News

News, announcements, policy updates, spotlighted websites, software updates and other info that may be of interest to practicing geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists, geophysicists, hydrogeologists and related professions.

Seattle tunnel cross-section
Project Related

Seattle tunnel will go under 158 buildings

August 22, 2011 rockman Comments Off on Seattle tunnel will go under 158 buildings

The tunnel replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR-99) will pass beneath 158 existing structures requiring an extensive program of vibration and settlement monitoring as well as some remediation. Of the 158 buildings, WSDOT identified 20 […]

Rock sheds in New Zealand
Weekend CUP

Weekend CUP for August 16, 2011

August 16, 2011 rockman Comments Off on Weekend CUP for August 16, 2011

Millions of dollars worth of Brightwater project material deemed unusable – Source: NWCN.com Agile Frameworks, LLC. – Management and IT Consulting, SaaS and Managed Services for AEC / ACEC / ASFE Project-Based Businesses Devastating landslides […]

Access shaft for the Singapore petrol caverns
Project Related

Singapore digs deep to be petro hub

August 15, 2011 rockman Comments Off on Singapore digs deep to be petro hub

On the island nation of Singapore land is at a premium, so a planned petrochemical storage facility is being constructed 150 meters under the sea floor. The article does not give the total underground storage […]

Shoring wall failure in Rosslyn, Virginia
Failures

Shoring retaining wall failure in Virginia prompts apartment building evacuation

August 9, 2011 rockman Comments Off on Shoring retaining wall failure in Virginia prompts apartment building evacuation

Shoring wall failure in Rosslyn, Virginia

On Sunday evening, a soldier pile lagging wall shoring system failed at the Sedona & Slate residential development construction site in Rosslyn, Virginia (Arlington County). There were no reported injuries, but an adjacent apartment building was evacuated as a precaution and a nearby street is closed to traffic.  Click through for a video that shows some additional views of the damage.  The scale of the wall is apparent when you see the shots with workers putting braces near the bottom of the wall. I’m guessing the rakers shown in this image were added monday to attempt to stabilize the wall, but that’s just speculation at this point. Image: MyFoxDC.com

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American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM
Standards and Codes

ASTM Standards Update for July 2011

August 9, 2011 rockman Comments Off on ASTM Standards Update for July 2011

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTMJuly was a busy month for a number of ASTM committees.  Click through for a summary of last month’s revised and reapproved standards that are relevant to geotechnical engineering, materials testing, construction CQA, geosynthetics and related technologies.

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Geofoam project in Gary, Indiana
Available Resources

Highway Reconstruction with Geofoam

August 5, 2011 rockman Comments Off on Highway Reconstruction with Geofoam

This is a nice little overview with Geofoam for people unfamiliar with the material and its applications. It was written by Mr. Nico Sutmoller with Insulfoam, who also contributed this article on a Geofoam project […]