Photo courtesy Marcio Vieira / Tocantins Government The north-south railway line in Tocantins (pictured) is among 11,000 km of Brazil rail scheduled for improvement under the proposed concession program. Related Links: Letter From Brazil: New Subways, Highways Can't Arrive Fast Enough Brazil Privatizes Three Major Airports, Nets $14.3 Billion in Concessions Two years after the Brazilian government announced a huge package of concessions to stimulate investments in infrastructure, construction projects for the railway industry remain on the shelf. The delays have resulted from regulatory risks, which were identified by investors, and failed projects.Officials hope for a break in the impasse
Related Links: Clearing Out Superstorm's Soggy Mess Amtrak 2012 Construction Plan Has a Northeast Focus Two New York City rail tunnels along the congested Northeast Corridor will require an estimated $689 million in repairs after Superstorm Sandy-related inundation, states a report conducted by HNTB Corp. for the commuter railroad Amtrak.Amtrak officials used the report, released on Oct. 2, to re-emphasize their call for the so-called Gateway program (ENR 1/23/12 p. 16). The scheme envisions two new trans-Hudson River tunnels, but, so far, no source of funding has been identified.The report notes that a two-tube tunnel underneath the Hudson River and
Photo Courtesy of TJPA Officials hope developers will not challenge new district tax rates for projects. Related Links: Crucial Intermodal Terminal Design Unveiled in Bay Area Rail Dollars Rolling Despite protests and litigation threats from real estate developers, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Sept. 23 to create a special community tax district—locally known as a Mello-Roos district—for the Transbay Transit Center at 2014 market rates. The vote marks a key funding piece for the approximately $4.5-billion Transbay Transit Center, billed as the "Grand Central of the West."Mello-Roos districts are named for Senator Henry J. Mello (D-Watsonville)
Related Links: Fix Under Way for Sagging Green Bay Bridge Piling Corrosion Blamed For Sagging Wisconsin Bridge Inspection of the Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wis., that developed a 2.5-ft sag last year after a piling buckled also showed severe corrosion in four other piers that “significantly reduced the structural capacity” of their foundation systems, a state report said.Pier 22, along with Piers 21-25, were classified as “Tier 1” in terms of damage severity and potential for safety problems, and had to be repaired before the bridge could be used. The repairs were completed and the bridge re-opened in
Photo by Jeff Rubenstone/ENR Crews prepare to dewater a precast pile-cap 'tub' that, eventually, will support piers for the bridge's eastern approach. Photo by Jeff Rubenstone/ENR A floating batch plant provides on-site concrete for pile-cap installation. Related Links: Most of Tappan Zee Bridge Loan Nixed Drifting Barges Lead to Payment Penalty For New Tappan Zee Bridge Builders The new Tappan Zee Bridge is finally getting above the waterline, but the $3.9-billion project's finances remain in a state of flux as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a plan pushed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to use state
Related Links: Airports Peg Their Five-Year Capital Needs at $71 Billion Automation, Weather Will Influence Future Airport Designs In terms of NextGen air-traffic-control technology, U.S. airports are ready for takeoff, but the industry is still waiting on the tarmac for progress on a key goal: raising the per-ticket passenger facility charge (PFC) to $8.50 from $4.50, to fund infrastructure projects.Noting that, in the past five years, $5 billion has been invested in NextGen technologies nationwide, Edward Bolton Jr., the Federal Aviation Administration's NextGen assistant administrator, said, "This is a make or break time in the history of the program. The
Photo by Johanna Knapschaefer for ENR A mill fashions old-school rivets from hot-rolled steel for the century-old bridge. Photo Courtesy of MassDOT The Longfellow Bridge is nicknamed the Salt and Pepper Bridge for its shaker-like towers. Related Links: Salt and Pepper Bridge Slated For Major Rehab in Boston Boston's Callahan Tunnel Set for Three-Month Rehab Closure Restoration of the 106-year-old Longfellow Bridge, which spans the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge, evokes Rosie the Riveter's World War II era, when hot metal pins connected structural steel on bridges, skyscrapers and ship hulls.A joint venture of J.F. White, Skanska and Consigli
Construction of the $3.6-billion double-track standard gauge railway (1,435mm) linking Kenya’s Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa to the capital Nairobi could pose a fresh challenge for railway operators in East Africa interested in connecting with the modern rail line.Railway transport experts say the 609-kilometre high speed railway line is being constructed in a region where existing railway gauges are predominantly meter-gauge (1000mm) and cape gauge (1067mm). Kenya and Uganda operates 2,351-kilometres of meter gauge rail network while Tanzania operates 2,600-kilometers of both meter gauge and Cape gauge. It may need additional investments to harmonize the gauges to enable a
photo courtesy of Port of anchorage Upgrade of city's port, key to state imports, is mired in a battle over its sheet-pile design. Related Links: CH2M Hill Now Will Run Troubled Port of Anchorage Expansion Job Anchorage Port Expansion Problems Spark Dissension on Project Team Even as it remains enmeshed in lawsuits against former contractors and even a federal agency over its problem-plagued port upgrade, the city of Anchorage—and its new project manager, CH2M Hill—are changing its design and scope to resume work on a project stalled since 2010 and at least $300 million in the hole.Work started in 2003,
Courtesy Foster and Partners Dubbed Boris Island, for leading booster London Mayor Boris Johnson, the Thames Estuary Scheme would require and investment of $200 billion by 2030, according to the airports commission. Related Links: New U.K. Airport Proposal Fuels Debate A Third Runway and New Terminal Are Approved for Heathrow An influential U.K. government commission on Sept. 2 excluded a vast scheme for a new four-runway hub airport in the Thames Estuary east of London from a shortlist of options to raise aviation capacity in southeast England.London Mayor Boris Johnson, the estuary airport’s biggest cheerleader, has vowed to continue championing
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