The $2B tunnel project for the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct crossed a major hurdle with the approval of a document that will allow the environmental studies for the project to continue. Mayor McGinn’s position is that more time was needed to evaluate the document and he was concerned that a tunnel option was a predetermined outcome of the study. He went even farther by alleging that WSDOT and the City Council conspired to ‘violate the city charter [regarding separation of powers] and state law’. Nevertheless, Councilman Conlin signed the document allowing WSDOT to continue their progress towards a construction contract in early 2011. [Source: Seattle Times Newspaper. Image: Seattle Times]
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Lasers, Software and the Devil’s Slide
[Editor] National Science Foundation (NSF) Press Release – June 30, 2008. Screenshot Credits: Jeramy Decker, Kiewit Corp [/Editor]
Running for more than 1,000 kilometers along picturesque coastline, California’s Highway 1 is easy prey for many of the natural hazards plaguing the region, including landslides.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is currently building a kilometer-long tunnel to bypass one of the most landslide-prone stretches of the highway, the Devil’s Slide, to help ensure drivers’ safe passage.
Using a new software package developed by researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., project engineers are getting a detailed 3-D view of the rock exposed in the excavation, adding a new tool for improving both safety and construction progress.
[Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release. [/Editor]