With most of 2010 in the books, it looks as though experts who predicted a long, slow recovery from the nationwide recession have accurate crystal balls. The University of Illinois’ Flash Index for October showed that the Illinois economy appears headed in the right direction. The October reading rose to 93.8, up from 93.5 in September. Unemployment is still high, home sales are still slow and money is still hard to borrow for all but those with the highest credit ratings. But in talking with contractors and architects, there are faint glimmers of hope that 2011 will be another small
Officials in Milwaukee County, Wis., plan to let bids in the next two weeks for the repair of a municipal parking structure at O’Donnell Park, where a 27,000-lb precast-concrete facade panel fell off the building and killed a 15-year-old boy and injured two other people last June. The county’s 2011 budget has earmarked $6.5 million for structural work on the garage. + Image Illustration: Courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinal Related Links: CTLGroup Field Inspection INSPEC Structural Evaluation About $3.5 million to $4 million of the repair cost will go to permanently removing all 70 of the ramp’s precast facade panels,
As winning bidder Walsh Construction Co. moves trailers on-site and gears up to begin building a new $116.9-million maximum-security penitentiary in Ft. Madison, Iowa, the second-lowest bidder, Weitz Co. and the Master Builders of Iowa, have a few days left to decide whether they will continue legal appeals claiming that Iowa awarded the contract to Walsh improperly. Image: Courtesy Iowa Das Rendering of the Ft. Madison penitentiary Related Links: Administrative Law Judge Ruling Ft. Madison Penitentiary Project Labor Agreement Earthmoving contractor McAninch Corp., Des Moines, Iowa, has completed site preparation work, which was awarded under a separate contract from construction
The owner’s investigation continues into why a 275-ft-tall concrete smokestack fell in an unexpected direction when it was imploded on Nov. 11 during demolition of FirstEnergy’s largely unused Mad River powerplant in Springfield, Ohio. Photo: AP Images An unseen crack apparently redirected the force of explosives, altering the tower’s path of descent. No one was hurt, but 4,000 people lost utility power. Because no one was injured in the accident and proper procedures seem to have been followed, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will not pursue an inquiry, says an agency spokesman. The plant, about 28 miles northeast of
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation have put forth the first national standards to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and raise the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and buses. The proposal, which the agencies announced on Oct. 25, would apply to work vehicles ranging from large, heavy-duty pickup trucks in Class 2b to the largest Class 8 tractor-trailer trucks, weighing 80,000 lb or more. The EPA and DOT action follows a directive issued by President Obama. The benchmarks would kick in for vehicles manufactured in model years 2014 through 2018. EPA and DOT estimate the standards will
Sany America Inc., a China-owned construction equipment manufacturer based in Peachtree City, Ga., is developing a new generation of lattice-boom crawler cranes under the direction of veteran crane designer John Lanning.
A 30-year-old construction worker from Collins, Mo., remains in critical condition at a Kansas City, Mo., hospital more than a week after he was accidentally swept 1.5 miles through a sanitary sewer pipeline in Raymore, Mo. Daniel Collins was working about 12 ft below ground in a sanitary sewer shortly after 8:00 a.m. on Oct. 12, when a torrent of raw sewage flowing at a rate estimated at up to 3,500 gal per min swept him more than 7,900 ft through the 27-in-dia sewer pipe. It is still unclear how Collins’ safety harness separated from its attached safety line when
Three U.S. companies showcased their engineering expertise as the world watched the dramatic rescue of 33 Chilean gold and copper miners trapped nearly a half-mile underground for more than two months. The miners miraculously survived an Aug. 5 shaft collapse at the San Jose mine in the Atacama desert about 500 miles north of Santiago. Photo: Courtesy Of Center Rock, Inc., Berlin, Pa. American operators used U.S.-made rig and drill bits to bore an escape shaft to miners trapped underground since Aug. 5. Layne Christensen Co., a Mission Woods, Kan.-based firm ranked 18th on ENR’s Top 200 Environmental Firms list,
Flad Architects of Madison, Wis., has climbed one spot, to finish fourth, in Midwest Construction’s 2010 listing of top design firms, ranked by revenue, with $52.0 million in regional earnings. Last year, Flad ranked fifth, with $56.6 million. In addition, the architectural and engineering firm stands 163rd on Engineering News-Record’s 2010 national ranking of top design firms, up from 170th in 2009; and ranks 37th on ENR’s 2010 list of top green design firms, up from 48th last year. ENR and Midwest Construction are both published by McGraw-Hill Co. Flad’s secret to success is “creating environments that enhance the user’s
Even in the toughest economy the U.S. has seen in decades, leading design firm HNTB has managed to not only survive but flourish. Photo Courtesy Of HNTB About 77% of HNTB’s Midwestern work comes from transportation-related projects. Photo Courtesy Of HNTB Bridges remain a major focus for HNTB. The Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge is a 3,000-ft footbridge across the Missouri River linking Iowa and Nebraska. Related Links: Midwest's Top 80 Designers List Profile: Flad Architects Wisconsin firm grows revenue in tough times. In 2010, HNTB has repeated at No. 2 among Midwest Construction’s top design firms, with reported revenue of