A rare 'turbine' configuration features sweeping ramps that should be easier to build and maintain than those in standard stacked interchanges. Related Links: More ENR Transportation News The upgrade of the existing Interstate 85/485 interchange near Charlotte, N.C., is proof that a bigger design can actually mean bigger savings.Part of the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation's (NCDOT) program to fill the last six-mile gap in the 65-mile I-485 outer loop around Charlotte, the interchange uses a two-level "turbine" configuration rarely found in the U.S.
Image courtesy of gm/nasa Get A Grip General Motors and NASA teamed up to produce the so-called Robo-Glove, which helps workers hold tools for long periods without tiring. Construction workers of the future may be able to manipulate their heavy hand tools with a high-tech assist from a new robotic glove being developed jointly by General Motors and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).Officially called the Human Grasp Assist device (a.k.a., the "Robo-Glove" or "K-glove"), the device is designed to help alleviate the hand-muscle fatigue that astronauts and factory workers often experience from continuously gripping a tool for extended
Faced with mounting opposition over the immediate use of tolls to begin financing the $2.1-billion Midtown Tunnel P3 project, the Virginia Dept. of Transportation has negotiated an amendment to its comprehensive agreement with Elizabeth River Crossings LLC, or ERC, potentially delaying tolls for two years until construction of the parallel tube is substantially complete.The delay is contingent upon Virginia's ability to find an alternative funding source for the approximately $125 million in revenue expected to be generated if the existing Midtown and Downtown tunnels between Norfolk and Portsmouth begin collecting tolls as scheduled this summer. Construction of the four-year project
The world's first known seawater district cooling, or SDC, system will be utilized on the $3.5-billion Baha Mar Resort project, currently under construction in Nassau, Bahamas. The $100-million, 12,000-ton system, developed by Ocean Thermal Energy Corp., Lancaster, Pa., will service the 3.5-million-sq-ft resort’s chilled-water needs with 40º F seawater drawn from a depth of more than 3,600 ft in the open Atlantic Ocean, off the New Providence Island Oceanic Shelf. Image courtesy DCO Energy LLC The underwater pipe will be routed in a naturally occurring trench. The above 3D image presents an "up-slope" view. DCO Energy LLC, Mays Landing, N.J.,
Proponents are hopeful that Maryland will expand public-private partnerships on state infrastructure and facilities, with the state House of Delegates' March 26 vote to approve a bill authorizing use of private financing.The bill now goes to the state Senate. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) , who supports infrastructure privatization, will likely sign the measure if it clears the legislature, which is set to adjourn on April 9. Separate legislation authorizing development of an offshore wind farm also is set for a House vote by week's end.The P3 bill would authorize the Maryland Dept. of General Services to use P3s for design,
State transportation departments wishing to replace bridges faster using accelerated bridge construction, or ABC, techniques will soon have a standardized design tool kit as a reference.
North Carolina's Dept. of Transportation pushed forward to meet the needs of state construction industry stakeholders and residents alike in 2011, thus earning ENR Southeast's designation as "Owner of the Year."
Subcontractor indemnification and "additional insured" requirements remain contentious between primes and subs, as a Minnesota case illustrates.The case—Engineering and Construction Innovations Inc. (ECI) v. L.H. Bolduc Co. Inc.—arose from a water and sewer infrastructure project several years ago for which Bolduc served as a sheeting subcontractor to first-tier subcontractor ECI. According to the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) of Minnesota, ECI accused Bolduc of damaging a sewer line during construction and sought reimbursement for the repairs from Bolduc and its insurance company, the Travelers Indemnity Company of America.When both Bolduc and Travelers refused to offer payment, ECI sued both in district
Related Links: Appeals Court Decision in Engineering and Construction Innovations, Inc., vs. L.H. Bolduc Co., Inc. Problems continue to grow with indemnifications—contractually making one party responsible for another’s damages.They can be difficult enough to understand if one is not well versed in legal or insurance issues, but sometimes they even stump lawyers.And as a case moving through the Minnesota state justice system illustrates, liability in construction contracts is an increasingly contentious and confusing issue.The case, Engineering and Construction Innovations, Inc. (ECI) vs. L.H. Bolduc Co., Inc., arose from a water and sewer infrastructure project for which Bolduc served as a