A Georgia Ports Authority official says the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge over the Savannah River will need to be replaced to accommodate larger ships. A $973 million project to deepen the Savannah River is underway, and the port authority hopes that will contribute to its goal to increase Savannah's container cargo capacity by 45% over the next decade.

Project overruns from joint ventures, traffic congestion, overloaded contractors and a lack of bid accuracy have contributed to the Washington State Department of Transportation spending $1.3 billion more on projects than planned over the past 30 years. Since 2017, 40% of awarded bids have come in at more than 10% above the estimate from engineers.

Building crews have brought the $823 million Calaveras Dam in California to its peak height of 220 feet, and final testing will begin soon. Initial planning began almost 20 years ago for the dam and its reservoir, which will serve as a backup water supply for the Bay Area.

Builders of the new Cline Avenue Bridge in East Chicago, Ind., are using modernized steel tensioning technology and concrete piers with the goal of making the bridge last 150 years. The privately financed bridge will cost about $150 million and replace a bridge that closed in 2009 after 25 years.

UltraTech Cement has unveiled a mobile concrete laboratory that can provide on-site guidance for concreting and mortar mixing, as well as tests on fresh and hardened concrete. The lab can be used in cities throughout India.

A type of 3D cementitious sandwich panel similar to one NASA has used in spacecraft construction for years could help provide resilience for homes during natural disasters. Austrian company EV Group has developed technology that could potentially make the panel, which consists of fire-retardant foam and wire mesh encased in concrete, suitable for mass production.

Buildings of all sizes have achieved LEED certification in the past 18 years, and the US Green Building Council has released a listing of recipients by square footage. Six of the nine largest LEED recipients have Gold certification: the USAA headquarters in San Antonio, Texas; the Merchandise Mart in Chicago; and New York City's Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Four World Trade Center and Paramount Plaza.

A study from IonTuition finds 66% of people want the ability to put retirement matching contributions toward student-loan repayment, up from 49% a year ago. Many people feel as though they have to choose between making loan payments and saving for retirement, experts say.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority is looking at modifying its $2.5 billion transit expansion plan, including a potential funding reduction for a light rail line and elimination of a proposed bus line. The money could be redistributed among other projects along Atlanta Beltline, but no decision has been made yet.

A cost overrun at the Plant Vogtle expansion in Georgia has led some state lawmakers to ask Georgia Power and its project partners to cap costs to help limit the financial burden to utility customers. Partners Dalton Utilities, MEAG Power and Oglethorpe Power are expected to decide later this month whether they will continue their work on the expansion.

ACI announces the formation of a new committee whose mission is to develop and report information on three-dimensional (3-D) printing and additive manufacturing with inorganic cementitious materials. This committee aims to develop publications relating to additive manufacturing with cement-based materials.

ACI is offering discounted registration for this January's World of Concrete (WoC). WoC is the concrete industry's only annual event dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. Featuring exhibits with the industry's leading suppliers showcasing innovative products and technologies, exciting demonstrations and competitions, and a world-class education program.