RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Scientists at the University of California, Riverside's Center for Environmental Research and Technology have received a $2 million contract for a first-of-its-kind study of hybrid construction vehicles. The two-year project, which is being funded by the California Air Resources Board, will allow researchers to evaluate the emission-reduction benefits of two commercially available hybrid construction vehicles: a Caterpillar bulldozer and a Kamatsu hydraulic excavator. “Hybrid construction vehicles are just now becoming available,” said Kent Johnson, an assistant research engineer at the Center for Environmental Research and Technology and the principal investigator on the project. “We have been asked … Read more

SAINT PAUL, Minn.— Minnesota-based construction firms LS Black and Dew Corporation today announced their merger. Both leadership teams proclaim this as a convergence of equals that builds upon industry-recognized strengths in the government, institutional and commercial sectors. Providing continuity of leadership, Sterling Black and Robert Dew will remain at the helm of Black and Dew. “The merger brought together two teams of smart, experienced leaders. We know the time is right,” said Robert Dew, president of Black and Dew. “In the current economic climate, we saw even greater need for the collective services, efficiency and delivery our firms were both … Read more

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Concrete contractors with exemplary safety records were recently recognized by the American Society of Concrete Contractors at the association's annual conference in Grand Rapids, Mich. W. Burr Bennett Awards for Safety Excellence were given to specialty contractor T.B. Penick & Sons, San Diego, Calif., and general contractor, S.B. Ballard Construction Company, Virginia Beach, Va. These awards are presented in partnership with CNA, Chicago, to contractors that place the highest priority on safety. Entries were judged on three years of safety performance indicators, values and trends; a self-assessment checklist of company safety practices and detailed descriptions of … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Common Ground Alliance, the stakeholder-run organization focused on protecting underground utility lines and the people who dig near them, announced findings from its comprehensive 2010 Damage Information Reporting Tool Report. The report, which is the sum of all 2010 data submitted anonymously and voluntarily by damage prevention stakeholders, identified the importance of making a free call to 811 to reach a local one call center as most critical to safety.   When an excavator notifies a one call center before digging, damage occurs less than 1 percent of the time, according to the report. The report also … Read more