Sept. 16, 2015 –NSSGA Chairman Charles S. Luck IV, recently asked each and every U.S. Senator to support S. 1140, a bipartisan bill that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw and re-propose their controversial Waters of the U.S. rule. This new regulation that went into effect in late August drastically expands the EPA’s jurisdiction over areas that do not…
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Troubleshooting Conveyor Malfunctions
HERE ARE SOME COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN WITH CONVEYOR BELTS AND HOW TO QUICKLY REPAIR THEM WHILE ON THE JOB. By Mark S. Kuhar Rip-detector installed. Compared to practices from more than a century ago, today’s modern technology helps improve production much more efficiently. However, sometimes new technology and methods can malfunction, causing procedures to abruptly halt until the problem…
Read MoreRemembering 9/11
Sept. 11, 2015 – Bells are tolling and tears are flowing as the nation marks a dark day in sorrowful yet hopeful ceremonies. Fourteen years ago, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and rammed two into New York City’s World Trade Center and a third one into the Pentagon outside Washington. A fourth jetliner crash-landed on an empty field in Pennsylvania. Read…
Read MorePositive Signals for the Future
Shortly after I completed my August issue editorial, the Senate passed its version of the highway bill. As we wait for the House to finalize its version of the bill, then contemplate the mysteries of the universe while they try to reconcile the two bills, here are a few interesting construction-economy items.
Read MoreTake a Senator to Work Day
Aug. 28, 2015 – Maybe it should have been called “Take a Senator to Work Day.” In its ongoing push for congressional action on a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization, the North Carolina Aggregates Association helped organize a tour for Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Martin Marietta hosted the tour at the Garner Quarry in Garner, N.C. Participants of the tour were able…
Read MoreBridges of Doom
August 18, 2015 – One month ago, an elevated section of Interstate 10 collapsed amid heavy rains in the California desert, injuring one driver, stranding many others and halting travel for thousands by cutting off both directions of the main corridor between Southern California and Arizona. Did you ever wonder how many more bridges out there are in line to fail?…
Read MoreMSHA Alert on Bins and Hoppers
August 10, 2015 – MSHA has issued a special alert on steel storage bins and hoppers. Steel storage bins can hold a large amount of material and if they fail, the consequences can be fatal, the agency said. From 2012 to 2014, there have been 5 reported failures in the U.S. mining industry. Bin failures are often preventable with periodic inspection and…
Read MoreJune Construction Starts Retreat 15 Percent
Highway and Bridge Construction Advances 16 Percent; First Six Months of 2015 Up 23 Percent. By Mark S. Kuhar
Read MoreA Productive Solution
NEW BIRMINGHAM INC.’S NEW EXCAVATOR HELPS INCREASE CYCLE TIMES AND PRODUCTION. By Mark S. Kuhar It’s a question that crosses every operations manager’s mind on a daily basis: How do we increase productivity and efficiency? For Rick Bailey, senior vice president of operations for New Birmingham Inc. (NBI), and his team, the answer is a Hitachi ZX670LC-5 Excavator. Decreased Cycle…
Read MoreSaving for the Future
LAKEVIEW SAND AND GRAVEL INVESTS IN TWO NEW LOADERS TO REDUCE OPERATING COSTS. By Mark S. Kuhar Determining how profitable a company can be is not always based on how much revenue it can make, but rather, how much a company can save at the same time. Matthew Willson (right), owner of Lakeview Sand and Gravel, has believed in this…
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