March 2014, Vol. 69 No. 3

Downhole directional drilling tools by Armadrillco, HammerHead Trenchless Equipment, Railhead Underground Products, INROCK, Ditch Witch, Vermeer, American Augers, Radius HDD Direct, Melfred Borzall, Sharewell HDD Services, Horizontal Technology, Ballantine, Hunting Trenchless and Straightline.

Drilling fluid/polymers by M-I SWACO, Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, CETCO Drilling Products and Wyo-Ben.

Caterpillar is giving its dealers an opportunity to develop a three-year plan to recover lost sales by the end of the year or they may face termination of their dealership agreements, according to <em>Reuters</em>.

Long-time industry business owner and supporter Francis “David” Magill, Jr. of Houston, TX, lost his battle with cancer on Jan. 19.

TransCanada Corp. applied more than five years ago for a federal permit to build the 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline across the U.S. in order to link Canada’s tar sands in Alberta with refineries along the coast of Texas and Louisiana.

Alaska has signed an agreement with major oil and gas firms to build an 800-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from the state’s North Slope to a proposed export plant, and then on to Asia, reports Reuters.

Artesian Water Company, a subsidiary of Artesian Resources Corporation, announced that it recently has completed nine projects in New Castle County and Sussex County, Delaware, investing nearly $5 million in eight water main replacements and a new installation.

Xylem Inc. has been awarded a $2.7 million contract to supply the equipment and technology for a storm water drainage system to protect against future storm damage along Route 35 on the New Jersey coastline.

In order to serve the growing needs of the northwestern portion of the Elm Fork Interceptor System for the Central Regional Wastewater System (CRWS) service area, the Trinity River Authority (TRA) of Texas has entered into an agreement with RJN Group Inc. to provide them with final design engineering services for the Elm Fork Interceptor System Improvements Project.

Representatives Bob Latta (R-OH) and Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced H.R. 3862, The Clean Water Affordability Act, Jan. 14 to assist financially challenged communities advance of clean water projects while minimizing the financial impacts on ratepayers and municipal budgets.

For the first time, a Canadian construction company has installed a pipeline using the Direct Pipe technology from Herrenknecht.

The new storm water drainage system being installed here is using large diameter corrugated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe to replace an old clay tile pipe system.

The Associated Press reports that the Public Service Commission of North Dakota last year approved more than $1 billion worth of energy-related projects, and officials expect at least that level of activity in 2014.

Recently announced Department of Labor (DOL) statics show that the unionized private-sector workforce grew in 2013 to about 8.1 million workers, the most since 2009 and an increase of 277,000 workers from 2012, as reported by the Pipe Line Contractors Association.

While typically, the Houston area of southeast Texas experiences mild winter weather conditions, January 2014 proved that the city is not immune to the horrific winter weather being experienced across most of the nation.

Attendance set a record as over 420 delegates attended the Distribution Contractors Association 53rd Annual Convention at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun, Mexico. Many of those delegates were attending their first ever DCA convention. The convention was presided over by outgoing president Tim Bell of Midwestern Contractors, Elburn, IL.

Some of the largest wind farms in the United States are using large diameter, solid wall high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduit to protect electrical cables and the environment.

Two of the primary benefits of trenchless construction and rehabilitation technologies are their capabilities of replacing or rehabilitating failing pipelines in locations where it is impractical or impossible to perform extensive excavations.

Texas-based contractor Laney Directional Drilling recently employed Direct Pipe technology to make an underground wetlands crossing on a segment of a major pipeline project in the Northeast United States.

One of the challenges facing municipalities in the replacement of failing pipelines is that many of these pipelines are located in developed and populated areas.

Vermeer has introduced a remote control function for its lines of track trenchers and terrain leveler equipment.

Sharewell HDD Drilling Products has introduced a new method of securing horizontal directional drilling machines to the ground to provide stability during drilling and especially during product pullback.

With the new ROVVER X-SAT lateral launch system, a remote operator can perform pan/tilt video inspection 150 feet into a 4-inch sewer lateral from an adjoining sewer mainline.

Condux International, in cooperation with Innovative Industrial Products, recently added the Penta Buster to its line of cable installation tools and equipment.

Horizontal Technology Inc. (HTI) featured two new products at the 2014 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition held in January in Houston.

If you work in the underground construction market and are looking for the newest and best technologies to help you be more productive on the job, then look no further.

American Augers has introduced an excavator-mounted exit-side wrench for use with any brand of mid-size horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment that uses five-inch diameter drill pipe.

Atlas Copco Compressors has extended the GA VSD+ range of oil-injected rotary screw compressors through 50 hp.

Air-Spade, a division of Guardair Corp., announces the availability of the UTILITY AIR-SPADE 4000 SERIES excavation tools.

The Flagshooter system inserts marking flags and sprays paint with one hand, without having to bending over.

Bobcat Company has released its first Tier 4 500-frame loaders, including a non-diesel particulate filter (DPF) engine solution.

Vermeer launched an all-new Navigator Nation website designed to be a social media channel where horizontal directional drill (HDD) professionals can share information with each other in order to enhance the profession and the industry. The new website has been completely redesigned to be a sharing platform for HDD contractors all over the globe.

HammerHead’s PortaVision pipe-inspection camera system now features a removable, retina display iPad 4.

The M572CH encompasses a combination of new, enhanced, and time-tested features, including design elements that ensure safe operation, ease-of-use and serviceability.

Centrifugally cast, fiberglass-reinforced, polymer mortar HOBAS pipe is suitable for new construction and rehab of critical installations including storm and sanitary sewers, potable water and corrosive environments.

People get old. People get disinterested, want to come home at night after a day’s work or simply believe they are entitled to an air conditioned and heated job environment. People just don’t find the working in the construction market appealing. For whatever the reason, the underground construction market is increasingly feeling the pinch of a limited labor pool.

Advertisers from the print edition of <em>Underground Construction</em>, March 2014, Vol. 69 No. 3.

A flurry of new water infrastructure funding bills has made an appearance of Capitol Hill.