INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY ISSUE VII

APRIL 2010

I nfrastructure M o n t h l y

Published by: The Right Hire

Matt Plotkin, President
310-844-7481
Mattp@therighthireinc.com
www.therighthireinc.com
California Coastlines Eroding
PAGE 1
CALIFORNIA COASTLINE IS Quickly
DISAPPEARING
Erosion is slowly destroying the
By Matt Plotkin
coastline of California among other
areas President, The Right Hire
PAGE 2 These days, when you hear talk about
NEWSLETTER global warming and its negative effects,
INTRODUCTION
the talking points generally focus more on
The Right Hire is proud to introduce
rising temperatures and depleting ozone
Infrastructure Monthly, dedicated to
layers. Often you hear talk about the
the Construction and Civil
oceans rising, but in addition to floods
Engineering industries
there is another severe consequence that
is rarely touched upon. Coastal erosion is
PAGE 2 a potentially devastating effect of global
CALTRANS ANNOUNCES
NEW STIMULUS FUNDS
warming, and it's not getting better.
Nearly 4 billion dollars are going
towards California infrastructure The coastline in California is one of the
stateʼs treasures as well as the country.
PAGE 3
Many tourists who come to California
STRANGE INGREDIENTS include a trip to the beach as part of their
KEEP YOU SAFE ON THE itinerary. This brings in much needed
ROAD revenue to local economies, especially
How an ingredient that creates tofu
those that thrive specifically as beach
can make a difference communities. Yet in the next 100 years, it
is estimated that the ocean will rise up to
PAGE 3 35 inches, creating havoc and essentially
CONSTRUCTION
taking away or changing the location of the
MATERIALS GET A BOOST
An adhesive can potentially replace
California coastline. As my uncle says, buy
using bolts
real estate in Las Vegas; it's destined to be
waterfront property soon.
PAGE 4
HOW FACTORING CAN
Many homes up and down the California
HELP YOUR BUSINESS RUN coast are built on bluffs overlooking the
SMOOTHER ocean. These homes are also threatened
Construction Factoring can help ease by erosion, as the foundation the homes
cash-flow issues are built on are being chipped away. Even
a small landslide could eliminate the
support that the homes rely on and many
of these homes are in danger of falling into
the sea. And we're not talking about
rundown shacks, many of these houses
are valued in the millions. The amount lost
in property taxes would be quite
substantial if these houses were to be lost.
This is not just a California problem.
Coastlines around the country and the
world are in danger of erosion. Louisiana,
no stranger itself to the effects of
hurricanes, recognizes that the threat not
only still exists but is being made worse by
coastal erosion. While California and other
states have different risk factors, the fact
that Louisiana has allocated more than
one billion dollars to shore up their
coastlines helps emphasize the money
needed to fix the problem. Given how bad
the economic scene is in Louisiana,
spending a billion dollars on construction
is a much needed shot in the arm to create
jobs in a state that has been hit hard by
coastal erosion.
So how can we save the California
coastline? One solution is constructing a
wall of rocks to protect the coast from
large waves that cause erosion, known as
rock revetment. This is one of the many
solutions proposed to fight coastal erosion
and if done up and down the California
coast alone it would create thousands of
jobs.
I live in Redondo Beach, just a block from
the ocean. It's hard to see any evidence
just yet of coastal erosion, but I have
witnessed it at one of my favorite hiking
spots nearby in Palos Verdes. Over the
past 6 months I've seen numerous signs of
erosion, including evidence of rock slides
from the cliffs above. It's changing the
area, but it's only the tip of the iceberg; this
is happening all across the state, country
and world. It's time to invest in fixing and
preserving our coastline, before it all
crumbles into the sea. Otherwise, surfʼs up
in Vegas.
 INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY ISSUE VII
APRIL 2010

THE RIGHT HIRE PRESENTS:

INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY
By: Matt Plotkin

Welcome to the seventh issue of

Infrastructure Monthly, provided and
created by The Right Hire. Each month,
you can expect a mix of Civil Engineering
and Construction articles, along with
business tips and ideas, industry trends,
and the latest alternative energy news. In
every issue, this newsletter will aim to
inform and educate its readers on the
latest infrastructure news.

The Right Hire is a recruiting firm

focused in the infrastructure fields of
Construction and Civil Engineering. We
have worked with companies of all sizes
to find the top talent on the market today.
Contact us today to find out how we can
help streamline your recruiting process.

