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200 comments on DrumBeat: August 10, 2007

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Leanan on August 10, 2007 - 9:38am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

FWIW...in the northern part of the country, almost nobody ever has any jobs in the fall. :)

If it's too cold, asphalt and concrete don't set right. So they close the asphalt plants for the winter. (On different dates, depending on the climate. Usually close in Nov. and open in April around here.) For big but contained projects, like pile driving, they sometimes set up heated tents and work in winter.

For the most part, though, not much construction of any kind goes on when it's cold. A lot of the construction workers work only 6-8 months of the year. During winter, they'll go to Florida and bartend or something.

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Donal on August 10, 2007 - 9:46am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Also there is hunting season, which kills some time in the fall. Even in my old PA firm, drafters took off for Buck Day, Doe Day, Bow Day, etc.

Contractors really like to line up "winter work," meaning renovation projects that can be done indoors.

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btu on August 10, 2007 - 10:26am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Five bidders for the replacement of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, this is considered a high number. A fast track hopes to have the bridge completed in 2008.

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paal myrtvedt on August 10, 2007 - 12:33pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The idea of actually rebuilding this bridge - tells me there are none in the decision-machine who know of the impending possibility of peak-oil.

If this bridge had collapsed in say 2020, they wouldn’t even bothered to remove the rubble due to priority issues … and also because there are several bridges nearby serving the immediate purpose.

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jteehan on August 10, 2007 - 6:29pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I'm hoping that they finish repaving everything on the same day the oil runs out. I'm tired of biking on the side of tiny roads ever dodging beer bottles being thrown at me from redneck pickups.

I'm sure they'll still throw stuff at us, but it's hard to get a real good throw out the side of a Think Smart Car.

Keep building those roads as long as they can!!!

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Durandal on August 10, 2007 - 7:35pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

WTF is it that makes people in cars/trucks decide to throw things at pedestrians and bikers? Is it because they know that they can't be caught up to?
~Durandal (http://www.wtdwtshtf.com/)

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djd on August 10, 2007 - 10:35pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Is it because they know that they can't be caught up to?

I hope this isn't a reason they do, but more a lack of a reason not to. They're total expletives for throwing things, but I'd really hate to believe they do it only because they can't be confronted about it. They may well believe (explicitly and consciously) that roads are intended only for motor vehicles so pedestrians and cyclists are tresspassing.

Note that dangerous ignorance occurs in cyclists as well: I once encountered a cyclist who firmly believed that he had "the same [rights] as a pedestrian" (if so I wonder why he signalled his turns) - he'd just nearly caused a collision by making a (signalled) turn across traffic while ignoring a stop sign(!) for his direction. Such negligence angers compentent users of the roads, and helps link "non-motorist road user" to "danger to self and others" in the eyes of the motorist.

These don't excuse the throwing of stuff, however I wanted to explore some potential reasons for a strong negative response to non-motorists - strong emotions cloud judgement, as in road rage.

When people tell me they need to commute in a truck for "intimidation value", I tell them I need to cycle carrying an RPG for intimidation value, but the government won't let me buy one.

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Dragonfly41 on August 10, 2007 - 8:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

And this is why I bought a decent knobby-tired mountain bike last year. After the roads and sidewalks crumble from neglect and trash accumulates, I can still navigate over the debris and off-road if necessary. Mountain bikes will also be better for heavier duty transport than a road bike.

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musashi on August 10, 2007 - 7:12pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

You don't understand how corrupt the US is.
Here is a bridge that collapsed while under construction. The contractor had prior issues of this nature, and yet he is allowed to investigate himself.
Still wonder how many in government get paid off?

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/0809mr-collapse0810.html

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Noizette on August 10, 2007 - 12:20pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

In French speaking Switzerland (south-west) we are having a mini construction boom, for dwellings, public works, roads, etc. Why? Because the winter was so hot, construction never stopped. For the first time ever. Cos. just carried on, then went onto the next scheduled thing, etc. This hyper activity has woken up the pols. from their lethargy (they sat down and figured out some new rules or started to take action on points that should have been tackled long ago) and financiers, who see completed projects (etc.)., the public, who feels there is less hassle and shorter times, thus more financial security or predictability, etc.

Of course, all this churning is because it is ‘affordable.’ For the moment. Still the effect has been spectacular.

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200 comments on DrumBeat: August 10, 2007

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