Related Links: FRA May 16 statement on safety directives Amtrak May 16 blog post, incl. train-control system background and update Under new Federal Railroad Administration directives, Amtrak is making safety improvements on its Northeast Corridor line, including expanding its use of technology to control train speeds.The orders, which FRA announced on May 16, came four days after Amtrak train No. 188 derailed in Philadelphia, killing eight passengers and injuring scores of others.According to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, northbound train No. 188 was running at 102 miles per hour—more than double the speed limit—when it
NTSB Scrutiny of May 12 Amtrak train crash near Philadelphia has turned to positive-train-control systems, which can reduce speed on curves automatically. Prior to the crash, Amtrak had PTC equipment installed but not activated, pending tests. Amtrak President Joseph Boardman pledged to have a system in operation by year-end. Related Links: NTSB May 13 briefing on Amtrak accident Fact sheet on Senate commerce-committee rail bill As the investigation continues into the May 12 Amtrak crash that claimed at least eight lives and injured scores of others, increased scrutiny is falling on positive train control, or PTC, a system that can
Related Links: With Coal-Ash Leak Plugged, Focus Turns to Remediation Duke Energy Fights North Carolina's $25.1M Coal-Ash Fine Duke Energy pleaded guilty to nine criminal violations of the Clean Water Act and agreed to $102 million in fines and penalties related to a February 2014 coal-ash spill in North Carolina, according to a settlement announced by the U.S. Dept. of Justice on May 14. As part of the agreement, the Charlotte, N.C.-based utility will pay fines totaling more than $68 million, and will fund $34 million in environmental projects and land conservation efforts in North Carolina and Virginia. Covered by
Related Links: Danger: Railroad CrossingBuilding Manhattan's Hudson Yards Construction Begins on Hudson Yards' $700M Eastern Platform NYC Hudson Yards Developers Name Tutor Perini as Contractor, Form JV with Tishman Structural engineer Thomas Z. Scarangello is no stranger to the Long Island Railroad's West Side Yard in Manhattan, which is going under cover thanks to the 28-acre Hudson Yards development.The current chairman and CEO of Thornton Tomasetti (TT) first studied the yard in the late 1990s, when there was talk of a baseball park there. And he was involved again when New York City made its bid for the 2012 Olympic
Construction begins on Hudson Yards' $700-million Eastern Platform NYC Hudson Yards Developers Name Tutor Perini as Contractor, Form JV with Tishman Rolling trains underfoot. Around-the-clock operations. Caissons needled in between tracks. Hundreds of work-arounds to avoid tunnels and buried utilities. Track-outage hopscotch. Two-hour work windows. Sudden schedule changes. Constant scrutiny. Deadline pressure.The 11.2-million-sq-ft first phase of Manhattan's 17.4-million-sq-ft Hudson Yards—a 28-acre minicity on
Photo by Todd Harrell/National Guard Geotechnical engineering project won kudos upon 2008 completion but failed in 2015. Related Links: Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges Negligence on W. Va. Airport VIDEO: Landslide at airport (WTAE Pittsburgh) The failure in March of a geosynthetically reinforced runway extension at Charleston, W.Va.'s Yeager International Airport has triggered a lengthy dispute among the facility's insurance carrier, designer Triad Engineering and contractor that will involve millions in damages.The damage liability involving insurer AIG Aero, Triad Engineering, Scott Depot, W. Va., and Pennsylvania contractor Cast and Baker now is estimated at $16 million to $26 million."It's been 55 days
Related Links: Infrastructure Week Audio of Biden's May 11 infrastructure speech (remarks start at approx 55 minute mark on the timeline) Government, industry and labor-union officials on May 11-15 marked the third-annual Infrastructure Week by speaking about the economic importance of highways, rail lines, waterways, ports and other public works at events held around the U.S. But hovering over all the speeches was deep frustration over the lack of progress in Congress on infrastructure advocates' prime goal: a long-term surface-transportation bill.At the program's May 11 Washington, D.C., kickoff event, attendees heard Vice President Joe Biden declare, "We have to have
What is being called a first-of-its-kind community microgrid is taking shape in upstate New York. A partnership comprising two universities, a national laboratory, one of the world's leading electrical manufacturers, the region's electric utility and several other participants is working through the issues to create the innovative microgrid in the village of Potsdam, N.Y.New York's North Country, where Potsdam is located, is no stranger to harsh weather. A 1998 ice storm hammered the area for four days, paralyzing cities and cutting power to 130,000 people. Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 struck neighboring Vermont, flooding nearly every river and stream, isolating
Photo Courtesy of Dow Dow Chemical has several major projects near Freeport, Texas, coming on line by 2017. Enlarge Click to enlarge. Related Links: Sasol Ethane Cracker Job Starts Despite Gas-to-Liquids Delay AGC Survey Cites Worse Shortages and Added Quality Concerns The upheaval in world energy markets over the past year has not really hurt petrochemical projects in the U.S. and Canada, according to petchem owners, engineers and contractors. If anything, they say, owner decisions to delay or stretch out the construction of a few petchem projects have eased concerns about skilled-worker shortages and project cost inflation and prompted talk
As hurricane season approaches, executives of New Jersey infrastructure agencies and the industry firms that work for them question whether they are doing enough to pressure politicians and other purse-string holders for more infrastructure-resiliency funding in the wake of 2012's Superstorm Sandy."You have to link to people that cut checks and look a generation ahead," Fred Sickels, acting director for drinking water at the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, told attendees at a May 7 resiliency conference, sponsored by engineer HMM, in Iselin, N.J. "Engineers have to communicate to policy- makers. Funding it will be a challenge."Donald Cresitello, senior
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