FCC Construccion The Almonte Viaduct in western Spain is 3,268 ft long. FCC Construccion The contractor expects to complete the $130-million contract in the first quarter of 2016. Related Links: Spanish Contractors Refinance Debt To Grow Upon completion this fall, the Almonte Viaduct in western Spain will hold the record for the longest high-speed-rail bridge arch span, according to the government. Despite this imminent high-profile success, however, Spanish civil construction spending remains at a fraction of what it was before the 2008 financial crisis.The 3,268-ft-long Almonte Viaduct, located at the end of the Alcántara reservoir in the province of Cáceres
Related Links: P3 Bug Spreading Among U.S. Transit Builders Amid Labor Controversy, Dulles Metro Work Carries On After five years of construction and a long string of controversies, northern Virginia's $5-billion Silver Line rail project hit a major milestone with completion of the 11.6-mile first phase. Built by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and operated and maintained by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the $2.9-billion segment became operational on July 26, providing a long-sought light-rail extension from the existing Metrorail system to the burgeoning edge city of Tysons Corner, the planned community of Reston and the surrounding
Image courtesy of Frankfurt Zoological Society. Map highlights the proposed highway. Related Links: Court Ruling Endangers Serengeti Road Project Tanzania Drives On With Planned Road Through Serengeti Park A three-year suit challenging the construction of a 53-kilometer highway in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s World Heritage site, has ended, and the country has been permanently restrained from proceeding with the project.The First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice ruled on June 20 that the project would violate the East African Community (EAC) Treaty, to which Tanzania is a signatory, and have a serious negative ecological impact in the
Metro systems are vital circulatory systems for moving large numbers of residents, commuters and tourists around large cities. Metros are mass-transit systems that are generally heavy rail lines that operate on their own rights-of-way, whether underground, at grade or on elevated viaducts. They are distinct from light-rail and commuter rail networks.According to the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), the world's 148 metro systems carry, every day, more than 150 million passengers on 540 lines over 11,000 kilometers to and from 9,000 stations.Since the earliest metro systems were built more than 100 years ago, there have been many advances in
Courtesy AECOM High-speed rail would be built in stages over the next 20 years. Related Links: Calif. High-Speed Rail Moves Forward, Slowly California High-Speed Rail Plan Faces Funding Deadline The money is already starting to move to firms like AECOM and Tutor Perini following a California budget resolution earlier this summer that cleared the way for a continuous, year-over-year, funding stream for the state’s ambitious high-speed rail project. Top engineering and construction firms—likely to be called upon to build, and also finance the project—have been waiting for long-term public funding commitments before risking their own capital and labor, says Stephen
+ Image Source: AllAboard Florida Related Links: Bi-Partisan Panel Pushes Importance of Infrastructure Investment Complex SunRail Project Tests Design-Build Delivery Despite concerns raised by citizens groups about project funding and community impacts, the company developing a $1.5-billion Miami-to-Orlando passenger rail line is pushing ahead with its ambitious plans for the 235-mile-long system. Officials with All Aboard Florida (AAF)—a division of Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), Coral Gables—unveiled their third south Florida station, in West Palm Beach, on July 21.In conjunction with the event, AAF tweeted this from President Michael Reininger: "All initial steps for our stations are now underway. This
Related Links: Wash. State Tackling Issues in NTSB's Skagit Bridge-Collapse Report Fast-Track Replacement Planned For Collapsed Skagit River Bridge The National Transportation Safety Board says a distracted pilot driver speaking on a hands-free cellular phone, inadequate clearance signage and a trucker unaware of lane rules share the blame for the span collapse of Washington's Skagit River bridge last year.The state's automated oversize-load permitting system also needs updating, says the NTSB's report on the May 23, 2013, incident, in which a truck hauling an oversize load struck the Interstate 5 Skagit River bridge, causing a span to collapse 38 ft into
Image courtesy of University of Washington, Seattle/Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Octagonal prefabricated pre-tensioned concrete columns may improve bridge behavior in an earthquake. Related Links: Reno Researchers Shake Things Up U.S. Post-Tensioned Seismic Systems Not Yet Tested by a Quake University researchers have unveiled a new concrete bridge bent system that they say reduces earthquake damage while speeding construction. The new rocking design uses octagonal, prefabricated, pretensioned concrete columns for added elasticity and a recentering effect that minimizes seismic-related structural damage and displacement. The structural support system’s critical components are created under factory conditions for improved quality and reduced erection
Related Links: Public-Private Partnerships Will Be Key in Bridge, Airport Projects: Port Authority Chief P3s, Maintenance In the Future for NYC Area, Transpo Leaders Say Aside from the unexplained disqualification of one of four teams this spring, details on the much-anticipated $2.4-billion public-private partnership award to rebuild LaGuardia airport’s central terminal building (CTB) remain in a holding pattern.Buffeted by recent negative press regarding "Bridgegate" and its organizational structure, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is tight-lipped, although work on the $3.5-billion renovation is expected to begin sometime this fall. “When we have something to announce, we will
Photos Courtesy of Port of Long Beach History of oil extraction left behind benzene in aquifers and soil prone to subsidence. Related Links: Long Beach, Calif., Port Program Hits Stormy Waters Old Oil Field Hikes Price Tag for Long Beach Port Upgrades Unforeseen soil conditions surrounding foundations on a new $1.2- billion cable-stayed bridge have added as much as 18 months to the construction schedule, say officials at the Port of Long Beach, Calif."The soil has turned out to be more complicated than the engineers originally thought," says John Pope, port spokesman. The 1.2-mile-long Gerald Desmond Bridge is being constructed
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