An Israeli-Russian joint venture has won the latest chunk of work on Israel’s $1-billion high-speed rail line that will connect Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Minrav Engineering and Construction Ltd., Ashdod, and underground contractor Moscow Metrostroy won the estimated $130-million contract from project owner Israel Railways. The contract, not yet officially awarded, will involve construction of two parallel 3.5-kilometer tunnels and other work. Site preparation is set to begin later this year, with tunneling to start within a year, officials say. The project involves construction of 38 km of double track from Ben Gurion International Airport east of Tel Aviv to
In late July, four 1,200-ton, 165-ft-long steel segments were erected to become a tower for the $6-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge’s self-anchored suspension span. Photo Courtesy Of Caltrans Steel tower legs are lifted into place for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge’s self-anchored suspension span. Under a $1.43-billion contract, the joint venture of American Bridge, Coraopolis, Pa., and Fluor Corp., Irving, Tex., used a strand-jack gantry positioned atop the erection tower to pull the segments off a barge, lift them straight up over the tower foundation, then lower them into place. The first four tower sections, fabricated by ZPMC in Shanghai,
The historic Boston University bridge is receiving a sorely needed $20-million total body makeover while still remaining open to a steady stream of cars, cyclists and pedestrians. Crossing over the Charles River, the 80-year-old Boston-Cambridge link, which provides spectacular views of Boston’s skyline, had aged to the point where the sidewalks were crumbling, the railing had rusted, and concrete was spalling. The old drainage system was so corroded that stormwater went through the bridge and into the river. The project received a boost from 2008 Massachusetts legislation that created the $3-billion, eight-year Accelerated Bridge Program. Pihl Inc., the U.S. branch
The Bay Area Rapid Transit’s board of directors July 22 vowed to continue with the proposed $484-million Oakland Airport Connector, even though the federal government in February withdrew $70 million in stimulus funds because affirmative action goals were not met. The board approved a new funding plan by a vote of 8 to 1 that reduces project costs by $8 million and proposes to utilize BART’s reserve account, high-speed rail bonds and a loan from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to fill the gap. The withdrawal of stimulus funds postponed awards of contracts for the 3.2-mile automated people
The Missouri Dept. of Transportation tentatively has set September 15 as the target date to restore access between I-470 and I-435 in southern Kansas City, following an existing fill-supported ramp collapse on July 17. Photo: Missouri Dept. Of Transportation Groundwater is one of several possible causes being evaluated by investigators into Kansas City ramp failure, which occurred on July 17. Pyramid Contractors, Olathe, Kan., was awarded the contract to build a 225-ft-long, four-lane replacement structure currently being designed by HNTB, MoDOT’s engineering consultant. Expected to cost about $4.46 million, the precast structure will be built atop two bents with drilled
Shovels, hammers and hardhats were nowhere in sight. Instead, participants in a public outreach workshop used hair curlers, buttons and paper clips to construct model train stations for California’s proposed high-speed-rail route. California has been awarded $2.25 billion in federal economic stimulus funds to develop a high-speed-rail line, scheduled to start construction in 2012. The project, currently in the process of finalizing track alignments, will feature trains running up to 220 mph. Transportation experts repeatedly have cited the importance of public involvement to the success of the $45-billion, multiregional project. Held in downtown Los Angeles on July 17, the “groundbreaking”
Transportation officials are eager for states to take the lead in using public-private partnerships (P3), but they seek clarity and leadership from the federal government on the future of transportation in general. A recent upsurge in major P3 deals has encouraged global firms regarding U.S. opportunities, but uncertainty over federal transportation legislation overshadows the optimism. In Washington, D.C., a keynote speech by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association’s (ARTBA) P3 conference on July 22-23 did little to quell doubts. He said a highway user fee and a gas tax increase are “off
In 2011, residents of Daybreak, a 4,200-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, will drive, bike or walk across the $2-million Brookside Bridge, which is made almost completely out of recycled materials. By then, project officials hope an environmental rating system for infrastructure will exist to quantify the bridge’s eco-friendliness. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Precast arches made out of recycled concrete were built on site, not shipped. Photo Courtesy Of Kennecott Land Builders of a Utah community bridge want a green rating. This June, contractor Ralph L. Wads-worth Construction, Salt Lake City, took two days, 500 worker-hours and twin
Photo: Tom Lilly Related Links: Willis Makes Waves: New York Bridge Finds New Home The new Willis Avenue Bridge on Manhattan’s Harlem River completed the final leg of its journey from upstate New York on July 26. The 2,400-ton, 350-ft-long swing bridge was floated into place by Weeks Marine Inc., Cranford, N.J., on two barges. Hardesty & Hanover LLP, New York City, provided the design and construction support for the bridge. According to project manager Bill Nyman, two separate barges will be used to support the span at its ends during installation, slated for Aug. 9. The span will then
Shovels, hammers or hard hats were nowhere in sight. Instead, hair curlers, buttons and paper clips were used to construct future train stations for California’s new proposed high-speed rail. Held in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, July 17, the “groundbreaking” was part of an interactive community design forum to engage the public on high-speed rail. The event was hosted by railLA, an organization comprised of the Los Angeles Chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/LA) and the American Planning Association (APA-LA), created to raise public awareness about the future of high-speed rail. “We are doing these workshops to get
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