The historic Boston University bridge is receiving a sorely needed $20-million total body makeover while still remaining open to a steady stream of cars, cyclists and pedestrians. Crossing over the Charles River, the 80-year-old Boston-Cambridge link, which provides spectacular views of Boston’s skyline, had aged to the point where the sidewalks were crumbling, the railing had rusted, and concrete was spalling. The old drainage system was so corroded that stormwater went through the bridge and into the river. The project received a boost from 2008 Massachusetts legislation that created the $3-billion, eight-year Accelerated Bridge Program. Pihl Inc., the U.S. branch
The Bay Area Rapid Transit’s board of directors July 22 vowed to continue with the proposed $484-million Oakland Airport Connector, even though the federal government in February withdrew $70 million in stimulus funds because affirmative action goals were not met. The board approved a new funding plan by a vote of 8 to 1 that reduces project costs by $8 million and proposes to utilize BART’s reserve account, high-speed rail bonds and a loan from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to fill the gap. The withdrawal of stimulus funds postponed awards of contracts for the 3.2-mile automated people
The Missouri Dept. of Transportation tentatively has set September 15 as the target date to restore access between I-470 and I-435 in southern Kansas City, following an existing fill-supported ramp collapse on July 17. Photo: Missouri Dept. Of Transportation Groundwater is one of several possible causes being evaluated by investigators into Kansas City ramp failure, which occurred on July 17. Pyramid Contractors, Olathe, Kan., was awarded the contract to build a 225-ft-long, four-lane replacement structure currently being designed by HNTB, MoDOT’s engineering consultant. Expected to cost about $4.46 million, the precast structure will be built atop two bents with drilled
Shovels, hammers and hardhats were nowhere in sight. Instead, participants in a public outreach workshop used hair curlers, buttons and paper clips to construct model train stations for California’s proposed high-speed-rail route. California has been awarded $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funds to develop a high-speed-rail line, scheduled to start construction in 2012. The project, currently in the process of finalizing track alignments, will feature trains running up to 220 mph. Transportation experts repeatedly have cited the importance of public involvement to the success of the $45-billion, multiregional project. Held in downtown Los Angeles on July 17, the “groundbreaking”
Transportation officials are eager for states to take the lead in using public-private partnerships (P3), but they seek clarity and leadership from the federal government on the future of transportation in general. A recent upsurge in major P3 deals has encouraged global firms regarding U.S. opportunities, but uncertainty over federal transportation legislation overshadows the optimism. In Washington, D.C., a keynote speech by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) P3 conference on July 22-23 did little to quell doubts. He said a highway user fee and a gas tax increase are “off
In 2011, residents of Daybreak, a 4,200-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, will drive, bike or walk across the $2-million Brookside Bridge, which is made almost completely out of recycled materials. By then, project officials hope an environmental rating system for infrastructure will exist to quantify the bridge’s eco-friendliness. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Precast arches made out of recycled concrete were built on site, not shipped. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Builders of a Utah community bridge want a green rating. This June, contractor Ralph L. Wads-worth Construction, Salt Lake City, took two days, 500 worker-hours and twin
Photo: Tom Lilly Related Links: Willis Makes Waves: New York Bridge Finds New Home The new Willis Avenue Bridge on Manhattan’s Harlem River completed the final leg of its journey from upstate New York on July 26. The 2,400-ton, 350-ft-long swing bridge was floated into place by Weeks Marine Inc., Cranford, N.J., on two barges. Hardesty & Hanover LLP, New York City, provided the design and construction support for the bridge. According to project manager Bill Nyman, two separate barges will be used to support the span at its ends during installation, slated for Aug. 9. The span will then
Earthquakes, wind and ice can make electric service transmission poles topple like dominoes, costing millions of dollars to replace. Illustration By Walter Konefal div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Jon Rouse, a civil engineering professor at Iowa State University, hopes to eliminate that cost by incorporating hinges into the base of poles to deflect stress and bounce the poles back—like Weebles, the 1970s toys that “wobble but don’t fall down.” Currently, the industry relies on sturdy and costly “dead-end structures” every five to 10 miles to block poles from cascading. Rouse’s 110-kv poles, now being tested at the university, eliminate
As the Superfund program approaches its 30th anniversary, it is at a crossroads. To finish cleaning up nearly 1,300 designated hazardous waste sites—some dangerous to human health—sources say the program needs funding. But with a difficult economy and little congressional support for reinstating a dedicated trust fund, those resources could be hard to come by. The result is a slowing of the already lethargic pace of site completions. + Image Photo: courtesy of North Wind Inc. The trust fund legislation sunset in 1995 and ran out of money in 2000. Source: GAO Meanwhile, some industry firms have developed solutions of
The House has approved a $59-billion spending measure that includes $32.8 billion to continue the war in Afghanistan, and $2.8 billion for assistance in Haiti, where a Jan. 12 earthquake killed 230,000 people and caused an estimated $11.5 billion in damages. The July 27 House vote is the final congressional action on the package. It next goes to President Obama for his expected signature. The defense portion of the bill includes $649 million for military construction in Afghanistan. The Haiti funding includes $438 million for infrastructure.