Related Links: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh describes rail link project as the dream of the nation As part of a national project to link the harsh, mountainous Himalayan terrain of the northern Jammu region with the Kashmir Valley by a 293-kilometer-long, broad-gauge railway line—the J&K Rail Link Project—government-owned Indian Railway Construction Co. Ltd has released an invitation for bids for two packages with a combined expected cost of about $140 million.The packages, called T49A and T49B, are for the construction of tunnels, embankments and bridges for a 14.8-km-long link to be completed in 48 months. The last date
Photo courtesy of Toronto Transit Commission Seven months after almost simultaneously completing one tunneling segment, twin TBMs break through headwalls within a day of each other in mid-June. Related Links: Spanish Firms Will Help Build Toronto Subway Extension Toronto Subway Wins Some Funds Yorkie beat Torkie, but only by a day. After 945 meters of digging southward, the first 6.4-m-dia tunnel-boring machine broke through the headwall of the extraction shaft at what will be Black Creek Pioneer Village Station on June 13. The next day, its twin TBM, nicknamed Torkie, followed. The earth-pressure-balance TBMs did not match the unusual feat
Photo: Lloyd Mulvey Related Links: P3s Will Mark Future Work In Tristate Area Innovative project delivery and methods are set to ramp up in New York and New Jersey, along with billions of dollars in reconstruction of road and rail assets over the next five to ten years. Officials with major transportation agencies said they are striving to streamline contract delivery processes and improve outreach to minority- and women- owned firms as they launch massive capital programs over the next 5 to 10 years.The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is launching an aggressive 10-year capital improvement program
With just a few quick blasts and a puff of smoke, Advanced Explosives Demolition workers imploded the 700-ft-long main span of the Milton-Madison Bridge on July 23 to make way for a new crossing over the Ohio River.
Related Links: Industry Firms Envision New Group as 'Voice' for P3s in the U.S. Interstate 595 Widening Marks Florida's First P3 Effort Indiana DOT Seeks P3 for I-69 Project Nevada recently approved using a public-private partnership for a massive, costly upgrade to a heavily traveled section of Interstate 15 in downtown Las Vegas. Called Project Neon, the plan is meant to improve a 3.7-mile stretch of I-15 between Sahara Avenue and the U.S. 95/I-15 "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange, which sees 250,000 cars daily. Traffic through the corridor is expected to double by 2030.“We received an unsolicited bid a year and a
Related Links: States Gear Up to Seek Expanded TIFIA Loan Aid (ENR 8/27/12) SR 91 Project home page A plan to expand and upgrade Southern California's congested state Route 91 has received a $421-million federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation's July 3 loan announcement means construction on the $1.3-billion design-build project in Riverside County can begin by the end of 2013."This project is going to make Riverside County more accessible and more attractive to potential employers and businesses once it's completed," says John Standiford, deputy executive director of the Riverside County Transportation
Image Courtesy of Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee A saddle retrofit will replace the lost clamping force from the failed rods that are embedded in the pier cap. Related Links: Plan Enlists Custom Steel Saddles to Repair Broken Bay Bridge Bolts Read the Full Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee Report (PDF) The San Francisco Bay Bridge will not open on time because of the ongoing effort to fix broken shear bolt rods. California lawmakers, meanwhile, vow to hold accountable those responsible for the delay to replace the seismically deficient current bridge.Originally planned to open on Labor Day, the $6.3-billion bridge's
Related Links: Concerns Over Specialty Contractor Failures, Economy Abound at CFMA's Annual Conference Construction Financial Management Association Foreign firms' growing interest in U.S. design-build projects and public-private partnerships (P3s) may turn big contractors into "the pretty girl at the dance" but, in some cases, also might leave out smaller firms, industry experts recently cautioned in response to questions from officials of those very firms.P3s are "picking up at a fast pace, with 33 states having P3 legislation," said James Merrill, managing director with Star America Capital Advisors. Merrill was a panelist on the subject at the annual meeting, held last
Image Courtesy of Trimet Special cable-stayed design calls for permanent stays to connect to every other bridge segment and continuously run through the pylon, a tactic that allows for a slender cross section. Image Courtesy of Trimet New Willamette River crossing in Oregon will be nation's first to bar private vehicles. Related Links: Light-Rail Bridge Job Awarded Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge There's no wiggle room in Portland, Ore., regarding the aesthetics and geometry of the new cable-stayed Willamette River bridge that, at 1,750 ft, will be the country's longest mass-transit, non-car commuter crossing. All 78 of the 16-ft-long, cast-in-place bridge