Washington hosted the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) annual meeting just prior to President Obama’s inauguration. One month earlier, over 200 participants from 16 countries attended the 20th biannual International Maglev Systems Conference in San Diego. Only this year, there were no TRB maglev presentations, nor were there any Federal Railroad Administration or Federal Transit Administration representatives. So why was the most advanced transport technology conspicuously ignored? Answer: the Bush administration was anti-maglev and discouraged official review or acceptance of the technology. Related Links: Video: The Promise Of Maglev Things have changed. President Obama provided some much needed leadership and pushed
You can often gauge the quality of a mechanic by taking a close look inside his or her garage. A clean shop is the sign of an organized, patient technician who will treat you fairly and take good care of your investment. A dirty one, well, could promise to take you for a ride. And the old grease monkey’s adage, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later,” is starting to take on a new socially conscious twist with the emergence of a concept called the “green” garage, where the harsh solvents, oil stains, slippery wrenches and
Now that the stimulus package is reality, the big question is, what�s next?�Will this program be truly successful, will it put people to work on worthy projects or will it bog down in bureaucracy and be driven by a multitude of negative forces coming from politicians, lobbyists, special interests, trade associations, government at various levels and so on?�It is critical that stimulus projects be in the best interests of the country and aligned with the objectives of the program. Our history provides guidelines. Lessons can be learned, both positive and negative, from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) that existed from
The article "Florida Contractor’s Defibrillator Deployment Recharges Its Workforce Retention Effort" was a good subject with great information. All construction companies should step up a little closer to this plate as they are talk about safety programs. A year ago, I fell into the 5% group [who survive a sudden heart attack], and am thankful that site personnel not only carried personal cell phones but also had the presence of mind to immediately call 911. The EMT’s use of the automated external defibrillator (AED) kept me alive until I arrived at the emergency room. On-site defibrillators, and knowledge by all
Some construction leaders may be disappointed because they did not get everything they wished for in the massive $787-billion economic-stimulus legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17, but they should be looking at a glass half full instead of one half empty. The law contains $130 billion of funding for construction of all types, which represents a serious increase over normal appropriations. Related Links: Unwrapping the Big Package In some markets, this would be like receiving a compensation bonus equivalent to five times one’s normal salary. For those industry firms already teetering on the brink of
President Obama and Congress are crafting a stimulus package that will bring economic relief, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors has listed 15,221 infrastructure projects in 641 cities that are “ready to go.” But while speed in getting work started and jobs created is key, the importance of good design, which will last for generations, should not be lost in the haste. We need to ensure that the money spent goes to creative, sustainable buildings that will stand the test of time and will still be used by our children and our grandchildren. After all, they are the ones who
With consumers in the U.S. and abroad facing depressed home values, diminished retirement accounts and an inability to access credit, it is now clear that the current financial crisis will be followed by declining consumer demand for goods and services, falling manufacturing output and increasing unemployment. The question for the Obama administration is not whether to stimulate our economy, but rather which forms of stimulus will be the most effective. A focused, multifaceted commitment to revitalizing our nation’s infrastructure and rebuilding our engineering workforce offers an unbeatable combination. The infrastructure deficit in the U.S. is a threat to public safety
The letter from Jeffrey B. Sodoma about safety conditions shown in a photo within ENR’s Year in Construction photo essay reflect how out of date OSHA regulations are. OSHA can only enforce the regulations that are in the applicable 29 CFR 1926 or 1910 standards. OSHA can enforce only laws that are written and/or interpreted by the legal system. Mr. Sodoma’s observation about the photograph showing individuals standing at the edge of a deep excavation is an example of how OSHA is behind the times in safety. The only section in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P (Construction Safety Orders Excavation
The $884.5-billion economic stimulus bill now being debated in the Senate and an $819-billion version passed by the House should be called what they are: the largest government spending bills in U.S. history. The bills are not a pure stimulus but rather piles of money thrown at things that Congress seems to debate every year, now cloaked with the seemingly beneficial argument that the federal government is doing something good for the economy. There are many things that good government policies can do, like creating a positive environment for all business activity or identifying and executing public-works projects necessary for
CHINOWSKY I am writing to my colleagues in academia and industry to help promote a discussion concerning the direction that civil engineering education must choose for its foreseeable future. The ASCE Body of Knowledge and the National Academy of Engineering have set the challenge for us. Distinguished colleagues such as Mike Garvin of Virginia Tech and Jeff Russell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have previously stated the need for our community to address this issue. I renew the challenge that we urgently discuss this matter, not as an argument on the number of units required of a student, but a
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