| News for and about the civil engineering community
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- LAX takes first step in massive renovation project
A Tampa, Fla., firm has won a one-year, $25 million contract to begin an expansion plan for Los Angeles International Airport that could eventually cost up to $8 billion. DMJM Aviation will focus initially on building two new gates capable of accommodating huge jets like the Airbus A380, but long-term plans are much more ambitious. "In this first year we must build an organization and the tools to launch a facilitywide multibillion-dollar redevelopment construction program," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. Los Angeles Times (free registration)
(3/4)
- New Orleans eyes $1 billion port-development plan
Anticipating the 2014 widening of the Panama Canal, New Orleans officials are seeking $1 billion to update the city's hurricane-ravaged port. At the top of the wish list: $478 million to expand the port's container-cargo terminal, which would bring desperately needed jobs and revenue. "It's critical for the entire recovery of the city and greater New Orleans area," said port CEO Gary LaGrange. USA TODAY
(3/5)
- Gaylord seeks infrastructure concessions in Calif. deal
The proposed developer of a waterfront complex in Chula Vista, Calif., says the $1 billion project would create nearly 10,000 construction-related jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs along with a $383 million annual economic impact beginning in 2013. Gaylord Entertainment of Tennessee is negotiating development rights with Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego and hopes to have environmental approval from the California Coastal Commission in time for a 2009 groundbreaking. Current negotiations surround the $308 million in public financing required for infrastructure improvements at the waterfront site. San Diego Union-Tribune
(3/4)
| Technology and Trends | | |
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- Aerospace industry faces shortage of workers
Some officials in the aerospace industry are concerned that a shortage of new workers could hurt national security or limit the industry's ability to convert military technology into commercial products. Aerospace Industries Association chief executive Marion Blakey said the space program could encourage young people to enter the field. "The question is: How do you encourage young kids to think of themselves as potential scientists and engineers?" Blakey said. "We hope that a return to the moon and Mars will help inspire them." The Associated Press/Google
(3/4)
- Port facilities get larger, more geographically diverse
With a rising flood of imports clogging already busy ports, companies are building ever-larger distribution facilities in more out-of-the-way places. Inland cities like Columbus, Ohio, and Memphis, Tenn., are winning new distribution centers because of their lower costs and convenient rail links. On the coasts, secondary ports like Hampton Roads, Va., and Tacoma, Wash., have seen traffic grow by more than 40% in the past four years. DC Velocity
(3/2008)
| Sustainability | | |
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- Midwest ports adopt Swedish sustainability plan
Following the example of Canmore, Canada, the twin ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, Wis., are seeking to reinvent themselves as green communities using a Swedish methodology known as "The Natural Step." With nearly $200,000 in funding from private foundations, the towns will seek to reduce their carbon footprints, share natural resources and reduce the use of synthetic substances. Officials hope to replicate the success of Canmore, which transformed from a blighted former coal-mining town to one of Canada's best-rated cities for quality of life. BusinessNorth (Duluth, Minn.)
(3/2008)
| Management Practices | | |
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- Small businesses make the big time on Internet
The Internet can make a very small company look like a very big company, says Robert Donnelly, whose entrepreneurship course through Internet-based Rushmore University has reached students as far away as India and Saudi Arabia. "I'm leveraging the Internet to reach out to the rest of the world and only expect the opportunities to expand," Donnelly said. Other small-business owners tell similar stories about how the Internet boosted their success. NewsFactor Network
(3/3)
| Policy Update | | |
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- Park officials oppose Grand Canyon "flush" plan
U.S. flood-control officials will unleash a torrent of water from the Glen Canyon Dam this week, creating a controlled flood intended to help restore eroded sandbars and beaches in Grand Canyon National Park. But the plan has elicited protests from park officials and environmental groups, who charge that the "flush" is timed to help power companies, not Mother Nature. Los Angeles Times (free registration)
(3/4)
- Performance of radiation detectors remains unclear
Tests conducted last year by the Department of Homeland Security did not determine whether radiation-detection machines performed well enough to be used at ports and borders. The machines could potentially protect the country against dirty bombs or nuclear attacks. "Even after collecting all available test results, it was difficult to form conclusions about operational effectiveness," the report said. The Washington Post
(3/5)
| Critical Infrastructure | | |
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- Washington state's floating bridge to carry traffic by 2014
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire said Monday a floating bridge for Highway 520 can be completed by 2014 -- four years ahead of schedule and up to $300 million under budget. By speeding environmental reviews and beginning construction on the pontoons that will support the six lanes of traffic, the state Department of Transportation says it can open the new bridge early, without disrupting traffic on the existing structure. The Seattle Times
(3/4)
| News from ASCE | | |
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Lightweight modular composite firewall system wins Pankow Award
In December 2006, a transformer explosion in Oregon plunged 50,000 people into darkness. In 2004, a transformer fire cost the Arizona Public Service West Wing substation $29 million. How can the impact of such events be mitigated in the future? Composite Support & Solutions, Southern California Edison, San Diego State University Research Foundation and the University of Southern California developed a lightweight modular firewall system that is the winner of the Pankow Award for Innovation. Read about the system, which protects each transformer and isolates potential damage associated with catastrophic failures. The award will be presented on April 30 during ASCE's annual OPAL Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va. Learn more and register.
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ASCE's Washington, D.C., "fly-in" calls for action on infrastructure
More than 150 ASCE members met in Washington, D.C., today to discuss legislative initiatives to improve the nation's crumbling infrastructure and to visit their elected officials on Capitol Hill as part of the annual Leadership Training in Government Relations Program. To view more information on ASCE's Action Plan for the 110th Congress and other initiatives to raise the grades of the Report Card for America's Infrastructure, visit http://www.asce.org/reportcard. Read more news from Washington.
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