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September 2 2026
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Vol. XXVIII • No. 18
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Originally expected to be completed this summer, the replacement Oglethorpe Bridge over the Flint River is now poised to open in the fall. The $33 million Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) project in Albany has been under construction for more than a year but was forced to shut down due to mandatory
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environmental sweeps and the relocation of more than 2,300 freshwater mussels. “An Atlanta environmental company came in and removed them,” Ricky Willis, president of Southern Concrete Construction Company, told Construction Equipment Guide. “Two or three divers would come in and swim all day. We couldn’t do anything in or over the water during that time.”
Southern Concrete Construction photo
Keep the Job Moving Why One Veteran Contractor Still Believes the Backhoe Earns Its Place On Today’s Job Sites.
Leaking hydraulic fluid from a piece of equipment and falling pieces of concrete are among the environmental hazards on a construction site that can kill organisms in the river. As part of the recovery effort, the mussels were placed in mesh bags before being moved to a safe habitat. A total of 238 were tagged as protected species, recorded and relocated upstream.
Jason Koon has heard the arguments for years. Mini-excavators are easier to transport. Specialized machines are more productive. Backhoes have become the cleanup machine parked in the corner of the job site. After nearly five decades in construction, Koon understands why many contractors think that way. He just believes they’re looking at the machine all wrong. Growing up in a family-owned contracting business before helping build one of the nation’s largest utility contractors, Koon has spent nearly five decades solving problems on utility jobsites. Along the way, he
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estimates he has been involved in installing more than 2,000 mi. of pipe. Through it all, one machine remained a constant. “Every job I had, I always had a backhoe,” Koon said. “There was always one on my projects because I knew what it could do.” That philosophy continues to shape the way Koon approaches construction today. Rather than building larger crews, he has intentionally built his business around equipment that can take on multiple roles throughout the day. “I have more equipment than I do people by choice,” see BACKHOE page 4
Page 2 • September 2, 2026 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Crews Overcome Challenges On New Oglethorpe Bridge BRIDGE from page 1
“Working over water, you have to deal with more environmental things,” said Willis. “We had problems getting to the river, because we couldn’t clear the trees, due to the bats. We had to wait until the breeding season was over. There were also alligator snapping turtles that had to be run off.” According to Willis, the river’s high water levels set workers back about four weeks. During the sweeps, crews were able to work on some of the demolition of the old bridge over land. That structure eventually came down, without incident. The new bridge replaces the former bridge on SR 520BU/
GDOT screenshot
The $33 million Georgia Department of Transportation project in Albany has been under construction for more than a year but was forced to shut down due to mandatory environmental sweeps and the relocation of more than 2,300 freshwater mussels. Southern Concrete Construction photo
Southern Concrete Construction Company is at work on the project.
U.S. 82BU. The upgrade will add wider lanes, gutters and a barrier-separated shared-use path. Built during the Eisenhower administration, the 73-year old crossing was designed for lighter vehicles and was no longer able to safely handle traffic volume. It’s unknown foundation also faced severe risks from river water erosion. The new concrete girder bridge consists of four 107-ft. spans and two 150-ft. spans. It requires roughly 2,800 cu. yds. of concrete and 890,000 lbs. of rebar. see BRIDGE page 8
Southern Concrete Construction photo
The new bridge replaces the former bridge on SR 520BU/U.S. 82BU.
Southern Concrete Construction photo
The new concrete girder bridge consists of four 107-ft. spans and two 150-ft. spans. It requires roughly 2,800 cu. yds. of concrete and 890,000 lbs. of rebar.
