Katrina levee failure with Chinook Helicopter attmpting to fill the breach
Project Related

Possible Seepage at Newly Constructed New Orleans Levee

Katrina levee failure with Chinook Helicopter attmpting to fill the breachWet spots have been detected along a portion of a new levee being constructed by a US Army Corps of Engineers Contractor. The levee is approximately 95% complete, but the Levee Board wants to establish what is causing the apparent seepage before accepting the levee. More after the break. (Photo of Katrina levee failure from greenmannowar)

[…]

Pine Hills Sinkhole, Pine Hills, Florida, 2002
Project Related

Video: The Pine Hills Sinkhole – Central Florida, 2002

Pine Hills Sinkhole, Pine Hills, Florida, 2002On June 11, 2002, a 150-foot wide and 60-foot deep sinkhole opened up in Pine Hills, Florida and came within a few feet of two 3-story appartment buildings. Geotechnical and Environmental Consultants (GEC) was contacted by the owner of the site to design emergency temporary and permanent stabilization measures to protect the buildings. The sinkhole mitigation began with a chemical stabilization of the soil using an injected sodium silicate chemical grout (incidentally, that work was performed by John N. Puder, Inc., recently acquired by Moretrench) to stabilize the sands underneath the buildings and adjacent to the sinkhole. After some GPR surveys, borings and other investigations, final sinkhole repair consisted of a 200-foot long wall omprised of interlocked 36-inch diameter steel tubular piles that extended to a depth of 50 feet. They were driven by Giken America Corp. using the press-in method which helped to avoid damage to the adjacent buildings. The entire stabilization was completed within 1-month of the initial sinkhole collapse! Click through for this fascinating video. (Photo credit Giken America Corp. by way of GEC)

[…]

Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Schematic Drawing by US Nuclear Regulatory Comission
Project Related

Yucca Mountain Solution for Nevada’s Budget Deficit?

Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository Schematic Drawing by US Nuclear Regulatory ComissionThe Center for Yucca Facts has presented a letter to the chairman of the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission (SAGE) of the State of Nevada recommending that an objective look at the proposed Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository might show that it provides a solution to Nevada’s budgetary dilemmas. More after the break.

[…]

Project Related

Foundations for Cowboy’s Stadium Roof Arches

The new Dallas Cowboy’s stadium in Arlington, Texas has gently curving steel arches to form a retractable roof. Using rack-and-pinion system to pull the panels uphill, the system is different than most previous retractable roof systems according to the Cover Story by Nadine M. Post (no relation!) in the July 14, 2008 edition of ENR. Of course the thing that interested me was the foundations that support the two 1,225-ft long steel arches. More after the break. (Photo copyright ENR and Manhattan Construction)
[…]

Project Related

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] 

 

[…]