Re: Russia to launch massive toll road building program

Rick Powell <rkpowell@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Steel and asphalt cement are the primary commodities that are under
international competition for resources. Most all other commodities
are local to the area in the US where roads are built (portland
cement, aggregate, sand, gravel, earth fill) and can't be effectively
traded on the world market, except for portland cement. I can't see
that China and Russia drive US road costs out of sight...it might make
concrete I-beams more competitive with steel beams, and reduce the use
of reinforcing steel in pavements (the I-355 toll extension in IL was
built with unreinforced jointed pavement instead of continuously
reinforced concrete pavement, for example, and made extensive use of
concrete beams).

My area is a great producer of portland cement and I have a few
friends that work at a local plant. They are running 24/7.

Actually, Chinese and Indian construction demands are part of the
reason for the skyrocketing costs of asphalt and concrete right now.
If Russia gets serious about getting into the highway construction
industry the costs will just continue to rise. Steel is also rising
in cost as it too is being used in China to a large extent.

Meanwhile cement made in Mexico cannot be imported into the US due to
protectionist laws. Go figure.

John Lansford, PE
--
John's Shop of Wood
http://wood.jlansford.net/
.

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