Construction Week news updates from ENR: Newspaper Claims Caltrans Ignored Bridge Safety Issues The California Dept. of Transportation has ignored several deficiency assessments made by an independent engineering review panel regarding Bay Bridge construction, according to a recent published report. The Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that the panel, which CalTrans appointed, found some "intentional modifications" of data that caused "consequential" impact and involved not only the concrete foundation piles of the new self-anchored suspension tower on the bridge but also foundation safety testing on several other Bay Area bridges. Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said in a statement, "The 'results' cited by
Construction Markets StabilizingAt Low Levels During 2012 In its updated 2012 construction market forecast released on July 18, McGraw-Hill Construction sees an uneven recovery. MHC predicts a stronger-than-expected rebound in the housing market and a modest uptick in the private non-residential building market, dampened by continued weakness in the public building and non-building markets. MHC now expects total new construction starts to increase 2.5% in 2012, after an anemic 0.3% gain last year.The biggest percentage boost comes from housing, which is rebounding from historic lows. Single-family housing is expected to increase 21% in dollar value this year, while multifamily housing
D.C.-Md. Utility May Bury Lines After a strong and sudden storm on June 29 cut power to 443,000 customers in Washington, D.C., and its Maryland suburbs, utility Pepco said it is considering burying more power lines. The company has no cost estimate yet to place its system underground, but experts have estimated it could be as high as $5 billion since lines must be buried in 3-ft-deep trenches, said a spokesman. "Pepco will analyze the benefits and costs of more extensive selective undergrounding and even complete undergrounding of the overhead electric system," he said. The utility told the Maryland Public
Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Now that the new highway-and-transit funding bill is finally signed into law, prime contractors that hate disadvantaged-business-enterprise, or DBE, goal programs shouldn't waste time hoping a potential President Romney will wipe them away in the same way he has pledged to nullify the 2010 health-care act just blessed by the Supreme Court. Not even the Tea Party has expressed interest in transportation DBEs. But it's a mistaketo believe that nothing needs to be fixed in DBE requirements, which have existed since 1983. This would be a good time to adjust the rules and
47 Projects Win $485.4 Million In Federal TIGER Grant Awards The U.S. Dept. of Transportation on June 22 awarded about $485.4 million to 47 highway, bridge, rail, port and other projects in the latest round of its popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. Road and bridge projects received 35% of the funds awarded; 16% went to transit. The fourth round drew 703 applications requesting a total of $10.2 billion—far more than the funds Congress appropriated to DOT in 2012 for the program. Since the program was launched in 2009, DOT has distributedf $3.1 billion for 218 projects.Tutor
NAVFAC Gets New Leader Rear Adm. Katherine L. Gregory has been named the new commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and the Navy's chief of civil engineers, the Dept. of Defense announced on June 18. The first woman to lead NAVFAC, Gregory, who has been commander of NAVFAC Pacific and also Pacific Fleet civil engineer since July 2010, will succeed Rear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey in the top NAVFAC post. Mossey has been NAVFAC commander since May 2010.PLA Deal for N.Y. Tappan Zee Bridge Could Save $452 Million The New York State Thruway Authority and 14 labor groups have
Gerald Buckrell has joined engineer Hatch Mott McDonald as principal project manager in Thunder Bay, Ontario, the firm tells ENR. The role follows Millburn, N.J.-based HMM's May 29 purchase of Engineering Northwest Ltd., of which he was president. Sixty employees joined HMM.Judy L. Hricak has been promoted to the newly created position of chief marketing officer at Gannett Fleming, a Harrisburg, Pa., design and construction management firm. A 23-year company veteran, she also is a vice president. PressleyHill International, the Marlton, N.J., risk consulting and construction management firm, has elevated Shawn L. Pressley to senior vice president and chief information
Continued expansion at the Tower 55 site in Fort Worth and other improvement projects are part of BNSF Railway Company’s $199-million maintenance and expansion plan in Texas this year. BNSF announced its 2012 capacity enhancement projects May 23. The planned capital investments in Texas are part of BNSF's total 2012 capital commitment of $3.9 billion. The plan includes expansion of rail capacity at Tower 55, the realignment of its mainline for the extension of the Alliance Airport runway just north of Fort Worth, replacement of the Galveston Causeway Bridge, installation of wheel detectors in Galveston, improvements to BNSF's Amarillo car
A federal judge has issued a ruling in a lawsuit that sought to halt the Army Corps of Engineers' rebid of a disputed flood control project contract in New Orleans, according to involved parties who have seen the still unreleased decision.
MUNIZLydia Muniz has been promoted to director of the U.S. State Dept.'s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, which oversees design and construction of U.S. embassy facilities around the world. She succeeds Adam E. Namm, who was confirmed by the Senate on April 26 as ambassador to Ecuador. Muniz, who has been acting in the role for several months, had been principal deputy director since 2009.Maj. Gen. Michael R. Eyre has been named to command the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Trans-Atlantic division in Winchester, Va. He had been serving as deputy commanding general for military and international operations and
