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- Cable-compressing operation begins on Calif.'s $6.3B Bay Bridge
In a week, crews will finish compressing steel wires as thick as a pencil into a 2-foot-diameter cable that will "cradle" the $6.3 billion Bay Bridge in California. "This is another construction milestone," Caltrans spokesman Bart Ney said. "We've been able to stay on track to the most complicated part of the project -- the load transfer. In fact, we're ahead of schedule." San Francisco Chronicle
(5/1)     
| Infrastructure Watch | | |
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- Mass. breaks ground on $1.6B "transit-anchored neighborhood"
A 67-acre industrial zone in Somerville, Mass., will be redeveloped into a transit-anchored neighborhood for about $1.6 billion. The first phase will include apartment complexes, and later a hotel, office space, a cinema complex, retail, dining and waterfront park on the Mystic River will be added. Public funds were used to create a new access road to the area, which then "unlocked plans for $1.6 billion in private investment," reports Peter Howe. New England Cable News (Boston)
(4/30)
- L.A. finishing up work on $930M first phase of Expo Line
The $930 million first phase of the Exposition Light Rail Line in Los Angeles -- built and designed by FCI, Fluor and Parsons -- is now operational, but there's no service at unfinished stations in Farmdale and Culver City. The last seven miles of track for the project's $1.5 billion second phase is being built by a joint venture of Skanska USA West and Rados Construction with designer Parsons Brinckerhoff, and will run between Culver City and Santa Monica. The delayed opening is due to various changes after the contract was awarded and consequently, cost overruns incurred from those changes. Engineering News-Record
(4/30), San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)/The Associated Press (free registration)
(4/28)
- Report: Fracking will boost U.S. water-treatment industry
The boom in hydraulic fracturing in the U.S. will boost the country's water-treatment sector by 28% over the next eight years as the industry finds new ways to treat wastewater from fracking, Lux Research reported on May 1. "Fracking represents a significant water treatment challenge -- hydrocarbons, heavy metals, scalants, microbes, and salts in produced and flowback water from shale gas wells represent a water treatment challenge on par with the most difficult industrial wastewaters," said Lux Research analyst Brent Giles, who is also the report's lead author. IndustryWeek
(5/1)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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- Construction spending has small gain
Construction spending increased 0.1% in March after two consecutive months of declines, the Commerce Department reported. Spending on single-family homes and commercial projects increased, offsetting declines from state and local government. March's total spending of an annual rate of $808.1 billion is 6% higher than a year earlier, which marked a 12-year low. The Detroit News/The Associated Press
(5/1)
- ADP: Construction sector loses jobs in April
Today's ADP employment report says 5,000 construction jobs were lost between March and April. ADP reports 119,000 private-sector jobs were added, fewer than had been expected, and noted that "the number of individuals applying for first-time jobless benefits has been creeping higher, causing some to worry of a slowdown in the sector." CNBC
(5/2), Fox Business
(5/2), Benzinga.com
(5/2)
| Sustainable Development | | |
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- New green codes will increase paperwork for structural engineers
Structural engineers and building materials manufacturers need to prepare for more paperwork to comply with three green-model codes. In addition to LEED requirements, they'll need to consider the International Green Construction Code and Standard 189.1 of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers. "My guess is that these expanded information requirements won’t really be a major factor until 2014 or 2015," predicted John Cross, vice president of the American Institute of Steel Construction. "But it is important for every stage of the supply chain to start to prepare for those information and documentation demands now." Engineering News-Record
(4/30)
| Advancing the Profession | | |
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- Structural engineering: A unique specialty study
The National Council of Structural Engineers Associations wants to raise the bar in the education of structural engineers and is looking for input. As some higher-education institutions and ASCE see structural engineering as a "specialty study," your input could be valuable, writes Craig Barnes of CBI Consulting. STRUCTURE magazine
(5/2012)
| News from ASCE | | |
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Civil Engineering online exclusive: Solar Array at Occidental Combines Art with Energy
Among the great new articles only at asce.org/cemagazine: A ground-mounted solar array on the campus of Occidental College near Los Angeles is designed to follow the undulating topography of the campus grounds. See how it works with your member login.
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$125 live webinar discount now on for a limited time
Enhance your knowledge and earn PDHs with ASCE's live webinars, providing the latest information from leading experts who can be questioned live, online. As part of continuing efforts to increase value for small firms and individual engineers, ASCE is offering a special discount for individual ASCE members to attend a live webinar. Register no later than May 31 for any upcoming live webinar and save $125 on the registration fee. Visit asce.org/125discount to take advantage of this special offer. This offer is not valid for group attendance. ASCE’s Webinars are comprehensive, proven, quality training and education that meets your needs cost-effectively.
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