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May 7, 2016 • Vol. XX • No. 10 • 470 Maryland Drive • Ft. Washington, PA 19034 • 215-885-2900 • Toll Free 800-523-2200 • Fax 215-885-2910
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Inside
Dondlinger Builds First Phase Delaying Road of Wichita’s $116M RED Project Projects Have Some Worried
By Irwin Rapoport
CEG CORRESPONDENT
Fabick CAT Holds Season Opener Event...10
Lano Equipment Host s Open House...14
Cust omers Att end Far m- Rit e Events ... 16
Table of Contents ........4 Paving Section ......41-53 Attachments Section ................................77-97 Business Calendar....100 Auction Section ............................104-113 Advertisers Index ....114
Dondlinger Construction crews began work on the first phase of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) 235 Kellogg Central Project in Wichita, known as the RED Project, on Nov. 10, 2015 and will be delivering the new infrastructure in the summer of 2019. The $116 million project ($103 million for the construction), funded as part of TWORKS, is designed to improve traffic and reduce congestion between Interstate 235 and U.S. 54. Fifteen to 20 bridges on the project are being rehabilitated or constructed. The overall project, which is expected to cost $300 million, includes a four-level directional interchange at I-235 and Kellogg Avenue; a tight diamond interchange at I-235 and Central Avenue; modifications to the single-point urban interchange at Kellogg Avenue and West Street; a new two-lane flyover ramp for southbound I-235 to eastbound see DONDLINGER page 40
By Melissa Hellmann ASSOCIATED PRESS
Due to the size of the project, it is being constructed in phases. The first phase contract covers a partial reconstruction of the I-235 and Kellogg Avenue interchange and will greatly improve the safety and operational issues currently experienced at this location.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Congested or treacherous roads could become more so under the Kansas Department of Transportation’s recent announcement that 25 large, already-scheduled highway projects will be delayed for over the next two years. The delay is part of Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to divert $185 million in sales tax money that’s earmarked for highway projects to other government programs to help address projected budget shortfalls in the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years. The delayed projects, which were scheduled through mid-2019, include work that would have widened shoulders, flattened hills, straightened curves and added passing lanes and greater capacity to the state’s highway system. The modernization and expansion projects, which are part of the $8 billion 2010 Transportation Works for Kansas program, will eventually be completed, according to transportation department spokesman Steve Swartz. “Our intent is to get to them as soon as we can and we think that the delay will probably be 18 to 24 months,’’ Swartz said, adding that the 10,000see DELAYS page 64
Groups Urge Congress to Address Worker Shortage Leading construction industry organizations are calling on Congress to make career technical education (CTE) a top policy priority. In a letter to lawmakers coordinated by Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) and delivered on April 18, 23 national associations urged members of the House and Senate to swiftly reauthorize and improve programs designed to help train technical workers. The groups praised Congress for recently
passing transportation and tax bills but said the difficulty recruiting workers threatened to undermine the economic benefits. “By restoring near-term certainty to federal transportation programs and tax policy through passage of the FAST and PATH Acts in late 2015, Congress has set the stage for growth in construction, manufacturing, and business purchasing,” the letter said. “However, as companies prepare to take
advantage of new opportunities, they are confronted with a new challenge: a shortage of skilled technical workers.” The letter from construction, contractor, supplier and labor organizations highlighted the stark findings of a recently-released study sponsored by the AED Foundation. That report, prepared by researchers at the College of William and Mary, found the equipment see CTE page 72