While accidents involving large circular saw blades failing can happen, it is highly unusual for a blade to become dislodged from its saw and fly off into the air, says one industry expert, referring to such an incident that occurred at a Manhattan job site on May 27. The 3-ft-diameter blade appears to be from a slab saw, or flat saw, which is typically used to cut thick concrete structures and roadways and is tough enough to cut through steel reinforcements, says Russell Hitchen, a staff member of the non-profit Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association (CSDA), which provides training, forums
Mark Erlich, executive secretary and treasurer of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, is not an optimist. With an industry career spanning four decades, Erlich has been through many economic highs and lows, and so Boston's current private-sector building boom does not greatly impress him.
New England Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's (D) signature on the five-year, $12.7-billion transportation bond bill last month has brought a great sigh of relief, industry executives say.
Keeping contamination at bay was nearly as crucial during the construction of this Saudi Arabian superabsorbent-polymers (SAP) plant as it is now during production of the plant's end product: material used to make diapers and disposable hygiene products.
In time for New York City’s April 22 Earth Day celebrations, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced two initiatives related to environmental issues—one focusing on sustainability and resiliency efforts and another concerning air pollution. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York Division Cleaning Up: The Army Corps of Engineers headed up beach restoration work on the Rockaway peninsula last fall. The mayor issued a progress report on the city’s PlaNYC guidelines, saying that the Office of Recovery and Resiliency—which he launched last month—will continue the push begun under the Bloomberg Administration for major climate resiliency efforts.Among the
Related Links: Transportation's Next Chapter: Maintenance, Mobility, Money DOTs Are Gaining "Complete Streets" Smarts Massachusetts industry executives were awaiting word at ENR press time on whether a state House and Senate conference committee could hash out differences over their respective versions of a five-year, $13-billion transportation bond bill. Both versions of the bill are similar, and Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has indicated his support. As a result, many expect it to pass and authorize capital spending on a host of long-awaited projects to improve heavily used roads, rails and other infrastructure.Anthony Puntin, executive director of the Boston Society of Civil
Related Links: N.J. Bill Would Replace 3 PANYNJ Officials With 'Public Interest' Members Public-Private Partnerships Will Be Key in Bridge, Airport Projects: Port Authority Chief Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Chairman David Samson has resigned in the wake of a report that partly blames the agency's handling of the George Washington Bridge traffic scandal that has come to be known as "Bridgegate."New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announced the resignation at a March 28 press briefing that focused on the results of a $1-million, governor-sponsored report on the scandal. The nearly 350-page report exonerates the governor of
A Democratic New Jersey lawmaker has introduced legislation to replace three of Republican Gov. Chris Christie's nominees to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) board, including board Chairman David Samson. The bill seeks to replace those members with "public interest" members nominated by the nonprofit and advocacy organizations New Jersey Future, Trenton, and Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York; as well as research and advocacy group Regional Plan Association, Princeton. The move comes amid questions raised over whether the governor played a role in the September closure of two entrance lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge
Gas leak explosions, like the March 12 blast that leveled two five-story buildings in New York City's East Harlem, are commonplace nationwide and are not always due to aging infrastructure. In fact, experts in and out of industry say significant incidents in U.S. gas distribution pipelines occur on average every four to six days, and excavation work is often to blame for pipeline damage, according to the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Photo By Jeffrey Cox/ENR Investigators are still combing the blast site, where two five-story buildings once stood, for clues. Photo By Jeffrey Cox/ENR Side streets off
Some call it an indication of an all-out recovery while others describe it as just a gradual upswing, but most agree that the dramatic increase in the number of construction cranes in and around metro New York last year is, indeed, a good sign. While many of the megaprojects, especially in transportation, have been a long time in the making, they started up along with numerous high-end residential and mixed-use towers—helping to bolster the region's construction activity and make industry executives more optimistic than they have been in the last few years. Related Links: 2013 Top Starts Ranking Top Starts