Work has resumed on the site of a Brazilian soccer stadium where a crane fatally collapsed on Nov. 27, but a ban on crane operations is in place while the incident continues to be investigated.
AP Wideworld Two people died in a Nov. 27 accident that toppled a crawler crane and part of the Itaquerao stadium, future site of the opening of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Related Links: Two Years to World Cup Kickoff for Brazilian Stadiums Report: 40% of World Cup Projects Behind Schedule A leading expert on crane collapses describes a Nov. 27 accident at a World Cup soccer stadium under construction in Brazil as "highly unusual" after an initial assessment of damage photos."It is unusual because the boom snapped off the car body," says Jim Wiethorn, a forensic specialist at
The first section of the $2.7 billion Interstate 635 upgrade, which includes a new TEXpress managed lane system, will open on Dec. 14. Meanwhile, construction work on the rest of the project, known as the LBJExpress, now moves into the technically challenging excavation phase. Related Links: LBJ Express Project $1.1 Billion DFW Connector Opens Texas Department of Transportation Construction began in spring 2011 and is more than half complete. The projected completion date is in December 2015.The I-635 corridor is one of the most congested major highways in the state. About 250,000 vehicles use the corridor daily and by 2020
Photo Courtesy of Butte County, Calif. Unregulated marijuana cultivation, such as in California's Upper Central Valley, poses a threat to watersheds because of deforestation, watercourse diversion and uncontrolled runoff of pollutants. California officials are considering policies to protect the state's water resources from the growing problems associated with legal marijuana cultivation. The proliferation of farms, both legal and illegal, has exploded in the state due to the loosening of legal prohibitions on the sale of marijuana.After initially declining to place its agency inspectors at risk, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board approved allowing its field personnel to accompany
Photo Courtesy of Schuff International, Inc. Concrete is the primary building material in all of Latin America, including Panama, but builders are starting to take advantage of steel on some projects, such as Torre V, a high-rise office building. Related Links: The Top 600 Specialty Contractors Arrival of Gates Marks Milestone in Panama Canal Expansion When the largest steel fabrication and erection company in the U.S. began looking for opportunities for growth, it expanded its horizons beyond the border."We could sense a slowdown in the U.S., so we started looking overseas," says Jay Allen, executive vice president of sales and
Work on the $1.4 billion expansion and upgrade to Interstate 35E north of Dallas launched this month with a groundbreaking ceremony on the shores of Lewisville Lake. Photo courtesy of TxDOT A photo illustration showing the southbound bridge and additional lanes to be built across Lewisville Lake as part of the project. Photo courtesy of TxDOT A map indicating the location of the 35Express project between Dallas and Denton. Related Links: Texas Department of Transportation I-35E Project The 35Express project extends 28.2 miles from I-635 in Farmers Branch to U.S. 380 in Denton, crossing eight cities in Dallas and Denton
Photo by AP Wideworld Power Down Fans at the World Cup basketball trials await illumination during the power outage. Related Links: Venezuelans Skeptical of Power Sabotage Claims Chavez Successor Must Pay Down Debt To Sustain Building Program Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, charging sabotage by his political opponents, is calling for a special security force to protect the country's electrical system after a failure on the power grid plunged more than 70% of the country into darkness this month.Opposition leaders, denying the allegation, said it was merely an effort by the government to shift blame for the incident, which happened shortly
Each and every work day more than 180,000 motorists endure the convergence of highways north of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Just a few years ago, the limited number of lanes and criss-crossing interchanges resulted in constant traffic congestion, which earned the stretch an unflattering nickname – The Funnel. Courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation Eastbound SH 114 at Texan Trail, north of DFW Airport. Courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation SH 121/International Parkway north of DFW Airport, including northbound International Parkway exiting DFW Airport (background) and the southbound SH 121 ramp to eastbound SH 114 (foreground). Related Links:
