November 2012, Vol. 67, No. 11

Featuring a flat top mount design, the new Doosan plate compactors can easily be mounted to different carriers. The flat-top design allows a “cap” to be added to the attachment based on the specific machine being used.

The TracStar 500 Series 3 is the latest evolution of the world’s first self-contained, self-propelled, all-terrain fusion machine.

The patent pending Pipe Mule Pipe Leveling System from HammerHead makes on-grade pipe ramming a cinch. Align and set your grade up to a pitch of 7 degrees per 20-foot section, using the Pipe Mule system and you’re ready to ram.

Baroid IDP introduces a line of premium mixing equipment that includes the 4-point shearing system. This starts with a modified Gorman Rupp pump which is designed to pump viscous mud, as opposed to just water.

The new John Deere 460E ADT joins the 370E and 410E as part of the cutting-edge E-Series. The 46-ton 460E is Deere’s largest, most operator friendly truck ever built.

With an interim Tier 4, 50-hp engine, the E60 compact excavator from Bobcat provides substantial power while not wasting a lot of extra fuel.

The new Case 586H and 588H forklifts achieve Tier 4 Interim certification through the use of cooled exhaust gas recirculation technology and a diesel particulate filter.

Drilling equipment dealer, Rig Source Inc., located in Elburn, IL, has introduced their new Terramac RT9 rubber track multipurpose carrier.

Pipe lasers from Trimble/Spectra Precision, AGL Construction Lasers, AGATEC Construction Lasers, Leica Geosystems and Topcon Positioning Systems.

Wheel loaders from Doosan, New Holland, Case, Volvo, Caterpillar, Kubota Tractor and John Deere.

Medium and large excavators from Kobelco, John Deere, Doosan, Volvo, Hitachi, Case and Caterpillar.

American Augers has introduced a new guided auger boring system -- the Model 48GM8000 -- designed to make bores in diameters from 48 to 60 inches to lengths of 1,000 feet, depending on site specific geological conditions.

Neil Kevin Shwery, 59, passed away Sept. 5 at his home in Cloverdale, BC. Employed at Masterliner Inc. for more than 26 years, most currently as a salesman, Shwery was instrumental in overseeing many innovative product developments.

Godwin, a Xylem brand, continues to support emergency relief efforts through the south after Hurricane Isaac.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has enhanced its variances web page to improve public understanding of the variance approval process and increase access to the agency’s decisions on variance requests. The page now lists both denied and approved requests and provides information to employers on submitting formal requests for a variance from an OSHA workplace standard.

Aecon Group Inc.’s Utilities Division and Robert B. Somerville Co. Ltd. have been awarded a $600 million contract by Inter Pipeline Fund to complete the expansion of the Cold Lake and Polaris pipelines in Alberta, Canada.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Hawaii Department of Health a $10,946,000 million grant for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a $9,125,000 million grant for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for water pollution control and drinking water infrastructure projects.

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has approved financial assistance loans totaling $29,382,800 as follows:

Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the people who dig near them, announced findings from its comprehensive 2011 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is leading an effort this election season to send a clear message to our elected officials and political candidates that investment in water infrastructure is an investment in America’s future.

The number of North American households connected directly into fiber networks has hit the nine million mark, with small incumbent telephone companies continuing to lead the growth in fiber to the home deployments, according to the Fiber-to-the-Home Council Americas.

UPDATED: The Charles Machine Works (CMW), Perry, OK, has continued its aggressive underground industry expansion efforts with the pending purchase of American Augers and Trencor from Astec Underground, Loudon, TN, a subsidiary of Astec Industries Inc., Chattanooga, TN. The two companies entered into a formal agreement on Oct. 31, for a cash purchase price of $55 million. Both companies expect the sale to be completed by Dec. 31.

Advertisers from the print edition of <em>Underground Construction</em>, November 2012, Vol. 67, No. 11.

Since 1991, the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University has been working to develop its role in support of the development of trenchless technologies and the more effective installation and management of the nation’s buried infrastructure.

The fourth annual Tulsa Pipeline Expo (TPE) wrapped up in late August and event coordinators are already looking forward to number five. Over 150 exhibitors from across Oklahoma converged on Tulsa to display their wares and network with others in the energy industry.

The 46th Annual International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) Convention convened recently in Istanbul, a dynamic city where East meets West and the past and present collide. The venue was perfectly suited as the 680 delegates from around the globe.

As a utility owner, there are many benefits that merit consideration of pipe bursting for your next utility renewal project. However, in today's ever-growing marketplace, there seems to be a never-ending supply of new methods that are touted as the next best thing.

Rig Source has introduced a new compact rubber-track carrier that not only is a multi-purpose carrier, but can accommodate various types of specialized equipment.

Following a major collapse of a section of the Oakland Macomb Interceptor System in 2004, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department performed an extensive inspection of the 42-mile system, and began a major program of rehabilitation of various distressed areas.

Around 2005, many utilities across the country were aware of the statistical data indicating that as the baby boomer generation reached retirement, there would be a substantial number of employees with many years of experience and expertise departing the workforce.

When he took the telephone call, Jim Lee was busy preparing to leave town. He was at home in the Jackson, MS, suburb of Brandon and would leave the next day for an extended trip that would take him to auger boring job sites in New York, Wisconsin and Canada. Such a schedule is routine for Lee, a field service technician for American Augers.

Flowing through the center of the downtown business district of Iowa’s vibrant capital city is the Des Moines River, a 525-mile-long tributary of the great Mississippi, and the longest river in the state.

<em>Underground Construction/Pipeline & Gas Journal</em>’s latest international survey indicates 89,233 miles of new and planned oil and gas pipelines are under construction and planned. Of these 49,488 miles account for projects in the planning and engineering phase and 39,745 miles are in various stages of construction.

<em>(More at <a href="http://www.undergroundconstructionmagazine.com/florida-dot-approves-project-switch-slide-rail">Florida DOT Approves Project Switch To Slide Rail</a>)</em> Because of the nearby federally-protected wetlands, all discharge and drainage water from dewatering were monitored closely by the Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection , the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the local Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Just one way: according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), there was only one approved method for shoring a trench within the right-of-way of an Interstate -- driven tight sheeting.

Keeping sanitary sewer lines clear by regular cleaning is an important element in ongoing sewer system maintenance.

Underground Construction’s 2012 census of large horizontal directional drilling contractors is an effective tool when selecting the right size of drill rig to fit specific project needs in managing a successful HDD operation.

By the time this magazine is read, the national elections will be over and our course cast for the next four years for president, two years for House and Senate.

Pipeline groups are unhappy with the way the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is interpreting the new penalty authority Congress provided it under the Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011, which went into effect last January.