Tag: road construction: Page 48

Business

Toll roads, P3s and creative financing will bring short-term gain, long-term disaster for the road building industry

For the last half-century gas and diesel taxes collected at the pump have been the primary source of funding for almost all our highway infrastructure. But Congress hasn’t  increased the gas tax or adjusted it for inflation since 1992. Anti-tax advocates claim this as a victory, but it’s not. With the highway trust fund running […]

August 1, 2014

Business

Congressional showdown ends with Senate passing House’s $10.8 billion highway funding patch

The Senate on Thursday passed a 10-month funding bill that will prevent the Highway Trust Fund from going broke until the end of May. The bill was first passed by the House earlier this month, and is now just a presidential signature away from becoming law. The bill’s clearance in Congress comes after a showdown […]

August 1, 2014

Roadbuilding

New law aimed to protect road workers

Minnesota has passed a new law aimed at protecting road workers. The law will enforce slower speeds in work zones, and set a definitive fine for those who don’t obey. The typical “fines will be doubled” signs will be replaced by signs clearly starting a minimum fine of $300. When workers are present, speed limits […]

July 31, 2014

Roadbuilding

Sales tax holiday brings freedom from construction

Good news, Georgia shoppers! You will be getting a break from road construction this weekend! The Georgia Department of Transportation has decided to suspend all roadwork within 5 miles of shopping malls or major shopping districts on all interstates and major state routes from 8 a.m. Friday (Aug. 1) until 10 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 2). This […]

July 31, 2014

Business

Senate passes highway bill with reduced funding; sends vote back to House with pressure for long-term solution

On Tuesday the Senate voted to pass a bill that would stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) after making key changes to the legislation that will send it right back to the House for another vote. The HTF is the primary source of federal funding for road construction and repairs. The […]

July 30, 2014

Roadbuilding

3 tips for staying safe inside road construction work zones

Although many types of construction work can be considered hazardous, few tasks are more dangerous than those conducted in road construction work zones. A number of construction site hazards can be mitigated through effective control measures, but the unpredictability of other drivers—particularly those who are impatient or inattentive – puts work zone crews at a […]

July 25, 2014

Safety

3 tips for staying safe inside road construction work zones

Although many types of construction work can be considered hazardous, few tasks are more dangerous than those conducted in road construction work zones. A number of construction site hazards can be mitigated through effective control measures, but the unpredictability of other drivers—particularly those who are impatient or inattentive – puts work zone crews at a […]

July 24, 2014

Construction Equipment

Conductive “sensing skin” paint could stop cracks in bridges, concrete structures before it’s too late

A new paint-on “sensing skin” would allow officials to retrofit bridges and other concrete structures with the ability to detect cracks or other weaknesses before they spread beyond repair. While many new structures today are built with strain sensors, this new technology would provide officials with an easier way to outfit existing critical concrete structures […]

July 22, 2014

Business

House passes $10.8 billion quick fix as highway construction funding nears insolvency

The House on Tuesday passed a nearly $11 billion quick fix that would stave off the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the primary source of federal funding for road construction and repairs. The bill passed a week after the White House and transportation officials urged lawmakers to try and find a long-term […]

July 16, 2014

Construction Equipment

It’s so hot at Yellowstone National Park the roads are melting

What the road crew at Yellowstone National Park has on its hands is not a routine patch job. A 3.3-mile loop drive at the park is temporarily closed after a hot spot beneath the road caused by the park’s naturally changing thermal geology began melting the asphalt, the National Park Service (NPS) announced Thursday. The […]

July 11, 2014

Business

House panel’s proposed $10.5 billion stopgap for highway funding meets disapproval of Senators, AEM

The House Ways and Means Committee has proposed a stopgap to fund transportation projects for eight months, but Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) are opposing the plan. According to a report from The Hill, the Ways and Means Committee have proposed a $10.5 billion, eight-month funding bill that would extend transportation funding […]

July 10, 2014

Workforce

Western Pennsylvania road builders launch “virtual apprenticeship” video game for recruiting teens

The Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania has come up with a promising way to attract more recruits to the industry. They’ve set up a “virtual apprenticeship” video game in which young people can find out if road building construction is right for them. According to this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette visitors to the Future […]

July 1, 2014