This point became clear to Walter Shanly, a civil engineer from Canada, who finally pierced the Hoosac Mountain in western Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day, 1873, in an age when tunneling was accomplished by the strength of strong arms swinging sledgehammers.
Jonkers shows self-healing concrete at his lab in the Netherlands. The bacteria-based technology costs more to produce than conventional materials but promises to extend the life of concrete structures.
Cement manufacturers are consolidating and posting strong profits, but their successes are leaving regional contractors often dependent on only one or two suppliers, says the Federal Trade Commission.
The American Institute of Steel Construction continues to drill deep into the steel sector's supply chain to improve both e-commerce and steel deliveries to fabricators.
A $44-billion merger between French-based Lafarge and Swiss-based Holcim to create the world's largest cement manufacturer received a shock on March 29 as Holcim's second-largest shareholder objected to the terms of the deal.
Growing job markets, consumer confidence and construction spending will contribute to higher cement consumption in the U.S. this year, rising an annual 8% to 93 million metric tons (MMT), according to the Portland Cement Association.