| News for and about the civil engineering community |  |
| Infrastructure Watch |  |  |
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- Contractor, developer to secure damaged crane in N.Y.
Bovis Lend Lease, construction manager for the One57 tower in New York City, needs to wait for winds to die down before it tries to take care of the boom of a damaged crane that still dangles 1,000 feet in the air at the construction site. "As soon as we're allowed, we're going to try to secure it and take it down," said Gary Barnett, president of Extell Development, developer of the project. "Everything that can be done is being done," he added. Crain's New York Business
(10/30)     
- N.Y. evaluates damage at WTC site due to flooding
The inundation of the World Trade Center site by flooding from superstorm Sandy may have damaged electrical systems and equipment being installed there. "There was a substantial incursion of water," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "We don't expect structural damage but damage to equipment. That assessment is under way and is a high priority." City officials have not yet released an official estimate of the damage from the flooding. Crain's New York Business
(10/30), Curbed (New York City)
(10/30)
- Fla. plans to build $500M-$600M "flying bridge"
The Florida Department of Transportation plans to build a 1.4-mile "superbridge" that would rise 40 feet above the street level of Miami. The bridge would be an upgrade to Interstate 395 and would still link Interstate 95 and South Beach. Design work on the $500 million to $600 million bridge is expected to be completed in August 2014 with construction projected to begin in January 2021. The Huffington Post
(10/29)
- Study: Alaska port's project has "inappropriate" design
A study finds that the open-cell piling design for the Port of Anchorage expansion project in Alaska is "inappropriate." Rather than use traditional dock piling, the design used "interlocking sheets of steel ... hammered into the sea floor to form U-shaped cells that are then backfilled with dirt and gravel." The U.S. Maritime Administration said "three of the four port expansion project berths would not meet industry design standards during earthquake-related dynamic pressures." Anchorage Daily News (Alaska) (free registration)
(10/29)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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- Scientists seek better system for forecasting aftershocks
A series of damaging earthquakes following a magnitude 8.6 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia in April is prompting U.S. scientists to call for speeding up work on developing an improved and reliable system that can be used for forecasting aftershocks in the days after a powerful earthquake. "No other recorded earthquake has triggered as many large aftershocks around the world. We believe this was because it was the largest 'strike-slip' earthquake (where the two sides of a fault slip horizontally past each other) ever recorded, involving horizontal motions," said Roland Burgmann, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the University of California. SciDev.net
(10/25)
- Concrete that heals itself to undergo testing
A new type of concrete is about to undergo outdoor testing. The material, which contains bacteria that produces limestone, is said to heal its own micro-cracks, according to researchers at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands. "We have to produce the self-healing agent in huge quantities, and we are starting to do outdoor tests, looking at different constructions, different types of concrete to see if this concept really works in practice," said microbiologist Henk Jonkers. BBC
(10/30)
| Sustainable Development | | |
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- City in Denmark aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029
Sønderborg, Denmark, aims to be carbon-neutral by 2029. It aims to do this by generating power and heat from renewable sources and making its buildings more energy-efficient. "[W]e’ve adopted a holistic approach that’s bottom-up. It’s not just top-down, about planning and coming up with business and new technology to drive this forward," said project director Christian Eriksen. "It’s also very much about participation, about learning, and empowerment of our citizens and local companies." Forbes
(10/29)
| Advancing the Profession | | |
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- 3 principles are the bedrock of good management
Strong improvements in performance can result when companies follow three basic principles of management, write Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University, Raffaella Sadun, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, and John Van Reenen, director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics and Political Science. These principles can be applied in areas as varied as manufacturing, health care and education. Harvard Business Review
(11/2012)
| News from ASCE | | |
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Webinar: Maximize your ASCE group's social media outreach
Learn how to get your ASCE group started in social media, and get past the intimidation, with ASCE's free eLearning Webinar for members, Where to Start to Maximize the Presence of Your ASCE Group. Lindy Dreyer, chief social media marketer of SocialFish, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, will help you understand how to choose the right platform, what the consent expectations are for each one, and how to grow your audience, plus share some best practices. Those active in social media will pick up new tips and tricks, plus ways to maximize the potential of existing presences. Register today for this free members-only webinar, to be held Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 2-3 p.m. ET. The course is Part II in ASCE's Social Media eLearning webinar series.
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