February 2018 Vol. 73 No. 2
New Products
With a 66-inch drum width and 24,350-pound operating weight, the DD110C rounds out the highway-class, double-drum compactor series from Volvo, which also includes the recently introduced DD120C (79-inch) and DD140C (84-inch) models. “The DD110C is right in the 10-ton-class sweet spot, making it wel..
The ALLU Transformer TS Drum Assembly, manufactured for the ALLU Transformer D-Series material processor attachment frames, is an effective tool for pipeline padding and backfilling applications. Because it allows material to be screened onsite and backfilled directly into a trench, it eliminates th..
Gehl and Mustang now offer the world’s largest skid loader – with an operating weight of 11,665 pounds. Featuring a Tier IV certified Deutz 120-horsepower engine and 4,200 pounds of rated operating capacity, the 4200V an increase of 21.7 horsepower and 200 pounds in operating capacity over the brand..
Michelin X Tweel SSL all-terrain (AT) airless radial tires are now a factory-approved, -supplied option on all CASE skid steer loader models. Airless radial tires perform just like a pneumatic tire, but without the risk and costly downtime associated with penetrations and impact damage. The Micheli..
A successful pilot program for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) represents the nation’s widest deployment of smart infrastructure in sewer collection systems to lower operating costs by millions of dollars, reduce pressure on rates and dramatically decrease the risk of sewer overflows. SAWS is i..
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment for locating buried utilities is an option that has been available for several years, but US Radar has taken the technology a step further combining subsurface GPR and global position system (GPS) technologies. US Radar’s new GP Rover, with advanced triple-..
Business
Leslie Equipment Company now represents the Prinoth Panther, selling, leasing and servicing the tracked vehicles in West Virginia. “We chose the Prinoth Panther line because we believe it is the best undercarriage and track system on the market,” said John Leslie, president. “We are impressed by th..
Caterpillar has extended its machine standard warranty to 24 months or 2,000 hours for new machine purchases (starting Jan. 1, 2018) of skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, multi-terrain loaders and mini excavators sold in the U.S. and Canada by authorized Cat dealers. “Our mission is to help..
A new, state-of-the-art, 29,000-square-foot Fabrication Center takes streamlining the production process to new levels for Felling Trailers. The layout design of the Fabrication Center was based on the equipment used to complete the processing of fabricated parts with the goals of reducing non-valu..
Akkerman hosted facility tours so local high-school students could learn more about modern manufacturing processes and to inspire future generations to consider manufacturing careers. After a brief presentation and overview, the 70 students were divided into small groups and guided through the 65,0..
The Old Rock Breakers division of RD Williams (RDW) is the new ALLU distributor in Australia. Based in Brisbane and servicing clients nationwide, RDW is considered to be an industry leader in earthmoving equipment solutions. With four dedicated business units, the RDW team uses its extensive industr..
CASE Construction Equipment, a brand of CNH Industrial N.V., received the Good Design Award for its G-Series wheel loaders. Out of the thousands of submissions sent by the world’s leading manufacturers and industrial design firms, the G-Series product design was selected by the Chicago Athenaeum: Mu..
VersaFlex Inc. and Raven Lining Systems, two powerful brands in the specialty coatings industry, have merged to expand and build upon combined expertise in polyurea, polyurethane, epoxy and cementitious technologies, and better serve global customers. Both companies are industry leaders, VersaFlex ..
Installing more than 1.5 miles of power cable in dusty, dry Texas soil turned into a relatively easy job for the contractor and earned the Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI) 2017 Project of the Year for the cable’s manufacturer, Southwire Company LLC (Carrollton, GA). Southwire’s cable-in-conduit (CIC) w..
Rehabilitation
Sewer rehabilitation using cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) trenchless technology has become an increasingly common method to preserve underground infrastructures due to its feasibility, cost-effectiveness and reduced social impacts. Since it was introduced in 1971 as an alternative to digging up and repl..
Washington Watch
New Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Kevin McIntyre’s announcement that the commission will review its 1999 pipeline policy statement comes in the wake of pressure from the Trump Administration to ease permitting of various infrastructure projects. President Trump issued an Aug. ..