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2026 • Page 3
PAVINGb customers’ success the way for our
Page 4 • September 2, 2026 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Experience Shapes Contractor’s View On Equipment BACKHOE from page 1
Koon said. “I’m not trying to work harder. I’m trying to work smarter.” For Koon, the conversation has never been about whether a backhoe can out-dig an excavator or out-load a wheel loader. It’s always been about capability – how many problems one machine can solve before the day is over. It’s Never Been About Digging For Koon, the value of a backhoe has never been measured by how quickly it digs a trench. If that were the only job on a project, he’d be the first to admit there are machines better suited for the task. “There are absolutely days when a miniexcavator is the right solution,” Koon said. “I’ve got both. I use both.” The difference, he explained, is that a trench is rarely the only job that needs to be done. “When we were building utility projects, I wasn’t picking pipe up with a backhoe anymore. Everything had gotten bigger,” Koon said. “But I could run down the right-of-way, clean up behind the crew, fix somebody’s driveway, move a steel plate and take care of all the little jobs without tying up another machine.” That experience shaped the way Koon evaluates equipment. Rather than asking which machine performs a specific task the fastest, he looks at how much of the workday it can cover before another machine — or another operator — is needed. “It was never about being the best digging machine,” he said. “It was about being the machine that kept the whole job moving.” Attachment Advantage For Koon, versatility doesn’t stop with the machine itself. “I fell into the mini-excavator trap like
JCB photo
Modern backhoes have evolved into multi-purpose platforms.
everybody else,” Koon said. “Then I realized how much capability I could add back to a backhoe with the right attachments.” Modern backhoes have evolved into multi-purpose platforms. With quick couplers, auxiliary hydraulics and the right attachments, a single machine can tackle excavation, material handling, demolition and utility work without expanding the fleet. As labor becomes harder to find and
equipment costs continue to rise, Koon believes contractors should evaluate attachments the same way they evaluate new equipment purchases. “People get hung up on the cost of an attachment,” he said. “They don’t think about what it replaces. If I don’t have to bring another machine, another operator or another trailer to the job site, that attachment paid for itself.”
Koon’s perspective was shaped in part by time spent working alongside contractors overseas, where he saw attachments used very differently than they often are in North America. “In Europe, they’re trying to make one machine do more,” he said. “Here, we’ll buy another machine before we buy another attachment.” see BACKHOE page 10
JCB photo
With quick couplers, auxiliary hydraulics and the right attachments, a single machine can tackle excavation, material handling, demolition and utility work without expanding the fleet.
JCB photo
Rather than assigning a different machine to each task, Jason Koon relies on one machine to carry the workload.
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2026 • Page 5
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Drilling Rigs, Cranes at Work to Complete Bridge This Fall BRIDGE from page 2
As the head of a heavy highway construction firm specializing in the construction, repair and rehab of bridges and other highway drainage structures, Willis knows the importance of having experienced subcontractors on site. “Keller North America did a great job putting in the drill shaft. It’s 72 inches in diameter, 60 feet in the ground and supports the whole bridge. Also, Oxford Construction Company has done an excellent job when it comes to the paving, curb and gutter and storm drain work.” Heavy equipment on the job has included a drilling rig; two KOBELCO CK2000 cranes; a Terex HC-110 crane; two Komatsu 360 excavators; and two rubber tire 310 John Deere backhoes. In addition, two Komatsu PC78s with MK 60 concrete breakers were used to demo the old bridge. During construction, a detour is in place between South Front Street and College Drive. Non-local traffic uses U.S. 82/U.S. 19/SR 133/SR 3 and SR 91. “Construction has really caused gridlock around dinner time, and I know motorists are ready for this to be finished”, said Willis. “We’re working hard to do that.” Unfortunately, the hot weather remains an issue for workers at the job site. “We have crews working at night to beat the heat,” said Willis. “They have bottled water and little fans in their hardhats, and they take breaks whenever they need to. “We’re also about to get into a lot of dirt work. If the rain comes in, it will affect a lot of what needs to be done.” Overall construction is expected to be finished by the end of November. For Willis, whose father helped found Southern Concrete in 1960, it’s an honor to carry on the tradition of hard work. “We feel privileged to be able to build this bridge. The pleasure of looking back at the job you’ve done is very fulfilling.” CEG
GDOT screenshot Originally expected to be completed this summer, the replacement Oglethorpe Bridge over the Flint River is now poised to open in the fall.
