Top Story

• Seismic upgrades of 2 pipes under way for Calif.'s $4.6B water project
  Almost 100 workers are doing prep work for a $92 million project that will seismically upgrade the water pipes in South Fremont, Calif., as part of the $4.6 billion Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The new pipeline will be covered with an "articulated box," a customized concrete device divided into several segments, which allows for spaces between each segment. "Each segment will have the ability to rotate and move individually during a quake while protecting the pipe inside," said Bryan Dessaure, the project's manager. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)/The Argus (2/24)     

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Infrastructure Watch

• Wash. state's new $4.65B SR 502 bridge to open in 2014
  The new $4.65 billion State Road 502 bridge in Washington will make the bridge wider and longer. Scheduled to open in mid-2014, the floating bridge will have twice as many concrete pontoons as the original bridge. The structure is designed to endure 90-mph winds and a "1,000-year earthquake event," the state Department of Transportation said. Gizmodo Australia (2/22)     

• Mass. plans $850M South Station expansion
  Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick plans on adding at least seven more tracks to Boston's South Station in an expansion project that will cost $850 million. Expanding the station will also require relocating the adjacent U.S. Postal Service’s General Mail Facility. "This not an infrastructure project for an infrastructure project’s sake," said Kairos Shen, chief planner at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. "There are major benefits for the long-term competitiveness of the city." The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (2/22)     

• FTA releases $87.3M more in funding for Fla.'s SunRail project
  Construction of the 61-mile SunRail line in Orlando, Fla., is on track and the infusion of an additional $87.3 million from the Federal Transit Administration will help. "We make incremental payments based on the progress of the project," said Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff. "They’re making great progress, they’re ready to spend that money, they’re ready to keep these people on the job." The project currently employs 800 construction workers, but more jobs are expected to be created due to $1.6 billion worth of unrelated work near the rail's stations. TransportationNation.org (2/22)     

Trends & Technology

• Calif.'s $439M Devil's Slide tunnels undergo final safety tests
  The Devil's Slide tunnels, a pair of mile-long tunnels in Pacifica, Calif., will be opened to motorists once crews are done with final safety tests. The $439 million tunnels have huge exhaust fans, carbon monoxide sensors, fire-resistant shelters and two, 1,000-foot bridges that are 125 feet high. "A new highway tunnel is a rare beast in this country, and what they are doing at Devil's Slide is certainly different than anything we've seen in the U.S.," said Neil Gray, director of government affairs at the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. Google/The Associated Press (2/24)     

• New coating "automatically seals cracks" in concrete
  A new "self-healing concrete coating" has been developed by a team of South Korean scientists that could "automatically seal cracks, preventing water from entering the material." The coating has microcapsules that contain a substance that can seal cracks. "Our self-healing coating is the first example of capsule-type photo-induced self-healing system, and offers the advantages of catalyst-free, environment-friendly, inexpensive, practical healing," the scientists said. Inhabitat (2/20), PhysOrg.com (2/20)     

Sustainable Development

• Blueway: NYC's plan to strengthen East River waterfront
  New York City wants to fortify a four-mile stretch of East River waterfront by developing a "Blueway" plan that includes construction of a storm barrier along the river. Designed by WXY Architecture + Urban Design, the project would include wetlands, mini parks, pedestrian bridges, a bike path and a sandy beach. "[T]he Blueway will offer people new ways to travel along the river and experience a new natural edge," said Adam Lubinsky of WXY. "And by re-establishing saltwater marsh to Lower Manhattan, the East River Blueway will bring biodiversity back to the river’s edge and provide a natural buffer against storm surges." Multi-Housing News (2/21), FastCoDesign (2/21)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ASCE SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Slide show: $8.3B concourse project beneath Grand Central Terminal (Business Insider)

• Crane collapses at construction site of Calif. Bay Bridge (San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration))

• A look at 5 of the most talked-about smart-city projects (BBC)

• Complaint filed over construction issues with Seattle's $4.1B bridge (KOMO-TV/KOMO-AM (Seattle))

• Ore. panel endorses $3.4B Columbia River Crossing (The Oregonian (Portland))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Advancing the Profession

• ASCE’s subcommittee drafts standards for tsunami loads and effects
  An ASCE subcommittee is developing additions to the building code to include coverage for tsunami threats. "It is going to help make our communities more resilient," said Kent Yu, a member of ASCE's Subcommittee on Tsunami Loads and Effects. Forbes (2/22)     

• 5 ways to turn failure into a path to success
  Everyone knows that it's best to recast failures as stepping-stones to success, but how do you actually go about doing that? Start by forgiving yourself and venting your frustration, advises Lewis Schiff, then be frank about what went wrong, and get back in the saddle. "Remember, you're trying to succeed brilliantly at something most people can't do at all," he writes. Inc. online (free registration) (2/21)     

News from ASCE

• Celebrate civil engineering greatness with ASCE at 2013 OPAL Gala
  Get out your tuxedo or evening gown and join ASCE and your peers at the 2013 Outstanding Projects and Leaders Gala, coming March 21 to the nation's capital region. Salute the lifetime achievements of the 2013 Outstanding Projects And Leaders award-winners, pay tribute to the Charles Pankow and Michel award honorees, learn about the five Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement finalists, and witness live the OCEA winner revealed. Go to www.asce.org/opal for details, and get your tickets now.     

Position Title Company Name Location Geotechnical Engineering Leader Arup US - NY - New York City Geotechnical / Structural Engineer HBK Engineering, LLC US - IL - Chicago Structural Engineer Anchor Industries Inc. US - IN - Evansville Design Engineer - Transmission Line EDM International Inc US - CO - Fort Collins

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SmartQuote

It is wonderful how much news there is when people write every other day; if they wait for a month, there is nothing that seems worth telling." --Anna Masterton Buchan, Scottish writer