August 2012, Vol. 67 No. 8

Advertisers from the print edition of Underground Construction, August 2012, Vol. 67 No. 8.

United Rentals Inc. has named Matt Flannery as executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective with the closing of the company's merger with RSC Holdings Inc. announced in April. He previously served as executive vice president of operations and sales, and leads the RSC integration process.

In May, Lucid Energy celebrated the opening of its Center of Excellence in California at Riverside Public Utilities. Nearly 80 people attended the event, which marked the first installation of the LucidPipe Power System in the United States.

Critical times lie ahead. The jury is still out on whether extenuating factors from around the world will impact the U.S. economy and send us into another recession by 2014. There are paths to take that could mitigate those circumstances, but the course will largely remain unresolved until after the November 2012 elections.

The outlook for the equipment rental industry shows increased optimism as first-quarter performance was better than expected, resulting in a more positive outlook for the full year, according to the latest data released by the American Rental Association (ARA).

Strongco Corp. held a grand opening celebration at its newest location in Acheson, Alberta, Canada, on June 20. The 37,150-square-foot facility is situated on 6.5 acres and is located in the Parkland Industrial Park in Acheson on the northwest side of Edmonton.

LoJack Corp. has released its 12th annual Construction Equipment Theft Study. According to the report, LoJack-equipped construction assets worth about $8.8 million were recovered in 2011. A total of 40 people were arrested by the police as a result of recoveries involving these assets.

Twenty-nine students’ educational goals just became a little easier to achieve, thanks to the $54,500 worth of ARA Foundation and affiliate scholarships awarded for the 2012/2013 academic year — including the new Bill Loomer Houston Rental Association Scholarship and the ARA of California Scholarships. The recipients are selected by the ARA Foundation scholarship committee.

National Equipment Register (NER), which provides information about equipment theft risk, has completed a data sharing arrangement with Vermeer Corp. to help Vermeer customers combat equipment theft. NER is a division of the Verisk Crime Analytics unit at Verisk Analytics.

Ashtead Group Plc, the parent of A-Plant in the U.K. and Sunbelt Rentals in the U.S., reported a company recorded fiscal year-end, pre-tax profit of £130.6 million (US$203.5 million), up from £31.0 million (US$48.3 million) the year before.

Volvo Rents has acquired Aerial Platform Experts, a single-location construction equipment rental company located in Davenport, IA.

The Toro Company has acquired light construction and hardscape product assets from Stone Construction Equipment, which manufactured concrete and hardscape equipment for rental and construction companies. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Daniel Adam Schultz, 38, passed away at home in Rosemont, PA, on June 22 after a 23 month battle with sarcoma.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation recently announced a new pilot program designed to build efficiencies in how construction stormwater permits are issued, while satisfying the permit requirements at both the state and local levels and improving overall water quality.

Black & Veatch’s first Strategic Directions in the U.S. Water Utility Industry Report identifies top challenges in the water and wastewater industry. The report is based on a comprehensive survey of U.S. utility leaders and includes analysis and recommendations from Black & Veatch water industry experts.

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) has recently launched WATERiD, an on-line living knowledge base that permits utilities to easily share their experiences, information and lessons learned in managing the nation’s water infrastructure.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors welcomes the release of EPA's Integrated Planning Framework for implementing the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Framework, (also known as IP3), is designed to promote greater flexibility for cities struggling to finance and maintain existing wastewater infrastructure and services and respond to new federal regulations that expand city responsibilities, such as costly control of stormwater and sewer overflows.

After 13 months of digging the New Irvington Tunnel in the state of California from four separate tunnel headings, miners from two of the headings have met up with each other underground.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) has established a board-level task force to address questions related to the anticipated future growth in natural gas-fired generation.

The city of Manassas, VA, is helping to save on sewer treatment costs, so much so that in the past five years, they’ve decreased sewer flow by more than 123,000 gallons per year, saving the city of Manassas $775,000, as part of an aggressive inflow and infiltration (I/I) program.

