December 2014, Vol. 69, No. 12

Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA) and Underground Construction magazine has been awarding industry leaders with its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) career achievement award for two decades.

Professional Service Industries Inc. (PSI) recently hired Brian Bass, P.E., as project engineer in its Houston, TX, Construction Services Department.

Cooperative research in the natural gas industry is demonstrating its ability to meet the needs of energy customers, boost the benefits of natural gas as an energy source, and identify emerging needs and solutions.

StraightLine HDD has rolled out a new generation web site to address the growing number of HDD operators moving to mobile devices to research and specify tooling options.

NiSource Inc. announced that its board of directors has approved in principle plans to separate its natural gas pipeline and related businesses into a stand-alone publicly traded company.

When Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) toured the Johnson County Pipe Plant in Alvarado, TX, on Aug. 19, he didn’t just shake hands and marvel at the state-of-the-art machinery. He actually manufactured a piece of concrete pipe himself!

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas has appointed J. Gross Equipment to their rapidly growing dealer network.

Sauereisen, a third-generation manufacturer of corrosion-resistant materials, welcomes Mark Golla to lead its sales team.

Felling Trailers’ online auction of one of its most popular trailers to bring awareness and support of pancreatic cancer research raised $3,400.

The <a href="http://digital.turn-page.com/t/127374">digital edition</a> of <em>Underground Construction</em>, December 2014, Vol. 69, No. 12.

Lincolnshire, IL, both part of Switzerland-based Georg Fischer Ltd., welcomed more than 150 guests including many city and state officials, at the grand opening of their new Irvine facilities on Oct. 9.

Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the people who dig near them, recently announced findings from its comprehensive 2013 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report.

Eric Justman has been promoted to general manager of Facilities Construction for Michels Pipeline Construction.

Andy Braithwaite has accepted the position of ramming and bursting sales manager for HammerHead Trenchless Equipment in its new eastern Canada regional office.

Breakthrough by a micro-tunnelling machine from Herrenknecht in a pipe-jacking project near Hamburg has closed a decisive gap in the construction of two new gas pipelines. The 1.5 kilometer route runs up to 35 meters under the Elbe through various, partially complex geological zones. This demanding technical challenge was competently mastered by the long-term Herrenknecht contractor A.Hak Drillcon on December 4, 2014 after a total of 112 days of tunnelling and in time for the feast day of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of tunnel builders and miners.

Advertisers from the print edition of <em>Underground Construction</em>, December 2014, Vol. 69, No. 12.

Two new products – both directly related to fluids used for horizontal direction drilling (HDD) operations – have been added to the Ditch Witch product line. The MR90 fluid recycling system is specifically designed for use with small to medium-sized drill rigs which make up the majority of HDD units on the job today. The MV800 mud vacuum is an economical, durable portable vacuum system specifically developed for cleaning up drilling fluids on directional drilling sites. Both are available now through the worldwide Ditch Witch dealer organization.

New composite manhole rings and covers have been introduced by BlueGreen Municipal Solutions.

The InfraMarker System from Berntsen is a state of the art integration of RFID technology, magnetic locating technology, cloud data storage and mobile software to locate and manage underground utility infrastructure.

The Lift-a-Load Trailer with tongue hitch with ball or lunette coupler allows full use of the vehicle bed. Vans or covered trucks can also be used as tow vehicles.

Brokk’s TE160 hydraulic drifter rock drill from TEI Rock Drills is ideal for tunneling applications.

The newest arm attachment for LaValley Industries’ DECKHAND product line is the Mat Arm which can be used on the DECKHAND “DHS”, DECKHAND “DH4” and DECKHAND “DHL” platforms.

Power Prime Pumps recently announced availability of their newest centrifugal pump the SiteMax pump.

Air Lance Excavation equipment uses compressed air to produce a high-speed, laser-like jet to break up soil and aid in rapid digging.

Atlas Copco Portable Energy announced the release of its new QAS 25 generator, which is equipped with an Isuzu 4LE engine and a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) to achieve Tier 4 Final emission levels.

Weighing in at nearly 30,000 pounds and with a height of more than 13 feet, AMERICAN Flow Control’s (AFC) 60-inch Series 2500 Flex-Ring boltless restrained joint valve is the first and the largest resilient wedge gate valve (RWGV) in the industry without flanged ends.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will be holding its premier global auction in Orlando, FL, on Feb. 16-20, 2015.

An new international shoring safety trade association – the North American Excavation Shoring Association (NAXSA) – was recently formed to help promote personal worker safety and the effective use of shoring practices for all workers in this field across the nation.

FMI Corporation, a leading provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, has opened a new office in Houston, TX. This is FMI’s fifth office in the United States.

According to this new claim Tracto-Technik (TT) presented its complete range of no-dig systems during the 10th “Hands on Days” held Sept. 16 – 26.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the innovative advances being made in the clean water arena as well as the challenges faced by clean water agencies that are seeking to embrace the concept of the Water Resources Utility of the Future.

<strong>Larry A. Roetzel</strong>, 68, died Oct. 29, in Little Rock, AR, after an extended illness.

<strong>Glen McIver</strong>, 59, died Oct. 30, in Abilene, TX.

<strong>Stephen Jack Morgan</strong>, 67, passed away on Oct. 15 in Merrillville, IN.

TransCanada Corp filed for National Energy Board approval of its $10.8 billion Energy East pipeline to ship oil sands crude to eastern refineries and Atlantic export ports.

In a unanimous vote, San Antonio City Council approved the contract to bring 16.3 billion gallons of new non-Edwards Aquifer water annually for 30 years, and then own the pipeline.

Spectra Energy and Spectra Energy Partners announced in October a proposed expansion of their oil pipeline network, with service from Guernsey, WY, to Patoka, IL.

Bypass pumping by Rain for Rent, Gorman-Rupp, Godwin and Thompson Pump.

Rubber tire trenchers and vibratory plows from Ditch Witch, Mid America Trenchers, Toro and Vermeer. <strong>Ditch Witch</strong>

Competitive Power Ventures is currently building a new dual energy (primary- natural gas; secondary- ultra-low sulfur diesel) high-efficiency generating plant in north central New Jersey.

Enterprise Trenchless Technologies Inc. (ETTI) and sister company Enterprise Electric (EE) worked together to complete a key element of the largest solar power project ever built in the state of Maine. It was ETTI’s first “green energy” project.

North Carolina-based contracting company S&N Communications has quietly evolved from a respected regional installer of telephone cable to a utility contractor with a national footprint.

Fiber is hot again in the telecommunications market.

Two new products – both directly related to fluids used for horizontal direction drilling (HDD) operations – have been added to the Ditch Witch product line.

Recent research and anecdotal evidences leaves little doubt that the United States’ fiber-to-the-home appetite continues to be ravenous.

The ascent of Republicans to majority status in the U.S. Senate in 2015 means the pipeline industry will be able to play more effective defense against Obama administration regulations it opposes and more effective offense behind energy legislation it supports.