The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which periodically inspects California’s Central Valley flood-protection network, released a report card on 10 of the state’s 26 levee systems, rating seven as “unacceptable” and warning some problems would “likely prevent performance in the next flood event.” Issues cited included encroachment, underseepage, vegetation and slope stability. The other three won “marginally acceptable” ratings; they retain eligibility for “active” status in a federal “rehabilitation and inspection” levee safety program and may receive federal aid to repair flood damage. The Corps is using $4.6 million in American Recovery and Investment Act funds to contract with GHT2—a

On the heels of two high-profile oil- pipeline leaks in Michigan and Illinois and a high-pressure gas-pipeline explosion that killed at least four people and destroyed a neighborhood in San Bruno, Calif., U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Sept. 15 sent to Congress proposed legislation to beef up federal regulatory oversight and increase penalties for violations of pipeline safety rules. Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Government Technicians in protective equipment prepare pipe section before cutting and removing it from the Enbridge pipeline oil-spill site near Marshall, Mich. The segment was shipped to federal lab for analysis. The legislation the proposed bill

With the 6,350th glass pane hoisted into place on Sept. 15, the only visible sign of anything having been awry at Atlanta’s 723-ft-tall Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel—the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere—is the exterior hoist, set to come down by mid-November. But for more than two years, there were pockmarks on the glass-clad facade, which was hit by flying debris during a freak tornado in March 2008. Photos Courtesy Of Skanska USA Tornado damage to the glass cladding of Atlanta’s Peachtree Plaza Hotel prompted a total face-lift. The 35-year-old hotel stayed open, minus damaged rooms, during the year-long, $22-million

A pedestrian bridge under construction collapsed Sept. 21 near Delhi, India's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium�the site of the Commonwealth Games scheduled to begin Oct 2. Twenty-seven workers with Chandigarh-based PNR Infra. were injured, some after jumping off the collapsing span. Some of the laborers were hurt jumping from the structure as it came down. The $2.3-million steel arch-supported footbridge was 90 meters long and about 1 m wide. The bridge was being constructed by the north Indian city. Government agency Rakesh Mishra, Public Works Dept. engineer-in-chief, says it appears the ramp seat was not capable of carrying the slab weight. “The

One of the largest distributed commercial solar retrofit projects in California required creative planning, design and logistics. In April, Sacramento-based HMH Builders completed the first of 15 1 MW photovoltaic additions to health provider Kaiser Permanente buildings up and down the state as part of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction agreement with San Francisco-based solar developer Recurrent Energy. Because the first application was on the 400,000-sq-ft rooftop of a regional distribution center in windy Livermore where gusts can reach 115 mph, HMH switched from a planned ballasted design that used weights to anchor photovoltaic trays to a connected system. Steel

Responding to federal concerns about potential cost overruns that could impact promised project funding, officials in charge of the $8.7-billion Hudson River rail link between New Jersey and Manhattan have halted project procurement and land acquisition for 30 days as they review costs. Officials appear confident that costs for the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project are set to stay on track in the current competitive construction market. In a Sept. 9 statement, James Weinstein, executive director of project leader New Jersey Transit, announced the month-long halt after completion of a five-month cost study by the Federal Transit Administration

Design firm HNTB, Kansas City, Mo., and contractor Walsh Construction, Chicago, have been awarded a design-build contract from the Ohio Dept. of Transportation to construct the first of two new spans that together will become Cleveland’s new Innerbelt Bridge. The twin-structure bridge will replace the existing 51-year-old, single-structure Innerbelt Bridge, which will be demolished. The firms’ work on the five-lane $278.4-million first span is expected to begin next spring and be completed by fall 2013. Construction of the eastbound section will be a separate contract awarded after the westbound span is completed.

Despite improperly placed concrete and a software design issue, the Rhode Island Dept. of Transportation and its contractor are anticipating that construction of the new $163.7-million Sakonnet River Bridge will stay on budget and on schedule. Photo: Courtesy RIDOT Contractor is repairing errors in concrete pours and girder design. The Sakonnet Bridge, a 2,065-ft steel-truss bridge, carries nearly 40,000 cars per day on Routes 24 and 138 between Portsmouth and Tiverton in eastern Rhode Island. Weight limits have been reduced to 18 tons, which leaves out large trucks. Construction of the replacement, a steel-tub-girder design, began in 2009, with completion

The Texas Dept. of Transportation is set to issue the first $1 billion in general obligation bonds this month for state highway projects, following approval on Aug. 26 by the state transportation commission. Voters approved the funding in 2007 as part of Proposition 12. Among the projects set for funding is a 94-mile expansion of the Interstate 35 corridor through central Texas. The bonds are payable from the state’s general revenue rather than from state highway fund revenue. The Texas Legislature appropriated $1 billion in 2010-2011 to begin making payments on about $2 billion worth of projects. In addition, $1

Construction on Maryland’s $2.6-billion, 18.8-mile InterCounty Connector has meant extensive interaction with communities of people, turtles, deer and one single brown trout. While design-build teams squeeze a new six-lane toll highway into a right-of-way teeming with humans and wildlife, Maryland’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has allocated 15% of the budget to environmental concerns. Officials say the massive efforts to manage turtles, trout and tempers are in- dicative of how highway builders must act in a new age. “What we’re seeing with the ICC will become more of the rule rather than the exception,” says SHA project manager Melinda Peters. After