CALIFORNIA RELEASES
DETAILED LIST OF
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
FINANCED WITH $2.5 BILLION IN
STIMULUS FUNDS
STIMULUS FUNDS HELP TO
LEVERAGE $3.8 BILLION TOWARD
IMPROVING CALIFORNIA’S
INFRASTRUCTURE
The California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) today released
a list of transportation projects across
the state that will be financed in part by
$2.54 billion from President Obama’s
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (Recovery Act) – more than any
other state in the nation. The funding,
which was fully obligated on February
18, 2010, has been designated to 907
projects, and of these, 516 projects
worth $2.5 billion have been awarded
contracts to begin work. An additional
$456 million in federal stimulus funds
are expected to be awarded to 103
projects by April 2010.
“One year after the Recovery Act was
signed, California continues to work
around the clock to get every possible
dollar into our state to provide a much-
needed boost to create jobs and
jumpstart the economy,” said Governor
Schwarzenegger. “Creating jobs and
repairing California’s infrastructure are
two of my top priorities, and I’m
pleased to report that the Recovery Act
funds coming to California are doing
both.”
“Congratulations on this important
achievement and on reaffirming for the
people of California that the
transportation community knows how to
deliver. None of this would have
happened without tremendous
dedication, commitment, and
cooperation on the part of many people
in your office and ours,” said FHWA
Administrator Victor Mendez in a letter
to Caltrans.
Using the $2.54 billion in stimulus
funds, Caltrans was able to leverage
those dollars with other sources of state
and local transportation funding –
putting a total of $3.8 billion into
California’s economy.
Under the guidelines of the Recovery
Act, states were given 120 days to
obligate half of their federal stimulus
transportation funding to projects –
which California completed more than
two months ahead of schedule.
California was the first state in the
nation to obligate $1 billion (May 2009)
and $2 billion (September 2009) from
the Recovery Act to both improve its
highways and local streets.
In addition to $2.54 billion in stimulus
money for highways and local streets,
California will receive $1 billion for
transit projects. In January, California
was awarded more than $2.3 billion for
its high-speed intercity rail, the largest
allocation in the nation. The state also
received an additional $130 million in
new funding for four highway, local
street, rail and port projects across the
state from the Recovery Act’s
Transportation Investment Generating
Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant
program.
“From day one, our focus has been and
continues to be getting stimulus dollars
out to transportation projects quickly to
spur job growth and ensure that
California gets the maximum benefit
from the Recovery Act,” said Caltrans
Director Randy Iwasaki.
To view a list of transportation projects
that have been federally obligated
Recovery Act funding to date, visit:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/docs/
obligatedlist.pdf
 INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY ISSUE VII
APRIL 2010

Surprising ingredient keeps roads safe in summer and winter

(ARA) - The versatile ingredient used to help turn soy milk into tofu and to give a boost to sports drinks also can
make streets and highways safer during warm months as well as extreme winter weather.

A naturally occurring type of salt, magnesium chloride is found in sea water or brines extracted from salt beds.
When applied to roads and streets during cold weather, magnesium chloride reduces the temperature at which
water freezes, melting snow and ice.

Not only is magnesium chloride powerful in colder temperatures, it can be a more environmentally friendly way to
provide safer driving surfaces, says Jason Bagley of North American Salt Company.

When cold weather is over, road crews often continue to use magnesium chloride to control dust and erosion on
unpaved surfaces. Once applied, it attracts moisture from the air to create a compact, smooth roadway, providing
stability and control for months. North American Salt Co. offers magnesium chloride for dust control under the
DustGard name.

"Magnesium chloride comes from natural sources, and in our case, we use solar energy to concentrate it to use on
roads for both ice and dust control," says Bagley. Look to magnesium chloride during summer and winter to make
your driving experience safer.

Heat-Resistant Adhesive Used in Construction Instead of 60 degrees, which is obviously too close to the limit for
Bolts comfort."