Newsline
CASE Construction Equipment is accepting entries for the third-annual Dire States Equipment Grant, which provides one winning community with $25,000 in free equipment use to help offset the costs of building or repairing a critical piece of local infrastructure. Representatives of municipal, county..
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) made $87 million in Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grants available across the state through Round VII of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) awards. The funds will be used on 95 projects to improve and protect wat..
The Board of the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO) announced in mid-January the acceptance of the resignation of Executive Director Ted DeBoda, P.E. He will continue his role as a Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) Master Trainer and will provide consulting servi..
Sauk Centre, MN, Felling Trailers Inc. conducted its fifth-annual online auction of an FT-3 drop-deck utility trailer to benefit a non-profit organization. This year, the winning bid of almost $3,000 was donated to two Special Olympics Minnesota (SOMN) teams, Golden Eagles and Young Athletes. The 2..
Geophysics for Subsurface Utility Engineering Professionals Short Course Offered The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University, in conjunction with the ASCE’S Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI), have teamed up to hold the second TTC/UEIS School from Feb. 26 to ..
Features
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) has become the primary driving force in bringing together every organization and each person that should be concerned about preventing damage to underground utility infrastructure. Obviously, it is in the interest of owners of utilities, and contractors and organiza..
Editor’s Note: This is part two of an exclusive four-part series outlining the risks of modern underground utility infrastructure construction and rehabilitation work. In Part 1, we introduced the concepts of underground uncertainties in infrastructure work. In this installment, we will look speci..
Large Pipe-Ramming Tool Drives Casing to Replace Failing Culvert Drill Tech Drilling & Shoring Inc. first demonstrated its 34-inch HammerHead Trenchless pipe ramming tool while driving 108-inch steel pipe over a 54-inch culvert beneath the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. The technique is called “pip..
Following a busy 2017, the Power & Communications Contractors Association (PCCA) charges into 2018 with plans to expand its education initiatives, vigorously pursue advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., and hold fun and valuable meetings that provide opportunities for members to network with their c..
News that one of the major telecommunication carriers or cable companies is planning to bring a fiber optic network to a new city or neighborhood always attracts the attention of cable customers, especially those who are heavy internet users and stream video. The prospect of high-speed fiber interne..
Deployment of fiber optic cable to individual homes and premises continues to expand at a strong pace, according to the most recent study by the Fiber Broadband Association (formerly the FTTH Council). The association’s North American 2017 Broadband Report, released in December, said Canada is lead..
Having passed and signed a major tax reform bill at the end of 2017, the Trump Administration and Congress move on to their next big legislative target in 2018: infrastructure spending. While sewer and drinking water projects may receive additional federal funding as a result, that is not certain. I..
In 2017, Washington politics continued as usual – if anything, even more bitterly partisan than ever before. Congress remains deeply divided down political lines and even among the parties themselves, crippling concerted efforts to accomplish the multitude of high-profile issues demanding immediate ..
Editor's Log
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief This issue includes our highly anticipated Municipal Sewer and Water Survey. The exclusive survey, conducted last fall by Underground Construction magazine, provides an amazing window into the mindset and funding plans of U.S. sewer/water infrastructure personne..
- Tunnel boring machine ‘Clack-A-Mole’ nears one-third completion in Oregon outfall project
- Explosion in underground PG&E vault leaves one dead in Richmond, Calif.
- Sinkhole in Texas town accrues over $800,000 in sewer rehabilitation costs
- Water and Sewer Damage Awareness Week highlights infrastructure challenges
- Duke Energy undergrounds 48% of Florida power lines with plans to expand as hurricane season peaks
- Wisconsin proposes new PFAS drinking water standards to align with federal rules
- Elgin, Ill., joins EPA drinking water initiative to accelerate lead pipe replacement
- Dog River pipeline replacement in Oregon improves water supply with new HDPE pipe
- New Portable Welding System From Miller
- GasTracker Accurately Locates Plastic Gas Pipes