Related Links: Tablets Take Off in Construction Nine Noteworthy Apps for Construction Pros Will tablets stick around on the jobsite? ENR Midwest Bureau Chief Tudor Van Hampton recently caught up with Houston Neal, a construction IT expert from Software Advice, about his take on the state of “the slate.” NEALQ: Are tablets tools or toys?A: Tools, especially in the field. Salespeople are using them out in the field, not only to retrieve prospect information from their CRM system but also for presentations. They can be used to scroll through slides or demo a website or software. I've heard of homebuilders
In addition to a swooping, stepped concrete and sloped stainless-steel roof-line, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Kansas City, Mo., features a radial glass atrium that hangs on finely tuned steel cables. The privately funded, $413-million job is set to open Sept. 16 after more than a decade of planning, design and construction.Locals
High-strength rebar reduces overall building costs compared to traditional steel reinforcement, according to a new study from the Construction Industry Institute.
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton Building a cement plant is key to survival, local firm says. Rendering courtesy Ozinga Bros. Inc. Ozinga filed an Illinois permit application for its proposed plant under a new business unit, Universal Cement, in December 2008. It expects a decision later this year. Related Links: U.S. Cement Production Flat Following 2009's Big Decline A fourth-generation, family-owned concrete company in Chicago wants to build its own cement plant so it can become more vertically integrated.Ozinga Bros Inc., founded in 1928, has proposed building the 1-million-ton-per-year plant on a 50-acre parcel it owns on Chicago's South Side.
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Recall affects hundreds of engines instead of hundreds of thousands. Related Links: Caterpillar Settlement Touches Dozens of Heavy Equipment Brands Caterpillar To Recall Engines, Pay $2.5M in EPA Penalties Caterpillar Inc.'s recent $2.5-million Clean Air Act settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency involves a recall of hundreds of diesel engines, not hundreds of thousands as previously reported by several news outlets, including ENR.The July 28 consent order, out for public comment through Sept. 6, says Cat is required to complete an ongoing recall program but does not specify how many engines are
Photo courtesy of Optech Inc. A mobile mapper equipped with a lidar kit can scan infrastructure at highway speeds. Image courtesy of HNTB Corp. A lidar point-cloud diagram shows engineers where roads, bridges and all the surrounding "street furniture" is located. Related Links: At FIATECH, Mapping Tool for Buried Utilities Generates View From Three Sensors (requires login) Surveying roads and bridges used to take weeks of on-the-ground work, but now it is as easy as going for a drive."We can do in a matter of hours or a day what would take months with traditional survey," says Paul DiGiacobbe, associate
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton Ford's EcoBoost light-duty pickup gets 22 mpg on the highway today. Increased fuel efficiency will come with a shortfall of highway construction work if tax revenues aren't bolstered. President Obama's proposal to boost automakers' Corporate Average Fuel Economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 will take a significant bite out of fuel-tax receipts flowing into the Highway Trust Fund, say road builders, who are pushing for a funding revamp.The most recent CAFE standard, proposed July 29 for all light-duty vehicles, would cut $65 billion out of federal funding for state and local highway, bridge
Photo courtesy of Link-Belt Caterpillar engines go into a variety of heavy equipment, including cranes. Link-Belt is one user of Cat engines. Related Links: Caterpillar, EPA Clear the Air Over Diesel Engine Recall Caterpillar To Recall Engines, Pay $2.5M in EPA Penalties Caterpillar Inc. doesn't just build engines for its own machines; it also sells them to other heavy equipment makers.Yesterday's federal consent order involves nearly 600,000 Caterpillar diesel engines that were shipped to dozens of original-equipment manufacturers of trucks and heavy equipment, according to public records obtained by ENR.The complaint, filed July 28 in the U.S. District Court for
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Between 2002 and 2006, Caterpillar allegedly shipped 590,000 diesel engines that were missing emission controls. It has agreed to pay $2.55 million and recall non-compliant engines, according to a federal consent order. Related Links: Caterpillar, EPA Clear the Air Over Diesel Engine Recall Caterpillar Settlement Touches Dozens of Heavy Equipment Brands Caterpillar Inc. is recalling diesel engines and will pay $2.55 million in civil penalties under a Clean Air Act federal consent decree made public today.The settlement, released on July 28, says that the Peoria, Ill.-based manufacturer shipped more than 590,000 on- and
