The U.S. Energy Dept. announced on July 1 a conditional commitment for a $150-million loan guarantee to support construction of the 360-MW Cape Wind offshore wind project in Massachusetts.If built, the planned project would be the first commercial-scale offshore U.S. wind facility. It would use 130 offshore wind turbines, each 3.6 MW, to provide up to 75% of the power needed for Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and would create about 400 construction jobs. Under the project's proposed financing structure, DOE would be part of a group of public and private lenders.
Photo by Steve Barrett Photography/Courtesy of APTA FTA Deputy Administrator McMillan addresses APTA members in Montreal, citing potential major increases in transit funding as RTD's Washington (left) and FRA's Szabo look on. Related Links: P3 Bug Spreading Among U.S. Transit Builders Bridge Industry Conference Showcases Missouri Innovations Builders of both bridge and rail infrastructure are eyeing the next several weeks with a heightened sense of urgency—hoping against hope that Congress will manage to pass some version of President Obama's proposed $302-billion, four-year transportation reauthorization bill. At the same time, alternative delivery methods such as public-private partnerships are higher than ever
Related Links: Proposed Tolls On Existing Road Ignite Lawsuit In Virginia Virginia Takes Steps To Propel Two Transportation Projects A controversial plan to construct a tolled bypass to U.S. Route 460 in southeast Virginia could be in for additional hurdles as the state's transportation agency and inspector general investigate potential procurement violations for the $1.4-billion project.At issue is whether a proposed 55-mile limited-access toll highway between Suffolk and Petersburg was developed, contracted and invoiced in accordance with the Virginia Dept. of Transportation's procurement rules, as well as those of the state's Public-Private Transportation Act.The highway, intended to provide direct access
Photo Courtesy of PERI The Willy Brandt Berlin Brandenburg Airport is two years behind schedule and could see costs escalate to nearly $4 billion. Related Links: Berlin's New $4B Airport About Ready To Debut When Did Germans Forget How To Build? Construction of Berlin's new airport, already two years behind schedule and at least $1.3 billion over budget, has hit yet another hurdle stemming from an alleged bribery scandal.When Netherlands-based design and engineering firm Arcadis in May received an employee report of a bribe attempt by a Berlin Brandenburg Airport official, it immediately reported it to authorities, says Jost Slooten,
Related Links: Transportation's Next Chapter: Maintenance, Mobility, Money P3s Fuel Construction of Lone Star Lanes Continuing its trend of building managed toll lanes with private-sector partners, the Texas Dept. of Transportation has "conditionally" awarded a team led by Kiewit Corp. an $847-million, 3.5-year design-build contract to expand and upgrade State Highway 183, also known as the Airport Freeway, in Dallas.The award is "not set in stone," says Ryan LaFontaine, a TxDOT spokesperson. "There is a period where we'll go work with them to make sure their promises match what we require. Also, public hearings will be held. The process will
Related Links: Automation, Weather Will Influence Future Airport Designs Frustrated Airport Officials Call Out Feds, Airlines Knoxville's airport rents out land to office complexes, car dealers and the U.S. Postal Service. Huntsville International Airport receives revenue from a golf course and cotton farmers. And several other airports, especially the one in Albuquerque, are seeing increasing savings and tax credits from solar panels.American non-hub airports increasingly are turning to non-aeronautical budget enhancers as they face uncertainty in shaping long-term capital plans. "Non-aeronautical revenue represents a good opportunity for architects, engineers, contractors and investors to participate in the changing aviation environment," says
Photo Courtesy of T-Engineering-Ceneva Final tranche from Turkish bankers will underwrite the country's third Bosporus Strait span. Related Links: Turkey Still Seeks Bids for Bosporus Crossing Byzantine Port, Botched Buildings With construction of Turkey's third Bosporus bridge about 25% done, its consortium has secured $2.3 billion of Turkish bank loans to complete the build-own-operate deal's project financing. The roughly 2.2-km-long bridge will cross the Black Sea mouth of the Bosporus waterway between Garipçe and Poyrazköy about 35 km north of Istanbul. Work began early last year and should end in 2016. Bankers finalized the final piece of funding on May
Photo Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bill calls for hikes In Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund spending on port dredging. Related Links: Text of WRRDA House-Senate conference report Industry Officials Hail House-Senate Deal on New Water-Resources Bill (enr.com 5/13/2014) [subcription] The first major water-resources bill in more than six years is heading to President Obama's desk. The $12.3-billion Water Resources Reform and Development Act authorizes nearly three dozen new Army Corps of Engineers projects, directs the agency to speed up its feasibility studies and provides new revenue sources for dredging, flood control and other water projects.WRRDA focuses on the Corps,
Photo by AP Wideworld Intensity of wind-whipped blaze, apparently started by a blowtorch cutting rebar, quickly flared out of control, destroying falsework and deforming steel and iron elements of bridge construction. Related Links: Pair of Big-City Blazes Sparks Review of Safe Welding Habits New Overpass Rises Swiftly From Ashes in Michigan Investigators had not determined at ENR press time whether the May 5 collapse of the $59-million Interstate 15 overpass project was caused by code violations or negligence: Before the collapse, a fire was ignited on that windy day as construction workers used blowtorches to cut excess rebar from falsework.The
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