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ARTBA Washington Newsline for April 11, 2011
Citation preview
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Register Now! ARTBA’s April 19-21 P6 Scheduling Academy in the Nation’s Capital
ARTBA Washington Newsline
A P R I L 1 1 , 2 0 1 1
NewslineWashington
Federal Issues Program Hotel Deadline April 22
House Budget Plan Cuts Transportation Investment
Saving Lives Focus of Roadway Work Zone Event
If you are planning to
attend the May 23-25 ARTBA
Federal Issues Program
(FIP) and Transportation
Construction Coalition Fly-
In so you can meet with your
congressional delegation
about the pending highway/
transit reauthorization bill,
make your hotel reservations
The House of Representatives
will vote this week on an
FY 2012 budget proposal
from Budget Committee
Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)
that would cut total federal
transportation investment by
almost $30 billion. The Ryan
plan does not recommend
individual programmatic
investments (or cuts), but
would eliminate support for
high speed passenger rail.
With nearly 670 people killed
in roadway construction zone
accidents annually and another
40,000 injured, public and
private sector leaders came
together at an April 4 news
conference to spotlight the
safety risks associated with
driving through these sites.
ARTBA Chairman Bill
Cox, president of Corman
Construction in Annapolis
Junction, Md., represented the
association at the launch of
National Work Zone Awareness
Week, held at the massive
Intercounty Connector project
in Maryland. Federal Highway
Administrator Victor Mendez
also attended.
The theme for this year’s
event—“Safer driving. Safer
work zones. For everyone.”—
focused attention on the fact
that 85 percent of work zone
fatalities and injuries happen to
motorists or their passengers;
the remaining 15 percent are
workers.
During an interview, Cox
said: “I come to these events
because I believe the safety
of workers and motorists
should be the industry’s core
value. Safety, productivity and
profitability are components of
an integrated system . . . You
can’t have one part without the
other.”
The ARTBA Foundation’s
National Work Zone Safety
Information Clearinghouse is a
sponsor of the week, providing
posters, fact sheets and other
information.
Visit www.workzonesafety.
org to order materials.
Continued on page 2
Continued on page 3
One of America’s Most Successful Public-Private Partnerships. Use It - Save Lives!
Left to Right: Bill Cox, Corman Construction; Neil Pederson, Maryland State Highway Administration; Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administration and Beverly Swaim-Staley, Maryland Department of Transportation.
2 ARTBA Washington Newsline
Upcoming Events
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]
Transportation Development Hall of Fame Gala Dinner at TransOvation 2011September 7Near 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.
Over Half of ARRA Work Is Completed…p
Summary of FHWA Obligations and Spending as of
$18.2 $18.7
$16 $18 $20
y g p g3/11/2011
$7.70 $8
$10 $12 $14 $16
illio
ns $
$1.7 $0.53 $0 $2 $4 $6 $8 B
$0 Value of
projects under construction
Projects not yet underway or
awaiting notice t d
Value of projects
completed
Paid out for construction
work f d
Flexed to other modes
Source: FHWA Weekly Report as of March 11, 2011
to proceed performed
Continued from page 1
soon. The discounted rate of $309 per
night at the Mandarin Oriental is only
guaranteed through April 22. Be sure to
mention the ARTBA Federal Issues Program
when calling the hotel at 888.888.1778 or
202.787.6140.
The FIP features legislative and
regulatory briefings, a transportation
construction market report, and ARTBA
committee meetings so you can talk face-
to-face with top federal agency officials. A
panel of congressional transportation staff
will also share their views on the surface
transportation bill and other infrastructure
issues.
Register today! Contact Ed Tarrant with
any questions or to discuss sponsorship
opportunities.
ARTBA-FIP Hotel Deadline April 22
3ARTBA Washington Newsline
House Budget Plan Cuts Transportation InvestmentContinued from page 1
Products & ServicesNew Digital Advertising Opportunities Available!
New for 2011, ARTBA is offering digital advertising opportunities, in addition to traditional print options.
New options include: the “Washington Newsline,” digital Transportation Builder magazine, website advertisements (including homepage spotlight rotator), email signature sponsorship, and more!
Contact Liz Cavallaro or view the 2011 ARTBA Media Kit for more information.
To learn more about other products and services available, visit the ARTBA Store today!
