Special Reports
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Special coverage from ENR reporters, contributors and outside news sources in text, photos and video, on the biggest stories of the past and present.

Topics

Low & Slow Across America

ENR's Aileen Cho and author Dan McNichol set off across America in a vintage 1949 Hudson to inspect the nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Dream Projects

Ambitious engineers and architects are pushing the limits of technology and scale, but what are the impacts?

Conexpo

ENR's team of writers reports on all the latest equipment, environmental rules and training issues.

Imagining Construction's Future

ENR asked its readers to open up their minds and take a shot at writing short fiction about the future of construction. The top selections and many honorable mentions are presented in this ENR Special Report.

ARTICLES

Rising Challenge

Special Report: How Engineers Are Preparing for Sea-Level Rise

From Seattle to Cape Cod, see what's being done at 18 different locations

Pam Radtke Russell

August 10, 2017

2 Comments

As sea levels rise—compounding coastal problems such as erosion, storm surge and tidal flooding—engineers are changing the way they work, using adaptive design and new technologies to prepare for an uncertain future

Low & Slow: Folsom Dam's Watershed Agreement

Two federal agencies formed a first-ever $900-million partnership to upgrade Folsom Dam and protect Sacramento from potential floods

Luke Abaffy

Aileen Cho

October 30, 2015

No Comments

It may seen ironic at first glance that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are fasttracking a $900-million effort to address flood-risk and dam-safety issues at Folsom Dam, located near Sacramento, Calif., amid a headline-making, ongoing drought.

Low & Slow Series Is Making Its Mark

Tudor Van Hampton

October 30, 2015

No Comments

ENR’s “Low & Slow Across America’s Infrastructure” tour started with a basic idea: Drive a car as old as the interstate highway system across the U.S. to identify infrastructure progress and critical needs.

Mark Shaw

June 5, 2015

One Comment

ENR's "Low & Slow" tour stopped in Denver in early June to see first-hand some of the key public-private transportation infrastructure partnerships that are transforming the Denver area.

Low and Slow: Missouri—A State's Transportation Funding In Misery

May 30, 2015

One Comment

Missouri Diary, part 1: After Memorial Day, the intensity of the road trip accelerated to NASCAR-like conditions, even as Mrs. Martin continued to mosey along at about 60 mph on the highway. After our tour of the St. Louis arch park project (story to come soon), we hustled to Kansas City for two jam-packed non-stop days,

Tudor Van Hampton

May 23, 2015

2 Comments

We were in a parking lot, and in that lot I was ordered to stay.

Low and Slow: A Rocky Start

May 19, 2015

3 Comments

Monday, May 18: T his was actually the first day that Dan and I truly spent a whole day together on our road trip - and it was hard. Really, really hard. Mrs. Martin got stuck in traffic in Philly, on our way to a visit with the local DPW. It was hot – exactly the kind of weather we were trying to

Low And Slow Across America: Starting Out Is Above and Bayonne Expectations

May 14, 2015

One Comment

People have been confused about the start of our road trip. I’ve been walking into my neighborhood watering holes and they go: “Wait, what? I thought you were on the road!” (Hopefully with pleasantly surprise, as in "Oh, glad you're still here" and not disappointed surprise, as in "Why the hell are you

Scott Lewis

November 12, 2014

No Comments

The projects we profile in this special section all stretch the limits of what is possible. At first glance, they may seem impossible to build. some of the projects are technically possible to build but may be economically unfeasible.