simplified connection and member design will many times result in lower cost, schedule benefits, and improved future inspection.

Innovative procurement. The ability to procure a construction contractor quickly can play a huge role in reopening the closed bridge as quickly as possible. Design/Build and Construction Management/General Contractor (CM/GC) procurement methods can offer

owners and designers if future similar situations emerge:

Constant and open communication between the designer, owner, and FHWA. To expedite the aggressive reopening of these critical structures, lines of communication between Baker, the DOTs and FHWA needed to remain open around the clock. In the case of the Sherman Minton and Leo Frigo projects, Baker placed staff directly in the DOT offices to allow for constant communication and prompt responsiveness as the direction of each project evolved.

Creative brainstorming. Emergency response demands the ability to generate creative ideas and solutions early in addressing the emergency. In a truly collaborative environment, the team (including designer, contractor, owner, and FHWA) needs to feel free to offer any and all resourceful ideas. In turn, the team members also need to be open to sincere criticism as ideas are evaluated. In other words, egos must be checked at the door.

Dedicated quality management. As repair plans are developed under extremely aggressive schedules, checking and quality control are of the utmost importance since field problems and resulting delays are not tolerable in an emergency environment. This quality

Emergency repair of the Leo Frigo Bridge. Photo courtesy of URS Corporation.


significant schedule benefits and lead to construction innovation. On the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge, Baker’s ability to work hand-in-hand with Tensor and Hall Construction in developing design details was critical in allowing the bridge to reopen ahead of an already aggressive schedule.

Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) Techniques. Emergency repair projects clearly offer fertile ground for many of the ABC techniques that are growing in popularity and frequency across the country. The Eggner’s Ferry replacement involved complete off-site fabrication of the replacement span, followed by barging the span in and then lifting it into place. Erection of the truss span on-site at an elevation over water could not have been accomplished in the same condensed time frame.

Bridge owners across the country will be challenged with managing an aging bridge inventory while future federal transportation funding levels are uncertain. In emergency bridge closure situations, bridge owners are faced with immense challenges to return a critical bridge to service under an aggressive schedule. When placed in that environment, the engineering team must provide open communication, dedicated leadership from all parties, and innovative solutions in order to satisfy the public’s high expectations.

Eggner’s Ferry Bridge with new truss span. Photo courtesey of Michael Baker International.

Accelerated replacement of truss span for Eggner’s Ferry Bridge.

Photo courtesey of Michael Baker International.

Terrence Tiberio, P.E. is Michael Baker

International senior technical manager in

bridges: [email protected].

Kenton Zinn, P.E., S.E. is Michael Baker

International vice president:

[email protected].

July-August 2014 TransportationBuilder 31www.ammann-whitney.com

Dragon Bridge Da Nang, Vietnam

A Tradition of Excellence


BUILDING AMERICA’S BACKBONEby Jonathan Hirschfeld

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Highlands region of the Appalachian Mountains is an area rich in outdoor recreation with biking, hiking, and fishing. Long scenic

drives following the settlements scattered throughout the area take you along highways and bypasses filled with wide mouth river crossings, tree lined miles and blankets of bluegrass lining the mountainous terrain. Southwest Virginia is known for its outdoor experiences, but this area is also home to another contributor to quality of life: manufacturing jobs.

With a long history deeply rooted in coal mining and cash crop farms, the area’s strong workforce community is an established cornerstone providing ample skilled workers and high quality results. According to the Virginia Manufacturers Association, the state’s 5,000+ manufacturers employ over 200,000 individuals and contribute $34 billion to the gross state product, accounting for over 80 percent of the state’s exports to the global economy.

At the Hirschfeld Industries plant, located between Abingdon and Bristol, there are 70 employees busy at work, fabricating steel girders for bridge superstructures. In a literal sense, the plant provides the backbone of highway and rail bridges. Our Virginia plant is resilient, too, despite multiple recessions and industry bankruptcies, our quality workforce has churned out bridge girders without interruption for 60 years.

“The manufacturing of goods has long been the foundation of jobs for American workers,” said Congressman Morgan

Griffith (R-Va.), who represents the region that is home to our Virginia plant. “Hirschfeld Industries and other manufacturers are key to both the local and national economies, and also create thousands of jobs for those living nearby. For our nation to remain competitive long-term in the global economy, we must ensure that American companies like Hirschfeld Industries remain able to efficiently develop and manufacture products here at home, thus continuing to be a source of good-paying jobs.”

The strength of our Virginia plant highlights our industry’s lean and efficient manufacturing practices to weather the down markets and scale up when transportation construction investment expands. Such an opportunity came our way with The new N.Y. Bridge, a monumental project that will revitalize the existing Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Toll Bridge that connects Rockland County to Westchester County, crossing the Hudson River at one of its widest points.

