National Equipment Services last month acquired Interstate Traffic Co., the sixth traffic safety equipment rental specialist the company has bought.

Interstate, based here, has branches in Nitro, W.Va., and Richmond, Va. The company did about $12 million in revenue last year, almost entirely in rental, CEO Kevin Rodgers told RER. Former owner Mike Skeens will stay on as president.

Rodgers said the acquisition gives NES about $80 million in annual traffic safety equipment rental revenue.

In other NES news, last month the company completed its previously announced acquisition of 22-location underground construction equipment rental specialist The Plank Co. from Mike Plank.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is believed the Houston-based company has about $30 million in annual revenue, about 75 percent of which is rental-related. Plank was represented by New York-based Brown Brothers Harriman.

Evanston, Ill.-based NES, ranked No. 7 on the RER 100, now has 154 locations in 34 states.

California construction activity for the first six months of 1999 was up 16.5 percent from the corresponding period in 1998.

Source: Construction Industry Research Board