Precast Magazines
Precast Inc January/February 2012 Issue
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Rethinking Infrastructure Funding
By Ty Gable President National Precast Concrete Association
At the same time that reports are cascading through Washington, D.C., describing the nation’s crumbling roads and failing bridges, we could be headed for a funding showdown that could put the brakes on current highway projects. The continuing resolution that funds the nation’s highway bill (SAFETEA-LU) is set to expire again Sept. 30. That highway bill is funded similarly to the Federal Aviation Administration bill that stalled last summer in Congress and shut down the FAA for two weeks, during which time all airport construction projects were halted and thousands of construction workers were furloughed.
While another extension of SAFETEA-LU would be considered routine in normal times, the partisan gridlock in Washington makes any long-term highway funding uncertain. The best that the precast industry could realistically hope for right now is a continuation of the 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax, which would fund highway and bridge work at current levels and keep projects going. The proposal by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is an austere $230 billion that according to some analysts would have the effect of reducing the transportation budget by 35% over the next six years. To Mica’s credit, he is living within the spending cuts and funding restrictions that are contained within the budget passed by the House last spring. A lean transportation budget is a budget nonetheless, and it provides six years worth of certainty, while lacking any big ideas for real progress in rebuilding our transportation infrastructure. Call it a maintenance budget.
Comment on this post...The Guide to Implementing SCC – An Update
By Claude Goguen, P.E., LEED AP
Recently, the NPCA Technical Committee wrapped up a revision to the Guide to Implementing SCC to reflect current standards and practices. The original document was written in 2006 to assist precast producers through the process of investigating and implementing self-consolidating concrete (SCC) in their operations. Since then, the use of SCC has spread (excuse the pun).
Ed Mansky with Grace Construction Products and member of the Technical Committee said that DOTs across the country not only are accepting SCC but specifying its use in critical applications such as prestressed bridge girders. Arizona DOT adopted its use earlier this year, and Illinois DOT is expected to include SCC in its specifications this fall. He also added that more and more private specifying agencies are requiring SCC in architectural products to help ensure “bughole-free concrete.”
ASTM Manhole Specifications
Of all the ASTM-related technical questions received here at the National Precast Concrete Association, C478, “Standard Specification for Precast Concrete Manhole Sections,” stands out as one of the most popular. Many NPCA members produce precast concrete manholes, as these products are used for so many underground applications such as storm and sanitary sewer access, lift stations and utilities.
The ASTM C478 standard contains the requirements for the manufacture and purchase requirements of products used for the assembly and construction of circular, vertical precast concrete manholes and structures. The scope of C478 includes structures used in precast sewer, drainage and water works. ASTM C478 is an important standard under the jurisdiction of ASTM C13, the technical committee on concrete pipe, established in 1931.
Comment on this post...Cargo Securement is Critical
On an early July morning in Bordentown, N.J., as driver Carmen DiLuzio was releasing his flatbed’s tie-down straps, one of the precast concrete road barriers he was hauling toppled and killed him. In another incident on a Pennsylvania highway, a precast slab shifted after securement straps snapped; both the load and truck overturned.
For precast producers, precast transport drivers and employers, cargo securement is critical to prevent driver injury or death and to ensure the safety of the driving public and pedestrians. Read More »
Comment on this post...Shelter from the Storm
For precasters who are thinking of diversifying their product lines, storm shelters may be just the thing. Most areas of the country experience nasty weather from time to time, but where there is high wind there is greater need for protection.
Comment on this post...America’s Aging Labor Force
You don’t have to tell Leo Feuerstein that the nation’s population is aging; he sees the trend unfurling right in front of his eyes. As operations manager and secretary-treasurer at Western Precast Concrete Inc., El Paso, Texas, Feuerstein says roughly 15% of the firm’s current workforce is 60 or older. Most have been with Western Precast for eight years or longer, although some came to the company in more recent years, seeking full-time or part-time jobs to help offset the negative effects that the economic recession has had on their checkbooks.
“Many companies aren’t interested in hiring older workers, especially on the ‘labor’ end of the workforce,” says Feuerstein. Western Precast is bucking the trend by hiring individuals with longtime, successful careers in construction and who are now back in the job market due to financial circumstances. Feuerstein says the strategy has worked out well for the company.
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