Los Angeles avoided "Carmageddon 2" on Interstate 405 on Sept. 30 and reached a milestone in an ambitious attempt to make over its transportation landscape.
Maintaining a state of good repair and emphasizing asset management are among the key goals outlined for public transportation projects in the recently enacted two-year federal bill called MAP-21, or the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act.
When the Utah Dept. of Transportation launched, in 2000, its $1.5-billion project to widen Interstate 15 through Salt Lake City, the agency opted for a delivery method called design-build, which was relatively rare at the time.
Ultimately, eight years of planning all came down to eight hours and about 700 ft—the distance traveled by a nearly 400-ft-long, 4.3-million-lb railroad truss on four self-propelled modular transporters, or SPMTs, during the last Saturday of August in Chicago.
Holes drilled at a 30-degree angle rather than vertically, plus inadequate decking, contributed to the Aug. 21 subway station project excavation blast that broke several store windows on the east side of Manhattan in New York City, according to preliminary investigation results.
Driven by steady ridership growth, Dallas Area Rapid Transit is on a roll, using alternative project delivery methods and composite materials as it expands its light-rail system and upgrades its commuter rail.
