Asphalt modified with rubber from used tires offers economic, performance and environmental advantages for highway agencies, according to a report by the US Tire Manufacturers Association, the University of Missouri and nonprofit The Ray. The report calls for additional research on the life cycle effects of the material as well as its properties and characteristics.

The potential for energy recovery and mineral recycling from construction and demolition materials will be the subject of a study by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Holcim and its Geocycle unit. The study will begin with a waste characterization analysis.

Big data collected from cell phones to track local resident traffic patterns can support real-time evaluation of how well a community recovers from disasters. Researchers at Texas A&M University who compiled such data after Hurricane Harvey have produced a framework that can be applied in the aftermath of any other natural disaster.

Adding red and blue pigments to concrete yields little effect, but green pigments tend to weaken the concrete, according to researchers at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Green pigment was expected to add strength due to the presence of chromium oxide, but the opposite result is traced to impurities introduced in the pigment's production.

The current 16-cent toll rate to cross the Manchester Ship Canal's Warburton Toll Bridge in England could increase to $1.37 in order to finance almost $9 million of repairs on and around the bridge. The toll rate has not been increased since 1863.

The Florida Department of Transportation and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise are awaiting approval for an expansion of the turnpike between Jupiter and Fort Pierce. The proposed $1.6 billion expansion would see two lanes added each in each direction and two new exits in Port St. Lucie.

A $600 million loan for the purchase of land and construction of India's 369-mile Ganga Expressway has been approved by the Uttar Pradesh cabinet. The loan will be secured on toll revenue from the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

Public-private partnerships would be encouraged with establishment of a public infrastructure bank, according to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who's proposing a bill to that effect. The National Infrastructure Development Bank would select surface transportation, energy, telecommunications and other projects to finance according to factors such as economic, environmental and social costs and benefits.

Researchers in China have designed a novel composite column where layers of glass fiber-reinforced polymer are used to create a tube that is then filled with concrete. The study found "the use of appropriate GFRP layers and strip distance intervals can ensure the appropriate bearing capacity of composite columns and full utilization of GFRP material properties."

Clark Construction faced challenging site conditions while building the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. The company overcame various obstacles by using an on-site batch plant, 3D laser scanning technology, prefabricated materials and a BIM model of the existing utilities.