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Colorado’s I-70 Could Have Boston’s Big Dig Beat

February 11, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Colorado’s I-70 Could Have Boston’s Big Dig Beat

The planning board for transportation improvements along the I-70 corridor in the Denver area of Colorado is pondering some improvements that, if implemented, could rival Boston’s "Big Dig" for cost. A high-speed train is being considered which alone could run $12 billion.

"A high-speed train is really the long-term solution, and . . . part of America’s long-term future is getting people out of single-occupancy vehicles," said Penny, Frisco town manager and head of the I-70 Coalition. He added that an I-70 project could outstrip Boston’s $14.8 billion "Big Dig."

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Seattle Light-Rail Tunnel Likely to Break Ground This Year

February 11, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Seattle Light-Rail Tunnel Likely to Break Ground This Year

Thanks to approximately $100 million from President Bush’s proposed 2009 budget, the $1.8 billion project creating a light-rail line from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington is likely to break ground some time this year. The project will involve twin bored tunnels on the order of 3 miles in length. It is scheduled to open for use in 2016.

There is another notable tunnel project associated with the Seattle Light Rail, known as the Beacon Hill tunnel which I have blogged about before.

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Deleware Forced to Redesign Unfinished Bridge Because of Consolidation Issues

January 25, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Deleware Forced to Redesign Unfinished Bridge Because of Consolidation Issues

[Update 2/10/08] Updated the name of the bridge. [/Update]

DelDOT is putting the new Indian River Bridge over out to bid. The current bridge is said to be in danger of failing between 2008 and 2012 according to the Army Corps of Engineers, seems to be related to scour. From what I hear, the tidal currents at that inlet being spanned over are tremendous, with water velocities on the order of 35 mph.

In 2005, Mactec, a geotechnical firm, provided a geotechnical report and associated recommendations to DelDOT for how to construct the 45-ft high approach embankments for a 1,400-ft long bridge in light of a 60-ft clay layer (sounds like pre-loading). However, the embankments are not settling as Mactec predicted (not sure if its more or less, probably less meaning slower) and are "shifting laterally" (squeezing?) so the DOT is going with a longer bridge to span the problem soil. More after the break.

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Geosynthetics at De-Icing Facitility

January 15, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Geosynthetics at De-Icing Facitility

GeoSynthetica was kind enough to track down an interesting case study in the use of geosynthetics at a new de-icing facility at Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport. Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol are commonly used de-icing chemicals. Most de-icing is done at the gate to avoid flight delays, but it also increases the chance of environmental contamination. In the design of a new dedicated de-icing facility at the airport, geosynthetic clay liners (GCL), Geocells, geotextiles and geocomposites were all used to handle chemical-laden runoff as well as regular runoff during the non-icy times of year. Also there is a problem with high water table and a resulting detrimental effect on the pavement subgrade. This is where the aggregate-filled geocells were used. Read on for the link. (Photo by Spiritwood Images)

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North America’s Tallest MSE Retaining Wall

January 9, 2008 rockman 7

[Update Jan 28, 2008] It appears as if the Port of Seattle is in some hot water for some alleged shady dealings with one of the contractors on the project.  More at Seattle Times. [/Update]

Erosion Control magazine has an interesting article on MSE Walls. I think the tie-in of MSE Walls with erosion control is a little questionable (they did mention wall drainage a few times), but the article highlights several interesting projects, particularly the Seattle-Tacoma Airport or Sea-Tac Third Runway Project retaining walls. The West wall for that project is the tallest MSE Wall in North America, 130-ft at its highest point. More after the break. (Photo by Sea-Tac Airport)

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Boston’s Big Dig Finally Complete

January 4, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Boston’s Big Dig Finally Complete

The $14.8 billion project that has constructed a dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and tunnels in the middle of Boston has finally ended. The end of 2007 apparently was also the end of the Bechtel/Parsons Brinkerhoff joint venture that designed and built the project. More… (Photo by brewrat)

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London Crossrail Project – Will Be Largest Civil Project in Europe

October 27, 2007 rockman Comments Off on London Crossrail Project – Will Be Largest Civil Project in Europe

According to ENR, the U.K. government has approved the 7-year, $32-billion London Crossrail Project which will reportedly be Europe’s biggest civil engineering project. It will include 41.5-km of tunnels 6-m in diameter laid out in pairs. The tunnels will pass underneath London and connect surface networks on either side of the city. Link after the break. (Photo by tkosaka)

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Indonesia to Build Monumental Suspension Bridge in Ring of Fire

October 27, 2007 rockman Comments Off on Indonesia to Build Monumental Suspension Bridge in Ring of Fire

Indonesia is planning to build what will be the World’s longest suspension bridge to link up its two main islands of Java and Sumatra. The total length will over 30-km with a (max?) height of 70-m so ships can pass underneath. The catch is that the bridge will be located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the boundary between the Asian and Australian tectonic plates and one of the most seismically and volcanically active areas in the world. There have been several recent earthquakes greater than magnitude 7, not to mention the earthquake that caused the 2004 tsunami. The bridge will be built to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake. Oh, and in case the seismic concerns weren’t great enough, the bridge will pass within 50-km of the volcano Krakatoa. The estimated cost of the bridge is $12 billion ($AU?). Credit to Geology.com for the story.

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