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ARTBA Washington Newsline

M A R C H 7 , 2 0 1 1

NewslineWashington

Obama Signs 7 Month Highway Extension, 2 Week CR

GAO Report Claims Duplicate Transportation Programs

Bridge Preservation Association Merges with ARTBA Bridge Council

The Bridge Preservation

Association (BPA), organized in

2008, has become the “Bridge

Preservation Action Team”

(BPAT) of ARTBA’s Bridge

Policy & Promotion Council, the

two organizations announced

March 1.

Under the merger plan,

the new BPAT will continue

to pursue the original BPA

mission and maintain its

leadership and committee

structure within the ARTBA

council. BPAT representatives

will also continue to serve

as private-sector technical

liaisons to the Bridge

Preservation Expert Task

Group, organized by FHWA,

and the Transportation

System Preservation Technical

Services Program, sponsored

by AASHTO. Existing BPA

members will become ARTBA

members.

The BPA was organized

to foster proactive activities

aimed at preventing, delaying

or reducing the deterioration of

the nation’s bridges. Members

include: Transpo Industries,

Inc., BASF Global, Amman &

Whitney, SCS, Inc., and AZZ

Galvanizing Services, among

others.

BPA Chairman Mike Stenko,

president of Transpo Industries

in New Rochelle, N.Y., said

BPAT is seeking executives

Congress passed last week

and President Obama signed

two key pieces of legislation

for the transportation

construction industry: H.R.

662, which extends the current

authorization of federal surface

transportation programs

through September 30; and a

two-week continuing resolution

(CR) that keeps the government

operating through March 18

while both chambers negotiate

A number of conservative

media outlets and members

of Congress have seized on

a March 1 U.S. Government

Accountability Office (GAO)

report about purported

duplicate federal activities

to help characterize federal

spending on transportation

and other areas as wasteful.

With respect to highway,

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 2

I-35W St. Anthony’s Fall Bridge, Minneapolis, Minn.

Continued on page 3

2 ARTBA Washington Newsline

President Signs Highway Extension, Two-Week CR

the ongoing FY 2011 appropriations

process.

The CR provides federal agencies the

funds needed to support their programs,

while the surface transportation extension

approved by the House last week authorizes

that spending. For trust fund supported

transportation programs, both measures’

components are necessary as states need

the ability to commit federal funds and the

actual resources to invest in transportation

improvements.

Continued from page 1

Upcoming Events

ARTBA Board & Council Meetings at CONEXPO-CON/AGGMarch 21–23Las Vegas, Nev.[Add to Calendar]

3rd Annual ARTBA Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory ForumApril 6–7 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]

ARTBA Federal Issues Program & TCC Fly-InMay 23–25 Washington, D.C.[Add to Calendar]

ARTBA Young Executive Development ProgramMay 23–26Washington, D.C.[Add to Calendar]

International Bridge ConferenceJune 5–8 Pittsburgh, Pa.[Add to Calendar]

TransOvation 2011 WorkshopSeptember 7–9 Near Dulles Airport, Va.[Add to Calendar]

ARTBA National ConventionOctober 2–5 Monterey, Calif. [Add to Calendar]

ARTBA Public-Private Partnerships ConferenceNovember 15–16 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]

ARTBA REGIONAL MEETINGsNortheastern November 28–29 New York, N.Y.[Add to Calendar]

southernNovember 30–December 1 Tampa, Fla.[Add to Calendar]

WesternDecember 5–6 Los Angeles, Calif.[Add to Calendar]

CentralDecember 7–8Chicago, Ill.[Add to Calendar]

Visit our Events Page for more information.

March 21: Amtrak’s Al Engel to Address ARTBA Joint Council Meeting at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, Additional Speakers Announced

3-5 p.m.: Joint ARTBA Bridge Policy & Promotion, High Speed Rail and Ports & Waterways Council Meeting, The Venetian Resort

Amtrak’s Vice President of High Speed Rail Al Engel will provide an update on Amtrak’s national and Northeast Corridor high speed rail plans.

C.C. Myers President Dan Himick will discuss a recent film and outreach project, “Today in America: A Behind the Scenes Look at Leading Developments in 21st Century Infrastructure.” Rancho Cordova, Calif. based C.C. Myers is well known for several emergency reconstruction projects in the state.

Former official at The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and renowned U.S. marine transport expert Paul Bea will discuss ports & waterways market opportunities and financing.

A networking reception will immediately follow this info-packed event.

REGISTER NOW!

Like the new look of the Newsline? Let us know what you think! Contact Jaime Mahoney with comments.

