In this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 photo, contractors work on the East Side Access project beneath midtown Manhattan, in New York.
Project Related

Video Tour of NY Subway Mega-Projects

In this Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 photo, contractors work on the East Side Access project beneath midtown Manhattan, in New York.The New York MTA is in the midst of a “golden era” of tunneling for the New York subway.  Three separate mega-projects are currently underway totaling some $15 Billion:  The Second Avenue Subway, The East Side Access Project (which features the new Grand Central Terminal), and The Number 7 Subway Line Extension Project.  The short video below was published by the NY Post and included in an AP Article.  It is tantalizingly short, but gives a great perspective on what the underground construction project at Grand Central looks like and a sense of the scale…the amazing huge caverns being constructed. The article says that from underneath Grand Central Terminal alone, the construction crews have removed enough material to cover Central Park almost a foot deep!

[Source: KOMO News (Seattle) via ASCE SmartBrief. Image: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer via KOMOnews.com]

Click through for the video.

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Peter Keeton
Press Releases

Peter Keeton Joins the Keynetix KeyLAB Team

Peter Keeton

Keynetix are pleased to announce that as a result of the recent success of the KeyLAB program, Peter Keeton has joined Keynetix to further strengthen the KeyLAB team. Peter has over 40 years of experience working in and managing geotechnical laboratories for Soil Mechanics and has been an influential member of the CEN European standards working group on geotechnical testing. [Editor] Click through for the rest of the press release from Keynetix. [/Editor]

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General

Kokosing Construction To Build ARES® Retaining Walls for One of Ohio’s Largest Highway Projects

ATLANTA – April 16, 2012 –Tensar International, the leader in geosynthetic soil reinforcement and stabilization, announced Kokosing has begun construction on the $3 million contract to build Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining walls for one […]

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Project Related

32-Person Hot Tub Gets Lift

32-Person Hot Tub Gets Lift

A New Mexico mountain resort recently unveiled their new fitness complex which featured a large indoor swimming pool and 32 person spa. Built on the side of a mountain, on side of the spa structure sits on top of approximately 12.0’ of fill material. When the spa and portions of the deck began to show telltale signs of settlement, the spa was drained and taken out of service, and an investigation was conducted. This investigation revealed a large plumbing leak which had occurred under the pool/spa deck, causing compaction and consolidation of the supporting fill materials. The general contractor on the job broke out a section of the pool deck to make the plumbing repair, and then turned to URETEK ICR for the remediation of the settlement issues.

Management was pleased that the process meant no disruption for their guests. URETEK’s solution was less than 20% of the cost of replacement of the structure.

[Editor] Click through for the rest of the post. [/Editor]

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Shoring wall failure in Rosslyn, Virginia
Failures

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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Rockman's Ramblings

Engineering Geologists vs Geological Engineers vs Geotechnical Engineers

So what’s the difference between Engineering Geologists, Geological Engineers and Geotechnical Engineers?  That’s not the beginning of a geeky joke.  But in most professional circles in this industry, it’s a question where the nuances of the answer seem to be lost on people.  My degrees were in Geological Engineering, but I’ve been practicing as a Geotechnical Engineer for most of my professional career.  But I get called a geologist, geotech, Civil Engineer, dirty guy…and probably some other things behind my back.  I try to explain to people what the differences are, but I’ve struggled over the years to find the right words.

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Press Releases

Digital Map Products Says Record Sales and Retention Indicate Big Year Ahead for Mapping

(Irvine, CA – December 29, 2010) As Digital Map Products (DMP) concludes its 10th year, CEO Jim Skurzynski predicts 2011 will be the year spatial technology goes mainstream. DMP, a leading provider of software-as-a-service spatial technology solutions, is experiencing record sales as mapping and cloud computing converge. Skurzynski expects the melding of these two powerful technologies to continue and for additional markets to open up as more sectors continue to discover uses for advanced spatial display and analysis.

[Editor] Click through to read the rest of this press release. [/Editor]

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American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM
Standards and Codes

ASTM Updates September 2010

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTMLast month there were several updates to standards involving texting the flexural strength of concrete as well as updates to some masonry and dimension stone standards.  ASTM D6926 – Standard Practice for Preparation of Bituminous Specimens Using Marshall Apparatus has been updated, so if you are involved in asphalt pavement testing, make sure you go and find out what the changes are. There are also a whole slew of groundwater and site investigation standards that were reapproved.

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Mount Hood, Oregon, as seen from Lost Lake. United States Geological Survey photo taken in 1985 by Lyn Topinka.
Weekend CUP

Weekend CUP August 9, 2010

Protocols for Geologic Hazards Response by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory – Source: USGS 40 stranded by Leadville-area mudslides – Source: KWGN via USGS Landslide Events 12 Rules for Making Better Spreadsheets – Source: Chandoo.org Most […]