Ditch Witch of Oklahoma recently teamed with Chesapeake Midstream Partners and Call Okie to create “We Dig Schools,” an educational program that teaches elementary students the importance of pipeline safety and calling 811 before digging to avoid utility service interruption and injury.

PECO will invest approximately $3.2 million this year to replace and perform preventative maintenance on about 19 miles of underground cable that delivers electricity to thousands of residential customers across the region.

If you are involved with trenchless construction or are planning to be involved, the 8th Annual Western Regional No-Dig Conference & Exhibition to be held in Ontario, CA, on Oct. 29-30, is a must-attend event to obtain the latest technical information to ensure a successful project.

Pipe bursting is a reliable and proven method of replacement of deteriorated or under capacity utility lines. The IPBA has developed a recurring series of technical articles and this article will be written with the understanding that the reader has an advanced knowledge of the pipe bursting process.

Rock mass properties will almost always have a profound influence on the excavatability of any feature to be constructed in bedrock.

Construction is proceeding on the largest combined sewer overflow project ever undertaken by the city of Indianapolis.

The International Pipe Bursting Association (IPBA) has announced a major overhaul of their website (www.ipbaonline.org). The site is now more interactive, current and includes valuable information for contractors, owners and engineers.

For the third year in a row Atlas Copco has contributed to the Colorado School of Mines Grouting Fundamentals and Current Practice field day. As part of the week-long class, students are presented with practical demonstrations of strategies, techniques and equipment.

Robotic cutters from Aries Industries, CUES and Pipeline Renewal Technologies/Envirosight.

The July 10, 2012, preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the major oil leak from an Enbridge pipeline in Michigan in July 2010 faults the company's operational and training procedures in numerous instances.

ICON’s slide rail shoring systems are made of high-yield, Grade 50 steel and are comprised of lineal panels, rails or posts and bracing. This allows contractors to install three or four sided pits and two sided trenches in a variety of excavations and soil conditions. Contractors can choose slide rails in single-, double- or triple-rail designs with either Roller Rail Frames [struts] or Fixed-Position Braces.

Now available from Case Construction Equipment are the Case Smart Digging Systems components, including new pin-on buckets, coupler buckets, the Case Multi-Fit Coupler and the SmartFit bucket teeth system.

John Deere’s new 180G LC hydraulic excavator features a 121 hp field-proven IT4/EU Stage IIIB John Deere PowerTech diesel engine. The unit employs filed-proven cooled exhaust gas recirculation for reducing NOx, and a diesel particulate filter and diesel oxidation catalyst to reduce particulate matter. Extended engine and hydraulic oil service intervals increase uptime and reduce daily operating costs.

Subsurface Instruments’ new All Materials Locator (AML) utilizes advanced, ultra-high microwave frequencies to find nearly any subsurface object with accuracy in clay, wet soil, snow or standing water without the need for a separate transmitter and receiver, wires, clips or clamps.

Designed for utility contractors, Reed introduces the PES2 IPS/CTS PE Squeeze-Off tool for ½- to 2-inch IPS and CTS pipe.

The Multi-Use Technical Tool (M.U.T.T.) by is designed for the underground construction industry’s unique environment.

With the PCF34 and PCF64 flat-top plate compactor attachments, Bobcat excavator operators can compact down in trenches without leaving the cab and reduce the need for a person working in the trench, increasing jobsite safety and operator comfort.

The Astec DP 2000 is a high-pressure, high-volume double fluid pumper for fracturing, cleaning and stimulating natural gas or petroleum wells. The unit can use water, frack fluids, or mud mixes in its treatments.

Skid steer attachments from McLaughlin, New Holland, Bobcat and Case.

Mini skid steers from Vermeer, Bobcat and Ditch Witch.

Skid steer loaders from Bobcat, John Deere, Case, Volvo CE, New Holland Construction and Caterpillar.