North Carolina has issued the nation’s first National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the dewatering of power-plant coal-ash ponds in upland areas.
After more than ten years, four mayors, $200 million, and a plethora of planning, construction and testing issues, the first segment of Washington, D.C.’s self-funded streetcar line became operational on Feb. 27.
Only a handful of structures remain at the 3,100-acre Sparrows Point complex in Baltimore from its heyday as the world’s largest steel mill, but, at present, the site seems equally far removed from its new owners’ long-term vision of the site as a major multimodal logistics and distribution hub.
With a new multiyear highway bill passed and other positive economic indicators boosting morale, crowds poured into Las Vegas on Feb. 2-5 for the World of Concrete show.
Even the most well-constructed building may have little chance against a direct hit from the 200-mph winds of an EF5 tornado. But a recently released ASCE study suggests that, away from the center of these catastrophic twisters, greater attention to structural load paths and construction quality may improve building performance, while also helping structures withstand direct hits from smaller, less powerful storms.
A spate of rare winter tornadoes across Texas and the Southeast has rekindled long-standing concerns about construction quality and building code enforcement, particularly in areas that appear increasingly vulnerable to severe weather.
