Persistent water seepage has prompted the contractor of a new “straw” at southern Nevada’s Lake Mead to drill a starter tunnel in a drier direction. Photo: Courtesy of Southern Nevada Water Authority Nevada starter-tunnel route must be changed. The contractor says it is investigating an alternate alignment roughly 20� east from the current 200-ft-long starter tunnel. The plan would be to eventually rejoin the original alignment. Vegas Tunnel Constructors LLC (VTC), a joint venture of S.A. Healy Co., Lombard, Ill., and Impreglio S.p.A., Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, last year encountered water three times in six months while creating a starter
President Obama’s call in his State of the Union address for more funding for highways, transit and other infrastructure has launched what should be a rugged fight with congressional Republicans this year over public-works spending. Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress will push to Photo: Courtesy of The White House President Obama: Wants a six-year highway-transit bill jump-started with $50 billion and proposes an infrastructure bank to leverage private funds. Promises that all work will be “fully paid for” but didn’t say how. Continues to support high-speed-rail lines spread around the U.S., with a goal of high-speed service available
During the past four years, as millions of New York City subway commuters daily made their way through the transit system, tunnelers below were making history. In 2009, for the first time ever, tunnel-boring machines burrowed through ground that was artificially frozen, with crews placing precast segments in the TBMs’ wake. The twin tunnels form a 1.5-mile extension of the No. 7 subway line, from Manhattan’s Times Square station to the far West Side. For the most part, the TBMs dug through bedrock up to about 100 ft deep. But in one 300-ft-long segment, the top of the rock layer
The Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation—a joint venture of the state transportation department and the University of Virginia—and the college’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have won a $250,000 federal grant to study potential impacts of severe weather on U.S. transportation infrastructure in coastal areas. Researchers will pilot a conceptual risk-assessment model developed by the Federal Highway Administration to identify transportation assets most at risk. The study, which will focus on Hampton Roads, Va., will offer a template for national transportation planning because of the area’s coastal setting, high-density population, military bases and industrial sites, researchers say. A U.S.
When an agency has completed a mile-long pair of 22-ft-dia tunnels deep under a river and 140 ft beneath New York City, one might think that would be enough for one project. But that’s just the beginning for the $7.2-billion East Side Access project. While 800,000 cu yd of excavation for station caverns continues just feet from one of the world’s busiest rail terminals, contractors are gearing up for another tough tunneling task on the other side of the East River in Queens—in one of the world’s busiest rail interlocking yards. The first segments, as heavy as 270,000 lb, of
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to support efforts to generate 80% of the nation’s electricity from clean sources by 2035. Days before his speech, the U.S. Energy Dept. offered two conditional loan guarantees—one for a solar farm in Arizona, the other for a renewable diesel facility in Louisiana—that will help achieve Obama’s goal and diversify the nation’s fuel mix. Photo: Courtesy Of First Solar Sarnia, Ontario’s 80-MW plant is currently the world’s largest operating PV solar plant. Photo: Courtesy of First Solar First Solar’s 21-MW project in Blythe, Calif. On Jan. 21, DOE awarded
A panel that advises the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that Atlanta-based utility Southern Cos. and its utility partners can build and operate two AP1000 nuclear power units at its Vogtle site in Waynesboro, Ga., “without undue risk to the health and safety of the public.” It reports that a final construction and operating license should be issued. The opinion, issued on Jan. 24, will be considered by the five-member commission when it makes a final decision on Southern’s license at the site later this year. The Shaw Group Inc., Baton Rouge, La., and Westinghouse Corp., Pittsburgh, Pa., have
Flooding in the state of Queensland, Australia, that began in late December has killed at least 22 people, left thousands homeless, destroyed countless buildings and devastated highways and rail lines. Overall, the flooding has affected 70% of Queensland, an area the size of France and Germany combined. Photo: AP/Wideworld Flooding that began in late December has affected 70% of the northeastern state of Queensland. As of early February, residents were bracing for more coastal flooding, which was expected to accompany Cyclone Yasi, a Category 4 tropical storm that was forecast to hit the northern coast on Feb. 3. Queensland has
Calgary, Alberta-based TransCanada said on Jan. 26 that it has contracted with enough companies to proceed with the 1,980-mile Keystone XL pipeline. It would be the first to transport crude oil from Canada’s oil-sands region to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The proposed $12-billion, 36-in.-dia pipeline could move up to 150,000 barrels of oil per day. Together with the existing Keystone pipeline, the two lines would move up to 250,000 bbl daily. The project, which is contingent on U.S. State Dept. approval, is opposed by several environmental and local groups. The American Petroleum Institute says the pipeline is “a
As contractors start mobilizing to drive Crossrail’s twin tunnels, work on the railroad’s $795-million station at the Canary Wharf commercial district in east London is powering ahead. The six-floor-deep station is the largest of Crossrail’s nine. Image: Courtesy of Crossrail Crossrail’s Canary Wharf Station is being constructed along the River Thames. Related Links: First Bids Keep Crossrail Budget on Track Top-down construction is forming the station along the River Thames. The structure will extend 25 meters below the water level. Construction within a watertight cofferdam is scheduled to greet tunnel-boring machines in summer 2012. Canary Wharf Group plc., the project
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