ScienceDaily— The "Parasols" in Seville feature components
that are designed to be glued instead of bolted together. To
prevent the adhesive from melting, it needs to withstand
temperatures of up to 60 degrees. Researchers have now
optimized the adhesive's resistance to high temperatures.
The Metropol Parasols will be the new centerpiece of Plaza de
la Encarnación in Seville. As well as being an eye-catching
work of art, the mushroom-like structures are also playing host
to some pioneering construction techniques, with even the load-
bearing structural components consisting of finely-wrought
laminated veneer lumber beams. With mechanical joining
methods ruled out for structural reasons, the beams are instead
joined together by means of glued-in threaded rods. However,
the high temperatures and relentless sunshine of a typical
Seville summer could pose a significant challenge to the
adhesive, in the worse-case it loses its ability to hold the
components together.
The type of adhesive used in Seville is designed to withstand
temperatures of up to 60 degrees, so researchers from the
Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI have been
working on behalf of the building inspection authorities to
determine how close the thermal load is likely to come to this
limit. "We ascertained the temperatures that might occur at the
site and used simulations to determine the temperature this
would trigger within the construction materials," explains Dirk
Kruse, head of department at WKI. "Our results revealed that
the temperatures in the adhesive could potentially reach almost
Subsequent tests carried out on three specimen components in a
climate chamber confirmed their findings, giving rise to a stark
choice: either the adhesive would have to be improved, or the
building inspection authorities would be forced to bring
building work to a halt. Fortunately, there is a method of
improving the adhesive's resistance to high temperatures,
namely by "tempering" the structural components: "Once the
components have been glued in place, they are heated up
again," Kruse continues. "This causes post-curing reactions to
occur." And the result? The adhesive is less likely to take on a
liquid form and maintains its stability up to a temperature of 70
degrees. This gives a safety margin over and above the thermal
stress that is actually expected to occur, which means that the
building work can now be continued as planned and Seville will
soon be featuring a brand new landmark.
"These are the kinds of solutions that will help to firmly anchor
adhesive technology within the building industry," Kruse states.
While adhesive bonding is widely used in the aircraft industry,
the use of adhesion for structural applications in the building
industry is still in its infancy. Yet the method opens up a whole
new wealth of possibilities for architects.
INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY ISSUE VII
APRIL 2010

crews, they often subcontract work to specialty trade

Contractors Benefit from contractors who typically do the work of only one
Construction Factoring
They obtain orders for their work from general
contractors, architects, or property owners. Repair work
This last year's economic downturn has been hard on a
is almost always done on direct order from owners,
many businesses, and especially hard hit, was the
occupants, or architects
construction industry. This sector is responsible for
building our nation's houses, corporate facilities,
The construction industry is dependent upon economic
factories, apartments, offices, schools, roads and bridges.
business cycles, therefore even changes in interest rates
General contractors and sub-contractors still may be
and tax laws affect individual and business decisions
experiencing cash flow problems - meeting payroll or
related to construction. Changes in state or local
purchasing supplies.
regulations or budgets can result in new construction or a
cancelled job.
There are three basic areas, construction includes: 1)
Building, including general contractors who build
Thanks to factoring among contractors during the last
residential, industrial, commercial, and other buildings.
year, this tactic has helped provide the cash flow needed
2) Civil engineering construction where contractors build
to pay suppliers, meet payroll and pay for insurance, as
roads, bridges, highways, and tunnels, and 3) Specialty
well as workmans compensation. Construction factoring
trade contractors, who work on projects such as
enables businesses to obtain funds based on their current
carpentry, painting, plumbing or electrical.
accounts receivables, so they can go ahead with the next
phase of a project, rather than wait till the invoices are
Construction jobs are not just about new structures, but
paid.
often require site preparation, repairs, maintenance, or
improvements to an older project
Why does the construction industry benefit from
factoring? Because when factoring is used, the sub-
The industry supports architects, engineers, inspectors,
contractor, or construction company, does not have to
appraisers, brick masons, carpenters, electrical and
wait for payment before starting on the next phase of a
drywall contractors, flooring and tile contractors, and
project, or begin construction on a new project. With
even asphalt companies, all of whom could take
invoice factoring, the sub-contractor or construction firm
advantage of invoice factoring to help them get by during
can realize quick turnaround, from 24 to 48 hours, on
bad times.
accounts receivable due for completed stages of a
construction project. With construction invoice factoring,
Construction jobs are usually done by general
the construction company, or the sub-contractor, can be
contractors, who specialize in one type of construction
paid overnight for accounts receivable invoices, which
such as either residential or commercial building. They
speeds up cash flow and improves the company's ability
are in charge of the entire job, and although general
to start immediately on the next phase of construction for
contractors may do a portion of the work with their own
each project.