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
Photo By Marc A. Hermann/MTA New York City Transit Just Short of a Rebuild: Transit personnel inspect Montague tube damage that is so severe the tube requires a major overhaul. Related Links: At Four Years Old, a New Station Needs Rethinking After Sandy, A SpecialReport on the Superstorm Reconstruction New York City Transit plans to start major reconstruction work this summer on two subway tunnels that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The agency is preparing bid documents for the work, which is expected to be divided into two projects, each with multiple contracts that will total more than $100
Related Links: Chinese former minister Liu Zhijun's trial on corruption charges begins The Trial of the Most Hated Man in China: Former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun The trial of Liu Zhijun, China’s former railways minister, on bribery charges in a local court in Beijing was short, but it drew national attention and has fueled public debate about relations between government officials and private-sector executives, according to published reports there.Liu, who was a key player in China’s huge high-speed rail expansion over the last decade, admitted on June 9 to accepting cash and assets worth more than $100 million for himself
Related Links: Fast-Track Replacement Planned For Collapsed Skagit River Bridge (ENR 6/3/13 issue) Washington DOT Skagit River Bridge Web page The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has released the remainder of the federal aid to finance the repairs and replacement spans for the Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said.Murray opened a June 13 Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on bridge issues a bit late, but the reason for the delay soon became clear. Murray, the panel’s chair, said she had just received a call from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, telling her U.S. DOT was “releasing
Related Links: Big Corrosion Problem May Affect New Bay Bridge Span Plan Enlists Custom Steel Saddles to Repair Broken Bay Bridge Bolts (subscribers only) Three problem projects may test the working relationship among California's Dept. of Transportation, Kiewit and elected officials. Tens of millions of dollars in payments ride on who is to be held responsible for delays and cost overruns on the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the expansion of the Interstate 405 Freeway in Los Angeles and the recently opened Devil's Slide Tunnel in San Mateo County.U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and other officials throughout the state want
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