Image Courtesy GDOT Related Links: Transportation's Next Chapter: Maintenance, Mobility, Money Airports Emphasize Flexibility In New Designs GDOT's Complete Streets Manual The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) would like to see transportation-design policy start at the city and state levels, not the federal level. With that in mind, the Washington State Dept. of Transportation is adopting the group's new "Urban Street Design Guide."The guide includes a chapter on interim design strategies before a major buildup; a discussion of design controls; showing the street as a physical place; and real-life examples of the impacts of design decisions on that
Photo Courtesy of Greenbrier Rail Most North American tank cars are DOT-111 models that are no longer deemed safe. As carriers and regulators push for newer, more robust design, the tanker business is booming. Related Links: Pipeline Advocates Question Crude-By-Rail Safety Q & A With Federal Railroad Administration Deputy Administrator Karen Rae While the U.S. waits to see whether President Obama will approve the Keystone XL pipeline, more and more crude oil is moving by rail. After several fiery accidents in the past year, carriers are taking safety measures, hoping to garner public support for increased rail traffic from North
Photo Courtesy of CDOT U.S. 36 corridor upgrades will include new lanes, bridges and a commuter bike lane. Related Links: First Phase of U.S. 36 Expansion Hits Its Peak CDOT Selects Design-Build Team for Phase 2 of U.S. 36 The Colorado Dept. of Transportation last week finalized a controversial contract with private consortium Plenary Roads Denver to build the second phase of the U.S. 36 Managed Lanes project. The two-phase project expands and improves the main freeway between Denver and Boulder.It adds a "managed lane" in each direction for bus rapid transit, high-occupancy vehicles and drivers willing to pay a
Related Links: Repairs Begin On Kentucky Bridge Struck By Cargo Ship Kentucky Bridge Collapse Will Speed Up Construction Work Construction is scheduled to start in March on a $131.5-million bridge over the Tennessee River in western Kentucky that will replace the aging Eggners Ferry Bridge.The old bridge was shut down after a cargo ship struck it, taking out a 322-ft span in 2012.Fort Worth, Texas-based Johnson Brothers Corp. won the bid for the new four-lane bridge that will carry U.S. 68/Ky. 80 traffic over Kentucky Lake at the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area.Gov. Steve Beshear (D) in a Feb.
Photo Courtesy of WSDOT Seals surrounding a tunnel-boring machine's main bearing were manufactured in Japan and are now damaged, but the project contractor believes the actual bearing is still sound. Related Links: Divers Searching for Way To Get TBM 'Bertha' Moving Again http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2013/1213-divers-searching-for-way-to-get-tbm-bertha-moving-again.asp Bertha, the 57.5-ft-dia tunnel-boring machine attempting to dig a 1.7-mile state Route 99 tunnel underneath Seattle, is stuck again, having progressed 4 ft after a delay in December. Now, Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP), a joint venture of Dragados USA and Tutor Perini Corp., have decided to build a shaft in order to reach the TBM after discovering
Israel Ports Development Co. New private megaport in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, valued at $1 billion, would compete with a government-owned facility. Related Links: Israel Moves Forward on Port Expansion and Bridgebuilding Israel Weighs $3-Billion Remake of Port of Eilat Israel Boycott Fears Prompt Foreign Bidders to Abandon Ports Tender European bidders for two new privately-owned megaports in Israel have dropped out of the competition—two at the last minute—amid growing concerns about pressure on companies to boycott business activity there.The pro-Palestinian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement has been stepping up efforts in recent months to keep firms from
Photo by Shem Oirere Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (center) led, in November 2013, the ceremonial start of the $3.8-billion railway contract. Image by McGraw Hill Construction The current contract covers the first 485-kilometer section of a $14-billion railway project that will link Mombasa to Kampala, Uganda. In the future, the system could be extended into Rwanda and Burundi. Related Links: Kenya Delays $3B Railway Project for Nine Months $650M Airport Project in Kenya Breaks Ground Three Kenyan government groups are investigating allegations of corruption and flawed bidding procedures for a $3.8-billion railway construction contract awarded to China Roads and Bridge
Photos by: (top) Rosales + Partners; (bottom) Freese and Nichols Inc. The $2.5-million Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge stretches out 366 ft and is 12 ft, 9 in., wide. Related Links: View Other 2013 Best of the Best Projects Winners ENR Texas & Louisiana - Best Small Project: Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Ped. Bridge North America's first steel-arch and stress-ribbon bridge now adorns the city of Fort Worth, Texas, serving as a connection from the city's central business area with the arts district and its largest and oldest park.The $2.5-million Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge stretches out 366 ft
photo courtesy of C.C. Myers Inc. The seven-span bridge features a 354-ft arch. Related Links: 2013 Best of the Best Projects Winners Elegant Arch Bridge Spans Seismically Active Canyon Constructed 160 ft above a rugged creek bed in an earthquake-prone forest near Quincy, Calif., this seven-span box-girder bridge is supported by an open- spandrel arch. An innovative mass-concrete cooling system pumped cold water from the creek below and circulated it through the 354-ft arch's pour, saving $200,000 compared to other methods. Due to lack of local infrastructure, crews were challenged by a five-hour detour to haul supplies from one side
Related Links: Q&A: 10 Minutes With DOT's Ray LaHood Call To Upgrade Infrastructure Transportation policy leaders agree that infrastructure funding is a bipartisan issue, but consensus on raising the federal gas tax remains elusive.Former U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, addressing a Feb. 4 forum in Washington, D.C., said, "We should have raised the gas tax already and index it to inflation. I would've raised it by 10¢," he said to applause.But a fellow panelist on the Bloomberg Government-hosted discussion of U.S. infrastructure investment, Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said it was
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