An unexpected crack found in a section of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge delayed the planned Sept. 8 reopening only by about 90 minutes, rather than a full day, thanks to fast delivery from a fabricator and non-stop work by the contractor. Although the $140-million removal of a 3,200-ton double-deck section went as planned, California Dept. of Transportation inspection crews then reported a crack in an eyebar—a 2-in.-thick, chainlike steel piece—located on another section of the east span. Photo: AP / Wideworld Despite unwelcome discovery, bridge detour opened on Sept. 8 as planned. Over the Labor Day weekend, general contractor
California’s highways and roadways are currently getting a shot in the arm with infrastructure stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but a number of high-profile road projects also broke ground last year despite a freefalling economy and with little or no extra federal money.
California’s first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act infrastructure project broke ground last week while the state confirms that $1 billion of act funding has been obligated to 80 total projects. Slide Show Photo: Sherman Chu, Courtesy of Caltrans Brian Gates, Top Grade’s COO, addresses the audience at the Fairfield I-80 project groundbreaking. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and representatives from Caltrans and Top Grade Construction of Livermore, the general contractor, were on hand April 30 to break ground on the $13.5-million pavement improvement project on a 50-year-old section of Interstate 80 in Fairfield between State Route 12 and Air Base Parkway,
California contractors are breathing easier but environmentalists feel smoked after a last-minute proviso to relax California’s off-road-diesel emission regulations made it into the state’s final budget, which passed the state legislature on Feb. 19 after five months of contentious negotiations. Photo: Tudor Van Hampton / ENR Under pressure from construction lobbyists, California lawmakers have relaxed diesel-engine emission cuts. The California Air Resources Board had developed the rules for existing equipment set to kick in next year. Now, it gives extra credit to fleets that started reducing emissions prior to the mandate, thanks to extreme lobbying pressure from the construction industry.
A water pipeline that serves the city of Folsom, Calif., as well as Folsom Prison collapsed Feb. 13 at a Folsom Dam construction site, but officials were able to install a temporary bypass line with no loss or reduction of service. Photo: Kiewit $1.6-billion spillway replacement is joint venture among U.S. Burueau of Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency. The incident involved the permanent 42-in line that was being moved to make way for the second phase of a new spillway project. A temporary 24-in line was placed into service
California was poised to lay off 10,000 employees and pull the plug on 275 transportation infrastructure projects when a divided Legislature in the early morning hours of Feb. 19 approved a new budget that plugs the state’s $41-billion deficit. However, the fiscal relief is temporary. The state is still teetering, and it could be several weeks before the Dept. of Finance’s cash-flow status is clear. Any positive effects of the $787-billion federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cannot be measured until President Barack Obama’s plan is put in place. Photo: AP/Wideworld California pols passed budget accord after a lockdown forced
President Obama’s promised economic stimulus package could not come at a better time for the cash-strapped state of California, though a bailout of a massive projected budget deficit appears unlikely. With a Feb. 1 deadline that state controller John Chiang says would pretty much dry up the state’s cash flow, the budget deficit—estimated at $42 billion through June 2010—will mean more important infrastructure construction projects are likely to be halted or even cancelled. Related Links: Proposal in House Fires Up Debate Does Massive Spending Help or Hurt in Long Run? Modest Program Favors Jump-Start Fix-up Effort Highway Aid Has Some
A public-private partnership in the San Francisco Bay Area plans to build a $1-billion network of electric-car charging stations, while in Portland, Ore., a utility and two private firms already are erecting electric vehicle battery-charging stations in a cluster of nearby cities. Photo: Better Place Recharging takes one minute per mile driven, or drivers can swap out batteries. In Oregon, Nissan Motors and Renault SA have signed a memorandum of understanding with Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) to supply electric vehicles to the state’s fleet in 2010. Nissan also committed to work with the state, in partnership with utility Portland General