Senior Editor Tom Sawyer wrote this week’s cover story after shadowing members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and their Japanese counterparts as they examined debris from the March 11 tsunami in Japan. The team searched for clues for improving design standards for all kinds of buildings and infrastructure that may face a tsunami in the future. It left Sawyer determined to bring home the message that the only possible gain from such tragedies is to learn from them and act on the knowledge. From left: ASCE tsunami team leader Gary Chock, ENR’s Tom Sawyer and members of the
There are many reasons why true dedicated high-speed rail is superior to slower, mixed-traffic rail. True HSR is oil-free because it is powered by electricity. True HSR also offers shorter trip times, which translates into higher ridership, reduces congestion across all other modes and delivers these benefits with higher profits and lower operating costs. Given the energy-constrained future we face, a hierarchy of rail must be built quickly to become the main form of transportation in America, with true HSR as the backbone of the national system. We can’t afford not to build true HSR! Oil prices will continue to
As part of his infrastructure investment agenda, President Obama has called for building a national network of high-speed passenger trains that would serve 80% of all Americans by 2036. Such a network would be great for America. Unfortunately, we can’t afford it. True high-speed rail, which is defined as exceeding 200 mph, is extremely expensive to build. The $53 billion President Obama proposed spending over six years for HSR would be just a down payment. A San Francisco-Los Angeles line alone would cost $42 billion. With national debt at record levels, we do not have the funds for big, new
This blog excerpt was written by Sam Schwartz, the former New York City traffic commissioner and head highway and bridge engineer who is now chief executive of Sam Schwartz Engineering in New York City. The responses, posted anonymously by ENR.com readers, have been edited for clarity and fit. SCHWARTZ Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently went national with his 30/10 transportation initiative, a plan to speed up a dozen projects by using federal loans to leverage proceeds from a half-penny sales-tax increase approved by California voters. The national plan is called “America Fast Forward.” It is supported by a—gasp!—bipartisan coalition
With new OSHA rules now in effect for crane workers, employers are exploring new ways to qualify people working under the hook. ENR's Midwest bureau chief, Tudor Van Hampton, brought his video camera along during interviews with firm officials as they described how workers are being trained on the new regulations. Photo By Tudor Van Hampton For ENR Riggers at a utility Photo By Studio Gang Architects A Design by Jeanne Gang More Gang for the Buck: Jeanne Gang, the architect featured in last week's edition of ENR, is featured in online videos and a slide show. Check out ENR.com/video
The ASCE has been dispatching teams to investigate and draw engineering lessons from disasters since the Johnstown Flood of 1889, when a private impoundment dam failed and killed 2,200 people. It has earned the highest regard for its dedication to applying impartial analysis to catastrophe and improving the standards of engineering practice through its findings. ASCE's current roll out of seven sequential teams to gather data and parse lessons from Japan's powerful March 11 earthquake and the subsequent devastating tsunami is the latest example. The information to be gleaned from the wreckage of bent steel and shattered concrete is of
At a time when many of the media images from the Middle East show turmoil, we thought we would show you a video of a signing ceremony at the Business and Investment in Qatar Forum, held April 6-7 in New York City. Executives of Parsons Corp. and AECOM inked infrastructure development deals, and the atmosphere, like the sound track of the video, was steady and upbeat. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the contracts announced that day were not just big deals but good deals. We think ENR.com's video channels are also a good deal, providing 250 free video reports on
You have to look only a short distance behind the rhetoric to get to the fundamental issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing in the shale gas reserves around the U.S. The reasonable path is to finish the federal research, tightly regulate the drilling and push forward with innovations that could make shale gas the least objectionable option among a variety of unattractive options when it comes to the energy and environmental future of the U.S. Any hard look at the subject should include the overall greenhouse-gas footprint of shale gas, particularly now that a Cornell University research team has suggested the footprint
While reliable studies of craft labor productivity in the U.S. are in short supply, a few recent reports that specifically address changing trends in construction over the last decade indicate declines in productive output of skilled trades and rising project costs can be traced to gaps in education and training among non-union workers. Photo: Istockphoto HITE Extensive research conducted by noted organizations in the public and private sectors both attest to this trend. These include one groundbreaking study from the private research firm Independent Research Analysis Inc. (IPA) and another key report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Their remarks came from the heart. Some were passionate, some were funny. Sharing their awards, they all thanked the teams that helped them achieve this recognition, as everything in this industry requires enormous collaboration.
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