April 2019 Vol. 74 No. 4

When an energy source is extremely economical, much-more environmentally friendly and readily available, common sense would dictate that you encourage development of that source. But sometimes common sense and reality prove to be dramatically different thing..

The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust (OCWUT) has signed Woolpert to an eight-year, multimillion-dollar contract to provide asset management and sewer condition assessment services. As the city’s policy-making body for wate..

The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) Inc., a major trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry, published an important user document for handling high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduit. TN-58: HDPE..

Virtual Reality software and energy R&D experts are jointly developing VR training for first responders to natural gas leak calls. To improve emergency response effectiveness and coordination, the training will focus on aspects of investigating the leak, identifying and eliminating ignition sources..

Prysmian Group was awarded a new $21.8-million contract by New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power), the largest electric utility in the Atlantic Canada. The Fundy Isles Project involves the development of a new submarine c..

Louisiana Tech University’s Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) and the city of Ruston Department of Public Works (COR-DPW) Living Lab Program partnered with Easy-Sight Technologies, a Wuhan, China, developer and manufacturer of Pipeline Condition Assessment (PCA) equipment and software, to offer a m..

Stephen Barlas  |  Washington Editor The top federal appeals court in charge of policing regulatory decisions gave a big victory to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), endorsing in February its approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, one of two controversial projects already underway..

Strong revenue and profitability marked the first quarter of 2019 for the utility and communications industry, particularly among the publicly traded members of the Utility & Communications Construction Index (UCCI).

Jeff Awalt  |  Executive Editor The 2019 Most Valuable Professional winner Lynn Osborn (center) accepts his award from co-sponsors Robert Carpenter (left), of Underground Construction and Tim Peterie (right), UCTA. ..

Jeff Griffin  |  Senior Editor It’s been two months since The Toro Company announced it had reached an agreement to acquire The Charles Machine Works (CMW), best known as the parent company of Ditch Witch. The news came as a surprise to much of the underground construction industry and to CMW empl..

Jeff Griffin  |  Senior Editor Schonstedt Instrument Co. has introduced a new underground utility pipe and cable locator designed to “sweep” large areas for the presence of buried assets. ..

Family Construction Company Overcomes Obstacles by Going Above and Beyond Ken Beck  |  Contributing Writer Cleary Construction crewmen check the coating as they prepare to install a section of 16-inch gas main pipe whi..

The site of a future industrial complex located southwest of Wrightstown, Wisc., required installation of 90 feet of 24-inch casing for a new 12-inch PVC sewer line. Trenchless specialist Red Ants Boring Co. of Zion, Ill., had planned to auger bore the line in at a 45-degree angle beneath So. County..

What’s the crew doing while pipe is being fused in the hole? That’s exactly the question that was bugging Ellingson Companies Superintendent Clint Baumgartner back in 2012 when he worked on a number of water and wastewater jobs in the Midwest. ..

Rehabilitating or replacing large-diameter sewer lines in heavily populated areas always is a challenge: heavy traffic complicates work and causes disruptions and traffic delays, creating a ripple affect extending far beyond the construction zones.

Perma-Liner Industries LLC., a leading manufacturer and supplier of trenchless pipeline rehabilitation equipment and materials in North America, introduced its newest product. The Manhole Edge Protector (MEP) offers ultimate fiber optic protection and is produced in sizes to accommodate any manhole ..

HammerHead Trenchless, a Charles Machine Works Company, announced that its exclusive Bluelight LED system is now available in North America.

avantigrout.com In 2019, Avanti is offering for the first time, a certification program for grouting technicians. The objective is to validate knowledge and competence in solution grouts and application of best practices to seal the collection system from infiltration of groundwater, exfiltration..

Applied Felts combines fiberglass reinforcement with traditional felt liner material to provide the strongest, most robust liners available. The Hybrid Liners perform and install in the same manner as non-reinforced liners wit..

MaxLiner’s quality felt liners are specifically developed for optimal results in a variety of applications and pipe configurations. The Max FLEX 4D provides ease of inversion and a close fit in 4- to 6-inch transitions (while ..

National Liner, through its network of experienced North American installers, provides cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) products and services to municipal and industrial customers to rehabilitate deteriorated pipe. Established in 19..

Perma-Liner’s most innovative technology has arrived – the LIGHTRAY LSR PRO UV LED Lateral Patch system. Curing 2- to 6-inch diameters in 5 minutes under any conditions, the LSR PRO navigates multiple 45- and 90-degree angles ..

HammerHead Trenchless, a Charles Machine Works Company, unveiled its new WT212-3D wet-out table, featuring a unique 3-drive roller system and no-shim gap control that combine to deliver highly accurate and uniform resin satura..

