| AggBeat |
October 2007
Bridge Collapse Sparks Legislation for Highway System
by , Senior Editor
The fatal collapse of the I-35W bridge in
Minnesota has sparked legislative proposals as answers are sought and
legislators look to address the more than 6,000 structurally deficient
bridges along the National Highway System.
Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who serves as the House Transportation Panel chairman, had announced plans at Aggregates Manager press time to hold a hearing on the nation’s problem of deteriorating bridges when Congress was back in session in September. Oberstar also plans to introduce legislation to fix these bridges that are no longer structurally sound.
According to a Reuters report, the National Transportation Safety Board investigators looking into the incident noted a potential design problem with gusset plates, which are steel plates that tie together angled steel beams of the bridge’s frame. However, at Aggregates Manager press time, investigators were still trying to verify loads and stresses on these plates at specific locations, as well as the materials used to construct them — and officials noted the findings were preliminary and would not say whether plate failures caused the collapse, according to the report.
Pete Ruane, president and CEO of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), lauded Oberstar’s proposed legislation, saying that he has displayed the “political leadership and ‘can do’ attitude” that is critical to seriously addressing the United States’ national transportation system deficiencies. “The federal surface transportation investment program needs to change to meet the demands and challenges of this century, not the last one,” Ruane says in a written statement. “We believe the Oberstar bridge proposal signals a necessary first step toward legislatively refocusing and reinvigorating it…He is proposing a ‘surgical strike’ approach that could be a model for the future.
“The impact this proposed legislation will be felt on the upcoming renewal of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act — a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which expires in 2009, and whether it will increase funding for a severely underfunded budget remains uncertain,” Ruane says.
Main tenets of proposed bridge legislation
The following are the four main components of Democratic House Rep. Jim Oberstar’s plan, “The National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction Initiative.”
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Significantly improve bridge inspection requirements;
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Provide dedicated funding;
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Distribute funds based on public safety and needs; and
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Establish a National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction Trust Fund.
Oberstar’s proposed plan would establish the federal share for structurally deficient bridges at 90 percent, with 80 percent for all others along the National Highway System, according to a report from the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). Once the Federal Highway Administration reports back, on the cost to finance repairs, rehabilitation, and replacement of the bridges, revenues will then be determined, according to the NSSGA report.
Mineral Information Institute Elects New Directors
The Mineral Information Institute, a national non-profit educational group that provides classroom materials about mineral and energy resources and society’s need for and use of our natural resources, has elected seven new members and re-elected five members to its Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting in August.
The new directors are the following:
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John English, manager of public affairs for Vulcan Materials Co.;
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Xavier Thérin, director of manufacturing and operations for Lafarge North America;
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Mark Yingling, vice president of environment & conservancy with Peabody Energy;
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Lisa Corathers, commodities specialist with the Minerals Information Team of the U.S. Geological Survey;
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Bob Kilborn, manager of technical services at MolyCorp’s Questa Mine in New Mexico;
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Mary Korpi, director of external affairs for Newmont Mining Corporation in Nevada; and
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Tania Hudson, director of Aggregate Research Industries Communications.
Directors re-elected to new terms include the following:
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Bruce Hanson, CEO of Idaho General Mines;
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Tim Snider, president & COO, Freeport Copper and Gold;
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Jack Thompson, corporate executive and director;
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Lou Boltik, director, marketing & communications, Joy Mining Machinery; and
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Therese Dunphy, executive editor of Aggregates
Manager magazine.
Therese Dunphy
Holcim Cleared to Acquire Bulgarian Company
Global cement maker Holcim has been cleared by Bulgaria’s anti-trust regulator to acquire a majority stake in building materials manufacturer ZSK Kremikovtzi, newswire service SeeNews reports.
The Bulgarian company’s only valuable asset is a gravel pit near Bulgarian capital, Sofia, Holcim Bulgaria’s CEO Todor Kostov to the newswire. Kostov also told SeeNews that Holcim Bulgaria could extract between 400,000 and 500,000 tons of gravel each year if demand requires it, according to the newswire report.
Holcim has two cement factories in Bulgaria as well as two sand-making factories and a concrete mixtures plant in Bulgaria.
