PHOTO BY SOUTHERN CO. In August, construction continued on the Vogtle Unit 3 nuclear island. A Georgia Public Service Commission analyst says if the decision were made today, the plant would be gas-fired. Related Links: Vogtle Nuclear Plant Owners Seek Budget Hike, Extend Schedule Georgia Power's Vogtle Plant Under New Round of Criticism The economics of natural gas is putting pressure on builders of Georgia's $14-billion Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project, with Southern Co. and contractor CB&I facing heightened scrutiny as they deal with continuing cost and schedule overruns.Philip Hayet, a Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) analyst, summed up the
Image Courtesy of Caltrans Steel shims inserted between bearings will dissipate earthquake energy. Related Links: San Francisco Bay Bridge Opening Delayed Until Broken Rods Are Fixed in December View a Brief Video of a Worker Installing a Temporary Shim The opening date for the San Francisco-Oakland East Bay Bridge has been moved back to the original date of Tuesday, Sept. 3. The bridge opening had been postponed until December to allow time for contractor American Bridge/Fluor Joint Venture to install permanent saddle braces to replace the clamping force lost when corroded steel bolts broke during tensioning in March.Shortly after announcing
Power development Competitive Power Ventures, Silver Spring, Md., will move forward to build a 762-MW natural-gas-fired plant in southwestern Virginia after state regulators scaled back Appalachian Power Co.'s plans to buy capacity from out of state.The Smyth County project, set to cost between $850 million and $900 million, is set to be on line by mid-2015, officials say.Appalachian Power, an American Electric Power subsidiary, operates in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. CPV also has proposed similarly sized plants in Maryland and New Jersey.
Related Links: HUD's Sandy Rebuilding Strategy ENR Superstorm Sandy Special Report Citing a crucial need for a coordinated approach to resilient rebuilding in Hurricane Sandy-affected areas, the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the creation of a HUD-led regional forum to "understand interdependencies and interconnections." Construction industry leaders agree that, if anyone can provide the mortar between disparate constituencies in Sandy-affected areas, it is Donovan."An effective and charismatic convener such as Secretary Donovan knows how to get people to the table," says Rick Bell, executive director of AIA New York (AIANY). "Too often, New York
Photo Courtesy of MaineDOT The Maine Dept. of Transportation has erected a number of bridges using composite inflatable arches. The technology is gradually catching on in other states and overseas. Related Links: Bridge-in-a-Backpack Tech 'Blows Up' Next-Gen Bridges Dozens Of Test Projects Later, Advocates Still Have Durable Dreams Four years after the first lightweight bridge-in-a-backpack, or BIAB, composite bridge was erected in Pittsfield, Maine, the technology is gaining traction in the U.S. and abroad, despite some learning-curve challenges.So far, BIAB has been deployed for 13 bridges in four states and, completed in May, a 26-ft span for the Trinidad Ministry
Photo Courtesy of John Hillman A West Virginia bridge received HCB beams that only weighed 10 tons each. Related Links: First Composite Rail Bridge Undergoes Successful Testing Award of Excellence Winner 2010 John Hillman Five years after a fully loaded locomotive and 26 coal cars chugged over a 30-ft-long, 17-ft-wide span comprising eight hybrid composite beams (HCB) in Colorado, the technology has been used in nine states.An HCB consists of a glass-fiber-reinforced plastic shell with high-strength continuous steel fibers placed along the bottom flange and filled with self-consolidating concrete (ENR 4/12/10 p. 34). Like the Bridge-in-a-Backpack (BIAB)—another non-traditional construction technology
Related Links: Climate Change Plan Offers Opportunities for Innovation Two U.S. Offshore Wind Teams Deploy Lidar Units Connecticut is developing a road map for other states to follow with the recent launch of the nation's first statewide microgrid pilot program, analysts say. The program, part of Gov. Dannel Malloy's (D) plan to harden infrastructure against future storms, aims to maintain electricity delivery to critical government services and businesses during large-scale power outages, such as the one that struck the state last October as a result of Superstorm Sandy.The initiative has secured $18 million in funding, primarily through the state's Dept.
Related Links: Investor's Passion Launches Nation's First Privately Built And Managed Airport Missouri's Branson Airport has filed suit against its designers and builders, alleging improper execution of the foundation and other "reckless actions" led to the 2011 collapse of a runway two years after the facility was completed.The suit claims designer Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., contractor McAninch Corp. and others failed to comply with regulatory and design criteria required to prevent subsidence. As a result, a large area of the foundation collapsed near the intersection of the tarmac and a 7,140-ft-long, 150-ft-wide runway, the lawsuit claims.Foundation construction involved excavating
Photo Courtesy of the Chicago Dept. of Aviation O'Hare Airport, Spring 2004. To build major new runways at O'Hare, contractors had to move a cemetery, a railroad, cargo facilities and a huge retention pond. Photo Courtesy of the Chicago Dept. of Aviation O'Hare Airport, June 2013. Related Links: O'Hare Operations Literally Buzz With Activity Airports Push the Green Envelope Reconfiguring an airport the size of O'Hare, including building four new runways—without disrupting the 68 million passengers that use it annually—involves challenging staging and logistics. The construction team had to relocate a railroad, a cemetery, cargo facilities and a stormwater retention
Related Links: Solar Sees Growth But Clouds Loom Fast-Tracked Mojave Projects Boost California Solar Output Israel Awards Contract for $1-Billion Solar Thermal Power Plant The world's largest solar thermal powerplant is nearing completion in the Ivanpah Dry Lake, 50 miles northwest of Needles, Calif. Comprising three units that will begin staged operation in the fourth quarter, the 377-MW Ivanpah complex will generate enough electricity for 140,000 homes and displace more than 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, says the owner-developer.BrightSource Energy Inc., Oakland, has power-purchase agreements in place with PG&E and Southern California Edison. By generating more than 1-million-MWh
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