Even though corrosion causes substantial damage to U.S. infrastructure every year, “corrosion is not well understood,” says Ted Greene, professor of mechanical engineering at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston. Receiving support from NACE International—originally known as the National Association of Corrosion Engineers—a Federal Highway Administration study on the direct costs associated with metallic corrosion in nearly every U.S. industry sector suggested the total annual estimated direct cost in the U.S. is $276 billion, about 3.1% of the nation's GDP. When indirect costs are included, that total is estimated to be as high as $552 billion.The corrosion of metals depends
Preliminary analysis of a ceiling light fixture that fell into moving traffic in early February at Boston's Big Dig tunnel system suggests the fixture shows signs of severe corrosion caused by salt from snow and ice treatment. Performed by West Boylston, Mass.-based Massachusetts Materials Research, the analysis indicates the fixture failed because of severe corrosion to the aluminum wire way at the locations where the light assembly was attached with stainless-steel clips, according to a Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation report released on April 13. The incident caused no injuries and no property damage.In a report released on April 6, MassDOT
The Spanish firm Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA, ranked 13th on ENR's list of the top global contractors, has won a $1.72-billion contract in partnership with Algeria's ETRHB Haddad to build a 66-kilometer rail line in Algeria. The line will connect the city of Tlemcen, the western terminus of the country's rail network, with the town of Akkid Abbas on the Moroccan border. The contract was awarded by the Algerian government through the Agence National d'Etudes et Suivi de Realisations des Investissements Ferroviaires, or ANESRIF, an agency created in 2005 to improve the country's railway system.The contract calls for
Debate over the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s decision to construct an underground station at Dulles Airport as part of its Metrorail extension project intensified this week, with local political leaders criticizing the choice as “irresponsible” and the agency defending the move as being in the best long-term interests of passengers and the community. The controversy stems from the MWAA’s April 6 approval of a plan to locate the subsurface station 500 ft from the main Dulles Terminal. Although the $600-million station and associated tunnel were part of the original 2005 design for the $3.5-billion second phase of the 23-mile light
Contractors on the $453-million superstructure erection portion of the $1.2-billion Huey P. Long Bridge widening project in New Orleans broke their own record when they lifted and skidded into place a 528-ft. long, 2,758-ton steel truss in 8.5 hours April 9. Photo: Angelle Bergeron The vertical, 102-ft lift of the 2,758-ton steel truss was accomplished in 4.5 hours. The strand jacks lifted an average of 23 ft per hour, as opposed to 17 ft per hour on the previous two lifts as contractors capitalized on experience. Photo: Angelle Bergeron Joint venture contractor MTI used four, 900-ton strand jacks to raise
Dovetailing with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation announcement that 24 states were vying for the $2.4 billion in high-speed-rail funds rejected by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), public transit advocates on April 6 released a report contending that high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects will stimulate construction, manufacturing-sector and long-term job growth. Rendering: Courtesy of California High-speed Rail Authority Report says rapid rail boosts the economy and creates jobs. According to the report, for each $1 billion invested in HSR projects, 24,000 jobs would be created. Kevin McFall, senior vice president with Stacy and Witbeck Inc., Alameda, Calif., a general
While the replacement of Seattle's aging Alaskan Way Viaduct plods toward a definite construction start date, long-needed improvements are well on the road to completion on another of the city's critical elevated structures. PCL Construction Services Inc., Seattle, has completed 257 drilled shafts for columns that will support the widening of the 3,000-ft-long Spokane Street Viaduct. One of Seattle's five busiest roads, the viaduct carries up to 70,000 vehicles a day between Interstate 5 and the West Seattle Bridge and serves as a primary truck route for the Port of Seattle and the Harbor Island industrial area. The $72-million project
Funds originally planned for a multi-billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River instead will go to New Jersey road rehabilitation projects, as proposed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). At a Board of Commissioners meeting on March 29, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey authorized $1.8 billion to fund New Jersey road and bridge projects, none of which are owned or operated by the port authority. The money had been slated as part of the agency's contribution to the Hudson River tunnel, which Christie cancelled last October. Construction began on the Access to the Region's Core
A 354-ft-long, two-span steel bridge was lifted, rolled and set into construction history on March 26. With more than 1,000 spectators on hand, the nearly 4-million-lb structure traveled about 500 ft across Interstate 15 in Utah on a Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT), a vehicle-pulled platform supported by remote-controlled wheels and hydraulics. Eight hours later, the longest-ever SPMT-assisted bridge move in the Western Hemisphere was complete and ready for vehicular traffic. Thirteen states have used SPMTs to roll pre-built bridge structures into place quickly, but the Utah Dept. of Transportation is the established leader. The March 26 move of the Sam
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