The new N.Y. Bridge, designed to last 100 years without major structural maintenance, is made possible by the coming together of two U.S. competitors in the manufacturing and steel industry. In total, Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (and a consortium of some of the world’s best-known and highly-regarded design, engineering and construction firms, including Fluor, American Bridge, Traylor Bros. and Granite) is utilizing the East Coast manufacturing strength from a joint marketing partnership forged by Hirschfeld Industries and High Steel.

Renderings of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Photo courtesy of New York State Thruway Authority.


Designed to carry up to 100,000 vehicles each day across eight traffic lanes and slated for completion in 2018, the new N.Y. Bridge will continue in the spirit of the Tappan Zee Bridge as a vital artery for residents, commuters, travelers and commercials traffic. It will also have a dedicated commuter bus lane and will accommodate bus rapid transit, light rail or commuter rail, as well as a bike and pedestrian path. The $3.1 billion innovative design of the 3.1-mile twin span cable-stayed bridge with angled main span towers will reach completion in a little over five years.

The winning steel design minimized dredging and piers for the 350-foot American-made steel girder approach spans. The new N.Y. Bridge will be lighter, and the modular assembly will offer the safest and most expedited construction of a project of this size so far in the industry.

“As the largest fabricator of steel bridges in the United States, we are proud to come together with other leaders in the industry to complete this immense task,” said Wendall Hirschfeld, vice president of business development at Hirschfeld Industries.

There are more than 10 best-in-class bridge fabrication facili-ties along the East Coast demonstrating the strength of the U.S. Steel fabrication industry and taking on large scale projects like the new N.Y. Bridge, which will be the single largest bridge construction project in state history. Tappan Zee Constructors is allocating a portion of these facilities to provide the bridges required for the five-year project. The availability of U.S. Steel manufacturing provides the means for HDR, TZC’s Engineer, to turn design into reality—and constructability.

Since the turn of the 20th century, steel has been basic to the world’s industrial economy. As a company that can trace its roots all the way back to 1919, Hirschfeld has experienced impressive growth and diversification to become one of North America’s premier fabricators of structural steel components used in complex, large-scale industrial, commercial and bridge applications.

Fabricating more than 100,000 tons of steel annually, we are known for our work in a wide range of end markets including transportation infrastructure, industrial development, commercial construction and power generation. With 11 facilities from the Southwest to the East Coast, providing a national presence and an industry-leading footprint, Hirschfeld is a major participant in the expansion and redevelopment of the U.S. transportation and energy infrastructure systems and the new N.Y. Bridge is part of that story.

Jonathan Hirschfeld is Hirschfeld Industries vice president, project

coordination/business development: [email protected].

Hirschfeld’s Abingdon, Va. plant. Photo courtesy of Hirschfeld.

Photographer: Jennifer Jernigan.


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DBE Program Focus of ARTBA’s Latest Legal Challengeby Nick Goldstein

Nick Goldstein is ARTBA assistant counsel and

vice president of regulatory affairs:

[email protected].

After a successful legal challenge in the Public-Private Partnerships (P3)

arena last year, ARTBA, which has been the industry’s primary legal advocate for more than 20 years, is branching out in a new direction for 2014: trying to ensure the fair application of the federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

You may recall that in 2013, ARTBA for the first time became involved in litigation concerning the constitutional-ity of P3s. The outcome was a good one, as ultimately we helped to overturn a court decision which could have endangered a multi-billion dollar P3 project in Virginia, as well as provided a blueprint for additional P3 legal challenges throughout the country.

On the DBE case, it’s important to stress that ARTBA recognizes the goals of the program and the need to encourage the participation and utilization of disadvantaged businesses in the transportation construction industry. At the same time, the integrity of the program is critical. Compliance with its many requirements on federal-aid projects is also a key task for all types of contractors. It comes within the industry’s overall objectives of delivering these projects safely and efficiently, while at the same time minimizing disruption

to the traveling public and maximizing the use of innovation. However, if the program is not administered correctly at the state level, the impacts on contractors can be severe.

With this in mind, ARTBA June 20 filed a “friend of the court” brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sev-enth Circuit in the case of Dunnet Bay Construction Company v. Gary Hannig. A lower court dismissed Dunnet Bay’s case by “summary judgment.” Essentially, this means the court reached its decision without ever getting to the merits of the arguments. ARTBA strongly felt the ar-guments raised by Dunnet Bay deserved a fair hearing and has supported Dunnet Bay’s efforts to appeal the ruling.

