May 2020 Vol. 75 No. 5

There is ample reason for hope as our economy begins the trek back to active and healthy levels. At some point in the next six months to a year, the world’s energy appetite will start catching up with lower production and markets will regain balance

When Richard Evans, vice president of Built Right Construction LLC, was approached by a customer a few years ago about bidding on a utility installation job, he thought, “Why not? We have skilled operators and laborers working for us who are committed to making sure everything they do is done right – no matter what the project happens to be.”

Much has happened in the subsurface utility engineering (SUE) industry this past decade. There has been a steady and increasing rate of acceptance, practice improvements through research and education, and industry growth.

[Editor's Note: This article accompanies the feature, "Subsurface Utility Engineering Decade in Review; Prognostication of the Future."   By James Anspach To put in perspective just how far SUE has come in 30 years, here are my previous 10-year summaries: Subsurface Utility Engineering in 2010 –..

By Dr. Tom Iseley & Saleh Behbahani More than 50 million miles of underground utilities exist in the United States. These utilities are at varied depths, in assorted soils, made of different materials, in a range of sizes and have varied access. The importance of accurately locating and depicting e..

CONVENTION REVIEW With winter fading and the successful but rainy fall meeting in New York City in the rear-view mirror, Distribution Contractors Association (DCA) members were looking forward to the famous Florida weather at the 2020 DCA Convention, and they were not disappointed. An hour north of..

Learning how to embrace the complexity involved in urban pipeline routing is the key to success for many distribution pipeline system operators.

Isolated Alaska Project Takes Industry Honor Instead of letting melting snow flow into the ocean, a plan was developed to utilize the water to increase the output of a hydropower plant in Kodiak, Alaska, by 33 million kilowatt-hours a year. To do this, a 1.2-mile-long, 11-foot-diameter tunnel is be..

Convention Review   PCCA honored outgoing Chairman David Aubrey, Okay Construction, with the 2020 PCCA Distinguished Service Award. While celebrating its past, 75 years of serving the power and communica..

The closing party at the PCCA convention not only celebrated the association’s milestone 75th anniversary, but also a longtime member who helped make PCCA what it is today, by inducting Ron Tagliapietra into the PCCA Hall of Fame. ..

EDITOR’S NOTE:  NASSCO continues to set standards for the assessment and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure. A vast array of individuals has contributed to the success of the association, both in the past and present, that has driven NASSCO’s industry mission. This series of articles recog..

Convention Review CIGMAT 2020 Focuses on Infrastructure, Energy, Geotechnical, Flooding, Sustainability The University of Houston’s Center for Innovative Grouting Materials and Technology (CIGMAT) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering held their 25th annual one-day conference o..

Industry Event Cancellations Continue Through Covid-19 Lockdown Many of the industry events that remained on schedule earlier in the coronavirus pandemic have joined the list of major cancellations as social distancing practices continued through April in the United States. ..

The CEQ proposal includes changes to the wording and timelines in the NEPA – which controls the scope of environmental impact statements – in an attempt to modernize the 30-year-old law. Many of those pro-pipeline changes parallel recommendations made last December by the National Petroleum Council.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is giving enforcement latitude to pipeline operators during the coronavirus pandemic.

Volvo CEvolvoce.com Alta Equipment Group, a leading provider of premium industrial and construction equipment and related services, and a top-performing Volvo Construction Equipment dealer in the United States, has expanded i..

Justin Akkerman, P.E., was promoted to president of Akkerman Inc., a premier trenchless underground construction equipment manufacturer, making him the third-generation president. The second-generation president, Maynard Akkerman, will continue as CEO and Chairman of the Board. ..

Westphal Michels has announced the passing of industry icon Robert H. Westphal on April 1. Westphal devoted 55 years of his life to Michels, tirelessly pushing the company’s performance, and the pipeline and trenchless construction ..

Hobas Pipe USA has announced that Martin W. Dana, who joined the HPUSA management team as vice president of sales in January of 2018, has been promoted to the position of president and CEO effective April 1, 2020.

For the fifth year in a row, construction industry insights provider EquipmentWatch recognized Volvo Construction Equipment machines with the Lowest Cost of Ownership and Highest Retained Value awards. These annual awards are based on extensive analysis of millions of data records. ..

ALLU  allu.net, (800) 939 2558  An ALLU product launch marked the world premiere of the company’s first three crusher models. Designed for excavators in the 10- to 33-ton range, all have purpose-built features that make them..