Hanson Pipe & Precast was selected by Base Construction to provide more than 130,000 ft. of precast concrete pipe, box culverts and inlets for the McLennan County IH-35 project located near Waco, Texas. Construction began in October 2010; Hanson’s products are used to move and manage basic stormwater runoff in the project designed to ease traffic congestion by widening nearly 20 miles of highway and frontage roads. Completion is projected for late 2014.
Read MoreMonth: May 2012
Environmentalists’ lawsuit seeks to resurrect EPA-tabled coal ash rule
On behalf of 11 environmental and community groups, Sierra Club counsel Earthjustice has filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to force completion of an Environmental Protection Agency rulemaking on power plant coal ash handling and disposal.
Read MoreInternational Green Construction Code augments agency measures to codify green-building practice
The 2012 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) increases the energy-efficiency of structures, while providing governments direction and oversight of green design and construction, according to the International Code Council (ICC), document author and one of several U.S. Green Building Council partners in the effort. Developers of the LEED green building certification system and coauthors of ANSI/ASHRAE/ IES/USGBC Standard 189.1, USGBC applauds the new model code that serves as an important new policy option for state and local governments looking to codify green building practice.
Read MoreIron Workers UNION spurs OSHA survey on rebar placement accident reduction
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks comments through June 2 on how to prevent injuries and deaths from reinforcing concrete activities in construction, and from vehicles and mobile equipment backing into workers in construction. The agency will use responses to learn more about how workers get injured and what solutions exist to prevent injury and death, including possible regulatory action.
Read MoreAppellate Court blocks mandate for union-organizing poster
Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) applauded a U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit injunction amid proceedings challenging the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rule for private sector employers to post by April 30 “Notification of Employee Rights,” an 11- x 17-in. notice on National Labor Relations Act union-organizing and collective bargaining provisions.
Read MoreNLRB rule expedites representation elections
A controversial final rule issued by the National Labor Relations Board in December 2011 that overhauls procedures for union representation elections became effective on April 30.
Read MoreCTS Cement prevails in decade-long Ultimax patent litigation
Ending a 10-year-old patent litigation against CTS Cement Manufacturing, Cypress, Calif.-based producer of Rapid Set Cement, plus Chairman Edward Rice and a number of customers, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Judge Andrew Guilford ruled that Rice and CTS have a shop right in the patent they allegedly infringed. The plaintiffs were Ultimax, Hassan Kunbargi, Heartland Cement Sales Co. and the K.A. Group.
Read More$500K settles claims of RUNWAY paving contractor’s alleged DBE fraud
Cleveland-based Anthony Allega Cement Contractor Inc. will pay the United States $500,000 to resolve Department of Justice allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims surrounding compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.
Read MorePCA’s Sullivan: 2012 shipments looking better than first forecast
Stronger than expected job creation and the beginning of an industry recovery means gains in real construction spending will materialize this year—after seven years of consecutive declines. According to the new forecast from Portland Cement Association, increases in cement consumption will follow. PCA revised its fall forecast upward from 1.1 percent, to a modest 3.7 percent increase in 2012 cement consumption, followed by a 7.6 percent jump in 2013 and a 14.1 percent surge in 2014.
Read MoreCTS probes performance of new high early cement-fly ash microstructures
In research on hydrated calcium sulfoaluminate cement and fly ash mixtures, Rapid Set brand producer CTS Cement Manufacturing Corp. has discovered needle-like formations that grow radially and organize themselves as spines on round fly ash particles.
Read More