April 2013, Vol. 68 No. 4

Boston-based construction management firm BOND (Bond Brothers) has promoted two associates to the firm’s Civil and Utility Connecticut Division. Anthony Bond has been promoted to director and Sean McAuliffe to director of Operations.

Straight 8 Logistics, a leading brokerage company, specializes in transporting pipeline equipment seamlessly. Headquarted in Watford City, ND, Straight 8 Logistics offers fast and efficient equipment mobilization.

Advertisers from the print edition of <em>Underground Construction</em>, April 2013, Vol. 68 No. 4.

Gorman-Rupp, a leading manufacturer of pumps and pumping equipment, has promoted Scott King to the position of vice president and general manager for the Mansfield Division of The Gorman-Rupp Company.

DSI Underground Systems offers a complete selection of underground support products, custom tailored and professionally engineered to the customer’s specific application.

The Lifespan System is a watertight, corrosion-proof, non-conductive, locking rubber manhole frame and lid system that prevents rain derived inflow from entering sanitary sewers through the top of the manhole.

The Viper PushCam-4 is a compact and lightweight mini camera system is ideas for inspecting sewer pipelines and other confined spaces.

PFERD has extended their COMBIDISC program with the new COMBIDISC A-CONTOUR. Unlike the previous COMBIDISC tools, the CONTOUR abrasive discs have an innovative scalloped-edge pattern which allows for a perfect finish without fear of cutting in or gouging the metal.

PipeLine Machinery International (PLM) announces the latest innovation to be added to its pipeline solutions line-up — the VOLTEK SYSTEMS family of High Voltage Safety Devices manufactured by United Safety Inc.

Since the first building in Houston, TX, was air conditioned in 1923, media has often dubbed the city, “the air conditioning capital of the world.” With summer temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s no wonder that Houstonians are concerned about reliable electricity to keep the units running.

Delbert Leroy “Pete” Barnes, 73, of Tahlequah, OK, passed away on Feb. 18.

Texas A&M University aims to more than double its current engineering student enrollment to 25,000 by 2025.

The Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA) Scholarship Foundation has announced the following recipients of the scholarship award for 2013:

Exports of U.S.-made construction equipment topped 13 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year for a total $26.7 billion, with South America and Asia reporting the weakest gains, according to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), citing U.S. Commerce Department data it uses in global markets reports for members.

The Texas Water Development Board has approved financial assistance for water and wastewater system improvements totaling $109,094,303.

Layne Christensen Company recently announced that Layne Heavy Civil will design and construct a wastewater collection and transmission project for the Cudjoe Regional Wastewater System in Monroe County, FL. The agreement was signed with the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) which is acting as the program manager on behalf of the Monroe County Commission, which is funding the project.

As an industry, we talk a lot these days about the importance and value of damage prevention. Safety is included in the conversation. Accidental deaths in the construction industry, particularly the underground segment, have fallen sharply over the past decade.

Each year, the underground construction industry recognizes a person who makes a significant, positive difference to their business or organization. The 2013 Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award, presented jointly by the Underground Construction Technology Association (UCTA) and <em>Underground Construction</em> magazine, was bestowed to Antonio “Tony” V. Almeida, P.E., business development manager, Halff Associates.

As a professional excavator, if you are digging or placing any object in the ground, you are required to get marks indicating the location of underground utilities. The person doing the excavating is the person that has to make the call.

Among the longest-established trenchless installation methods is the use of pneumatic piercing tools: an option that has been providing contractors with a cost-effective and easy-to-use alternative to trenching for nearly half a century. Water, gas, sewer and electrical interests have all benefited from this established and proven underground method, which also serves as an efficient alternative to larger directional drilling equipment. As is the case with nearly every installation approach, piercing tools are most effective when used in specific situations.

The 2013 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) posted the highest attendance for the annual event since the 2002 event. The official attendance count for 2013 was more than 2,600, said Karen Francis, show manager.

New faces, familiar faces, all with smiles and a thumbs-up thank you. That’s how Daniel Magill describes the 2013 RehabZone at the annual Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) held in Houston the last week of January.

NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Contractors) continued its strong growth cycle with another successful annual convention boasting record attendance numbers.

Nearly 16,000 vehicles travel through the Port of Miami, FL, daily, clogging downtown streets, creating safety hazards and restricting the port’s growth. With little land available above ground to expand roadways and bridge structures, the Port of Miami tunnel project will help relieve some of the congestion with the construction of twin tunnels. The total construction costs are estimated to be $607 million.

Even the most highly visible public works projects depend on improvements to and protection of the invisible underground infrastructure. That’s what keeps Goliath Hydro-Vac Inc. busy. The 10-year-old contracting firm based in Jordan, MN, uses a fleet of hydro-excavating trucks from Vactor Manufacturing to tackle a variety of construction and remediation projects that require special attention to existing underground infrastructure.

While some projects are more dangerous than others, most construction work involves risks that can cause serious injury and death.

The collection and analyzing of data about accidents damaging the nation’s underground utilities is significantly helping efforts to develop and implement programs to protect underground facilities, Robert Kipp, president of the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), said in a presentation at the 2013 UCT Show in Houston in late January.

Attendance was up by almost 100 people as the Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) attracted 415 delegates to its 52nd annual convention at the Lowes Hotel in Miami Beach, FL. One in four of those delegates were attending their first ever DCA convention. Fourteen past presidents also attended – a record – and Dave Nelson of Pilchuck Contractors was inducted as an Honorary Member.

"Progress in Efforts to Eliminate Crossbores" was the topic of one of the presentations in the Damage Prevention and Safety track at the 2013 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition.

Lining systems including CIPP, grout-in-place pipe, folded pipe and spirally wound pipe.

Reduced swing tail excavators from John Deere, Hitachi, Volvo, Case, Bobcat, Doosan Infracore Construction America and New Holland Construction.

Trench shoring equipment from ICON Equipment, Pro-Tec Equipment, Efficiency Production, American Shoring and GME.

The Obama administration's positive draft environmental impact statement on the final, four-state leg of the Keystone XL pipeline appears to set approval by the State Department on an exorable path.