2011 ARTBA FedeRAl Issues PRogRAm & Transportation Construction Coalition Fly-In
May 23 - 24: ARTBA Federal Issues Program May 24 - 25: TCC Fly-InMandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. www.mandarinoriental.com/washington/888.888.1778
Be an industry leader & lobby Congress on the highway/transit reauthorization bill.
Meet face-to-face with top federal agency officials to discuss the real-world impacts ofexisting and proposed regulations.
Get in-depth legislative, economic & market reports from ARTBA staff & industry experts.
For more information, or to register, visit the “News & Events” section of www.artba.org.
2011 FIP ad.indd 1 3/1/2011 11:36:07 AM
The proposal makes clear the House
GOP’s intent to constrain future highway/
transit investment to levels supportable by
incoming Highway Trust Fund revenues,
but does not specify how much of an
investment cut that would require. ARTBA
is urging House members to oppose these
reductions in transportation investment. Attendees of ARTBA’s 3rd Annual Transportation Construction Law & Regulatory Forum, held April 6-7 at the ARTBA Building in Washington, D.C.
4 ARTBA Washington Newsline
“Instead of making targeted cuts to root out waste and increase efficiency, however, Republicans are acting like Civil War surgeons by hacking off limbs instead of diagnosing the disease.
“The extreme and dangerous cuts to transportation investments that make America a better place to do business could threaten our Nation’s economic competitiveness and will destroy American jobs. The old, tired, and stale slash and burn approach to transportation investments in the Republican budget blueprint would drive our economy off the road to recovery and back into the ditch. Instead of a superhighway into the future, the Republican “Path to Prosperity” will only lead us backwards down a bumpy dirt road into the past.”
Rep. Nick J Rahall (D-W.V.), vice chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, on the Republican FY 2012 Budget Blueprint.
TRB Newsletter: April 5, 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.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Master Innovator?Do your innovation skills pass muster with the industry’s best-of-the-best? You can put them to the test at ARTBA’s
“TransOvation” workshop to be held September 7-9 at the Landsdowne conference center near Dulles, Va. This workshop will be led by ENR Award of Excellence Winner John Hillman, MacArthur Foundation “genius” award winner Ted Zoli, and 3M executive Jerry Karel. Learn from the best what it takes to innovate for to improve your bottom line and invigorate your business! Visit www.transovation.org for more information.
Overheard
Fostering Innovation
“ ”Legislative & Regulatory News
Congress Continues Reauthorization Hearings
The House and Senate
transportation committees
continued their hearings
on the reauthorization of
federal surface transportation
programs last week. The
House Highways and Transit
Subcommittee heard testimony
April 5 from members of
Congress on their ideas for
what should be included in the
bill. Ideas ranged from issues
specific to members’ districts
to broad national freight and
infrastructure bank programs.
House Transportation and
Infrastructure Chairman John
Mica (R-Fla.) said this would
likely be the last hearing this
year on reauthorization and
that the committee would
now turn its full attention
to drafting legislation. State
and local representatives
told members of the Senate
Environment and Public Works
Committee April 6 how important
a long-term transportation
bill is for implementing their
transportation plans. The
witnesses also emphasized the
need to streamline the federal
environmental review process.
Of note, Committee Chairman
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) asked
each of the groups if they
supported indexing the gas tax to
inflation, which they unanimously
agreed would be a positive step.
Senate Approves 1099 Repeal
The Senate April 5 passed H.R.
4, a measure that would repeal
a controversial requirement
included as part of the 2009
healthcare reform law. The
health care provision would,
beginning in 2012, require
businesses to produce IRS
Form 1099s for every purchase
of $600 or more in a calendar
year. ARTBA has actively
supported repealing the 1099
provision as it placed an
unnecessary reporting burden
on business. The bill now goes
to President Obama for his
signature.
FRA Receives $10 Billion in High Speed Rail Requests
U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood announced last
week the U.S. DOT has received
more than 90 applications
representing nearly $10 billion
in the latest round of high
speed rail grant availability.
Approximately $2.4 billion
is available to fulfill these
applications—funds that
were originally awarded to
high speed rail projects in
Florida and Wisconsin but
were subsequently rejected
by newly elected Governors
Scott Walker (R-Wis.) and Rick
Scott (R-Fla.). Applications
were received from Amtrak
for projects in the Northeast
Corridor, the District of
Columbia, and 24 states—
California, Connecticut,
Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine,
Massachusetts, Maryland,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
North Carolina, New Mexico,
Nevada, New York, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Washington, and
Wisconsin.
