EyeHeartA2

Sun, Feb 27, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.

Well, with those "cement mixers" pouring all that CO2 into the atmosphere, I'm sure our temperatures will be rising around here, possibly as early as this afternoon.

Gorc

Sun, Feb 27, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.

Why is this being covered?

DDOT1962

Sun, Feb 27, 2011 : 2:13 p.m.

Having passed right by the construction at Liberty and Division early Saturday afternoon, I can safely say I've never seen so many 'concrete' mixers lined up to service one project in my 48 years. No matter if you're pro or con this new parking structure, I think you have to find some fascination in the architectural, engineering and construction feats it's requiring.

KJMClark

Sun, Feb 27, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.

"Pedantic, maybe" Ya think? We drove past the construction area yesterday. Well, about as close as you can get. I remembered just before I hit Packard that the Division closure started yesterday, and just stayed on State to Liberty, then went over to Division. Glad I did, but even there Division was mostly closed for the cement trucks. As we got closer to Division, the construction company briefly closed Liberty, to allow one truck to leave and two more to head toward the big dig (yes, I'm aware the name was already used, blah, blah). I was bringing some kids home from a birthday party, and we joked that they were probably using half the cement trucks in Southeast Michigan. Which makes me wonder. How many mixer trucks are there in SE Michigan? How does this compare to, say, building a mile of concrete expressway?

Eric S

Sun, Feb 27, 2011 : 3:42 a.m.

"Concrete", not "cement". Cement is an ingredient of concrete, roughly 11% - 12% by weight, the rest being rock and sand aggregates and water. The earlier referenced article got it right. Cement on its own fell out of use as a construction material during the Depression, so the idea of a "cement mixer" or "pouring cement" is outdated and obsolete, like "tin foil". (Pedantic, maybe, but words are a lot of what journalism is about).