Midlands Business Journal | July 4, 2014
End of recession, Build Nebraska Act boots transportation construction
Darin Brown, P.E.
SCHEMMER’s bridge manager Darin Brown, P.E., was recently quoted in the July 4th edition of the Midlands Business Journal regarding the rise in transportation projects for engineering firms.
Brown expressed that the Build Nebraska Act (LB84) has impacted this increase in bridge projects that SCHEMMER has seen in the last two years.
“LB84 freed up funds that traditionally had been set aside for maintenance,” he said. “Now we’re able to proceed with some of the bridge projects that had been waiting for money to be available.”
Brown also mentioned that accelerated bridge construction (ABC) – the use of pre-constructed elements brought to the site and erected – is cost prohibitive, and not used in Nebraska as much as other states. However, that cost should decrease with ABC being more widely used by contractors, in addition to construction prices increasing.
“There will come a time, probably in the next five to 10 years, when those costs will equal out, and ABC will become a viable bridge option,” Brown said.
To read this MBJ article in its entirety, view pages 12 & 13 of the Transportation, Distribution & Warehousing section titled, “End of recession, Build Nebraska Act boots transportation construction."
