06_17_news by ARTBA

Newsline Washington

JUNE 17, 2013

Rahall Pushes for Improved Bridge Safety

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Ranking Democrat Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.) last week called on U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood to expedite implementation of the bridge inspection standards contained in the 2012 surface transportation law—“The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP21). In comments regarding his June 12 letter to LaHood, Rahall noted: “While we do not know the precise cause of the startling I-5 bridge collapse Continued on page 4

Senate Panel Focuses on Crumbling Highway/Bridge Infrastructure Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told her colleagues June 13 the tragic collapse of a bridge on I-5 over the Skagit River in her home state is “the kind of disaster we can expect to happen more often when our roads and bridges fall into disrepair.” Continued on page 4 Follow ARTBA:

Register now for the 25th Annual ARTBA PublicPrivate Partnerships (P3) in Transportation Conference taking place July 24-26 in Washington, D.C. The ARTBA P3 Conference is annually the best opportunity to network with project owners and developers, participate in the latest policy discussions affecting the P3 marketplace, and hear about state project pipelines. This year’s conference features 18

informative and interactive sessions on key topics such as: • “P3 Owners’ Roundtable: Project Pipelines” • “Tracking MAP-21 Improvements and 2014 Reauthorization Needs” • “Operations and Maintenance Issues in Transportation Infrastructure” • “Constitutional Challenges to P3s and What They Mean for Project Development”

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“P3s in Transit” “P3s in Ports & Waterways” “Design-Build vs. P3—How States Make Procurement Choices” • “Toll Risk v. Availability Payment” • “Adopting Value for Money Analysis” In addition, ARTBA has partnered with the George Mason University School of Public Policy to develop additional content sessions, Continued on page 5

Highway & Bridge Sector Continues to Struggle While the overall construction sector added 189,000 jobs year-over-year between May 2012 and May 2013, the highway and bridge-specific construction sector continues to lag behind based on the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highway and bridge-specific sector actually dropped employment by 5.3 percent from 279,200 in April 2012 to 264,300 in April 2013—sector specific data is always delayed by one month. The overall construction sector’s unemployment rate was 10.8 percent in May 2013—well above the national average of 7.6 percent.

Upcoming Events Visit our Events Page for more information. 25th Annual ARTBA P3 Conference July 24-26 Washington, D.C. [Add to Calendar]

ARTBA National Convention September 8-10 Milwaukee, Wis. [Add to Calendar]

Dr. J. Don Brock TransOvationTM Workshop & Awards Program October 28-30 San Jose, Calif. [Add to Calendar]

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Local Transportation Management Virtual Conference & Innovation Showcase (LoTransTM 2013) November 19-20 [Add to Calendar]

Regional Meetings

Western: December 2-3, Austin, Texas Central: December 4-5, St. Louis, Mo. Southern: December 9-10, Charlotte, N.C. Northeastern: December 11-12, Baltimore, Md.

2013

48 YEDP Graduates Advocate for Highway Trust Fund Fix Forty-eight transportation design and construction industry “rising stars” came to the Nation’s Capital June 3-6 to participate in the ARTBA Foundation’s 18th annual Young Executive Development Program (YEDP), which focuses on the impact the federal government has on the industry and the role ARTBA plays in shaping national transportation policy. The 2013 class marked the largest ever in ARTBA history. YEDP graduates represented more than 20 states and work in all sectors of the transportation construction industry. The program was held in conjunction with the Federal Issues Program and

Transportation Construction Coalition FlyIn, allowing YEDP fellows to meet with their congressional representatives and discuss the funding challenges facing the Highway Trust Fund. Participants also heard from industry leaders such as Kathy Ruffalo, government affairs consultant and former commissioner of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, on future challenges to the nation’s infrastructure, and Doug Black, president & COO, Oldcastle Inc., on leadership and business acumen.

Doug Black, ARTBA senior vice chairman, speaking on the importance of leadership at the 2013 Young Executive Development Program in Washington, D.C.

Registration for the 2013 National Convention Now Open

Products & Services June 20 (1 p.m. EST) Webinar: Hours of Service Rule Subject: New rules for motor carrier drivers’ Hours of Service. The federal rules governing the number of hours drivers can operate certain commercial vehicles are a critical issue for many transportation construction contractors. The webinar will include a detailed presentation about the hours of service revisions, as well as a look ahead to related regulatory requirements on the horizon. Presenter: Annette Sandberg, principal, Trans Safe Consulting, LLC. ARTBA Members: $99 Register: www.artbastore.org Contact: Brie Johnson

Registration is now open for ARTBA’s 110 th annual ARTBA National Convention September 8-10 at the historic Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wis. Keynote speaker Joe Calloway, author of the new book, “Be the Best at What Matters Most” will lead an interactive discussion on how markets are won by companies that outperform the fundamentals and how to create relationships that become partnerships. The program will also include a panel session with senior executives at some of the nation’s top engineering, equipment manufacturing, materials and contractor firms who will share their perspective on “big picture” issues likely to impact the industry’s future. Additionally ARTBA’s top government affairs, legal and regulatory, and economics staff will provide briefings in their respective areas of expertise. A special Chairman’s Reception and Banquet featuring comedian Tom Cotter will held the evening of September 10. Register before July 15 and save $150. Reservations for the Pfister Hotel can be made by calling the hotel directly. Discounted room rates are available for ARTBA guests. Contact Ed Tarrant with any questions. ARTBA Washington Newsline

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Overheard

Legislative & Regulatory News Improved Bridge Safety Continued from page 1

“Investment in transportation is critical to the health of our economy and to our economic recovery. Such investments create jobs, provide lasting assets, move commerce, and establish the foundation of future growth.” Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Republican Susan Collins (R-Maine) during a June 13 hearing on infrastructure.