5ARTBA Washington Newsline
Coal Ash Bill Introduced in House
Representative David McKinley
(R-W. Va.) April 6 introduced
the “Recycling Coal Combustion
Residuals Accessibility Act of
2011.” The ARTBA-supported
legislation would prohibit the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) from regulating
coal ash as a “hazardous
substance.” ARTBA has
warned EPA on numerous
occasions that a “hazardous”
labeling would make concrete
more costly and less durable,
thus increasing costs and the
environmental impact of vital
transportation improvement
projects. Further, ARTBA has
stressed the transportation
sector’s use of coal ash as an
environmental success story
which, according to EPA “has
reduced annual greenhouse
gas emissions in concrete
production between 12.5 and
25 tons” and “oil consumption
between 26.8 and 53.6 million
barrels.”
ARTBA Recommends Wide Array of Regulatory Reforms to DOT, EPA
ARTBA submitted written
comments April 1 and April 4
to the U.S. DOT and the EPA
recommending a number of
reforms to current regulations
affecting the transportation
industry. The submissions
were based upon oral
statements given by ARTBA
on March 14 to both agencies.
ARTBA’s submission to DOT
focused on the Disadvantaged
Business Enterprise (DBE)
program, hours of service for
construction drivers and the
use of proprietary products.
ARTBA’s comments to EPA
Download a PDF copy of the digital “Washington Newsline.”
Transportation Design & Construction Careers
www.transportationconstructionjobs.org
What kind of jobs are there in the transportation design and construction industry?
Here are just a few examples of the hundreds of jobs and opportunities waiting for you—and the average annual salaries in 2010…
Construction Executive Management: President & CEOs: $170,000General & Operations Managers: $119,100Financial Managers: $104,500
Designing the Infrastructure: Civil Engineers: $74,900Architects: $55,300Surveyors: $53,300
Building the Infrastructure: Project Managers: $119,000Foreman/Supervisors & Superintendents: $61,800Estimators: $67,300Equipment Mechanics: $44,600Carpenters: $47,800Concrete Finishers: $41,100Excavating Machine Operators: $36,400Pile-Driver Operators: $50,200Paving/Surfacing Equipment Operators: $39,200Truck Drivers: $37,400Laborers or Helpers: $37,300Highway Maintenance Workers: $34,600
Other Occupations: Computer Specialists: $49,200Chief Engineers: $99,500Construction Managers: $93,300Financial Managers: $99,700Purchasing Managers: $58,500Human Relations Specialists: $57,500Clerk & Office Workers: $35,100Recordkeepers: $30,710Sales Representatives: $55,660Network Administrators: $66,330
Source: ARTBA analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data; 2010 ARTBA U.S. Highway, Street & Bridge Construction Salary & Hourly Wage Guide
∙ High Tech
∙ Competitive Wages
∙ Leadership Skills
Transportation Design & Construction Careers Brochure
This new ARTBA brochure highlights the many benefits and leadership opportunities with a career in transportation design and construction. It also features a comprehensive lists of annual salaries for a variety of industry jobs. It’s an excellent guide to distribute during “Construction Career Days,” job fairs, or other recruiting events.
Brochure is $25 for 100 copies. Contact Liz Cavallaro for more details.
New Product!
Order Today
stressed reforms to air, water
and hazardous substance
regulations. In both filings
ARTBA stressed the need to
streamline the environmental
review and approval process
for transportation projects
which currently can take up to
19 years to complete. ARTBA’s
submissions are available
at www.artba.org under the
“regulatory” section.
FHWA, SBA Officials to Speak at ARTBA Environmental Committee Meeting
Officials from the Small Business
Administration (SBA) and
Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) have agreed to speak at
the Environmental Committee
Meeting during ARTBA’s Federal
Issues Program. David J. Rosker,
SBA’s assistant chief counsel
for environment and regulatory
reform will cover current
regulatory issues affecting small
businesses while April Marchese,
the director of FHWA’s office of
human and natural environment
and Gerry Solomon, the director
of FHWA’s office of project
development and environmental
review, will provide an overview
of environmental and regulatory
issues currently before FHWA.
