Cracks in 13 cast-in-place pier caps supporting three bridges on the new Intercounty Connector toll highway in Maryland may be the result of a design flaw, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration.More than 40 cracks—ranging in width from 0.005 to 0.035 in. and in length from 7 in. to 3 ft, 8 in.—were discovered during a routine MSHA close-out and acceptance inspection of the ICC's $2.56-billion, 7.2-mile first phase.The project's first-phase contractor is Intercounty Constructors, a joint venture of Granite Construction Co., Watsonville, Calif.; Corman Construction Inc., Annapolis Junction, Md.; and G.A. & F.C. Wagman Inc., York, Pa.Parsons Transportation
Photo courtesy of the NPS Inspectors used rappelling techniques to assess repairs for the 555-ft-tall obelisk. The magnitude-5.8 earthquake that rattled most of the eastern U.S. on Aug. 25 created new cracks and spalling in the upper sections of the 555-ft, 5-in.-tall Washington Monument in the nation's capital. While the extent of quake-related damage was not a surprise, the size of several spalls was larger than expected, says a forensic engineer who conducted an inspection for the U.S. National Park Service.The survey team of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., Northbrook, Ill., extracted any spalls that represented a potential fall hazard
PHOTO COURTESY OF MWH Ogden, Utah, wastewater treatment plant expansion is rare sector capital project. Related Links: ENR SOURCEBOOK: Top 400 Contractors So much to do, so little money with which to do it. That paraphrasing of the familiar adage sums up the mood of contractors regarding the water and wastewater infrastructure market. With expansion and upgrade projects in many parts of the country curbed by anemic economic growth and cutbacks in government spending, the market is now focused on helping clients keep their aging systems one step ahead of both time and tightening water-quality mandates.Pat McCann, CEO of Weston
Related Links: Mayor McGinn Finally Gives In A $2-billion deep-bore tunnel along Seattle’s downtown waterfront appears to have overcome what may be its final obstacle to construction, garnering the approval of nearly 60% of voters in a referendum on whether the city should give the notice to proceed with the project.The tunnel, scheduled for completion in 2015, is the centerpiece of a $3.1-billion Washington State Dept. of Transportation program to replace the seismically suspect double-decked Alaskan Way Viaduct. That thoroughfare carries approximately 110,000 vehicles each day along one of Seattle’s primary north-south arteries. Damage from the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake sparked
At a time when cutbacks threaten surface transportation programs across the U.S., a new economic analysis from the American Society of Civil Engineers says that simply maintaining current levels of investment won't be enough to avert long-term losses in productivity, jobs and household income.Drawing on widely used transportation planning models and consumer and industry data, “Failure to Act: The Economic Impact of Current Investment Trends in Surface Transportation,” forecasts that, within the next decade, the added costs of dealing with deteriorating highways, bridges and transit systems will result in the loss of more than 870,000 jobs and cut the nation's
BridgesThe North Carolina Dept. of Transportation is proceeding with a complex replacement of the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks, despite a new lawsuit that claims the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act.PCL Civil Constructors Inc. and HDR Engineering Inc. of the Carolinas submitted the apparent winning bid of $215,777,000 for the design-build project that NCDOT estimated would cost approximately $241.6 million.Replacing the deteriorating 2.7-mile, 260-span prestressed-concrete girder structure across Oregon Inlet has long been a top priority. It is the only highway link to Hatteras Island, one of the state's most popular tourist destinations and home
Some skilled equipment operators have a sixth sense that allows them to focus on the task at hand while maintaining awareness of the bustling, often unpredictable activity going on around them. Unfortunately, no operator has yet developed X-ray vision that allows a viewpoint through engine cowlings, cab framing and other obstructions. COURTESY of VOLVO CE The person operating this machine has a better view of objects off the ground due to obstructions. This loader model is one that researchers have used to map out machine visibility (see diagrams below). COURTESY of NIOSH Along with the ISO standard ground-level map (far
Over the past fifty years, construction management has evolved from its role as the owner's liaison with prime contractors to its new role of coordinating the technical and functional dynamics of complex building programs within any one of an “ever-hybridizing” array of delivery methods. So it is no surprise that a “one size fits all” approach to CM has gone the way of steam shovels.“Today, one size fits one,” says Blake V. Peck, president and chief operating officer of Fairfax, Va.-based construction management firm McDonough Bolyard Peck Inc. (MBP). “Every owner, every project is different, and the construction manager has
Ordinarily, a 2.4-million-sq-ft, highly complex construction project would be hard to overlook. As it nears completion in September, the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s East Campus at Ft. Belvoir, Va., has stayed largely under the radar, as its owner prefers. The 2.4-million-sq-ft U.S. spy-agency complex is 90% done. Within the U.S. Defense Dept., NGA provides geospatial images and data for national security, including the May 2 Osama Bin Laden raid. From site selection to operations, managing the 98-acre project in four years challenged the Corps of Engineers. “Given the tight schedule and NGA’s need to be closely engaged with every stage
Over the past fifty years, construction management has evolved from its role as the owner’s liaison with prime contractors to its new role of coordinating the technical and functional dynamics of complex building programs within any one of an “ever-hybridizing” array of delivery methods. So it is no surprise that a “one size fits all” approach to CM has gone the way of steam shovels. “Today, one size fits one,” says Blake V. Peck, president and chief operating officer of Fairfax, Va.-based construction management firm McDonough Bolyard Peck Inc. (MBP). “Every owner, every project is different, and the construction manager
