November 2020 Vol. 75 No. 11

Electric vehicles present an intriguing transportation future. But it all has to be balanced with practicality, reality of purpose and cultural empathy, and it can’t be rushed until a lot of issues resolved.

The Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) has moved its date from late January to May 18–20, 2021, at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn.

George Kurz, P.E., DEE. of Nashville, Tenn., has been named the Most Valuable Professional of the underground construction industry.

The COVID-19 crisis has dramatically affected oil and gas production and demand, leaving no midstream oil and gas markets untouched as drilling screeched to a halt, pipeline projects were sidelined and global storage neared capacity in a stark reversal of trends at the start of 2020.

The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Mears Group. Founded in 1970, Mears today is an industry-leading energy infrastructure solutions provider serving multiple markets that include gas distribution, pipeline and facilities construction, pipeline integrity, horizontal direction drilling (HDD) and Direct Pipe (DP) installations. Mears isalso active in the electric transmission and distribution, telecommunications, and water and sewer markets. As it has for 50 years, Mears’ headquarters remains in the small town of Rosebush, Mich., but it now has locations in 24 other states.

Prime Resins introduced new technology to stop groundwater infiltration, primarily in manhole, culvert and stormwater structure applications.

Family-Owned company, Sauereisen, tells its story and how its history has led to an award of exporter of the year.

Avanti International has expanded its engineering specifications for injection grouting.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission plans to apply the new Federal Clean Water Act requirement to transmission pipelines.

A Common Ground Alliance study on 2019 damage reporting found that an estimated 532,000 excavation-related damages to underground facilities occurred in the United States in 2019.

The Energy Transfer’s request to expand the Dakota Access Pipeline has been approved by Illinois regulators.

The City of Hillsboro, Ore., has completed a project that generates electricity by harvesting excess pressure from a city water pipeline.

A portion of Canada's Trans Mountain pipeline will be rerouted.

A $56 million settlement was approved between Massachusetts and Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, the utility responsible for a series of explosions and fires.

The U.S. may spur more than $50 billion in trenchless technology investments.

A new fiber broadband network was launched by Traverse City Light & Power.

Northwest Pipe Company announced that it has been selected to provide steel water pipe for the Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project in North Carolina.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced a $500 million plan to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in Michigan.

The Plastics Pipe Institute released two new technical reports that discuss steps for the fusion of polyethylene and PA12 pipe.

General Equipment Company the new 262H EPIC Series two-man hole digger suited for contractors in a wide variety of projects.

T.D. Williamson introduced two isolation innovations for the gas distribution market.

Epiroc introduced a new remote monitoring device for breakers and drum cutters that keeps track of location and operating hours, to improve efficiency and safety.

Microdrones launches mdaaS to make survey equipment and solutions are available to an even broader market of surveyors, engineers and geomatics professionals.

Bricking Solutions introduced the Rolling Work Platform to improve safety and efficiency when servicing long stretches of pipe in applications such as water treatment, tunneling and mining.

PLCS offers two tools that make it easier to maintain pipelines, while saving money.

Copperhead’s Complete Utility Locating System makes detecting underground utilities more accurate and efficient.

Mecalac introduced an updated MCR Series of mini excavators – 6MCR, 8MCR and 10MCR – with superior speed, productivity and compact operation.

Doosan Infracore expanded its wheel loader lineup with the new DL580-5. Capable of heavy-duty construction tasks, it combines extra-large capacity with efficiency and productivity.

Denso North America Inc. introduced a moldable fibrous mastic to the North American market.

Tsurumi designed new high-flowing pumps that will save time and money in dewatering applications.

New gas detectors use the latest sensor technologies for monitoring numerous toxic, combustible and other gases through.

The new Cat 963 Track Loader combines that versatility with better fuel efficiency, more productivity, and cab and controllability improvements.

A newly remodeled oil-injected G90-250 range will complete Altas Copco's lineup of mid-large, oil injected horsepower category.

Condux Tesmec introduced a new all-electric puller that delivers maximum pull force of 11,240 foot/pounds and offers advanced user interface and remote control.

LiuGong NA introduced a new, 9-ton midi-excavator, the 909ECR designed to compete in the critical 8- to 10-ton size class.

A new version of Aerial was launched to provide a cloud-based solution for continuous monitoring of infrastructure construction projects, with additional features to make job-site mapping and data visualization easier and more effective.

Owens Corning designed two new systems engineered to help mitigate corrosion under insulation.

John Deere introduced the new E-II Articulated Dump Trucks.

Schnabel Engineering, with specialized expertise and design for geotechnical, dam and tunnel engineering projects, announced multiple principal engineer and scientist promotions.  Gary Brill, P.E., has 34 years of experience in geotechnical/geostructural and dams design. He has been the branch le..

SANY welcomes five new dealers to its network, which functions as a strategic partner, providing tools and services that enhance the value of dealers’ businesses and equip their success.

National Trench Safety LLC completed three office locations in Florida, Colorado and Washington in less than 30 days.

Herrenknecht hosted a Training Day in July at its Schwanau, Germany, state-of-the-art plant, to attract applicants for the 2021 training year.

ISCO Industries Inc., is now a national distributor of Aquatherm polypropylene piping systems.

The co-owner and general manager of Barbco conducted a seminar at about trench safety.

Wimmer North America is the newest distributor for the full line of ALLU Transformer, ALLU Crusher and ALLU Processor attachments.

Kleinfelder opened a new office in Portland, Maine.

Curry Supply is working with Metalcraft of Mayville’s Versatran division, to offer customers the Retriever line of industrial carriers.