Related Links: Busan-Geoje Link Longest Immersed Tube Tunnel Planned Immersed-tube tunnels are rare birds. Only a handful are under construction in the world each year. They consist of large tubes, constructed in sections often more than 100 meters in length, which are floated into position in a waterway, sunk into position, and joined with watertight seals. They are always placed in a trench on the bottom of the river or bay. They are constructed of steel or reinforced concrete. [Slideshow: The 10 Longest Immersed-Tube Tunnels] “While bridges are generally cheaper to build, immersed-tube tunnels are usually located at sites where
Related Links: Growth in India's Infrastructure Markets Projected With the U.S. recently lodging a formal complaint with the World Trade Council against India on entry barriers to companies, an India-U.S. Infrastructure Fund that was set up in 2010 is still in a wait-and-see mode.Meanwhile, in India's reformed business environment, the Chinese, South Koreans and Malaysians are investing. Recent reports indicate overseas investors have shelled out close to $2 billion in the past year, despite hard economic conditions. However, many U.S. firms are shying away from investing in India's infrastructure sector.Past problems have created a poor perception of work in India.
Related Links: Israel Seeks More Global Skill in New Rail Line Expansions Jerusalems Signature Span Is New Landmark in Old City Tel Aviv's Long-Delayed Rail Megaproject Is Finally Under Way With ridership on Jerusalem's first light-rail line more than double initial projections, officials in the city and the country's Transportation Ministry are moving ahead with plans for five new lines.Officials report that 140,000 riders now use the train on a regular day. The expansions could bring that number to 250,000, they say.The existing red line is to be expanded to 36.2 kilometers from 13.9 km to two new neighborhoods, Neve
Related Links: Bids Solicited for Tunneling in India's Treacherous Himalayas The Indian government is late in approving a proposed $1.6-billion, 14-kilometer-long twin-tunnel project in Kashmir. The project was originally due for a decision on Oct. 17, though expectations at the time were that the Union Government would clear the project.The tunnels, when completed, will become the highest mountain passes in India. It is a vital road-link project that will connect the strategically important region of Kargil and Leh to the rest of India through the proposed all-weather tunnel in Kashmir.Currently, for about six months during the winter season, these two
Image Courtesy WisDOT Lunda Construction crews are placing steel-truss support towers fore and aft of Pier 22, which sank 2.5 ft. WisDOT has yet to schedule reopening the bridge to traffic, pending permanent repairs. Related Links: Piling Corrosion Blamed For Sagging Wisconsin Bridge Engineers Puzzle Over Cause, Fixes for Sagging Wisconsin Bridge As a temporary fix, workers are erecting steel-truss support towers under the sagging Leo Frigo Bridge on Interstate 43 in Green Bay, Wis., and lateral supports at the top of the damaged pier as investigators continue their examination of the 8,000-ft structure.Lunda Construction Co. of Black River Falls,
Photo Courtesy of NCRMA Many rail capacity upgrade projects require crews to add extra lines of track while trains continue to operate on existing lines. Related Links: Oil Boomlet Fuels North Dakota Roadwork and Puts Pressure on Aggregate Costs For Panamax Port Expansions, The Freight Wait is Almost Over L.A. Commuter Rail Line to Roll Out First Positive Train Control System in U.S. Construction firms working in the freight rail sector are benefitting from increased investment by U.S. railroad companies over the past decade. But freight infrastructure work is barreling ahead, thanks to a huge influx of capacity upgrade projects
Photo Courtesy NDDOT North Dakota's largely rural and low-volume roads need reinforcing to handle the heavy volume of trucks. Related Links: Oil Boom Fuels Freight Rail Renaissance Bakken Shale Field Pushing East Coast Rail Projects Bakken Shale Extraction Sparks A Construction Booom Labor, materials and weather are challenging contractors in North Dakota during a highway construction season that is unprecedented thanks to the oilfields boom. There are 600 projects ongoing this year, worth some $630 million, compared to some 300 projects totaling $311 million last year.More work is coming. The North Dakota legislature recently appropriated $1.64 billion for highway improvement
Photo Courtesy of Port of Long Beach Crews use a novel surface casing removal process to remove old oil wells. Related Links: Long Beach's Long-term View Long Beach, Calif., Approves $1-billion Bridge Replacement Project As the Port of Long Beach, Calif., moves forward with its 10-year, $4-billion modernization program, two of its largest components are seeing sharp cost increases. The $1-billion Gerald Desmond Bridge project faces a 15% budget increase, while the price tag on the $1.2-billion Middle Harbor project has now risen by $29.5 million.Much of these increases occurred because the port was built on an oil field, with
Related Links: Redesign Required For $4.1-billion Project's Pontoons Cracks Delay Work at Floating Bridge Project in Washington State Construction of 77 concrete pontoons for the replacement of the world's longest floating bridge has reached the halfway point. Redesigned cycle 3 pontoons are floating toward the Seattle jobsite.The new $954-million, 7,710-ft-long State Route 520 bridge connecting Seattle to points east across Lake Washington is part of a larger $4.13-billion project.Joint-venture prime contractor Kiewit-General-Mason is following a sequence of six pontoon cycles. Tugboats began towing the first two cycle 3 pontoons to the lake in mid-October, with others right behind. Cycle 3
Related Links: Airports Peg Their Five-Year Capital Needs At $71 Billion Frustated Airport Officials Call Out Feds, Airlines With sequestration and a government shutdown looming last month, U.S. airport officials kept their focus on their major goals: increasing passenger facility charges (PFCs) for airport construction and garnering public support for Next Generation satellite-based technology for air traffic control.At their annual meeting, held late last month in San Jose, Calif., members of Airports Council International-North America fretted over the possibility that the shutdown might usher in a repeat dip into the Airport Improvement Program, which is meant to fund improvements at
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