Sunbelt Rentals is a major supporter of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) program, which provides 100-percent, mortgage-free, specially adapted, custom smart-homes for America’s severely wounded heroes. ..

epiroc.com Epiroc, a leading productivity partner for the mining, infrastructure and natural resources industries, added James River Equipment (JRE) as a full-line dealer in Virginia. Previously a dealer of Epiroc hydraulic attachments throughout the state, JRE has added sales and rental of new and..

duraline.com Dura-Line celebrated recent technology upgrades that expanded the range of products made in its Gravenhurst (Ontario, Canada) manufacturing plant. Key customers were invited to an open house event that included a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and product demonstrations. Facil..

naturspeicher.de The Association of the Construction Industry, Environmental Technology and Mechanical Engineering (VDBUM) awarded Max Bögl Group’s PiPECrawler the first prize in the “Developments from Industry” category of the 2019 global innovation in underground pipelines made of polyethylene (P..

sunstateequip.com Sunstate Equipment Co., LLC, entered the trench safety equipment rental arena with the opening of its Trench Safety Division in Houston. “At Sunstate, our goal is to provide best-in-class service to all of ..

atlascopco.com Atlas Copco Compressors has acquired Appleton Compressor Service & Supply Inc. As a long-established distributor of Atlas Copco, Menasha, Wisc., Appleton offers a wide range of equipment, including air compressors, vacuum pumps and air treatment equipment and associated services. “W..

hcss.com Construction software developer HCSS celebrated the close of its annual Construction Intern Award program by presenting Kent Beecham with a $10,000 Intern of the Year scholarship check. Beecham has a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and is currently working toward receivin..

felling.com Felling Trailers Inc., a leader in industrial trailer manufacturing, received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Development Center – Midwest, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). ..

Kevin Smith was named president of two of The Charles Machine Works companies, Subsite Electronics, provider of electronic technology, and HammerHead Trenchless, which offers rehabilitation and replacement solutions for underground construction and service. CMW is now owned by The Toro Company. “..

Vactor Manufacturing Inc. is expanding its Streator, Ill., manufacturing facility, adding 100,000 square feet and up to 90 more jobs, and enhancing production. “We are excited to announce this expansion of our Streator facili..

Volvo Construction Equipment North America awarded Alta Equipment Company as the 2018 Dealer of the Year. The Detroit, Mich.-based company demonstrated outstanding performance over the last year, intensifying efforts to improve customer experiences, and entering a new market (Illinois) and reinforci..

To celebrate its successful 2018 sales—20 percent year over year increase—Hyundai recently recognized its top-performing dealers. Kerry Vickar (center), chairman of the board, accepted the Deal of the Year award on beha..

Edward Campbell was appointed as president of HMI Utilities Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of HMI Services Inc., with responsibility for the company’s strategy, growth, operational and financial performance. He brings more than 35 years of leadership experience at various subsidiaries of HMI, and i..

Mani Iyer is the new president of LiuGong North America (LGNA), the Katy, Texas, wholly owned subsidiary of Liuzhou, China, heavy equipment manufacturer Guangxi LiuGong Machinery Co. LTD. Iyer brings more than 26 years of multidisciplinary and multicultural experience while serving in a wide variety..

Adam Mercer joined GSSI, global manufacturer of ground penetrating radar (GPR) equipment, as application specialist, responsible for British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. Jan Kesik will continue to serve Eastern Canada. Mercer has nearly a decade of experience in a variety of geophysic..

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Emily Herndon, LEED AP, senior consultant at Woolpert, was selected to serve on the board for the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee (FMOC). Within architecture, engineering and geospatial firm, Woolpert, she has almost two decades of experi..

Kim Silvestri, project executive at BOND, the Boston-based manager of many of the Northeast’s most complex construction projects, received the Building Women in Construction (BWIC) Mentor of the Year (2019) Award. With more than 20 years in construction management, Silvestri is an accessible role mo..

Hitachi’s Grade Guidance, integrated and developed in cooperation with Topcon, leverages the latest components and technologies into a one-stop-shop solution that helps complete precision-excavation more efficiently. The new option is now available on the ZX210-6, ZX210LC-6 and ZX350LC-6 utility exc..

vactor.com Vactor Manufacturing, Inc. introduced upgrades to its Vactor 2100i combination sewer cleaner that blend proven performance with a new level of operating simplicity. “As the successor to the popular Vactor 2100 Plu..

westechvac.com Westech Vac Systems, an Alberta, Canada, provider of rugged, high-quality vacuum truck-mounted solutions, introduced its Code Combo Vac unit. One of Westech’s most versatile pieces of equipment, the unit featur..

Kobus Services Ltd., launched the new KPP400 excavator-mounted model in its Pipe Puller trenchless utility repair and replacement system. Pipe pulling removes old pipework from the ground, eliminating the potential environmental pollution, as well as enabling the recycling and scrap value recovery o..

cat.com New additions to the Cat backhoe loader line-up, the 440 and 450 center pivot models, provide industry-leading lifting performance, high breakout forces and improved operating comfort and ergonomics. Cat 440 boasts a..

aquampd.com The Investigator Mini is an asset management and leak detection tool for insertion into pressurized pipelines up to 150psi, and for 2- to 6-inch- diameter pipework. Access is through 2-plus-inch pressure fittings,..