The first massive gate for the Folsom Dam Auxiliary Spillway project arrived last month at Folsom, Calif.—about 20 miles east of Sacramento—after a four day, 600-mile journey. Carrying a bulkhead gate so large it took up two lanes of traffic to allow its passage, a 100-ft-long flatbed rolled onto the jobsite in the middle of the night on March 14 with a California Highway Patrol escort. Photos courtesy of Folsom Joint Federal Project Despite California's ongoing drought, Folsom Dam requires $900 million in upgrades to protect nearby communities from catastrophic floods. The six flat, panel-shaped bulkhead gates (below) are being
The $2.5 billion North Tarrant Express (NTE) that will overhaul I-820 and SH Texas 121/183 in Tarrant County will be completed six months ahead of schedule. Project developer, NTE Mobility Partners (NTEMP), says construction is expected wrap up by the end of 2014, rather than June 2015. Photo courtesy of NTE Mobility Partners North Tarrant Express developer NTE Mobility Partners says construction on the project is expected wrap up by the end of 2014, rather than June 2015. Related Links: North Tarrant Express Project Texas Dept. of Transportation The 13-mile NTE project is an overhaul of Loop 820 and Texas
Photo courtesy Deere & Co. With two new Brazil factories online, Deere still plans to import crawler tractors and motor graders. Related Links: For Brazil Equipment Buyers, Support Is King Brazil Launches Massive Subway Construction Deere & Co. has this month opened a pair of manufacturing plants in Brazil to produce loaders and excavators for the regional market.The $180-million facilities, located in Indaiatuba outside of São Paulo, were completed in just more than two years and are needed to support a dealer network that covers 90% of the country's market.One of the plants was built in a partnership with Hitachi
Courtesy of Panama Canal Authority Work has stopped on giant canal project, but it was not clear on Feb. 20 how many workers are returning to work under pact reached Feb. 19. Related Links: Panama Canal Work Halts As Cost Dispute Talks Break Down Exclusive Interview With Owner: Canal Project Won't Be Held Hostage By Contractor Shutdown Spanish Contractors Expand Worldwide Work Search A work stoppage that paralyzed the $5.2-billion Panama Canal Third Lane Expansion for more than two weeks has ended, with a tentative agreement reached Feb. 19 between the contractor and owner battling over alleged cost overruns."This preliminary
Photos Courtesy Panama Canal Authority Work on the new Atlantic locks for the Panama Canal expansion comes to a complete standstill on Feb. 5 after the contractor orders all workers and subcontractors to go home. In an interview with ENR, Canal Administrator Jorge Quijano says: "We are not closing the door but [contractors] are leaving us with very little room to maneuver." Related Links: ENR Editorial: High Stakes Brinkmanship at the Panama Canal Panama Canal Work Halts As Cost Dispute Talks Break Down Archive of Statements Issued by Two Sides in Panama Canal Dispute For the past six weeks the
Courtesy Dragados USA The Portugues Dam is the first roller compacted concrete, thick-arch dam attempted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Related Links: The 10 Largest-Capacity Hydropower Plants When the heavy rains come as they do every year, the steep mountain slopes on the southern side of Puerto Rico can become deadly. The Portugués and Bucana rivers often overflow with a rapidity that threatens the municipality of Ponce downstream.The formal completion ceremony for the $386-million Portugués Dam on Feb. 5 marks the end of a long odyssey to solve the flood-control issues that imperil the Caribbean island's second-largest urban
Photo by C.J. Schexnayder for ENR Huge gates set for insert into canal "slots" remain to be installed. Related Links: Two Sides in Panama Canal Cost Dispute Harden Their Positions Panama Canal Teams Negotiate Cost Overrun Dispute Archive of Statements Issued by Two Sides in Panama Canal Dispute The $5.2-billion expansion of the Panama Canal came to a halt on Feb. 5 after negotiations between the contractor and the project owner over cost overruns broke down late the night before.Grupo Unidos por El Canal (GUPC), a consortium led by Spanish construction firm Sacyr Vallehermoso S.A., turned away thousands of workers
Photo courtesy of ACP Installation of huge gates for the canal's new locks are among the project's disputes. Can the owner and contractor resolve cost issues, or will other firms end up managing that installation? The Jan. 20 deadline for a work stoppage on the $5.2-billion Panama Canal expansion came and went without any halt to project activity, but the crisis over an alleged $1.6 billion in cost overruns remains unsettled and has slowed progress.Contractor Grupo Unidos Por el Canal (GUPC) now proposes that it and owner Panama Canal Authority "co-finance" the disputed costs, until their responsibility is decided by