3ARTBA Washington Newsline

Bridge Preservation Association Merges with ARTBA Bridge CouncilContinued from page 1

Products & ServicesAflac Insurance Now Available to ARTBA Members Via special Program

In addition to its many other member services, ARTBA is pleased to introduce a new Preferred Vendor: USI Insurance Services. As a member benefit, USI is offering Aflac insurance plans and no-cost FSA administration, for companies with 50 or more employees. Contact Liz Cavallaro at 202.289.4434 for more information.

Visit the ARTBA Store today!

Become a P6 Scheduling Expert in Just Three Days! Register for ARTBA’s April 19-21 Scheduling Academy. Contact Laura Spitz for more information.

interested in leading and developing

bridge preservation promotion activities

in 10 product areas: foundations, super

structure, bearings, joints, drainage,

structural steel coatings, concrete coatings,

corrosion protection, deck wearing surfaces

and waterproofing, concrete deck repair,

and seismic.

Stenko said the BPAT plan of work

includes:

Developing national policy on bridge •

preservation promotion and issues

through ARTBA;

Creation of product and service area-•

specific “best practice” guides and

educational webinars for bridge owners,

planners, designers and contractors;

Assisting state and local agencies update •

their bridge specifications; and

Development of program content for the •

2011 International Bridge Conference,

June 5-8, in Pittsburgh, Pa., and

TransOvation™ 2011, the first annual

innovation workshop organized by

ARTBA, which will be held September

7-9 in Leesburg, Va. at the Lansdowne

Conference Center.

More information: contact ARTBA Vice President of Member Services Allison Wenograd at awenograd@artba.org or 202.289.4434.

Focused on the latest legal and regulatory developments impacting transporta- »tion improvement projects nationwide

Top industry lawyers and experts will share their expertise on topics such as: risk »management, contracting issues, environmental regulations, construction claims and P3s

Specifically geared toward in-house counsel, company leadership, senior level »project managers and others who deal with legal and regulatory issues

A limited number of seats are available so register today! »

*ARTBA is not liable for any information provided by instructors or attorneys during the forum. This forum is intended for general informational purposes only, and not as a substitute for particular advice from a qualified professional. No warranty is made regarding the forum.

April 6 - 7, 2011 | The ArTBA Building, WAshingTon, d.C.

VieW The progrAM

ARTBA’s 3rd Annual

TransporTaTion ConsTruCTion Law & reguLaTory Forum

4 ARTBA Washington Newsline

“What we really care about is maximizing the number of potential jobs that people can reach, which increase affluence. Traffic, then, is a symptom of an economy with a mobile workforce, where workers can seek out better jobs with ease. Modern, multi-lane highways, even when they are sometimes congested, are the road away from serfdom.”

Jonathan V. Last, “More Highways, Less Congestion,” The Weekly Standard

“A nation that does not maintain its infrastructure is doomed to economic decline. We look at U.S. spending as a Democrat, a Republican and an independent - and we believe our nation needs to invest more, not less, in infrastructure.”

Former N.J. Senator Bill Bradley, former Pa. Governor Tom Ridge and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker

TRB Newsletter: March 1, 2011ARTBA is pleased to make available another service for members that highlights new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry. This material comes from the Transportation Research Board. Read the most recent newsletter.

Learn & Meet with Industry Innovators at TransOvationWhat does it take to win the MacArthur “Genius” Award or the Engineering News Record Award of Excellence? Attend ARTBA’s first-of-it’s kind “TransOvation 2011” workshop and you will learn how to innovate at your firm from some of the industry’s best. This event will be held September 7-9 at the Landsdowne Conference Center near Dulles Airport in Virginia. Visit transovation.net to learn more.

Overheard

Fostering Innovation

“ ”Legislative & Regulatory News GAO Report Claims Duplicative Trans. ProgramsContinued from page 1

public transportation and safety

programs, GAO cites the U.S.

Department of Transportation’s

(DOT) “fragmented approach”

involving five agencies and over

100 different programs. The

GAO’s primary criticism of these

programs is that they do not

focus on national priorities and

state/local governments are the

primary decision makers. The

report does, however, include

some constructive reform

suggestions, such as prioritizing

goods movement and increasing

accountability. It is interesting,

however, that none of the

individuals heralding this

report as proof of wasteful

transportation spending, so

far, have embraced the GAO’s

primary recommendation that

federal surface transportation

policy be reformed to focus

on minimizing global climate

change and reducing the

influence of foreign oil.

