Related Links: States Gear Up to Seek Expanded TIFIA Loan Aid (ENR 8/27/12) SR 91 Project home page A plan to expand and upgrade Southern California's congested state Route 91 has received a $421-million federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation's July 3 loan announcement means construction on the $1.3-billion design-build project in Riverside County can begin by the end of 2013."This project is going to make Riverside County more accessible and more attractive to potential employers and businesses once it's completed," says John Standiford, deputy executive director of the Riverside County Transportation
Image Courtesy of Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee A saddle retrofit will replace the lost clamping force from the failed rods that are embedded in the pier cap. Related Links: Plan Enlists Custom Steel Saddles to Repair Broken Bay Bridge Bolts Read the Full Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee Report (PDF) The San Francisco Bay Bridge will not open on time because of the ongoing effort to fix broken shear bolt rods. California lawmakers, meanwhile, vow to hold accountable those responsible for the delay to replace the seismically deficient current bridge.Originally planned to open on Labor Day, the $6.3-billion bridge's
Related Links: Concerns Over Specialty Contractor Failures, Economy Abound at CFMA's Annual Conference Construction Financial Management Association Foreign firms' growing interest in U.S. design-build projects and public-private partnerships (P3s) may turn big contractors into "the pretty girl at the dance" but, in some cases, also might leave out smaller firms, industry experts recently cautioned in response to questions from officials of those very firms.P3s are "picking up at a fast pace, with 33 states having P3 legislation," said James Merrill, managing director with Star America Capital Advisors. Merrill was a panelist on the subject at the annual meeting, held last
Image Courtesy of Trimet Special cable-stayed design calls for permanent stays to connect to every other bridge segment and continuously run through the pylon, a tactic that allows for a slender cross section. Image Courtesy of Trimet New Willamette River crossing in Oregon will be nation's first to bar private vehicles. Related Links: Light-Rail Bridge Job Awarded Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge There's no wiggle room in Portland, Ore., regarding the aesthetics and geometry of the new cable-stayed Willamette River bridge that, at 1,750 ft, will be the country's longest mass-transit, non-car commuter crossing. All 78 of the 16-ft-long, cast-in-place bridge
Rendering Courtesy of TxDOT Burying downtown portion of I-35 would reunite downtown, East Austin. Related Links: Ambitious Plans Call for Toll Roads Texas Style Austin Mobility Elected officials in Austin are pressing the Texas Dept. of Transportation to explore a cut-and-cap plan for a portion of Interstate 35 that adjoins the city's downtown core.On June 20, the Austin City Council unanimously endorsed a resolution to urge TxDOT to include the plan as an option in a required National Environmental Policy Act study as an initial step toward addressing I-35 congestion.The City Council also directed Austin's city manager to hire an
Photo Courtesy of MassDOT Callahan Tunnel, showing wear and tear after 52 years, will close for extensive repairs. Related Links: Forensic Review Calls for More Repairs to Central Artery/Tunnel Callahan Tunnel to close for three months, beginning in January (Boston Globe) Boston's Callahan Tunnel, which connects the city's North End to Logan International Airport and state Route 1A in East Boston, will close for three months for rehabilitation beginning in December, the Massachusetts Dept. Transportation announced last month.The $34.9-million project, out for bid on June 29, includes the rehabilitation of the 52-year-old tunnel's deck, curb line and gutters and replacement
Rendering courtesy Mersey Gateway Mersey River span, shown here in a rendering, is scheduled for completion in 2017 at an estimated cost of more than $900 million. It will carry traffic across the river between Runcorn and Widnes, about 20 kilometers east of Liverpool. Related Links: Mersey Gateway home page A bridge too far (Campaign for Better Transport web site) A consortium of Australian, German and Spanish firms on 20 June was named preferred bidder for a privately financed, 30-year contract to design, build and operate a roughly one-kilometer-long bridge with three cable-stayed spans over the Mersey River between Runcorn
Related Links: Website for Metro Line 4 Project ENR's 2012 Special Report: Brazil (subscription) Brazil has become a country engulfed in major transportation projects ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro—including subways, ports and a beltway to ease congestion in and around São Paulo.In the past few weeks, however, the South American giant has become engulfed in some of the biggest protests in 20 years. Apparently sparked by a proposed increase in bus fares in São Paulo, which is known for its unreliable bus service, some 65,000 citizens there recently took to the streets
Related Links: Florida Awards Groundbreaking Highway Contract P3 Delivery Drives Construction Speed on Florida's I-595 Project The mission: to shoehorn three new 10.5-mile-long reversible toll lanes into the middle of a six-lane interstate highway—including work on 63 bridges and 2.5 miles of the Florida Turnpike—while minimizing disruptions to up to 200,000 daily vehicles in the Fort Lauderdale area of Broward County, Fla.The method: a concessionaire agreement with a design-build construction contract, a first for the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT). The $1.8-billion Interstate 595 widening project also came with plenty of complexity, including southern Florida's quirky geology, various stakeholders and
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