Florida man designs hurricane-resistant traffic signal hangers

By: Amanda Bayhi


The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is installing pivotal hangers at traffic signals throughout the state to protect the signals from hurricane damage, according to a report from the Sun Sentinel. The hangers, designed by Florida native Robert Townsend, will be retrofitted onto existing traffic signals in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. FDOT will spend a total of $2.6 million adding the hangers to a combined 106 intersections in those counties. The hangers will also be standard in Florida on new traffic signals that do not require steel mast arms. Townsend, a Palm Beach County home designer and master woodworker, said he began working on the design after experiencing traffic chaos brought on by many hurricanes in 2004 and 2005. When he discovered the county’s standard procedure of removing traffic signals as a storm precaution–due to the massive number of signals lost in previous storms–he decided to work on a solution. 

“The whole goal is to have a controllable intersection after a storm,” Townsend said. Townsend’s pivotal design came about after he realized the main problem originated with the aluminum and wire hangers and the black box connected to them. His solution was to create pivoting hangers for flexibility in high winds, and to reinforce the black box. “It allows the signal to rotate, but it doesn’t allow bouncing,” Townsend said. “Bouncing is what destroys traffic signals.” The new design allows traffic signals to withstand up to 110-mph winds. - See more at: http://www.betterroads.com/fla-man-designs-hurricane-resistant-traffic-signal-hangers/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=07-18-2013&utm_campaign=BR&ust_id=6d66fcfd7c&*#sthash.qaWmQFeP.dpuf

Alaska’s “road to nowhere”

Maybe someone is getting ready to take the “dead end” sign off America’s most infamous non-bridge. According to the Associated Press, Alaska has “proposed six ‘build’ alternatives to improve access between the Southeast Alaska community of Ketchikan and Gravina Island, where the Ketchikan International Airport is located. The alternatives include two bridge and four ferry options; there also is a no-action alternative. Comments are being taken through Aug. 13, with a goal of reaching a decision by next spring.” This is of course the non-bridge that caused vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to say she’d told Congress “thanks but no thanks” for the bridge funding even though she asked for, received and kept the funding. 

“Pothole Robin Hood” aims to fix 100 potholes in Jackson, Miss.

The man, who goes by the name “Chane,” said he takes asphalt from the city, repairs potholes and writes “citizen fixed” on the filled holes. “It’s sort of like Robin Hood. Once we saw that people were appreciating what we did, we went out again and made a goal of fixing 100 potholes,” Chane said. Chane, with the help of his girlfriend, has filled 55 potholes. Chane said he began work on the city’s potholes because Jackson has “a big infrastructure problem” and the “city simply does not have the budget.” In fact, Jackson resident Zachary Boozer pointed out that the potholes “are pretty widespread in all areas of the city,” creating cracks in the already-crumbling streets. “People joke that Jackson is a Six Flags because the roads are so bumpy,” Boozer said, adding that sinkholes have also become a major problem in the city. “People have been falling in them. A car fell in one too.” The Jackson Police Department is investigating Chane’s actions and how he got the asphalt. Police have not decided whether to press charges. Chane says he is only trying to help the city, not commit a crime. “We’re not trying to be thieves, or steal from the city,” Chane said. “We’re just trying to put the asphalt to use.” - 

Benefits of Sealcoating Asphalt

There are many benefits to sealcoating the asphalt to your driveway or parking lot. Think of sealcoating more of as a preventative maintenance for your diveway or parking lot, similar to how you paint your home to keep the weather from deteriorating the wood.

Sealcoating the asphalt, seals the small cracks that can turn into large cracks and prevents water from seeping down to the base material. The dark black color of newly applied sealcoat improves the appearance of new and old asphalt, making your driveway or parking lot look near brand new.

New sealcoating can preserve the resilience of asphalt surfaces and help hide small cracks, patches and rough spots as well as making traffic lines on parking lots more visible. Sealcoat that is applied correctly makes your asphalt driveway look cleaner because rain washes dirt and debris easily away from the smooth, non-porous surface.

