Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn�t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable�the giant gear that rotates the jib. �A bearing could go bad,� says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. �And that�s something we want to know before the top falls off.� Photo by Tudor Van Hampton A J.E. Dunn tower crane stands at about 240 ft above the site of the Kauffman Center for
High-speed rail advocates celebrated the Jan. 28 award of grants from the $8-billion pot that is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but officials must now figure out how to leverage the seed money into successful long-term programs. California and Florida, the anticipated big winners at $2.25 billion and $1.25 billion, respectively, will now ponder design-build and public-private partnerships along with other sources of funding. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation was flooded with applications, receiving $57 billion in proposals. That includes $50 billion in rail-corridor proposals submitted by 24 states and $7 billion from 34 states for specific
On Jan. 28, officials with the Obama administration unveiled grants totaling $545 million for the state of North Carolina to use to fund rail improvements. A grant totaling $520 million will fund nearly 30 interrelated projects aimed at increasing top train speeds and doubling the number of round trips on the Raleigh-Charlotte corridor. These funds will provide for the purchase and rehabilitation of locomotives and cars, track upgrades and station security improvements. A separate $25-million grant will fund "congestion mitigation" between Raleigh and Richmond, Va. Lisa P. Jackson, administrator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, made the announcement Jan. 28
Florida’s transition to more efficient and clean energy production hit a speed bump in January when Juno Beach, Fla.-based FPL Group said it would immediately halt work on approved nuclear and modernization projects that collectively totaled as much as $20 billion. The sudden move came on the heels of the state Public Service Commission rejecting FPL’s requests for rate hikes totaling more than $1 billion. FPL Group Chairman and CEO Lew Hay cited the decision as evidence of a deteriorating regulatory climate in Florida that “is increasingly hostile to investment.” The largest projects are two additional nuclear units at the
Florida is looking to the private sector to bankroll high-speed rail. The state’s proposal for federal funding anticipates that private-sector funding would cover all operations and maintenance expenses for a planned line between Orlando and Tampa. State transportation planners aren’t committing any state funding to the system for the foreseeable future. Despite widespread enthusiasm for the project, the president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association is worried about high-speed rail’s long-term impact on state transportation funding, especially since the state has no dedicated funding source for a rail system. “There doesn’t appear to be any recognition at all of the
The PBSJ Corp., the Tampa architect-engineer, confirms an internal probe into whether its subsidiary PBS&J International Inc. violated U.S. law in pursuing projects overseas. The parent firm, which ranks No. 30 on ENR’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms with $594.3 million in 2008 revenue, disclosed the investigation in a Dec. 30, 2009, filing to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. It said it could not file on time its required year-end annual report for 2009 because its board was seeking “to determine whether any laws have been violated, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, in connection with certain
Snapshot January 5, 2010 Our editors are everywhere�at all the industry events that matter most. When They're not speaking on panels, they're busy taking notes�and snapping photos�so they can inform their readers about what was said and who was there. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga., included a complete replacement of the dome’s copper cladding to match historical details, says the architect, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Atlanta. The courtroom was also restored to its original colors and finishes. Selective demolition helped reveal many of the building’s
On The Scene January 5, 2010 Our editors are everywhere�at all the industry events that matter most. When They're not speaking on panels, they're busy taking notes�and snapping photos�so they can inform their readers about what was said and who was there. Florida Marlins Ballpark Florida Marlins Ballpark Workers with LPR Construction, Loveland, Colo., recently began jacking the roof trusses off their shores for the retractable roof of the $515-million Florida Marlins Ballpark in Miami. To accommodate the anticipated 10 in. of vertical and 6 in. of simultaneous horizontal deflection as the shore loads are removed, the roof panel was
Encouraging fleet managers and business owners to spend cautiously is not a tough sell right now: The construction industry in Texas ran out of fat to trim months ago. Company owners managed to save money the smart way (improved efficiency) and the tough way (personnel reductions). Where else can one save while riding out the storm? PAUL PARKER One place is in the decision to lease or finance heavy equipment. Your approach could be the difference in saving money on a deal or, in some cases, being able to acquire the equipment you need at all. Gerald Cook has seen
The beginning of a new year is a great time for contractors to re-examine their key performance indicators and conduct any necessary fine tuning. Given the environment we’re in today, perhaps the first indicator contractors should consider is their bid-hit ratio. Why? Because many contractors do not know what their ratio is. In one survey of 2,000 general contractors, subcontractors and design-build companies, only 6 percent knew what their ratio was and tracked the information. GUAJARDO This lack of knowledge can be attributed partly to the fact that contractors perform a lot of work relatively quickly without the benefit of
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