Editors’ Blog
No highway bill coming?
In his Innovation NewsBriefs e-newsletter, Ken Orski reports some sobering news in regards to efforts by Congress to get a long-term highway bill passed. Orski says that yesterday at the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington, Transportation Secretary Ray… Keep Reading
In my backyard
On paper and on ExxonMobil television commercials, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is a safe process for extracting oil and natural gas from deep below the surface of the earth. In practice, the safety of the process is yet to be determined.… Keep Reading
Road rules
NSSGA is following developments in a new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule for states, requiring interstate truck drivers to provide proof from a medical professional that they are healthy enough to drive. The kicker? States failing to comply face a 5 percent… Keep Reading
Optimizing the ‘rock factory’
Optimizing the “rock factory” was the common thread running throughout the 2011 Quarry Academy in San Antonio. The three-day program, operated by Sandvik Mining and Construction and Dyno Nobel, brought the latest concepts and technologies of each phase of quarry… Keep Reading
Safety reminders
Safety concerns with bulldozers and highwalls make up MSHA's latest safety alerts. A string of deaths in the mining industry linked to bulldozers and highwalls led MSHA to warn the community about potential dangers and to remind it about best practices. Meanwhile,… Keep Reading
Competitive fires
Martin Marietta Materials' takeover bid for Vulcan Materials has strengthened the competitive fire between the nation's two largest aggregate producers. And understandably so. The companies have been going at each other pretty good lately, since Martin Marietta announced its intentions on Dec.… Keep Reading
Tolls, not taxes
No more taxes, says a skeptical American public. Not that it’s much of a surprise, but a majority of Americans believe new transportation projects should be paid for with user fees instead of tax increases, according to a new national… Keep Reading
Disaster dollars
Money for highways means money for aggregate producers, and 2012 brings hope of a new highway-funding bill. For the first time since the previous bill expired in 2009, I’m optimistic that a reauthorization will finally get passed. But in a… Keep Reading
Construction challenges
FMI, provider of management consulting and investment banking to the engineering and construction industry, released its 2012 U.S. Markets Construction Overview, offering insight into some of the engineering and construction industry’s most complex business challenges. The publication focuses primarily on… Keep Reading