The ARTBA Environmental
Committee meeting will take
place on May 23 at 1:30 p.m. at
the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
in Washington, D.C. Visit
www.artbafederalissues.org to
register.
Economic News
More than Half of ARRA Projects Complete
As of March 31, highway
investments made as part of
the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have
delivered 6,952 completed
transportation infrastructure
projects. Another 5,547 are
under construction and 886
are yet to begin. Read a full
update on the progress of ARRA
transportation investments.
Safety News
NIOSH Blog Discusses Work Zone Fatality Prevention
From 1995 through 2002, 844
fatal occupational injuries
occurred at road construction
sites. The majority of these
fatalities resulted when workers
were struck by a vehicle or
equipment. To coincide with
National Work Zone Awareness
Week, The National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health
has posted a blog to discuss
efforts to reduce the number of
ground workers struck by road
construction equipment. Visit
the blog and participate in the
discussion.
6 ARTBA Washington Newsline
Foundation News
Nomination Deadlines Are Fast Approaching for ARTBA Foundation Programs
1. Globe Awards: Honors
industry excellence in
environmental protection
and mitigation. Deadline:
April 13. 2. Roadway Work Zone
Safety Award: Recognizes
outstanding efforts to
help reduce roadway work
zone accidents, injuries
and fatalities. Deadline:
April 22.3. “Lanford Family Highway
Worker Memorial
Scholarship Program”:
Provides financial
assistance to the children
of highway construction
workers killed or
permanently disabled in
the line of duty to pursue
post-secondary education.
Deadline: April 22.
Visit www.artbatdf.org to
download application forms.
Contact Holly Bolton with any
questions.
Nominations Sought for 2011 Hall of Fame Class
Nominate an individual or
a family from the public or
private sectors who has made
extraordinary contributions
to U.S. transportation
development or demonstrated
exceptional leadership over
their lifetime to the ARTBA
Foundation Hall of Fame. A new
website—www.artbahalloffame.
org—contains the 2011
nomination form and details
about the inaugural class
announced last November.
Nominations are due by June 1.
Contact Holly Bolton.
Meetings & Events
April 19-21 P6 Scheduling Academy in Nation’s Capital
One of the nation’s leading
experts on Critical Path
Method (CPM) is returning to
Washington,
D.C., as
the lead
instructor for
the April 19-
21 ARTBA P6
Scheduling
Academy.
If you are a
scheduler, estimator or project
manager, this course is built just
for you.
Dr. Jay Newitt, a founder of
Brigham Young University’s
Construction Management
Program, will teach participants
how to use schedules to manage
and track all aspects of a
transportation project—people,
materials, key operational
benchmarks and payment
schedules. They also will have
“hands-on” experience with the
most widely used scheduling
software, Primavera Project
Planner (P6).
Newitt has trained more
than 5,000 project managers
and superintendents on the
principles of CPM scheduling
and developed a method to
teach the complex principles
in an easy to understand and
effective way.
Register at www.artbatdf.org
or by contacting Laura Spitz.
National Bridge Workshop Scheduled June 7 in Pittsburgh
ARTBA is hosting a “National
Bridge Industry Workshop”
June 7 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00
p.m., at the International
Bridge Conference. It will bring
together leaders from FHWA,
states and industry to discuss
the future of the bridge program
in these key areas: preservation,
asset management, contract
administration, P3s and
innovation.
Top FHWA officials are
confirmed speakers: King
Gee, associate administrator,
Office of Infrastructure; Butch
Wlaschin, director of the Office
of Asset Management; Gerald
Yakowenko, group leader,
Contracts Administration;
and Anwar Ahmad, bridge
preservation engineer. Chris
Kane, P3 Collaborative; Mike
Stenko, Transpo Industries;
Siva Venugopalan, Siva
Corrosion; and Barry Raeburn,
Advanced Infrastructure
Technologies, will also speak.
Register now. For more
details, contact Allison
Wenograd.
ARTBA News
Intelligent Transportation Systems Group Forming
ARTBA member firms with
an interest in Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS)
are encouraged to sign up
representatives to help lead,
organize and participate in
a new ARTBA ITS Policy &
Promotion Council. For details,
contact Rob Regier.
43.8%
of Pennsylvania’s Bridges are “structurally deficient” or “functionally obsolete”
Visit www.transportationcreatesjobs.org to see how your state compares.