Industry, lawmakers mark California concrete pavement milestone

Sources: American Concrete Pavement Association, Rosemont, Ill.; CP staff

Highway construction stakeholders, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials, and state legislators assembled in mid-August to recognize the performance, longevity and value inherent in a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 concrete pavement, linking Ontario and Colton and placed in 1947 with a projected 20-year service life.

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Seattle Teamsters bask in contract settling disruptive CalPortland strike

Sources: Teamsters Local 174, Tukwila, Wash.; CP staff

Teamsters Local 174 rank & file have approved a four-year contract with the Seattle market’s principal ready mixed operators: CalPortland, Cadman and Lehigh Cement, Stoneway Concrete, and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel. Ratification of a deal covering nearly 300 drivers had major implications for concrete deliveries in downtown Seattle and areas immediately north, where technology companies and their employees are fueling a wave of mid- and high-rise building projects.

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ACI, ASCC team on Tolerances

Sources: American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis

ACI 117 – Tolerances has become a joint American Concrete Institute and American Society of Concrete Contractors committee, tasked with collecting, developing, coordinating, and specifying construction and materials tolerances through liaison with other ACI committees and related industry organizations.

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Build with Strength Coalition musters Los Angeles allies

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff

Asian Americans in Commercial Real Estate (AACRE) and Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), both of Los Angeles, are the newest members of the NRMCA-backed Build with Strength Coalition, comprised of fire service professionals, architects, engineers and industry experts committed to enacting sound and sustainable building standards in cities across the country.

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Ash Grove elevates COO Vance to CEO; Sunderland remains chairman

Sources: Ash Grove Cement Co., Overland Park, Kan.; CP staff

Ash Grove President and Chief Operating Officer J. Randall Vance has been promoted to chief executive officer. He succeeds Charles Sunderland, who is part of the fourth generation of Sunderland family members to lead the company and remains chairman of the board.

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Gate Precast sites structural product companion to Texas architectural plant

Source: Gate Precast Co., Jacksonville, Fla.  

Gate Precast broke ground earlier this month on a new, fully enclosed structural concrete plant near its existing Hillsboro, Texas, architectural precast operations. The company expects the new facility to satisfy growing U.S. demand for prefabricated precast structures.

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Steel fiber specialist adds capacity as infrastructure market prospects grow

Sources: Helix Steel, Grand Rapids, Mich.; CP staff

Helix Steel is stepping up production of its namesake Twisted Steel Micro Rebar, citing higher sales fueled by a renewed focus on rebuilding tunnels, highways, bridges, dams and other critical infrastructure. Capacity expansion reaffirms what management calls a “commitment to continued ISO 9001:2015-certified American manufacturing, increasing jobs, and driving local economic development in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan.”

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Feds set groundwork for sustained Labor, EPA rule, regulation roll back

Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Washington, D.C.; CP staff

ABC Government Affairs staff has assessed the Trump Administration’s recently released 2017 regulatory agenda, noting the prospect for significant relief from rules or measures the Department of Labor and Environmental Protection Agency adopted under President Barack Obama.

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Lock-out/tag-out standard update appears on OSHA radar

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; CP staff

The Trump Administration’s first regulatory agenda, released late last month and projecting key Labor and Transportation Department plus Environmental Protection Agency actions, calls for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue a formal Request for Information (RFI) on new technologies conflicting with the current lock-out/tag-out standard.

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FMCSA crash preventability efforts open accident fault discussion

Sources: National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, Silver Spring, Md.; CP staff

Under a pilot for its 24-month or longer Crash Preventability Program Demonstration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is accepting truck owner or operator requests for data reviews (RDR)—plus supporting documents, photos or video footage—when accidents entail commercial motor vehicles being struck a) in the rear; b) by a motorist driving under the influence or in the wrong direction; c) while legally stopped or parked; d) by an individual committing or attempting to commit suicide by stepping or driving in front of the truck; or, e) by cargo or equipment from another vehicle. The program is also open to RDR in the case of a commercial motor vehicle sustaining damage after striking an animal in the roadway or being involved in a crash attributable to infrastructure failure, falling trees, rocks or other debris.

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