Rendering Courtesy of TxDOT Burying downtown portion of I-35 would reunite downtown, East Austin. Related Links: Ambitious Plans Call for Toll Roads Texas Style Austin Mobility Elected officials in Austin are pressing the Texas Dept. of Transportation to explore a cut-and-cap plan for a portion of Interstate 35 that adjoins the city's downtown core.On June 20, the Austin City Council unanimously endorsed a resolution to urge TxDOT to include the plan as an option in a required National Environmental Policy Act study as an initial step toward addressing I-35 congestion.The City Council also directed Austin's city manager to hire an
Photo Courtesy of MassDOT Callahan Tunnel, showing wear and tear after 52 years, will close for extensive repairs. Related Links: Forensic Review Calls for More Repairs to Central Artery/Tunnel Callahan Tunnel to close for three months, beginning in January (Boston Globe) Boston's Callahan Tunnel, which connects the city's North End to Logan International Airport and state Route 1A in East Boston, will close for three months for rehabilitation beginning in December, the Massachusetts Dept. Transportation announced last month.The $34.9-million project, out for bid on June 29, includes the rehabilitation of the 52-year-old tunnel's deck, curb line and gutters and replacement
Rendering courtesy Mersey Gateway Mersey River span, shown here in a rendering, is scheduled for completion in 2017 at an estimated cost of more than $900 million. It will carry traffic across the river between Runcorn and Widnes, about 20 kilometers east of Liverpool. Related Links: Mersey Gateway home page A bridge too far (Campaign for Better Transport web site) A consortium of Australian, German and Spanish firms on 20 June was named preferred bidder for a privately financed, 30-year contract to design, build and operate a roughly one-kilometer-long bridge with three cable-stayed spans over the Mersey River between Runcorn
Related Links: Platts News and Analysis International Energy Association The US shale gas revolution is unlikely to be replicated elsewhere in the world, and its international impact is most likely felt through an increase in liquefied natural gas supplies to the global market, the head of the International Energy Agency said on June 20.Speaking in St. Petersburg, Russia, Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said there were major obstacles that would impede the development of shale gas in Europe and China.Paris-based IEA, made up of 28 member countries, is a resarch and advocacy group for reliable, affordable and clean energy,
In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration owns, builds and operates most control towers and provides air-traffic-control services at 264 airports.In contrast, air-traffic control in some countries is privatized. For example, Nav Canada, a private non-profit corporation, has been responsible for air traffic control since 1996 in Canada, and other countries in which private air-navigation-service companies operate include Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Poland, the Ukraine and Indonesia.Air-navigation technology
London's 224-meter-tall "Cheesegrater" building has climbed into the city's skyline over the past months, quickly becoming a new landmark in a city with quirky building names.
Courtesy of The Sun Namibia's Neckartal dam (above) has been delayed by contract-award protests among competitors, while the Nile River dam in Ethiopia (below) is at the center of a water-allocation dispute with Egypt. Photo courtesy of The Independent Related Links: Ugandan Government Removes Chinese Firm From Large Hydro Project Several major African infrastructure projects, including some multibillion-dollar hydroelectric jobs, now are finding their progress beset by contracting disputes among global participants, protests from local communities and even cross-border sovereignty spats.Egypt-Ethiopia Megaproject BrouhahaEthiopia’s construction of the $4.7-billion Great Renaissance Dam on the Nile River has jolted its diplomatic relations with
Related Links: Maine To Launch Offshore Floating-Turbine Prototype HNTB, Purdue Lab Push the Speed Limit of Highway Surveys Two East Coast deepwater offshore wind developers have deployed floating lidar systems to provide critical data about wind conditions high above the ocean’s surface that will help with blade and other equipment design.On June 2, the University of Maine, Orono, launched a floating lidar system beside the VolturnUS 1:8 floating offshore wind turbine, which was connected to the grid on June 13 at Castine. It is the first grid-connected floating wind turbine in North America. The lidar system detects wind conditions up
Vitol Vitol, the world's largest oil trader, is building a new liquid freight terminal at Cyprus' port of Vasilikos. A new oil terminal being built by the Athens-based global contractor Joannou and Paraskevaides Ltd. for the world’s largest oil trader, the Vitol Group, is providing some hope to financially challenged Cyprus. The Mediterranean island is hoping a large energy investment will help to repay a $10-billion European Union loan intended to save the country from insolvency.The Vitol terminal and other energy-sector projects are providing some optimism in a depressed economic environment. “There’s euphoria over the energy projects ongoing in Cyprus
AP Indo-Tibetan border police use a rope to rescue stranded pilgrims on June 20. Ministry of Defense Many roads were damaged by landslides, cutting off access for residents and tourists. Rescue and restoration efforts are still under way. Related Links: India Unveils Annual Budget to Skittish Infra Investors Growth in India's Infrastructure Markets Projected In India, heavy June rains have killed more than 5,000 and stranded more than 19,000 people in the northern states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh as landslides and flooded rivers cut off major routes and devastated the area's Himalayan foothills. The torrents washed away more than
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