GDOT screenshot Heavy equipment on the job has included a drilling rig; two KOBELCO CK2000 cranes; a Terex HC-110 crane; two Komatsu 360 excavators; and two rubber tire 310 John Deere backhoes.
Southern Concrete Construction photo
Built during the Eisenhower administration, the 73-year old crossing was designed for lighter vehicles and was no longer able to safely handle traffic volume.
Southern Concrete Construction photo
Hot weather remains an issue for workers at the job site.
Southern Concrete Construction photo
The upgrade will add wider lanes, gutters and a barrier-separated shared-use path.
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2026 • Page 9
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Contractor Chooses Backhoe for Its Versatility On Job Site BACKHOE from page 4
One attachment, in particular, has changed the way Koon thinks about the backhoe: the tiltrotator. By allowing the attachment to rotate 360 degrees and tilt independently, a tiltrotator dramatically reduces the need to reposition the machine. That added flexibility expands what a backhoe can accomplish from a single location while improving precision when handling materials, grading or working in confined spaces. “Adding a tiltrotator provides significant versatility that is often overlooked in our market,” Koon said. “For example, it allows you to use forks to position supplies with more precision and at greater heights than a standard loader can reach. We regularly use our tiltrotator with various other attachments, including a tree shear, a variety of buckets, a grade beam, a single shank ripper and a compactor.” “I’ve invested about 25 percent of the tractor’s cost into versatility,” he said. “That versatility pays me back every time I take the machine to a job site.” Putting Versatility to Work For Koon, the true test of any machine isn’t what it can do on paper. It’s how it performs over the course of a workday. His current project in the mountains of northwest Georgia puts that philosophy to
the test every day. The Cloudland development spans approximately 30 acres of steep terrain and includes roads, utility infrastructure and multiple cabin sites overlooking a bluff with views stretching across Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. Building the project requires everything from clearing trees and trenching utilities to grading roads, handling materials and preparing building pads. Rather than assigning a different machine to each task, Koon relies on one machine to carry the workload. Most days, he’s on site handling the excavation and utility work himself with a JCB 4CX. For someone who has operated nearly every generation of JCB backhoe since childhood, it’s fitting that the machine is JCB’s commemorative one-millionth backhoe loader. But for Koon, the significance of the machine extends well beyond its
JCB photo
For Jason Koon, the value of a backhoe has never been measured by how quickly it digs a trench.
commemorative status. “When I bid this project, I had a 3CX,” Koon said. “I started it with a 4CX. I’m probably 25 to 30 percent ahead of where I expected to be because of the difference in capability.” That increase in productivity isn’t tied to one specification or one feature. It’s the result of a machine designed to handle multiple phases of the project without constant interruptions. The productivity gains aren’t tied to a single feature. Fourwheel steering, equal-sized wheels, quick couplers and attachment JCB photo compatibility allow Koon to move between tasks without constantly changing machines or bringing additional equipment onto the site. For Koon, those capabilities don’t replace specialized equipment. They reduce the number of times he has to stop what he’s doing, switch machines or bring additional
equipment onto the site. “It’s like having a wheel loader that happens to have a backhoe hanging off the back,” he said. That’s exactly what Koon has been chasing throughout his career– not a machine that’s best at one task, but one that can keep the project moving no matter what the next task happens to be.
More Than Digging Machine Koon isn’t suggesting contractors replace every excavator or wheel loader with a backhoe. Every machine has a purpose, and every job requires different tools. But after nearly five decades in construction, he believes too many fleet decisions begin with the wrong question. Instead of asking what machine performs one task the best, he asks a different question: What machine will keep the project moving? “The best machine isn’t always the one that’s best at one thing,” Koon said. “It’s the one you don’t have to stop using because the next job comes up.” After nearly 50 years in construction, that’s why every one of Koon’s job sites has had a backhoe. For more information, visit jcb.com. CEG
(Arielle Windham is a writer covering the construction and demolition industry.)
JCB photo
After nearly 50 years in construction, every one of Jason Koon’s job sites has had a backhoe.
Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2026 • Page 11
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