Related Links: Feds Step Up Quest for Private Infrastructure Financing With the Obama administration weeks away from issuing recommendations for how to speed delivery of infrastructure projects and streamline private-sector financing, Vice President Joe Biden is advocating more private investment in infrastructure.Biden, speaking on Oct. 28 at the North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., said improving and expanding infrastructure is a critical component in future U.S. job growth, highlighting a need for more public-private partnerships.“All the government can do is act as a catalyst,” he told the government and industry officials attending the conference. “You are creating
Related Links: Week-Long Safety Drive Bendix Collision-Mitigation Technology Orange cones and concrete barricades still may be the norm for keeping workers and drivers safe on road construction projects, but movable barriers are being used more often as owners and contractors look to improve safety and productivity.Such systems—whether they're called mobile barriers, movable barriers, protective beams or zipper walls—generally include a prime mover plus a metal blocking section that extends between the work zone and traffic.The barriers are used largely on congested road, highway and bridge projects, from paving to expansions, and can be driven to the construction site and moved
The city of Anaheim is home to big-ticket draws such as Angel Stadium, the Grove arena, the Honda Center sports venue and, of course, Disneyland. Now, it is home to an iconic structure that heralds the arrival of a new age of transit in traditionally auto-centric
Photo by Joseph Rosta for ENR ENR Editor Tuchman waits to enter the newly opened Biomuseo in Panama. Related Links: ASCE Conference: Panama City Dancing to the Beat of Projects Panamania: Museum Becomes Instant Icon for Developing Nation In Panama, Global Engineers Tackle Gigaproject Transparency ENR Editor-in-Chief Janice Tuchman has visited signature buildings under construction around the world and sent three staff members to write about the Panama Canal.When she made her own visit to Panama earlier this month to cover an American Society of Civil Engineers' conference, Tuchman was finally able to experience first-hand some of the wonder of
Related Links: Transit Builders Buoyed By Ridership Figures Fear Of Bankruptcy Looms Over Bridge, Rail Conferences Buoyed by record-breaking public-transit ridership figures, American Public Transportation Association members are warning of the increasingly dire consequences ahead for U.S. infrastructure without action on long-term federal reauthorization funding.APTA hopes Congress will take note of the 10.7 billion transit trips taken in 2013—the highest ridership in 57 years, the group says—and of the insatiable demand for federal programs that provide funding for mass-transit projects. The Federal Transit Administration awarded a record $15.7 billion for over 2,000 grants in FY 2014, acting administrator Therese W.
Related Links: In Panama, Global Engineers Tackle Gigaproject Transparency Panama Canal Owner and Contractors Agree to Final Cost, Schedule Terms Backstories from a Visit to the Panama Canal Panamania: Museum Becomes Instant Icon for a Developing Nation Dramatic Digs Mark Panama Canal Expansion Progress Excavation Under Way on Panama City Metro In addition to the $3.2-billion project to construct locks for a third lane of the Panama Canal, Panama City construction includes a new metro system, high-end condos and restaurants in its historic district and a new museum on biodiversity designed by Frank Gehry. The fast-paced Latin city with a
Related Links: For Panamax Port Expansions, The Freight Wait is Almost Over Ports Seek Rising Tide of Public, Private Funds After nearly two decades of planning, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) this month has begun a $706- million deepening of the Port of Savannah harbor by 5 ft. It formally signed a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) Oct. 8 with the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps expects bids on Oct. 29 for a dredging contract for 19 of 40 miles of entrance channel, estimated at $100 million. Another estimated $75-million contract to build dissolved oxygen injection systems should receive bids
Related Links: Deadly Guardrails on Trial Again in Trinity Whistle-Blower Case Highway Guardrail May Be Deadly, States Say Virginia's transportation department this month followed Missouri, Nevada and Massachusetts in taking off a controversial guardrail end-terminal model from its approved highway-products list. The ET-Plus model, which includes a steel fixture that is meant to absorb a vehicle's impact, is the subject of various lawsuits claiming the fixture has acted, instead, as a deadly spear.In an Oct. 10 letter to a sales manager with Trinity Highway Products LLC, the manufacturer of the ET-Plus, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation requested additional documentation regarding
Photo courtesy of CERA The single placement is the largest of its kind ever performed on the South Island. Related Links: Christchurch Post-Quake Rebuild Picks Up Steam Engineers Surprised by Damage To Modern Buildings in Christchurch Earthquake-hit Christchurch, New Zealand’s second most populous city, on Sept. 23 celebrated a major milestone in its rebuilding with a successful 1,428.6-cu-meter concrete pour for the base of a major new transportation facility. The single placement is the largest of its kind ever performed on the South Island.In 12 hours, 234 ready-mix trucks discharged the concrete for the base of the city’s new $43-million
Photo courtesy Marcio Vieira / Tocantins Government The north-south railway line in Tocantins (pictured) is among 11,000 km of Brazil rail scheduled for improvement under the proposed concession program. Related Links: Letter From Brazil: New Subways, Highways Can't Arrive Fast Enough Brazil Privatizes Three Major Airports, Nets $14.3 Billion in Concessions Two years after the Brazilian government announced a huge package of concessions to stimulate investments in infrastructure, construction projects for the railway industry remain on the shelf. The delays have resulted from regulatory risks, which were identified by investors, and failed projects.Officials hope for a break in the impasse