Photo by AP Wide World A tragic death due to faulty tunnel panels in the I-90 tunnel is the fatal flaw in the Big Dig, which many say was ultimately worth it. Photo by AP Wide World Related Links: Infrastructure Megaprojects: Looking For Legacies Massachusetts DOT Agrees to Pay Contractor's Big Dig Claim After 15-Year Battle MassDOT Chief Jeffrey Mullan Leaving in Wake of Big Dig Safety Problems The Boston Central Artery/Tunnel project would seem to be a textbook case of a megaproject gone off the rails: Projected to cost $8 billion, the "Big Dig" ended up at $14.6 billion.
Image Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority Although voters approved billions of dollars in bonds for high-speed rail, fierce foes still fight. Related Links: Infrastructure Megaprojects: Looking For Legacies Officials Cite Big Steps Forward In California High-Speed Program California Clears Path for Funding To Get High-Speed Rail Back on Track Jeff Morales, chief executive officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, often speaks of how the plan to build the Golden Gate Bridge produced 2,000 lawsuits and descriptions of "an upside-down rat trap."Recalling these facts "helps us to get through each day as people throw rocks at us," Morales told
Related Links: Feds Step Up Quest for Private Infrastructure Financing | International Consortium Selected to Build Mersey River Bridge Serving just 125,000 people, the U.K.'s Halton Borough Council (HBC) might seem an unlikely sponsor for a $900-million privately financed highway bridge. But construction is underway, with barge-mounted rigs installing cofferdams in the mudflats of the River Mersey for the cable-stayed Mersey Gateway crossing.To get here, the authority, 20 kilometers upstream of Liverpool, overcame government reluctance and the banking crisis. It deployed innovative financing tools and a novel tolling strategy to reduce revenue risk to itself and the public- private partnership
image Courtesy of I-4 Mobility Partners The Orlando P3 project includes complete reconstruction of 21 miles of I-4. Related Links: Skanska-Led P3 Team Wins Florida I-4 Job FDOT Officially Names Shortlisted Firms for I-4 Ultimate Project The Florida Dept. of Transportation last month approved the construction start of the $2.3-billion I-4 Ultimate project in Orlando, moving forward on its largest-ever public-private partnership and a surge of construction activity. During 2015 alone, the Skanska-led construction joint venture—known as SGL Constructors—will implement an estimated $500 million worth of engineering and construction work throughout the 21-mile-long project, says the contractor.The project's scope includes
Beverly A. Scott, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, announced her resignation on Feb. 11 following criticism by Gov. Charlie Baker (R) of “T” transit performance that left thousands stranded during two system-wide shutdowns in a string of epic snow storms.Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito (R) said in a statement the same day, they were “surprised” to learn of Scott's resignation. She will stay on until April 11 while a search for a successor is conducted. ScottFrustrated by the second system-wide shutdown on Feb. 10 and with another storm brewing, Baker reportedly said that whatever
Photo by AP Wideworld Engineers had stamped the demolition plans for the Ohio overpass that collapsed Jan. 19 onto Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, says contractor Kokosing. Related Links: CEO Statement Engineering Oversight Might Have Prevented Ohio Overpass Collapse, Says Bridge Inspector The Ohio Dept. of Transportation had required an engineered demolition plan for the Hopple St. Ramp bridge that collapsed Jan. 19 onto Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, killing a worker, according to the contractor Kokosing.Kokosing released Feb. 6 documents detailing its engineer-stamped demolition plan, noting that it chose an alternative approach that reduced the weight of equipment and machinery loads
Related Links: Australia Boosts Infrastructure As Mining Sector Loses Steam Aussie TBM Sets New Excavation Record “Isabelle,” the third TBM, was launched from Cherrybrook, in November 2014, and will excavate the 6 km from Cherrybrook southeast to Epping. A fourth and final machine is currently being assembled at Cherrybrook to dig the final tunnel to Epping.The TBMs have begun digging through sandstone and shale on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week schedule and are staffed by a rotating crew of 15. To reach the tunneling depth of 9 meters at Bella Vista, crews removed about 120,000 tonnes of rock. At the Cherrybrook site,
Peter Reina for ENR Gatwick hopes to get government approval to build a new runway. Peter Reina for ENR Related Links: U.K. Commission Grounds Plan for New Airport East of London New U.K. Airport Proposal Fuels Debate At least some of the $3 billion in planned investment is underway at Gatwick Airport, 45 kilometers south of London, including a $150-million north terminal upgrade and baggage improvements in the south terminal. Improving Gatwick for the growing number of passengers—over 34 million last year—keeps development director Willie McGilleveray busy enough for now. But he'll be even busier if private owner Gatwick Airport
Photo by AP Wideworld OSHA and the contractor are looking into why an overpass collapsed during demolition, but some say due engineering diligence could have prevented the decision to begin removing a side span before the middle span. Related Links: Construction Worker Killed In Ohio Overpass Collapse Separate investigations by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the contractor Kokosing into the cause of the Jan. 19 Interstate 75 overpass collapse near Cincinnati will likely take months. But an industry expert suggests that adequate engineering documentation before the demolition of the overpass might have prevented the accident, in which
Photo Courtesy of Prince Rupert Port Authority Canada balked at U.S. attempt to require American materials on B.C. ferry terminal. After a trade dispute escalated between the U.S. and Canada over "Buy American" procurement provisions, the Alaska Dept. of Transportation abruptly cancelled a construction bid for the Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal in British Columbia.On Jan. 21, Canada invoked an anti-sanctions law, the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA), which exposes companies that agree to Buy American provisions in contracts for construction on Canadian soil to fines up to $1.5 million, said a spokesman with Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.The previous
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