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June 2008 Issue Highlights: Keep your pavers in tip-top shape Plows and Blowers for next winter Undriveable Gravel Road Cures

Editorial Viewpoint: McCain’s Folly: Not a Good Idea Well-meaning as John McCain may think he is, his proposal to cut federal gasoline taxes for the summer is a recipe for total disaster.  All of us in this industry know that agencies are already struggling with the funds they do receive. More money is needed just to keep our bridges and roads at their current l Read more   Table of Contents: Table of Contents June 2008 For Table of Contents of our June 2008 issue - click here   (pdf format) Read more   RoadWorks: Information and ideas to help managers and contractors build, maintain, and manage roads better Model Stormwater Ordinance  The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has developed a model stormwater ordinance that promotes the use of pervious pavement systems. Pervious systems are a way of handling and treating stormwater on site. Generally, they consist of a pervious pavement layer capable of Read more   Highway Contractor: Keeping Your Pavers in Tiptop Shape A detailed look at both asphalt and concrete pavers.   As soldiers on the front lines of your projects, your pavers need to be kept in their best condition. Otherwise a paver may incur a surprise breakdown — just when you need it most. So it’s important to keep your asphalt or concrete pavers clean Read more   The Last Word: Common Sense Could there be hope for America yet?  In May, one of the oldest, most tried and true scams for currying public favor — "free money" for voters — was soundly rejected by the news media and most political leaders. There was plenty of flash when Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican nominee for Pr Read more   Applications: City Moves to Mico Surfacing Micro surfacing was a successful move for Overland Park, Kansas, lengthening the life of streets. For years, Overland Park, Kansas maintained its streets using chip seal because it is inexpensive and provides a durable surface. In the area, chip seal costs appro Read more   Special feature: Conexpo-Con/Agg '08 SHOWSTOPPERS, Part II More than 100 new products for the road market were introduced at Conexpo-Con/Agg last March. Here is the second installment of highlights from the show, and you'll find still more coverage in our new products departments.  Caterpillar New loaders and quick-coupler  Read more   Road Manager: Better, More Readable Signage Improved criteria for lettering helps meet the challenges ahead.  Standard sign alphabets were proposed by the Federal Highway Association and adopted about 1950 after studies were completed by the Canadian Department of Transportation.  The first was a Read more   Road Science: Roadbuilders to Get Fresh Look at Two-Lift Concrete Paving Used routinely with wire mesh for decades, two-lift concrete fell into disuse, but safety and green paving provide new impetus for two-lift. Slowly but surely, two-lift construction of portland cement concrete pavements is returning to the United States.  Two-lift construction involves the placement of t Read more   Product Focus Report/Bid List: Keep Your Roads Drivable in Winter Keeping the roads clear of ice and snow is the dream of every winter maintenance crew in the Snowbelt. Here’s a selection of snowplows and snow blowers, some old and some new, that can help make that dream a reality.  Schulte Industries Side-eject snow blower  Read more   New Products: June 2008 New Road Products New Materials & Supplies for the Road Industry Self-propelled broom  Read more   June 2008 New Road Machines New Power Equipment for the Road Market More comfort, higher vibes  Read more   News: American Road & Transportation Builders Association foundation hosts annual Young Executive Development Program Three-dozen transportation design and construction industry “rising stars” came to Washington, D.C. May 20-22 to participate in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation (ARTBA-TDF) 13th annual Young Executive Development Program (YEDP).  The intensive, three-day program focuses on the impact Read more   House drops Highway Trust Fund fix The House of Representatives today passed legislation (H.R. 6327) providing a three-month extension of the taxes and spending authority for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs but dropped from the bill a provision that would have provided an $8 billion fix for the Highway Trust Fund’s (HTF) pending insolvency. This $8 billion in revenue is needed Read more   Drivers cut back by 30 billion miles Americans drove 22 billion fewer miles from November through April than during the same period in 2006-07, the biggest such drop since the Iranian revolution led to gasoline supply shortages in 1979-80. The numbers released June 18, 2008, may reflect more than a temporary attitude change in consumers toward high Read more   International Union of Operating Engineers provides significant financial The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) contributed $10,000 to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s (ARTBA-TDF) “Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship” fund.             Read more   Train crashes into collapsed bridge section ENGLAND—A Furious Network Rail’s chief has written to London’s transport commissioner Peter Hendy demanding answers about the disruption to tens of thousands of passengers by last Wednesday’s partial collapse of a bridge that brought the Liverpool Street main line to a halt.Hundreds of commuters were rescued when their train ploughs into a concrete block, which fell from an overhead bridge during Read more   Granite Construction, Mission Indians jointly financing highway improvements with CDOT, San Diego County Granite Construction Co. and the Pala Band of Mission Indians are jointly financing $26 million in improvements to state Route 76 in collaboration with the county of San Diego and the state Department of Transportation. The improvements include a new alignment and additional lanes for the 1.3-mile section of SR- Read more   Major Big Dig contractor faces federal charges Federal prosecutors have charged the largest contractor in Boston's $15 billion Big Dig road and tunnel construction project with lying about faulty work on a section where a ceiling panel killed a woman. The U.S. attorney charged Modern Continental Construction in federal court with knowingly using the wrong epoxy to suspend concrete anchors that failed in the 2006 ceiling collapse that a crushed Read more   U.S. cities cut services, raid reserves on fuel cost Surging fuel prices are forcing cities across the United States to cut back on services and dip into cash reserves to keep their fleets on the road, according to a survey released on June 20. Ninety percent of the 132 mayors surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that climbing fuel prices have had a significant impact on city budgets and operations. The average retail price of diesel u Read more   Slowdown in road travel eclipses 1979 drop Americans cut down on the number of miles they drove for the sixth straight month in April, resulting in the biggest six-month decline since the oil shock of the 1979-80 Iranian revolution, new government data shows. In fact, the current 30-billion-mile drop in highway travel is likely more than all the previous declines combined during the 66 years that the department has been collecting such inf Read more   Dan McKain — ‘He loved life’ Dan McKain, well-known and well-liked in the aggregates industry, passed away doing what he loved best — out in the field reporting and taking photos. He was 76 years old. Dan died on May 17 of an apparent heart attack while on a project site in Texas. He had just finished interviewing several personnel on site, s Read more   News - People in the News: People in the News Robert W. Zaist was named senior executive vice president of business development of the Washington Division of the URS Corporation. Zaist has a background in mining, international engineering, and construction. Read more

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