At issue is a lower court ruling dismissing Dunnet Bay’s claim that the state of Illinois improperly administered the federal DBE program in a manner which undermined DBE program goals and caused the program to be administered as an unconstitutional, quota-based system. ARTBA said that, if allowed to stand, the lower court’s holding would effectively eliminate the ability of contractors nationwide to challenge misapplication of the DBE program, which could include the rejection of responsible low bids on transportation construction projects.

Further, the lower court’s decision in the Dunnet Bay case could severely erode the ability of states to allow contractors who have employed “good faith efforts” to comply with DBE stan-dards, but are unable to do so because of factors outside of their control. ARTBA explained that waivers are a necessary part of the federal program requiring DBE participation because of basic market realities. Within some geographic areas, there are in fact not enough certified and available DBE firms, or an inadequate number of such firms qualified and available to perform certain subcontract-ing disciplines needed for a particular construction project.

It should be noted that the Dunnet Bay case was brought to ARTBA’s attention by one of our state chapters, the Illinois Road & Transportation Builders Association (IRTBA), which has played a leading role in raising industry awareness of this litigation. Such information-sharing is essential to ARTBA’s litigation program. An issue in one state can have nationwide impacts. Indeed, when IRTBA alerted us to the Dunnet Bay case and shared it with other ARTBA state chapter affiliates, there was an outpouring of support from multiple chapters for ARTBA’s participation. ARTBA thanks IRTBA and all of the state chapters that helped facilitate our involvement, including retaining a well-known Chicago law firm to prepare the brief under ARTBA’s guidance.

This case is just the latest example of ARTBA’s efforts aimed at helping protect your market. There is no set timetable for oral arguments in the case, but ARTBA but ARTBA hopes to have a decision by early 2015. We will keep you posted on any further developments.


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AEM corner

AEM, Manufacturers

focus on work

platform safety

Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) are among the most versatile and necessary pieces of equipment on any jobsite. They allow workers to perform a variety of tasks at heights that could not be safely reached by any other method.

The Association of Equipment Manu-facturers (AEM) is playing an important role in ensuring that the already outstanding industry-wide standards for MEWP design and safety reflect state-of-the-art practices.

Experts from AEM’s Technical & Safety Services department are involved in leading a process whose end result will be a new topic-specific MEWP standard covering design, safety requirements and test methods for vertical-type, scissor-type and boom supported MEWPs, ANSI/SAIA A92.20.

In addition, safety professionals from most (or all) of the AEM member companies that manufacture MEWPs sit on the A92 committee and provide critical perspectives for the group’s consideration.

Among the new safety requirements included in the standard are a load sensing system.

Such systems are designed to limit movement of the extending structure to down only when the machine is over-loaded while in a raised position and to not allow the machine to raise when overloaded at ground level (or in some cases at one meter).

Load sensing system requirements already exist in standards created by ISO/TC 214 (International) and in CEN/TC 98 (Europe). AEM member represen-tatives also serve on these committees.

Since nearly all AEM members who manufacture MEWPs market their equipment globally, many already equip their machines with these systems to enter international markets. For them, the U.S. is just another market where this system will eventually be a requirement.

As currently proposed, load-sensing systems will operate as follows:

The system will trigger after the rated load is reached and before 120 percent of the rated load is exceeded.

When the load-sensing system is triggered, a red light will flash and an acoustic signal will sound. The light will continue to flash for as long as the overload persists and the acoustic alarm will sound for periods of at least five seconds, repeated every minute.

If the load-sensing system was triggered during movement of the work platform, the possibility of movement will remain.

If the load-sensing system is triggered while the work platform is stationary, it will prevent all movement of the work platform. Movement will only restart if the overload is removed.

For Type I, group A mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs),

AEM provides trade and business development services for companies that manufacture equip-ment, products and services used world-wide in the agricultural, construction, forestry, mining and utility sectors. AEM is headquartered in Mil-waukee, Wisconsin, with offices in Washington, D.C., Ottawa, and Beijing.

it is permitted for the load-control device to be effective only when raising the extending structure from the lowest position. In this case, the test load will be 150 percent of the rated load.

For group A MEWPs, the load-sensing device need not be activated until the work platform is elevated more than one meter or 10 percent of lift height, whichever is the greater, above the lowest position. If an overload condition is sensed at or above this height, further elevation will be prevented.

The emergency override system shall remain active independent of the state of the load-sensing system.

While approval of the final standard is still several years away, AEM will continue to monitor the process and work with other stakeholders on the ANSI/SAIA A92 committee to produce a standard that maintains the global competitiveness of U.S. equipment manufacturers while protecting American workers.

For more information on the ANSI/SAIA A92.20 standard, contact Al Cervero, AEM vice president of construction, mining and utility ([email protected]).


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