(Photo courtesy of Bigdig.com) The deadly collapse of 10 tons of precast concrete ceiling panels in the I-90 connector tunnel in Boston clearly demonstrates that even a $14.6-billion project may end up being judged on the performance of a relative handful of bolts. But it also underscores the role that everyone must play in making major projects safe. Up until now, the Central Artery /Tunnel has been criticized mainly for its cost escalation and tunnel leaks, which can partially be explained, given the ambitious nature of the decade-long project. But the recent death of a woman passenger in a car
It has taken years to gain traction but the widening U.S. crackdown on employment of illegal aliens at sensitive infrastructure sites finally is off and running. And so is another push by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to root out violent criminals in the U.S. illegally. Those initiatives are on top of a general one to choke off employment opportunities for illegals at all levels. That kind of action is chilling for some people but long overdue. As we have said before, immigration reform starts and finishes with the rule of law (ENR 4/17 p. 60). And that
Let’s face it, New Orleans was a dying city before Hurricane Katrina devastated it last year, and the death now is almost complete. Instead of spending many billions of taxpayer dollars to restore the city to its pre-Katrina configuration, the time has come to start developing a plan for the city that embraces nature rather than fights it. Because of the vast amount of federal funding involved, this should be a national debate, rather than just a local one. The New Orleans of today will remain a potential disaster area no matter what the nation does. Its location near the
With relatively little fanfare, one of the most important panels in Washington, D.C., has begun work. No, it is not a top secret commission looking into federal eavesdropping on American telephone calls or a highly political probe into who ratted out a federal undercover intelligence agent. (Photo courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration) It affects far more Americans in everyday life. It is the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. Americans should not be turned off by the mind-numbing name. They should be turned on by the fact that the commission will play a key role in shaping
One person’s trash is another’s treasure and the relationship is a core underpinning of recycling. There has to be some value to the material being recycled and the value is determined by the marketplace. Massachusetts is betting on that with a bold, state-wide ban on the land-filling of most construction and demolition waste—asphalt pavement, brick, concrete, metal and wood—starting July 1. As the nation’s first statewide ban, the move is a strong one, designed to save limited landfill space and push recycling deeper into the economy (see p. 17). The danger is that the new regulations may be getting ahead
If the construction industry and its many customers thought that they were going to catch a break from escalating inflation, they are sadly mistaken. Some of the wildly oscillating materials like lumber and cement are moderating, but the out-of-control petroleum markets are exacting a new tax on businesses and individuals that will be difficult, if not impossible, to sidestep. But that tax is not going to the public good, and there should be a reconciliation of that account. As regular gasoline hits $3 per gallon or more in many areas and diesel fuel even higher, many are wondering how we
The centennial observance of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and the rebuilding of New Orleans have some eerie similarities: There was total destruction in large parts of both cities from a natural disaster, the rebuilding efforts tried to prevent the same kind destruction in the future and there was a curious belief that if you prepare for a 100-year event, it somehow will not happen for 100 years. (Photo by The Bancroft Library) San Francisco was destroyed at 5:13 a.m. on April 18, 1906, following a magnitude 8.3 earthquake. New Orleans was destroyed on Aug. 29, 2005 by a category
With over $1 trillion of construction put in place in the U.S. last year and over $4 trillion worldwide, one would think that project delivery techniques would keep pace with technology, education and construction methods. Sadly, that usually is not the case and improper, inadequate or almost nonexistent project delivery methods waste many billions of dollars a year. Unless something goes radically wrong on a project, the amount of money wasted may never be known. An owner may know when it has the lowest bid, but that is only lowest among firms that choose to participate. Is there another firm
One of the long-standing goals of electronic communications is finally putting an end to the paper trail in almost all transactions. Once considered unimaginably distant, the goal now is within sight. It is achievable, practical and even supported by federal law—the Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998. It requires federal agencies to maintain records digitally and give people and companies the option of exchanging forms and submitting information electronically, when practicable, “as a substitution for paper.” For once, Congress was ahead of the learning curve. It specifically decreed that electronic records and signatures are to be given legal effect, and
As we learned from last year's Washington Group-Raytheon fiasco, accounting is an interpretive art, professional ethics are pliable and things aren't always as they seem. Bankruptcies are messy affairs where behind-the-scenes haggling and hardball practices produce plenty of winners and losers. The Enron scandal is a much bigger mess than either of Washington Group's bankruptcies or the IT Group's recent request for protection from its creditors. The Enron bankruptcy undermines confidence in our institutions at a time of war and economic peril, liquidates the retirement nest eggs of many former employees and knocks a hole in power development plans. Enron