News – Page 191 – GeoPrac.net

AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications – 2008 Interims Released

March 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) just released the 2008 interims for the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Customary U.S. Units, 4th Edition. These specifications govern the design of foundations for federal and state highway projects. As soon as we find out if there are any significant changes with respect to bridge foundations or retaining walls, we’ll let you know.

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New Dams Being Considered to Handle West’s Water Needs

March 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off

An article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer discusses how the era of building massive dams that ended in the late 1960s with the completion of Glen Canyon Dam may be on its way to a resurgence because of booming populations throughout the west and a desperate need for water. This comes at a time when the USBR and other agencies are in the process of tearing down some dams. Of course the environmental hurdles and opposition to new dam projects will likely kill many of the projects before they get started. But in the absence of any kind of limits on population growth, there may not be many other options. Read on to see where major dam projects are being considered. (Photo by Molas)

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Geologic Hazard Photos

February 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The National Geodetic Data Center (NGDC) of NOAA has an online collection of photos of various geologic hazards. Many of the photos are from older sets of 35mm slides that have been digitized. They are free to use provided you credit the photographer and the NGDC as the source. The would be really useful for educators and for powerpoint presentations. The only drawback is that they are in TIF format and some of them could use some retouching. (Photo by University of Colorado, made available by NOAA/NGDC)

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New Sheet Piling Installation Manual

February 28, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The North American Steel Sheet Piling Association (NASSPA) has released a Sheet Piling Installation Manual. It has a nice overview of different hammer systems and covers issues such as driving systems and methods, templates, cofferdams, driving corrections, driving assistance and extraction. (Photo courtesy of NASSPA)

NASSPA promotes the use of steel sheet piling through the development and dissemination of technical information. This guide was compiled to assist the designer, contractor, or owner with the construction of steel sheet pile walls.

Download the Steel Sheet Piling Installation Guide – Best Practices

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The Most Important Fridge On Earth

February 26, 2008 Wolfgang Fritz 1

Today, Tuesday, February 26, 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is scheduled to start operating on the remote island of Spitsbergen, Norway in the Svalbard Archipelago. The location is only about 1000km (625 miles) from the North Pole. The Global Seed Vault will house duplicates of seeds from known species of plants from all over the world in case a natural or other disaster destroys the original species. [Editor] Read on for more details. Photo by Mari Tefre/Svalbard Global Seed Vault [/Editor]

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Tunnel Proposed to Link Europe and Africa at Straits of Gibraltar

February 26, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The proposed railway tunnel will link Spain and Morroco underneath the Straits of Gibraltar. The depth of the straits ranges from 1,000-ft to nearly 3,000-ft. To put that in perspective, the English Channel is only 150-ft deep, and the Chunnel is another 130-ft below the sea floor. (Photo by chodaboy)

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New Cableway System Set For Hoover Dam Bypass

February 25, 2008 rockman Comments Off

ENR reports that the Hoover Dam Bypass construction is picking up steam again after a 2006 cableway failure. The new cableway system has been completed and is being "vetted". The piers appear to be completed based on recent photos and from my own observations driving by on my way to Vegas at Christmas time. The appear to have completed or nearly completed the skewback foundations as well. (Photo by hometowninvasion)

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Rising Costs and Delays in Seattle Area Wastewater Plant and Tunnels

February 25, 2008 rockman Comments Off

In keeping with our theme of rising costs on tunnel projects, the Brightwater sewage-treatment plant and treated waste pipeline project in King County Washington (Seattle area) is now up to at least $1.84 billion according to the lead consultant on the project. The treated waste pipeline is 13 to 14-miles long and at depths of 40 to 440-ft! It is being constructed nearly entirely by TBM. One source of delay was due to a tunneling subcontractor not being able to get parts (ball bearings?) because they were all being requisitioned by the US War Department for use in military equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Click through for information sources and links.

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German town sinking after drilling operations

February 25, 2008 Wolfgang Fritz 2

The historic town of Staufen in southwestern Germany on the western edge of the Black Forest is experiencing some rather unexpected downward movement these days. Several buildings, some of them historic, are experiencing cracking and distress and are still sinking at a rate of approximately 1mm per week. Investigations are underway, but everything seems to point towards drilling operations for geothermal energy which were conducted last fall. [Editor] More after the break…[/Editor]

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Pittsburgh PA Light Rail Tunnel Construction and Cost Overruns

February 24, 2008 rockman Comments Off

The Port Authority of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) has a major transit improvement project dubbed the North Shore Connector. Its main components are twin bored tunnels 1.2 miles long that will connect the Port Authorityâ€™s Light Rail Transit system, the T, 1.2 miles from the Gateway Subway Station underneath Stanwix Street and the Allegheny River to the North Shore. It will travel under the river and provide three new stations and allow for future improvements beneficial to future development and continued downtown revitalization. The $435 million project is making news recently for cost increases, drawing comparisons to Bostonâ€™s Big Dig much to the dismay of the Port Authority. Read on for project maps, links and more info.

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