By the end of April, a joint venture called Audubon Bridge Constructors plans to begin pulling cable on the John James Audubon Bridge at St. Francisville, La., the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America. The JV has been on the project since April 2006, contending with a vast, wet site and water levels that vary as much as 40 ft. The bridge is expected to be completed in mid-2011. Photo: Angelle Bergeron Complex horizontal beams joining the pylon columns began taking shape in March. They are nearing completion now as towers head to 520 ft. Cable-pulling is expected to begin
Several months ahead of schedule and less than a year after driving the first 66-inch concrete cylinder pile, Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group is rapidly completing a 7,490-ft.-long storm-surge protection wall that is the central part of a roughly two-mile long surge barrier in New Orleans. Photo: Angelle Bergeron April 2 Manson made a 475 CY concrete pour, the last large casting for the barge gate. var so = new FlashObject("http://natalie.feedroom.com/construction/natoneclip/Player.swf","Player", "300", "169", "8", "#FFFFFF");so.addVariable("skin", "natoneclip");so.addVariable("site", "construction");so.addVariable("fr_story", "06d97bec5b824c5cbfecead78733721f891f8f9f&rf");so.addVariable("hostURL", document.location.href);so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("allowFullScreen", "true");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.write("flashcontent"); Early Protection: Surge Barrier Is Ahead of Schedule Photo: Angelle Bergeron The placement of a significant portion of
Plans are moving forward for the first, $750-million, 25-mile section of the long-awaited $4.5-billion Baton Rouge Loop transportation project. Slide Show Photo: put photo credit here photo caption here The overall project includes an 80- to 90-mile controlled access toll roadway that will encircle Louisiana’s capital city metro area and alleviate congestion by providing additional capacity to Interstates 10 and 12 and alternate routes for local traffic. The first 25-mile section “has been broken out into an independent project,” which means it can advance ahead of the rest of the job,” says Bob Schmidt, assistant vice president and BR Loop
Plans are moving forward for the first, $750-million, 25-mile section of the long-awaited $4.5-billion Baton Rouge Loop transportation project. Photo: HNTB Crossing designs are evaluated by the captains who will guide ships beneath them. Related Links: Piloting Virtual River Crossing The overall project includes an 80- to 90-mile controlled access toll roadway that will encircle Louisiana’s capital city metro area and alleviate congestion by providing additional capacity to Interstates 10 and 12 and alternate routes for local traffic. The first 25-mile section “has been broken out into an independent project,” which means it can advance ahead of the rest of
Companies came out in force March 24 to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers briefing in New Orleans to pick up details—and size up the competition—on a planned $800-million, design-build contract for permanent closures and pumps at the city’s three outfall canals to better control potential hurricane flooding damage. + Image Image: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The Corps is allowing flexibility for design-build contractors to propose their own pump configuration. About 100 people representing dozens of contracting firms attended the Corps briefing, but few questions were asked as the companies appeared to want to hold any competitive advantages close
If another Hurricane Katrina-like disaster hits New Orleans, the city’s water and sewer board will now have a hazard-mitigation plan to ensure that local environmental infrastructure can get state and federal emergency repair funds. “Probably a lot of other cities don’t have this because they haven’t had the disaster,” says Gordon Austin, chief of environmental affairs for the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. “This is a formality to make sure you’re eligible for [Federal Emergency Management Agency] mitigation funds.” The board still is trying to obtain FEMA funding to mitigate an estimated $98 million in damage from Katrina, which
A New Orleans contractor tried and failed four times to drive sheet piles through a dense soil layer with progressively larger vibratory hammers and an impact hammer. The fifth attempt is succeeding, thanks to the right tool: a hydraulic press that slides the steel in with great force, rather than banging it down. + Image Photo: Giken Seisakusho Co., Ltd, Tokyo Workers use hydraulic-reaction press to drive steel sheet piles into difficult ground. Related Links: Sheet Driver Tackles Tough Project In late 2005, as part of emergency repairs after Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers let a contract
Despite the gloomy construction employment climate, one New Orleans contractor has established a new safety and craft training facility and will hire several hundred people to bring its workforce to 1,000 by summer. Photo: Angelle bergeron Pump house Forming has begun on the walls of the structure that will house the largest capacity pump station in the country. Related Links: Video: Blowin’ and Goin’: GIWW West Closure Complex Gulf IntraCoastal Constructors, a joint venture of Kiewit Corp, Omaha, Neb., and Traylor Bros. Inc., Evansville, Ind., is gearing up to deliver the $854.8-million Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex, designed by
De-authorizing navigation on the Missouri River would do wonders to ensure a robust water supply for irrigation and recreation in the Midwest—although at a cost to certain interest groups, many of them downstream. Photo: Harry Weddington, Omaha District, USACE Some call for de-authorizing navigation to relieve restrictions on water for crops. Photo: Harry Weddington, Omaha District, USACE Spillway is at Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, S.D. Every option is on the table as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers launches a study to challenge whether the “eight purposes” enshrined in a 66-year-old federal act that governs water management policy on
About two dozen buildings at Fort Sam Houston, some dating back almost as early as the post’s 1876 origin, are being transformed into modern, energy-efficient offices, barracks and other facilities for military personnel and federal employees. The work is part of the $3 billion in Base Realignment and Closure and other construction programs ongoing at military installations in San Antonio. Photo: Joint Program Management Office. An aerial view of one of Fort Sam Houston’s historic areas, where structures dating back to the 1890s will be renovated to provide modern offices and barracks. “Fort Sam Houston has the most historic structures