The Alaskan Way Viaduct, an elevated highway system along the Seattle waterway, is scheduled for demolition beginning in February 2019.

The viaduct, which was constructed in the 1950s, was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake. Although it was strengthened to make safe for daily traffic, it is vulnerable to seismic activity in the future, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

The demolition, which is expected to take an estimated six months to complete, will make way for the opening of the State Route (SR) 99 tunnel downtown. According to the WSDOT, the opening of the new SR 99 will “set the stage for the biggest transformation of Seattle’s central waterfront in a generation.”

Kiewit Infrastructure West, with home offices in Omaha, Nebraska, will oversee the demolition. The company is tasked with safely removing the concrete structure with minimal disturbance to the public or nearby infrastructure.

WSDOT lays out five main phases of the project:

• Shifting Alaskan Way to the west of the viaduct. (This phase was completed in October.)
• Removing the Alaskan Way Viaduct from South Dearborn Street to the Battery Street Tunnel.
• Removing the Columbia and Seneca street ramps.
• Building a new, temporary pedestrian bridge across Alaskan Way to Colman Dock.
• Restoring the area where the viaduct once stood and then turning the space over to the city of Seattle's Waterfront Seattle Program.

On site, Kiewit will first fence off the immediate area and begin prep work and staging, then use impact hammers to remove the roadway deck. After this, hydraulic crushers will be used to remove the supporting girders and columns that hold up the deck. In some areas of the viaduct, crews will saw cut sections to be removed by crane. When the upper levels are removed, crews will start dismantling the lower decks using the same processes. Finally, crews will remove the viaduct’s foundations and then clean up the site after all demo work is complete.

Kiewit Project Manager Dan Hemenway talks about the planned demolition in the video below, courtesy of WSDOT:

Waste Connections Inc., Toronto, has announced that it has acquired American Disposal Services Inc. and certain affiliates. American, based in Manassas, Virginia, is one of the largest privately owned solid waste collection and recycling businesses in the Mid-Atlantic. American has total annualized revenues of approximately $175 million and serves approximately 400,000 customers in Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and Colorado.

"American is the market leader in northern Virginia, where the majority of its assets are located.  In addition to providing new market platforms for future growth opportunities in both Virginia and Georgia, this acquisition also enhances our market positioning in Denver, where American's collection services will be tucked into our vertically integrated operations," Ronald Mittelstaedt, CEO and chairman of Waste Connections, says. "We are excited to welcome American into the Waste Connections family."

Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS), an independent recycling and waste diversion provider based in Morton Grove, Illinois, announced it has acquired Joliet, Illinois-based Drop Zone Portable Service Inc., a provider of portable restrooms to the greater Chicago area. As a result of the acquisition, LRS becomes one of the largest portable restroom providers in Illinois and Wisconsin and increases its inventory of portable restrooms to over 12,000 units.

Effective immediately, the acquisition adds 20 Drop Zone employees, 10 trucks, 2,000 portable restroom units and nearly 5,000 Drop Zone portable restroom and construction site customers to LRS’ Portable Toilet Division. The acquisition also expands and strengthens LRS’ south suburban service area and increases LRS’ event work capacity.

“Drop Zone has served Chicagoland for nearly 20 years, earning respect and building a reputation for exceptional service delivery in the portable restroom and event service market,” LRS CEO Alan Handley says. “This strategic acquisition aligns seamlessly with our mission, deepens our event-orientated service offerings and expands our geographic reach. We extend a warm LRS welcome to all Drop Zone customers and employees.”

Drop Zone President Brad Denton hailed the acquisition as a win-win for Drop Zone customers and employees, adding he and his team are excited to join the LRS family: “We are thrilled to join forces with LRS, a company that has established itself as an industry leader in sustainable, innovative waste diversion and recycling solutions. We look forward to providing our customers and the communities we serve with the same level of customer service excellence they have come to expect over two decades.”

Construction employment expanded by 5,000 net new jobs in November, according to a recent analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data conducted by Washington-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). During the past 12 months, the industry has added 282,000 net new construction jobs, which translates into a 4 percent increase in total industry-wide employment. 

Nonresidential construction employment declined by 3,600 net new jobs last month. Job losses were split between the nonresidential building subsector (down 800) and nonresidential specialty trade contractors (down 3,000), while heavy and civil engineering added 200 net new jobs.

Construction unemployment rose to 3.9 percent in November, 0.3 percentage points higher than the previous month. However, industry unemployment is 1.1 percentage points lower compared to the same time last year. The official national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent.

"Today’s employment report helps shift what has become an increasingly negative narrative regarding the U.S. economy’s 2019 prospects,” says ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “This past week has been focused on market volatility, growing trade deficits and a weakening global economy. And though today’s headline number of 155,000 was a bit disappointing, it is consistent with the notion that the U.S. economy continues to expand, albeit at a plodding pace. That said, there is evidence of lingering strength in both industrial and service segments.

“Moreover, the somewhat softer employment growth registered during the past three months, which has averaged 170,000 net new jobs created per month, renders it more likely that the Federal Reserve will be able to slow the pace of monetary tightening in 2019,” Basu says. “Many observers have been concerned that aggressive tightening in 2019 could yield a downturn in 2020. That’s still possible, but softer job growth supplies the Federal Reserve with greater policy flexibility. There was also little evidence that wage growth accelerated last month. Average hourly earnings are up 3.1 percent over the past year, unchanged from October 2018.

“While it is true that nonresidential construction employment declined last month, the decline was minimal and may simply be attributable to wildfires in California and weather,” Basu adds. “Most contractors continue to report healthy backlog and difficulty securing sufficient talent. This implies that industry job growth is likely during the months ahead on a seasonally adjusted basis. Contractors will want to look carefully at leading indicators during the coming months, as the economic forecast is admittedly shrouded in murkiness. Further market volatility, additional losses in executive confidence and slipping leading indicators could signal that 2020 could usher forth the next economic downturn, which for many construction firms would translate into weaker performance in 2021 and perhaps beyond.”