Southern Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base is trimming construction costs of a new child development center by nearly 4% by using a unique aerated plastic-riser foundation system. Graphic: Courtesy USAF Cobblestone Construction, Las Vegas, broke ground on the $7.2-million design-build project in August 2010 and later discovered that the six-acre site along the northwest edge of the base was contaminated with radon. The 26,000-sq-ft block building consequently required a gas ventilation system, which typically comprises a vapor barrier consisting of a membrane of washed rocks and liquid as well as perforated pipe and fans. Wright Engineers, Las Vegas, proposed a
After more than an eight-month lull in deepwater oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement on Feb. 28 approved the first deepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, 2010. Photo: Courtesy of the Coast Guard Boats work to put out fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20. “This permit represents a significant milestone for us and for the offshore oil and gas industry, and is an important step towards safely developing deepwater energy supplies offshore,” said BOEMRE Director Michael
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has formally obligated $590 million in stimulus-act funds to the Washington DOT, clearing the way for projects to improve passenger rail infrastructure in that state. The Feb. 26 announcement follows an agreement between the Federal Railroad Administration and Washington DOT regarding the release of the federal aid and a separate pact among Washington DOT, BNSF Railway, which owns the track, and Amtrak, which operates the trains, on a spending plan and rail service benchmarks. The federal aid will go for projects that include bypass tracks and upgrades to track and signal systems on the Washington
Engineers, working with the city, have devised a program of repairs to the 26-story Hotel Grand Chancellor, damaged but still standing in the magnitude-6.3 earthquake Feb. 22 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Landmark hotel is in precarious position following devastating earthquake. At least one engineer, visiting from the U.S., advised the city against the repair as too risky to workers. After the remediation, owner Grand Hotels International will decide whether the building can be salvaged, say city officials. The hotel, which dropped about one meter at one end, is considered stable. The repairs will take three weeks. Damage to the hotel
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood decided on Feb. 25, after meeting with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), to grant the governor another week to review a plan that would create an interlocal entity to oversee the proposed $2.7-billion Orlando-to-Tampa high-speed rail line and eliminate all state liability for the project. Related Links: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's Statement “I feel we owe it to the people of Florida, who have been working to bring high-speed rail to their state for the last 20 years, to go the extra mile,” LaHood said in a statement. The federal government has committed $2.4
Four days after the magnitude-6.3 Canterbury quake that shook Christchurch, destroying significant areas of the city, rescue operations in the central business district are almost complete except for the zone around the 26-story Hotel Grand Chancellor, which is leaning and near collapse. Photo: Directrooms.com The Grand Chancellor Hotel, shown before the earthquake, is in danger of collapse. The city has cordoned off the area around the hotel, say Christchurch city officials. Built in 1986 and operated by Grand Hotels International, the concrete-framed building is 85 m tall, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. If the structure
Airports will require an estimated $80.1 billion in capital projects over the next five years to upgrade and expand runways, terminals and other infrastructure, the Airports Council International-North America says in a new survey. Related Links: 2010-2011 Capital Needs Survey Report The total is substantial, but represents a 15% decline from the amount projected in ACI-NA's 2009 report, reflecting projects deferred or cancelled. In releasing the report on Feb. 23, ACI-NA President Greg Principato said that for airport officials and airport users, "These projects are considered essential...to meet forecasted passenger and cargo growth." But in a conference call with reporters,
An engineer on the ground in Christchurch says that New Zealand�s seismic retrofit code and/or construction methods should be strengthened based on the damage to recently upgraded buildings. Photo: AP Photo/Kyodo News, Shuzo Shikano Rescuers stand atop a collapsed structure in Christchurch. Related Links: Engineers Surprised By Damage to Newer Structures The New Zealand Building Code Eyewitness Account of New Zealand Earthquake Many other Christchurch buildings, damaged in many cases as a result of soil liquefaction, were rendered uninhabitable and also still pose a public threat because they might collapse, says the engineer, Amir Gilani. Several recently seismically retrofitted buildings
The Southern Nevada Water Authority’s largest single contract to date just got a little pricier. Photo: Tony Illia For ENR Drier days Workers in 2010 in staging vault that later flooded twice. Photo: Tony Illia For ENR Tunnel-boring machine head will drill for three miles. A starter tunnel for a third raw water intake at Lake Mead flooded three times in six months last year, prompting its contractor, Vegas Tunnel Constructors LLC —a joint venture of S.A. Healy Co., Lombard, Ill., and Impreglio S.p.A., Sesto San Giovanni, Italy—to drill in a drier direction. Costs for the design-build project, awarded in
Florida state lawmakers and Congress members are racing to retain $2.4 billion in federal stimulus dollars committed to build high-speed rail, while other states await the opportunity to gain those dollars that Gov. Rick Scott (R) rejected this month. + Image The funds represent 90% of what the Florida Dept. of Transportation says is needed to build a line from Orlando to Tampa. The governor cited concerns about potential capital cost overruns, optimistic ridership and revenue projections, and the fear that taxpayers would be burdened with repaying the money if the construction or operations were halted. Bob Burleson, president of
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