A 354-ft-long, two-span steel bridge was lifted, rolled and set into construction history on March 26. With more than 1,000 spectators on hand, the nearly 4-million-lb structure traveled about 500 ft across Interstate 15 in Utah on a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT), a vehicle-pulled platform supported by remote-controlled wheels and hydraulics. Eight hours later, the longest-ever SPMT-assisted bridge move in the Western Hemisphere was complete and ready for vehicular traffic. Thirteen states have used SPMTs to roll pre-built bridge structures into place quickly, but the Utah Dept. of Transportation is the established leader. The March 26 move of the Sam
The ongoing crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant quickly triggered demands from politicians and activists from California to New York to Germany and elsewhere to shut down aging nuclear reactors, but replacing existing nuclear generation isn't as simple as flipping a switch. At best, taking nuclear powerplants off line might encourage more development of renewable generation and push distributed generation, but only years or decades from now. At worst, taking a nuclear powerplant or two off line could cause spikes in wholesale electricity prices and problems with electric reliability. It's not realistic to prematurely retire nuclear power, says Mark
Dovetailing with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation announcement that 24 states were vying for the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), public transit advocates released a report contending that high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects will stimulate construction, manufacturing sector and long-term job growth. According to the report, for each $1 billion invested in HSR projects, 24,000 jobs will be created. Kevin McFall, senior vice president with Stacy and Witbeck, Inc., Alameda, Calif., a general contractor, called construction of transit, rail—and high-speed rail—a “shot in the arm” at an April 6 press conference.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on April 4 called on states, regulators and utilities to replace or repair aging oil and gas pipelines to avoid catastrophic spills and explosions. LaHood wants the DOT and its regulatory body, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, to increase the maximum civil penalties for pipeline violations to $250,000 per day from $100,000 and, for a series of violations, a onetime $2.5 million fine instead of $1 million. LaHood also is asking Congress to prepare legislation to help close regulatory loopholes, strengthen risk-management requirements, add more inspectors and improve data reporting to help identify
Two months after a 110-lb light fixture fell onto a roadway along Boston’s Big Dig highway project, Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation inspectors have found some corrosion in the 23,000 lighting fixtures that line the Central Artery tunnel. In the wake of the resignation of a highway administrator following a delay in notifying the public about the fixture, the agency’s operational procedures are under scrutiny. “I have acknowledged our failure to alert the public in a timely manner and the lapse in our internal communications, which we are currently working to address,” state transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan says. “We are continuing
Funds originally planned for a multi-billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River instead will go to New Jersey road rehabilitation projects, as proposed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). CHRISTIE At a Board of Commissioners meeting on March 29, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized $1.8 billion to fund New Jersey road and bridge projects, none of which are owned or operated by the port authority. The money had been slated as part of the agency’s contribution to the Hudson River tunnel, which Christie cancelled last October. Construction began on the Access to the Region’s
While the replacement of Seattle’s aging Alaskan Way Viaduct plods toward a definite construction start date, long-needed improvements are well on the road to completion on another of the city’s critical elevated structures. Photo: SDOT Spokane Street Viaduct gets a makeover in anticipation of bigger Alaskan Way Viaduct work. PCL Construction Services Inc., Seattle, has completed 257 drilled shafts for columns that will support the widening of the 3,000-ft-long Spokane Street Viaduct. One of Seattle’s five busiest roads, the viaduct carries up to 70,000 vehicles a day between Interstate 5 and the West Seattle Bridge and serves as a primary
A 354-ft-long, two-span steel bridge was lifted, rolled and set into construction history on March 26. With more than 1,000 spectators on hand, the nearly 4-million-lb structure traveled about 500 ft across Interstate 15 in Utah on a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT), a vehicle-pulled platform supported by remote-controlled wheels and hydraulics. Eight hours later, the longest-ever SPMT-assisted bridge move in the Western Hemisphere was complete and ready for vehicular traffic. Thirteen states have used SPMTs to roll pre-built bridge structures into place quickly, but the Utah Dept. of Transportation is the established leader. The March 26 move of the Sam
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has received almost $10 billion in applications for the $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail funds that Florida rejected. Related Links: Amtrak Gateway Project News Release DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said on April 6 that 24 states, the District of Columbia and Amtrak submitted more than 90 applications for the turned-back rail money. The deadline for submitting requests was April 4. DOT now will begin to review the proposals. The department said that it had not yet determined when it will announce the winning applications. The funds became available when Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R)
ENR Award of Excellence winner Jeffrey Baker’s pet project—the ultra-green, ultra-affordable Research Support Facility (RSF) at the Dept. of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.—is but a tiny example of the work funded through DOE’s Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. For Baker, the completion of the RSF last year signaled a second mission: to spread the word about the new model for affordable, energy-efficient buildings so that others might adapt it to their projects. Related Links: 2011 Award of Excellence Winner: Jeffrey M. Baker Closely Watched Building Lives Up to Expectations Risky ‘Golden’ Job Proves
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