August 26, 2013 – Aggregates operations with an adjacent asphalt plant can take note of this: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a proposed permissible exposure level (PEL) for silica dust, according to the National Asphalt Pavement Association.
August 18, 2013 – Ohio isn't waiting for Congress to get off its butt and focus on infrastructure. Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich recently announced a jobs and transportation plan that includes more than 40 major road construction projects across the state that the Ohio Department of Transportation plans to build over the next six years. These projects will improve motorist safety, reduce congestion on highways, add capacity and improve the state’s economy.
August 11, 2013 – New construction starts are forecast to rise 6 percent this year to $506 billion, according to the Midyear Update to the 2013 Construction Outlook from McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. This is the same rate of increase for total construction starts that was predicted last October, and follows the 8 percent gain that took place in 2012.
July 31, 2013 – Congress is doing something right today. The U.S. Senate continued consideration of its FY’14 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill (S.1243), the spending measure covering nearly all U.S. Department of Transportation programs, according to NSSGA. The $54 billion bill is $2.3 billion more than the FY’13 enacted level and nearly $10 billion more than the House version.
July 30, 2013 – There is an interesting development in road-construction financing in Illinois. According to the Illinois Association of Aggregates Producers, in order to maintain the state’s commitment to infrastructure investment, and support continued private sector economic growth, the Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC) proposed an $800 million annual increase in user fees to be used solely for on-going maintenance of transportation networks.
Mark S. Kuhar, editor of Rock Products, has covered the aggregates and construction-materials industries for more than 20 years as a business journalist, associate publisher, blogger and digital-media specialist. He is a former winner of the Construction Writers Association’s Robert F. Boger Award for Editorials. Check back often for his posts, opinions and insights on industry developments, and commentary on topics of interest as he travels around the country. He can be reached at 330-722-4081, or mkuhar@mining-media.com.
