John LattaRoadbuildingMore reauthorization money?Heartening note in a Reuters report that House Republicans, especially House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman John Mica, may be willing and able to work on finding enough funding for a new surface transportation bill to keep it functioning at current levels. You’ll recall that Mica and fellow committee Republicans had presented a proposal that […]October 3, 2011RoadbuildingRe-extensioning. Again.So we have another extension of surface transportation authorization. Now SAFETEA-LU, which expired in 2009, effectively runs through March 31. I really tried to find something in this one, as in the previous seven, which indicated progress, some movement or trend towards a new bill. We do have both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee […]September 14, 2011RoadbuildingInnovation – what a conceptIn this economy, and in this political climate, whether you are a contractor of a government agency, being able to change to meet conditions that are demanding it, is essential. To get through the tail end of the recession (however long it is) and be competitive or efficient when the economy begins to expand significantly […]September 8, 2011RoadbuildingTower to Air Congress: Land that thing!Okay so the President today calls on Congress to extend the surface transportation authorization before the current extension runs out September 30th. He is supported by nearly all the major stakeholders. Even Republican House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman John Mica who grudgingly said one more extensions (it will be the 8th) would be okay […]August 31, 2011RoadbuildingWhat? Another extension? Really?This will surprise no one. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Ca), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee and therefore the key senator in any reauthorization legislation process, is setting up another extension for dear old SAFETEA-LU. Boxer said she will schedule a markup Sept. 8 on a bill that would extend federal surface transportation […]August 19, 2011RoadbuildingWanna hear something scary?According to Politico’s Ben Smith there is a little known upcoming event that is probably nothing to worry about. Most of the gas tax is set to expire on September 30. Actually all but 4.3 cents of the 18.4 cents is on the block. No it’s not part of reauthorization (the latest extension of that […]August 17, 2011RoadbuildingIf we all lived like New Yorkers we could all live in TexasNow this is cool. Sometimes people who play with numbers come up with some really interesting stuff. Well, stuff I find interesting because it comes from left field. Like this. The website www.persquaremile.com asked this question: If the world’s 6.9 billion people lived in one city, how large would that city be if it were […]August 15, 2011RoadbuildingCongress, send me that bill!I keep wondering if there is a tipping point for our transportation infrastructure, a point where the entire game changes. Somewhat in the way a breached levee in New Orleans changed the work being done to defend the city against Hurricane Katrina. What was being done was superseded by a new, sudden and powerful reality. […]August 12, 2011RoadbuildingWork Trucks Set New Efficiency StandardsWork trucks, including pickups and dumps trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles will, for the first time, have to trim fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions under new efficiency standards. The White House says the standards – which apply to vehicle model years 2014 to 2018 – will save businesses billions of dollars in fuel […]August 9, 2011RoadbuildingMore Here = Less ThereThis calculation is so simple that even I, who is severely math-challenged, can do it. If the fuel tax remains the same but the amount of fuel used goes down, less money is generated. The White House says: On Tuesday, August 9, the President will travel to Interstate Moving Services in Springfield, Virginia, to announce […]August 5, 2011Previous PagePage 27 of 43Next PageTop StoriesSafety & ComplianceContractor Faces $394K in Fines After Worker Dies in TrenchThe worker was buried at the bottom of a 12-foot-deep trench, and his employer had been cited for similar violations in the past.Wheel LoadersLiebherr Debuts World's First Large Wheel Loader with a Hydrogen EngineDozersHyundai Breaks into the Dozer Market with HD100The DirtTest Run & Review: The Market's First Electric Mini Excavator, JCB’s 19C-1ECompact equipmentTakeuchi's TCR50-2 Crawler Dumper is Coming to North America