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
Related Links: Denver International Airport Launches South Terminal Redevelopment Program City of Denver Selected as ENR Mountain States' Owner of the Year Denver International Airport is suing the city's Regional Transportation District to recover $53 million in costs for contracted work on the airport's Hotel and Transit Center Project, still under construction. Airport officials filed the lawsuit after a mediator refused to grant DIA the full amount from RTD. The money would be used to pay for site excavation, roadways, train-platform construction and other infrastructure work at the airport terminal. Both agencies say the other one should pay for the
Photo courtesy Walsh Austin The 1.2-million-sq-ft replacement terminal is said to be the largest public works project in Los Angeles history. Related Links: 2013 Best of the Best Projects Winners Team Pilots Safe Delivery Of LAX Global Gateway Coordinating the $1.3-billion replacement terminal at LAX—the largest public-works project ever in the city of Los Angeles—was "like working on your car while it was driving 60 miles per hour down the freeway," says Jimmy Cole, senior project manager for Walsh Austin Joint Venture.The job, which kicked off in February 2010 and wrapped up December 2012, was turned over in six phases
Photo Courtesy of Caltrans Work to correct defects at the Bay Bridge included installation of saddle braces to replace the clamping force of broken bolts. Related Links: Temporary Fix Allows San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to Open on Time Repairs on Broken Bay Bridge Rods Could Prove Tricky The California Dept. of Transportation is in the hot seat over allegations of cover-ups and faulty components on the new $6.4-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The agency's management was grilled at a state Senate hearing on Jan. 24. To add fuel to the fire, an independent report on Jan. 30 prescribes a need
Related Links: NAPA Website Asphalt Producers Warm To New Mix Technologies Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) and recycled materials in asphalt (RAP) are the hot ticket on road projects, according to results of a survey by the National Asphalt Pavement Association under contract to the Federal Highway Administration. A survey of 1,141 U.S. asphalt plants found that they produced about 86.7 million tons of WMA during 2012 construction—almost a quarter of all asphalt mixes. This marks a 416% increase since a 2009 survey.Conducted in mid-2013 and released on Jan. 29, the study also found that about 68.3 million tons of RAP and
Photo by Nicholas Zeman/ENR Work continues on new crossing in Long Beach, Calif., as heads roll. Related Links: http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2012/1231-long-beachs-long-term-view.asp http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2012/1231-long-beachs-long-term-view.asp A major port improvement program in Long Beach, Calif., is struggling in stormy waters amid personnel upheavals and the recent repeal of a cargo fee meant to help fund more than $4 billion in road, rail, environmental and dredging construction projects.Scores of contractors are in the midst of billions of dollars' worth of work, including the new Gerald Desmond Bridge on which site-prep complications added $136 million to its $1-billion price tag. Also, the $1.2-billion Middle Harbor project estimate recently
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