Construction Unemployment Falls to 9.8 Percent

Unemployment Rate Lowest June Level Since 2008

The unemployment rate for construction workers fell below double digits in June for the first time since 2008 as every segment of the industry added employees, according to an analysis of new government data by AGC of America. Association officials said the relatively positive jobs report for the sector highlights the need to address potential shortages of skilled and entry-level workers.

“Construction employment in June was the highest since August 2009,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But employment is still down by one-quarter from the peak more than seven years ago. Many of those laid-off workers have left the industry—whether for employment elsewhere, more education or retirement—and construction companies face a looming worker shortage.”

Spring Renews 2013 Construction Industry Forecast

By Larry Stewart, Editor, ForConstructionPros.com
Created: May 28, 2013

Construction-industry economists brought together for a Reed Construction Data webcast in May revisited 2013 forecasts through the lens of first-quarter results.

The various sectors of the construction economy presented a mixed bag of performance in the first quarter of 2013, but the consensus among Bernard Markstein, chief economist with RCD; Kermit Baker, chief economist with the American Institute of Architects; and Ken Simonson, chief economist with the Associated General Contractors, is that the industry continues to grow at about the same pace as in 2012.It’s agonizingly slow but consistent with earlier forecasts, and far better than the slide the industry experienced from 2008 to 2011. A little attention to the various sectors quickly identifies the best business opportunities.

Housing starts were up 28% in 2012, and the average of nine forecasters suggests +30% to just over 1M starts in 2013. Simonson expects multifamily construction starts to continue growing through 2014, but says the single-family rise could flatten by year's end as buyers in select markets succumb to rising prices and tight lending

The use of Fiber in Asphalt

A mixture of polypropylene and aramid fibers was used in this study to evaluate the
performance characteristics of a modified asphalt mixture. In coordination with the City of
Tempe, an asphalt concrete conventional mixture was selected for paving on Evergreen Drive in
Tempe, Arizona. The designated road section within the construction project utilized two asphalt
mixtures as part of this study: a control mix with no fibers, and a mixture that contained one
pound of fibers per ton of asphalt concrete. The laboratory experimental program included:
triaxial shear strength, dynamic (complex) modulus, repeated load permanent deformation, beam
fatigue, crack propagation, and indirect diametral tensile tests. The data was used to compare the
performance of the fiber modified mixture to the control. The results showed that the fibers
improved the mixture’s performance in several unique ways against the anticipated major
pavement distresses: permanent deformation, fatigue cracking, and thermal cracking.

In this study, a construction project to utilize fibers in conventional asphalt concrete
mixture was coordinated with the City of Tempe, Arizona. An asphalt concrete mixture
designated as Type C-3/4 base and surface course was selected for paving on Evergreen Drive
located east of the Loop 101 and north of University Drive in Tempe, Arizona. The designated
road section had two asphalt mixtures: a control mix with no fibers, and a mixture that contained
one pound of fibers per ton of mix. The fibers were a blend of polypropylene and aramid. The
addition of fibers was done at a batch asphalt plant in Phoenix..Basically, no repair work was done and the 2-inch overlay was placed on a much-deteriorated section of Evergreen Drive. Only the edge of the pavement was milled off to match the final overlay grade of the curb. Test sections with and without fibers were staggered on the road to allow for direct field performance comparisons considering traffic flow
and loading types (e.g., bus lanes). About 1500 lbs of each mixture were brought back to Arizona
State University (ASU) laboratories. Sample preparation included compaction of 150 mm
diameter gyratory specimens for triaxial testing. In addition, beam specimens were prepared and
compacted according to AASHTO TP8 test protocols . The performance of both mixtures
was assessed using the advanced material characterization tests that included: triaxial shear
strength, dynamic modulus, repeated load for permanent deformation characterization, flexural
beam tests for fatigue, C* line integral for fracture energy and crack propagation, and indirect
diametral tensile test for thermal cracking evaluation.


TEST RESULTS AND ANALYSES
Triaxial Shear Strength Tests
The triaxial shear strength test has been recognized as the standard test for determining
the strength of materials for over 50 years. The results from these tests provide a fundamental
basis which can be used in analyzing the stability of asphalt mixtures. This is because the
stresses acting on the laboratory specimen during the test simulate the state of stresses existing
 in the pavement, provided certain specimen boundary and geometry
conditions are met.