As the highlight of a $1.8-million, four-year federally funded research program, academic and industry researchers have begun testing multiple types of bridge-cable sensors in a chamber generating real-world-based corrosive conditions at Columbia University in New York City. The six-month test, launched on Dec. 23, has the world’s only cable mockup tested under 1.2-million lb of tension, say Columbia officials. Photo: Parsons Betti (left) and Khazem handle prefabricated parallel wire strands built for the mock suspension cable that will be subjected to real-life corrosion factors. The 20-ft-long mock suspension-bridge cable has a diameter of 20 in. and is made of nearly

Following a dramatic accident—the second in two months on the $803-million Interstate 10 Twin Spans bridges project—lead contractor Boh Bros. Construction Co. is reviewing safety procedures and employee training and actively seeking out “any additional steps we can implement to improve safety,” says Robert Boh, company president. Photo: La. DOT New Orleans Twin Spans project suffered a second accident in two months on Dec. 23. The Dec. 23 accident occurred when a 20-year-veteran crane operator, working a mobile hydraulic crane, apparently made a lift “beyond the safe working radius of the crane, causing the machine to tip over against the

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has reinstated the Bush administration’s Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) until the Environmental Protection Agency develops a new clean-air program for powerplants. The court struck down the rule, which had been touted as the centerpiece of the administration’s air quality program, on July 11, saying it had “fundamental flaws.” But the court decided to revisit the issue after EPA, Environmental Defense Fund and several states asked for the rule to be reinstated. In its Dec. 24 ruling, the court concluded that despite “relative flaws” of CAIR, allowing the rule to remain

Cleanup of the worst spill of its kind in the history of the U.S. is continuing in east Tennessee, where an earthen retention wall at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston coal plant failed on Dec. 22. The failure sent 5.4 million cu yd of toxic sludge composed of fly ash and water flowing over 300 acres. Photo: AP/Wideworld Impoundment pond retention wall failure on Dec. 22 covered 300 acres with 5.4 million cu yd of coal-combustion waste from TVA’s Kingston powerplant. Photo: United Mountain Defense Water-quality samples in affected area show elevated levels of arsenic. The sludge, a byproduct of

Losing bidders of a U.S. Energy Dept.’s $3-billion cleanup contract at the agency’s Hanford site in Washington state may get a chance to rebid after the agency agreed on Dec. 29 to reevaluate the “mission support” contract award made in September. The decision comes at the urging of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which reviewed a protest of the award by a losing bidder that claimed problems with DOE’s solicitation. GAO dismissed the protest but only after DOE agreed to take “corrective action” in its cost evaluation. A limited-liability company led by Lockheed Martin won the contract, but another led

Cleanup of the worst spill of its kind the history of the United States continues this week in east Tennessee, where an earthen retention wall at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston coal plant failed on Dec. 22 and covered 300 acres with 5.4 million cubic yards and water—or more than one billion gallons—of a sludge-like byproduct of coal combustion called fly ash. Photo: AP/Wide world House knocked off it foundation near site of Tennessee spill. Photo: AP/Wideworld Impoundment pond retention wall failure on Dec. 22 covered 300 acres with 5.4 million cu yd of coal-combustion waste from TVA’s Kingston powerplant.

Parsons Corp., Pasadena, Calif. protested Dec. 23 the U.S. Energy Dept.'s award Dec. 8 of a $3.3-billion contract to a URS Washington Division-led team for liquid waste cleanup at its Savannah River Site former nuclear weapons manufacturing complex in Aiken, S.C. The protest was filed to the U.S. Government Accountability Office by the firm's limited liability company, Savannah River Tank Closure. That unit, a venture that also included Fluor Corp. and Northrop Grumman, was the only other contract bidder. GAO will have 100 days to decide on the protest of the contract, a six-year award at minimum that involves cleaning

Facing an unprecedented water crisis, Israel is speeding up plans to desalinate even larger amounts of seawater than it had already planned. The National Infrastructure and Finance Ministries say in early January they will issue a build-operate-transfer tender for the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world, to be built 40 kilometers south of Tel Aviv. In an effort to speed up the construction of other badly needed plants, the Israeli government has also decided to exempt state utility Mekorot Water from the usual tender process for its planned 100 mcm desalination plant at Ashdod. The government has also

Shifting the emphasis of flood risk reduction work from structural, to non-structural efforts, such as better risk communications and improved evacuation planning, is a key recommendation the National Committee on Levee Safety will make in a report to Congress on Jan. 15. Photo: Tom Sawyer/ENR Emphasis would shift from work like this slurry wall construction to bolster levees in Sacramento to improved risk communications and evacuation planning. The levee failures in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina sounded a national alarm on the unreliability of levees for flood protection, the committee concludes. It will recommend greater use of evacuations during periods

A major water main serving the Washington, D.C., metro area broke on the morning of Dec. 23, disrupting service and stranding motorists along a busy suburban artery for several hours. A 66-in pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe burst along a section that neighbors State Route 190 in the D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Md., at 8 a.m. Several commuters were traveling the four-lane highway during the morning rush hour when the pipe burst. Photo: AP/Wideworld Motorist stranded by water main break in Washington, D.C., suburbs Dec. 23. The pipe, which carries 135-million gallons of water per minute, sent torrents rushing down a