California's Santa Clara Valley Water District will launch a $576 million project Thursday to remove and rebuild the seismically vulnerable dam forming Anderson Reservoir. The first step is draining the reservoir to make way for demolition of the 240-foot earthen dam.
The first stage of Australia's Inland Rail project is now complete, marking a milestone for a line that will ultimately run 1,056 miles. The standard-gauge network will link every capital city in the country in what is widely considered an "engineering marvel."
Air conditioners recirculate air and pose an indoor hazard during the coronavirus pandemic. But a new technique allows for cooling while keeping windows open with the use of panels containing small tubes that circulate cold water to draw away heat but avoid condensation with the use of a water-repelling transparent membrane.
The pandemic-induced urgency that led to construction of temporary medical facilities in a matter of days will carry forward and accelerate future projects in preparation for new pandemics, according to panelists at the Commercial Observer's Fourth Annual Healthcare Construction Forum. "To spend the time and the money to construct a space, then decommission and take it apart later is not financially viable. You want to think about putting together spaces that could be used as permanent spaces," observed Steve Friedman, director of facilities engineering for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Louisiana's Spanish Pass Ridge and Marsh Creation Project and the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project stand to benefit from $215 million in new funding. Construction activities on both projects are expected to begin next year.
James C. Dalton, the retired former director of civil works for the US Army Corps of Engineers, has been named to Trimble's board of directors. Dalton was honored in 2006 with the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Career Achievement and on Trimble's board will bring considerable experience with large-scale construction environments while serving as "a source of unique insight to our businesses," said CEO Rob Painter.
The effects of climate change on toll road operations will continue to present challenges as well as opportunities, writes Bill Cramer, communications director for IBTTA. Tolling agencies have the operational experience to succeed during difficult times, while user financing ensures agencies can remain resilient in the face of unexpected challenges, Cramer writes.
Business leaders, law enforcement personnel and politicians have spoken out in favor of a proposed road expansion from I-10 to I-65 in Alabama, noting that it would help during hurricane evacuations. The tolled section of the road would extend from Highway 31 to the northern part of the Baldwin Beach Express, says state Senator Chris Elliot.
The Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority's $80 million State Highway 45 Southwest toll road is among the winners of the ENR Texas & Louisiana Green Project contest. The Mobility Authority invested $2 million for an independent environmental compliance manager to guide construction of the four-lane toll road on the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone in Austin.
The California State Route 11 toll road is expected to be built by the end of 2021, to be followed by the construction of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. "We represent the last piece in the San Diego region that's available for industrial land to build manufacturing facilities, high tech facilities, and we see development coming with the new infrastructure," said Alejandra Mier y Teran of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce.