photo by ap worldwide SURVEYING DAMAGE Vermont Lt. Gov. Phil Scott (center) talks with Gov. Peter Shumlin (left) and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. Vermont was grappling with cleanup work after tropical storm Irene hit the state, leaving at least 42 dead and damaging critical infrastructure, property and cultural gems such as covered bridges. For the state's lieutenant governor, the infrastructure damage has a particular resonance.Lt. Gov. Phil Scott is co-owner of Dubois Construction, Middlesex, Vt. Some of Dubois' earthmoving equipment is now repairing infrastructure in central Vermont. “I'm not only trying to keep the business going, but also trying to
AP Photo/Jim Cole New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch meets with officials from the state's Department of Transportation on the Kancamagus Highway that cuts through the White Mountain National Forest, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, in Lincoln, N.H. Flash floods from Hurricane Irene washed out part of the road. Citing high driver fatality rates, increasing energy- and agriculture-related freight movements and the recent devastation of Hurricane Irene, transportation construction officials are using a Sept. 1 report to emphasize the potentially devastating effects of delaying federal funding reauthorization on the nation’s rural populations.The nation’s rural roads and bridges are rapidly deteriorating, driving the
As London’s 2012 Olympic Games approach, the 8,425-sq-meter, curved roof over the new West Concourse at London's King's Cross railroad terminal is now fully exposed from the inside for the first time.
AP Photo/Tony Talbot A bridge on Route 73 in Rochester, Vt., lies in ruin in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene Related Links: For a Downgraded Storm, Irene Leaves Her Mark on Infrastructure In areas of the Northeast where infrastructure damage from Hurricane Irene was relatively minor, bridge engineers saw the storm—as well as the previous week’s 5.8 magnitude earthquake affecting the same area—as a dress rehearsal for future potential catastrophic events.Pennoni Associates, engineer-of-record and program manager for Pennsylvania’s Burlington County Bridge Commission, had installed sensors in 2007 on two moveable bridges—one, a 500-ft lift span and the other, a 280-ft-long
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia The government-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust plans to increase its draft from the current 12 meters to about 14.5 m in the first phase of its port expansion. India expects a $60-billion investment in its ports by 2020 to ease infrastructure bottlenecks. This expenditure would be part of the planned $1-trillion revamp of India’s choked transport and power networks.“The focus will be on awarding projects under the public-private-partnership mode, with [a] chunk of investments coming from the private sector,” B.K. Chaturvedi, a member of the Planning Commission, told a local newspaper. Currently, 74 projects have been
Chinese construction giant China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. has won its second major tunneling project in Israel, teaming with an Israeli firm on a $170-million design-build rail-line tunnel contract. The team beat several other joint ventures of overseas firms and Israeli partners.CCECC and Danya Cebus Ltd., Tel Aviv, are digging two parallel, 4.85-kilometer-long tunnels underneath Mount Gilon for the 23-km line that will connect the cities of Carmiel and Acre in northern Israel. The estimated $800-million project is set for completion by the end of 2014, with operation expected a year later. The project includes two new train stations, construction
Photo courtesy of RAHI Issues surrounding compensation to landowners are delaying work on regional airports and other infrastructure. Land acquisition issues appear to be a growing factor in the delay of millions of dollars of infrastructure and industrial projects in India. Officials are pushing new legislation to boost compensation to landowners, but concerns over cost impacts may keep the provisions bottled up in the country's parliament.A recent study by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation says the proportion of federal projects running behind schedule increased to over 53% in December 2010 from 34% in March 2007. Further, while environmental
Related Links: Highway Administrator's Frozen Soil and Ground Settlement Update to Board of Directors, Aug. 10, 2011 Big Dig's Technical Maual Section on on Jacked-box Tunneling and Ground Freezing Boston’s Big Dig tunnel has one more problem. Thawing from ground-freezing technology used to excavate the I-90 connector system 11 years ago has apparently caused a large swath of soil to settle. Engineers fear that a deep water-filled void may be lurking beneath.The area of concern beneath the I-90 tunnel base slab measures 190 ft long by 60 ft wide, says Frank DePaola, appointed Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation’s new highway administrator
Related Links: Mayor McGinn Finally Gives In A $2-billion deep-bore tunnel along Seattle’s downtown waterfront appears to have overcome what may be its final obstacle to construction, garnering the approval of nearly 60% of voters in a referendum on whether the city should give the notice to proceed with the project.The tunnel, scheduled for completion in 2015, is the centerpiece of a $3.1-billion Washington State Dept. of Transportation program to replace the seismically suspect double-decked Alaskan Way Viaduct. That thoroughfare carries approximately 110,000 vehicles each day along one of Seattle’s primary north-south arteries. Damage from the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake sparked
Related Links: Gov. Scott OKs Construction of Central Florida's $1.3B SunRail Commuter Rail Project Fla. Legislators Raid $150M From State Road Fund Top Start: I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector Despite uncertainty over future funding, the Florida Dept. of Transportation is banking on low bids and private-sector financing as it accelerates an estimated $1.2 billion in projects in an effort to boost the state's stagnant jobs situation. At the same time, the agency is rolling out a plan to aggressively expand the use of tolls to add capacity throughout the state’s network of interstate highways and major bridges.Calling the stream of revenue derived
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