“While we do not know the precise cause of the startling I-5 bridge collapse we do know that thousands of bridges used by the traveling public everyday are carrying loads that they were not designed to accommodate and have lasted far beyond their life expectancy. Replacement of these bridges will take time and money. We should be investing both, but in the interim we must move quickly to put in place the safety standards that can help avert future catastrophes and save lives.” T&I Committee Ranking Member Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) in June 12 press release.

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we do know that thousands of bridges used by the traveling public everyday are carrying loads that they were not designed to accommodate and have lasted far beyond their life expectancy.” Rahall said he is developing legislation that will be released soon to “address the backlog of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges.” ARTBA successfully urged Congress during the development of MAP-21 to strengthen federal bridge inspection standards and enhance training for bridge inspectors. Members of the ARTBA Bridge Preservation Action Team were on Capitol Hill June 13 to continue our push to improve bridge improvements.

The Nation’s Infrastructure Continued from page 1

The hearing convened by Murray and Subcommittee Ranking Republican Susan Collins (R-Maine) facilitated a wide ranging discussion on the condition of the nation’s roadways and bridges and how they can be improved. Both Murray and Collins emphasized members of Congress should not overlook the long-term economic and societal costs of inadequate infrastructure investment in favor of shortterm budget savings. In response to a question from Collins on the looming Highway Trust Fund’s (HTF) insolvency crisis, U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Policy Polly Trottenberg

observed that all recent HTF revenue enhancements have come as part of a deficit reduction/tax package and that a similar broad fiscal reform discussion was needed to address the current HTF challenges. The Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee produces legislation each year to set all federal transportation investment levels—which may or may not be consistent with the levels provided in multiyear surface and aviation authorization bills.

OSHA Sign Rule Change The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) June 13 issued a direct final rule (DFR) that would modernize its signage standards to match the latest ANSI standards. If no significant negative public comments on the DFR are received by July 15, OSHA will make the rule effective September 11. This DFR basically modernizes its current standard to match the latest ANSI Z535 standard for safety colors, signs, and tags. The ANSI standard allows for the ability to use multiple language panels and graphical symbol panels as well as providing

information on the nature of the hazard, the consequences, and how to avoid the hazard. OSHA also proposes updating its regulatory reference, for this signage issue only, to the current edition of FHWA’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. ARTBA and our industry partners have continually asked the agency to update all of its regulatory references to the most current edition rather than the 1998 edition.

Mayor Foxx One Step Closer to Transportation Post The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee June 10 unanimously approved the nomination of Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx to become the next U.S. secretary of transportation. Now all that remains between Foxx and the chair currently occupied by retiring Secretary Ray LaHood is a successful confirmation vote in the full U.S. Senate, which is expected in the coming weeks. It does not appear at this time there will be significant opposition to Mayor Foxx’s nomination.

Multimodal Fostering News Innovation A service of ARTBA’s multimodal councils, it features current transportation developments making news across all modes and regions. Contact Sara Jones to become a subscriber or visit www.artbamultimodal.org.

TRB Newsletter: June 11

Highlighting new research, technologies, industry best practices and information resources available to the transportation design and construction industry.

FHWA Issues New MAP-21 CMAQ Guidance The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) took steps June 10 towards fully implementing a section of MAP-21 that makes “operating assistance” an eligible activity for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. Under the guidance, “operating assistance” funding from the CMAQ program would be only eligible for transit projects, including, “new transit, commuter and intercity passenger rail services, intermodal facilities, and travel demand management strategies.” States have been able to use CMAQ program funds for transit capital activities since the program’s inception in 1991. View the full guidance. ARTBA has long opposed the use of federal public transportation funds for anything but capital purposes.

which features a strip of Historic Route 66, a beautiful 1926 Southern Railways steam locomotive, streetcars, historic automobiles, and hundreds of other artifacts explores which tell the story of transportation in America. After dinner, guests will also be able to tour other museum exhibits including “America at War”, “The American Presidency”, and “American Stories”, which features many iconic pop culture artifacts including “Dorothy’s Ruby Red Slippers” and “Archie Bunker’s Chair.” It’s sure to be a night and a conference you won’t want to

miss. ARTBA private-sector members can register for this event at www.artbap3.org for just $1250—a savings of $550 off the non-member rate. Public sector representatives can register for just $200. These prices are nearly half the cost you will find elsewhere for shorter conferences. We have also secured a discounted hotel rate at the Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C., of $255 per night. Make your reservations now - discounted rate expires June 26 so don’t delay! Sponsorship opportunities are still available. We offer

five different levels with very attractive benefits packages—all sponsorships include at least one complimentary registration, sponsor recognition on-site, and an advertisement in our conference program. We also offer exhibit tables in hightraffic areas sure to give your company maximum visibility with our conference attendees. For more information on sponsorships, please contact ARTBA P3 Division Manager Hank Webster at 202.289.4434.

ARTBA News 25th Annual P3 Conference Continued from page 1

including: “Reaching Commercial Close for a P3;” “Canadian and U.S. P3s—A Comparative Discussion;” and “Recent State P3 Legislation.” ARTBA will also celebrate this milestone anniversary event with a special awards and networking event at the Smithsonian Museum of American History honoring the contributions of P3 industry leaders. Before dinner, guests will be able to visit museum exhibits, including the ARTBAsponsored “America on the Move” transportation exhibit

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