Enlarge The Low and Slow Tour, as of June 14. Click the image to enlarge. Related Links: Low and Slow Across America's Infrastructure (scroll down for the updated Low and Slow itinerary)While working away at my desk at ENR’s home office in New York City, in spirit I have been touring the nation’s infrastructure with transportation editor Aileen Cho and author Dan McNichol, on special assignment for the cross-country expedition.Happily, I did get to sit in the driver's seat when Mrs. Martin visited Penn Station during the pretour. And I’ve had lots of opportunity to stay involved, working with the

Related Links: Bentley Connect Edition Looking to capitalize on recent advances in cloud computing, software maker Bentley Systems launched the Connect edition of its design suite at its 2015 Connections event, held in Philadelphia on May 18-19. First announced in November 2014, the Connect edition of Bentley's popular software, including Microstation and Navigator, will be available to Bentley subscribers in an early access program rolling out this summer.BENTLEYCEO Greg Bentley explains that the Connect edition combines a common modeling environment with a common project-performance environment and a common asset-performance environment. Tapping the Microsoft Azure cloud service, the system "extends beyond

Related Links: ENR's Low & Slow Across America's Infrastructure Tour How One Old Car Became a Metaphor for America's Infrastructure Staff members of ENR turned out on May 15 to say bon voyage to the stars of our "Low & Slow Across America's Infrastructure" tour and pose for a group photo in front of New York City's Pennsylvania Station.ENR Transportation Editor Aileen Cho and author Dan McNichol, on special assignment to ENR, are traveling coast to coast, chronicling public officials' efforts to finance, maintain and rebuild U.S. infrastructure for the future. The two reporters are driving in McNichol's 1949 Hudson

Photo by Sue Pearsall/ENR The high-profile leaders expressing care at the Safety Week kickoff event included (from left) Lend Lease's Denis Hickey, Limbach's Charlie Bacon and Gilbane's William Gilbane III. Photo by Sue Pearsall/ENR Live Safe Weeks Marine decorated one of its barges, which will be docked next to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan, to publicize Safety Week. The effort promotes personal safety as well as onsite safety. Related Links: Efforts for Weeklong Safety Drive Include Tour at 95 Express-Lanes Site Safety Week 2015 The grass-roots drive of industry executives to focus the nation's attention on

Enlarge Related Links: Pinchot University Yau Lee Group The idea of "intrapreneurship"—that is, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit within big corporations— resonated with attendees of ENR's FutureTech conference, held in San Francisco on March 16-17. Gifford Pinchot III, who coined the term, said the idea is relevant to construction, particularly now as it pushes toward high-performance buildings.Intrapreneurs exhibit curiosity, often spend free time developing an idea and see the big picture, says Pinchot, author of "Intrapreneuring in Action: A Handbook for Business Innovation." He offers an online program that helps intrapreneurs build business plans and teams and coaches them as projects

Photo Courtesy of IMPACT Owners, contractors and unions together spur innovation, says Wise. Related Links: Trades Must Play Key Role To Keep Industry Competitive, Employers Tell Union Ironworkers Record Breaking Registration at IMPACT/Iron Workers Annual Meeting Welder Shortfall Fires Up Industry Training Programs to Work Overtime There was progress to report at the 2015 North American Ironworkers/IMPACT Labor-Management conference on key initiatives such as safety, market expansion and making signatory contractors more successful. With the union's membership now above pre-recession levels, the event drew 1,100 union business leaders and members, contractors and owners to Las Vegas Feb. 22-25."We have unleashed

Early in 2014, the cash-strapped contractor consortium stopped constructing the third set of locks to create a third lane large enough for newer, larger ships to use the Panama Canal.

Related Links: $5.25-Billion Panama Canal Expansion Program Moves Into the Final Leg Panama Canal Owner and Contractors Agree to Final Cost, Schedule Terms  Panama Canal construction consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC) has confirmed the filing, made late last month, of more than $737 million in new claims to owner Panama Canal Authority (ACP) just as the contractor touts a favorable ruling Dec. 31 by the $5.25-billion project's disputes board related to two previous claims. GUPC may still challenge the panel decision, which awarded it only $234 million of about $463 million it had sought.GUPC, led by contractors Sacyr

Panama Canal Owner and Contractors Agree to Final Cost, Schedule Terms Panama Canal Expansion official website Panama City Dancing to the Beat of Projects Exclusive Interview With Owner: Panama Canal Project Won't Be Held Hostage By Contractor Shutdown Global Cast Complicates Panama Canal Expansion Project After a tumultuous year that included a challenging negotiation to get the lock contractor back to work, the Panama