The New Jersey Turnpike Authority can proceed at full speed with its $7-billion capital program, thanks to being the nation’s first transportation agency to sell more than $1 billion in taxable bonds that come with a 35% reimbursement from the federal government under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Build America bonds (BABs) will contribute $1.375 billion to the authority’s 10-year capital program, along with $375 million sold in traditional tax-exempt bonds. Photo: Aileen Cho / ENR Gutierrez-Scaccetti (right) and Raczynski lead $7 billion in planned capital projects. Photo: New Jersey Turnpike Authority A broadened investor base means the
Light-rail owners, planners and builders are enjoying unprecedented public support—and facing unprecedented challenges as a result. With more than 30 cities building light-rail systems, the need for workforce talent and funding is greater than ever. “There is no better time ever to be in transit,” said Leslie Rogers, a San Francisco-based regional administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, speaking to attendees of the Transportation Research Board/American Public Transportation Association Joint Light Rail Conference held April 19-21 in Los Angeles. “We have a great friend and partner in Washington. In thirty years we’ve never been as excited and re-energized.” But Rogers
Warm-mix asphalt is hot. Asphalt industry officials believe warm mix, porous asphalt pavement and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) will come to dominate paving in the next few years because the products offer lower costs and higher environmental benefits than traditional hot mixes. Photo: Pat Monroe Photo: Aileen Cho / ENR Attendance was up at World of Asphalt 2009, fueled by warm-mix applications. Related Links: World of Asphalt 2009: Warm All Over “The warm-mix revolution is starting to spread,” said Matthew Corrigan, asphalt pavement engineer with the Federal Highway Administration, addressing attendees of the Asphalt Pavement Conference on March 9 in
Federal funding for surface transportation projects should migrate from a petroleum-fuel-based tax to a mileage-based user fee by 2020, says a 15-member commission appointed by Congress in 2007. The bipartisan group released its final report on Feb. 25 with suggestions for overhauling the Highway Trust Fund, due for its six-year reauthorization later this year. Photo: The DOT LaHood says no fuel tax hike. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission includes financial experts, lawyers, politicians and industry leaders. Geoffrey Yarema, a member and a partner with Nossaman LLP, Los Angeles, a law firm specializing in infrastructure, says the group’s conclusions
A switch to steel and six weeks of swift redesign saved a city’s dream of a signature pedestrian crossing with a 325-ft main span over 10 lanes of Interstate 280 in Silicon Valley. The first cable-stayed crossing over a freeway in California, the city of Cupertino’s Mary Avenue Bridge seemed doomed in 2007 after a concrete design received two bids double the $6 million budget. But thanks to the city calling on key industry contacts, it is slated to open next month. Photo: The City Of Cupertino Six weeks of redesign and two nights for tower erection mark a fast-track
Rehabilitation of a 368-ft-long,70-year-old Warren through-truss bridge in Westfield, Mass., is now a major urban revitalization project that includes three bridges and a half-acre of parkland, as crews deal with live trains, endangered mussels and sub-zero temperatures. “Originally, in 1994, we were just studying the old bridge,” says Mark Ennis, project manager for STV Inc., New York City, the principal architectural and engineering firm for the $70-million project. “We found it could be rehabbed. The work would involve replacing the deck system and some strengthening of truss members, repainting and updating of the bearing systems.” Graphic: STV Inc. Warren truss
Federal funding for surface transportation projects should migrate from the traditional petroleum fuel-based tax to a mileage-based user fee by 2020, according to a 15-member commission appointed by Congress two years ago. The bipartisan group released its final report Feb. 25 with recommendations for overhauling the highway trust fund, which is due for reauthorization later this year. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission includes financial experts, lawyers, politicians and transportation industry leaders such as Elliot Sander, chief executive officer of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Jeffrey C. Crowe, chairman of Landstar System, Inc. “We were charged with
For years, a higher-speed rail route between Chicago and St. Louis "has been a construction season or two away from reality," says Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. Pleasantly surprised by the $8-billion pot created in the final stimulus package for high-speed rail, he says, "Hopefully this will put it over the edge." Photo: California High Speed Rail Authority High-speed rail projects get $8 billion, up from zero in the House version of the bill. High-speed rail is the surprise winner in the $787-billion package, which includes $48 billion for transportation infrastructure. "It was a
Bart Ney gets concerned calls from people just about every day. They see the steel trusses starting to cross San Francisco Bay between Yerba Buena Island to the west and the new 1.2-mile-long precast concrete Skyway to the east, alongside the existing eastern steel truss span of the old Bay Bridge. They wonder why the trusses don’t look at all like the striking self anchored assymetrical suspension span they saw in the renderings. Slide Show Susan Lohwasser / ENR A temporary bridge will take shape this year to carry segments of new self-anchored suspension span until cable arrives. Related Links:
Jack Wilson admits it: He welcomes the rising price of asphalt. It’s not a concrete bias—he is a 40-year contracting veteran who worked impartially with both asphalt and concrete. But now that asphalt milling and repaving is more expensive, he believes the time has finally come for his asphalt overlay invention to gain a wide audience. Photo: Polycon Proprietary overlay creates a protective seal over existing asphalt, eliminating need for constant milling Related Links: America May Gain from Materials Designed To Stretch Your Stimulus Dollars Packing in Particles Yields 100-Year Concrete Mixes Long-Life Composite Bar Receives Second Chance Cylindrical Solar