House Repeals Troublesome 1099 Provision

The House March 3 approved

314-112, H.R. 4, a bill that

amongst other things would

repeal a provision included in

the 2009 healthcare reform

requiring businesses to generate

IRS Form 1099s for annual

expenditures over $600.

ARTBA wrote independently

and in cooperation with other

industry partners calling for

repeal of this provision to

reduce the paperwork burden

imposed on firms. The measure

now goes to the Senate for

consideration. ARTBA will

keep you apprised of any

developments.

Highway Travels Rebounds to 2007 Levels

Motorists in the U.S. logged

three trillion miles in 2010,

the most since 2007 and the

third-highest ever recorded

according the U.S. DOT Bureau

of Transportation Statistics.

“More driving means more

wear and tear on our nation’s

roads and bridges,” said U.S.

Secretary of Transportation Ray

LaHood. “This new data further

demonstrates why we need to

repair the roads and bridges

that are the lifeblood of our

economy.” Americans drove 0.7

percent more, or 20.5 billion

additional miles, in 2010 than

the previous year. December

was the 10th consecutive month

of increased driving compared

to 2009.

ARTBA Argues for Construction Exemption to Hours of Service Rules

ARTBA March 4 told the

Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration that revised

Hours of Service rules should

not apply to drivers in the

transportation construction

industry. ARTBA pointed out

that our industry’s drivers

generally operate short-haul

routes of less than 20 miles and

receive frequent driving breaks

throughout the work day when

performing other tasks. Both

of these realities differentiate

this sector from the long-haul

commercial truckers at whom

the rule is focused. Read the

full comments.

5ARTBA Washington Newsline

Foundation News

PRIDE Award Nomination Deadline This Week

Nominations are now being

accepted for the 12th annual

“PRIDE Awards,” which honor

“excellence in community

relations and public education

that enhance the image of the

U.S. transportation construction

industry.” Deadline is March

11. Entry forms are available on

the ARTBA-TDF website.

Nominate a Worthy Student for the Lanford Family Highway Worker Memorial Scholarship

These scholarships provide

financial assistance to help

the children of highway

construction workers killed or

permanently disabled in the line

of duty pursue post-high school

education. If you are aware of

students who fit the scholarship

criteria, please contact Holly

Bolton at 202.289.4434.

Applications for 2011-12 are due

April 1 and are available on the

ARTBA-TDF website.

Is Your Project Setting New Environmental Leadership Standards?

Nominate it for a Globe Award!

The transportation construction

industry’s top award for

excellence in environmental

protection and mitigation is

back for the 12th time. Deadline

is April 1. Entry forms are

available on the ARTBA-TDF

website.

Economics & Research News Industry Employment Unchanged in JanuaryEmployment by highway

and bridge contractors in

January 2011 was unchanged

from a year ago, with

218,200 workers employed,

according to the latest data

from the U.S. Bureau of Labor

Statistics. The highway and

bridge construction industry

continues to feel the impact

of the economic downturn—

contractors employed an

average of 289,000 workers

in 2010, compared to 291,300

in 2009 and 327,300 in 2008.

The construction industry’s

unemployment rate dropped

to 21.8 percent in February,

down from 22.5 percent in

January. The nation’s overall

unemployment rate fell to 8.9

percent in February—a nearly

two-year low.

January-February

Now Available Online:

View the Magazine

Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.”

Safety News

Work Zone Clearinghouse Launches Ad Campaign & Unveils New Educational Resources

The National Work Zone Safety

Information Clearinghouse

has launched a new print ad

campaign featuring Federal

Highway Administrator Victor

Mendez and ARTBA Chairman

Bill Cox delivering messages

about the importance of

improving safety in roadway

construction zones. Also

available are several new

informational job site posters

that are designed to educate

workers on flagging best

practices, work zone sign

recognition and use, among

others. For more information,

contact Lisa McCluskey, or order

the posters.

ARTBA Safety VP Joins Work Zone Traffic Control Committee

Brad Sant, ARTBA’s vice

president of safety and education,

has been appointed to join the

Transportation

Research Board’s

(TRB) committee

on work zone traffic

control. This TRB

committee focuses

on optimizing

traffic flow while minimizing

hazards to work crews and road

users, including pedestrians, in

a cost-effective manner during

maintenance, construction, and

utility operations on streets and

highways. These concerns include

improved methods, procedures,

materials, equipment, devices,

and systems applicable to

traffic control in work zones.

They extend to the planning,

design, installation, operation,

maintenance, and removal of

such traffic control zones. View

additional information on TRB.

Meetings & Events

2011 Federal Issues Program & Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In

The program of events and

registration information for this

annual event are now available.

Contact Ed Tarrant for more

information.