Aggregate Industries Must Pay $50 Million in Fines
Swampscott, Mass.-based Aggregate Industries Northeast Region Inc. has been ordered to pay $50 million after it pleaded guilty to a scheme to deliver what has been called “adulterated concrete” — concrete that did not meet Big Dig specs and had excess water added to it — to the Central Artery/Tunnel Project more commonly known as “The Big Dig,” according to a GateHouse News Service report.
On July 27, Aggregate Industries agreed to pay the fine to resolve the company of its criminal and civil liabilities in connection with the incident, according to the report. The company also must pay up to $75 million in insurance coverage for potential future structural maintenance costs related to the scheme, the report notes. The agreement will keep Aggregate Industries from being debarred by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as long as the company complies with the terms of an administrative agreement between themselves and the FHWA.
Housing Market, Cement Consumption to Rebound in 2009
Cement consumption has weakened in 2007, with the hard correction in the housing market to blame for the slowdown, according to the most recent forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) at Aggregates Manager press time.
Cement consumption this year is expected to fall 4.4 percent lower than 2006 levels, PCA says. However, the association’s Chief Economist Ed Sullivan notes that the decline will be temporary, with a 2.2-percent cement consumption gain anticipated for 2008.
Originally expected to increase and cushion the decline in cement consumption, cement intensities have declined for 10 straight months, PCA says. Weather conditions, lower construction activities in key regions, and other conditions are factors that may be contributing to erosion in cement intensity. PCA says it now expects a modest decline, roughly 1 percent, in 2007 cement intensities. With a decrease in cement consumption, a reduction of cement imports is also predicted.
“The combination of further expected weakness in the U.S. cement markets, high inventory levels, and high freight rates has lead to a significant decline in cement import levels thus far in 2007,” Sullivan says in a press release from PCA.
New Emissions Technology Helps Contractor Save Some Green
St. Louis, Mo.-based Fred Weber, Inc., a major highway contractor and aggregate producer, has managed to both help the environment and save money for the company in the process by installing Combustion Catalyst Systems (CCS) on its fleet of diesel equipment.?The system, which is designed to reduce pollutants emitted by diesel engines, proved to have multi-tiered benefits for the company — money savings in addition to just pollution reduction.
Ed Moss, maintenance manager for Fred Weber Inc., says he was a bit skeptical of the system at first. But when he tested the device on an engine loading limestone at one of the company’s mines, it showed a reduction in particulates of 50 percent. The test also showed an average fleet-wide fuel savings of more than 15 percent across the board. When the company mechanics dismantled the engine, which had run for 7,000 hours, the internal parts looked brand new, Moss notes.
Ed Moss, maintenance manager for St. Louis,
Mo.-based Fred Weber Inc., plans to install 50 more catalyst systems
this year, well on his way to outfitting his fleet of 300 diesel running
generators, loaders, and dredges.
He estimates that the company saved 3 gallons per hour through use of the technology. With 7,000 hours of engine run time, that amounts to 21,000 gallons of fuel saved on a single unit. Moss says he believes that the usable life for the engine can be extended by about 5,000 hours or two years.
Phoenix-based technology company Emissions Technology designed the catalyst system being used by Moss’ company. It is the size of a large cereal box and is installed under the hood, near the diesel engine’s turbocharger.? The technology makes the engine combustion cleaner and more efficient by injecting a platinum-based catalyst into the combustion chamber.?The concept is the same as taking a catalytic converter, and installing it on the front end of the combustion cycle, rather than on the exhaust.
NEWS IN BRIEF
House Passes Highway Tech Correction Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives on Aug. 1 voted 422-1 to pass H.R. 3248, a bill that makes technical changes, corrects drafting errors, and clarifies provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act — a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to make sure the law is carried out the way Congress intended.
The bill had been brought to the House floor four times in 18 months, according to U.S. Rep John L. Mica (R-Fla.), who serves as Republican leader of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee.
“It is important to note that this bill does not make substantial policy changes to SAFETEA-LU,” Mica says in a new release from the House. “Rather, this bill corrects provisions that were not workable by the states or the U.S. Department of Transportation… Once the president signs this bill, SAFETEA-LU will finally be able to accomplish what Congress voted to do over two years ago.”
