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- Md. seeks input from private firms for $2.15B light-rail project
Maryland transit officials held a forum -- attended by about 300 engineers, consultants and financiers -- to see how private companies could help design, build and finance the proposed $2.15 billion light-rail Purple Line project in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. The private sector, looking to benefit from the project, could be asked to shoulder 5% to 10% of the construction costs and "help guarantee a high-quality project that would run well and would last." State officials hope to begin building the 16-mile light-rail line in 2015 and finish it by 2020. The Washington Post
(5/15)     
| Infrastructure Watch | | |
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- Senate passes WRDA bill
The Senate has passed the Water Resources Development Act, which calls for flood-prevention and coastal-restoration projects. The bill includes provisions that would provide $1.1 billion to improve the levees and flood-control system in California's Natomas basin. Louisiana's Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection project would also be expedited under the legislation. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a cosponsor of the bill, said, "This legislation represents jobs, this legislation represents moving products, this legislation represents flood control [and] this legislation represents ports." It's not yet clear how the House will vote. The Hill/Floor Action Blog
(5/15), American City Business Journals/Sacramento, Calif.
(5/15), The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
(5/15)
- Coast Guard approves $1.3B Bayonne Bridge project
The $1.3 billion project to raise the Bayonne Bridge between New York and New Jersey has been approved by the Coast Guard. "We’re looking forward to seeing the project proceed," said Coast Guard spokesman Chief Warrant Officer Russell Tippets. The new roadway will be 215 feet above the high-tide mark, 64 feet higher than the old one. The bridge will have two wider lanes in each direction, plus shoulders and a median. It is scheduled to be finished in 2017. The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.)
(5/15)
- Group exec touts nuclear energy as a job generator
The nuclear energy industry is a job generator with bright prospects, said Marvin Fertel, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Reactor development projects in Georgia and South Carolina are good examples that nuclear plays a key role in the country's energy and economic future, he said. "These are the largest construction projects in their states, and they are driving direct employment for nearly 4,000 workers, twice that during peak construction," Fertel said. Power Engineering
(5/15)
| Trends & Technology | | |
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- Temporary repairs forge ahead on damaged Maine/N.H. bridge
Temporary repair work on the the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, one of three spans that connects Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine, has advanced smoothly. The 73-year-old bridge was struck and damaged by an oil tanker last month. "Repairing the vertical and diagonal elements was straightforward, replacing one for one," said Alan Fisher, construction structures manager at Cianbro and lead engineer on the project. In 2015, work will begin on a $160 million replacement for the bridge. Engineering News-Record
(5/15)
- Precast, geometry key elements of Seattle's $2B Highway 99 project
About 130 workers at FBS Encon Precast in Washington's Pierce County are manufacturing 14,000 concrete pieces for the $2 billion Highway 99 tunnel project on the Seattle waterfront being built by a Dragados/Tutor-Perini joint venture. Each tunnel ring is made up of nine arcs and a smaller keystone, and despite there being only one ring size, the 1.7-mile tube will be able to curve "because each ring is 2.65 inches narrower on the keystone side than the opposite side." Bertha, the boring machine that will grind the dirt beneath the old Alaskan Way Viaduct, will begin digging the tunnel in July. KING-TV (Seattle)
(5/15), The Seattle Times
(5/15)
| Sustainable Development | | |
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| Advancing the Profession | | |
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- ASCE, 3 others form group to advance structural-engineer licensing
ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute and three other groups have formed the Structural Engineers Licensure Coalition to "promote structural-engineer licensing -- a somewhat controversial subject among professional engineers," according to this article. "It is very important for us to really speak with one unified voice on the issue," said Sam Rihani, the 2013 president of the SEI. Engineering News-Record
(5/15)
- 3 ways good manners make good managers
Etiquette is all about helping those around you feel comfortable in strange surroundings, and good leadership is all about helping employees develop skills and achieve their potential, writes Jennifer V. Miller, who offers three steps for leaders. "Leaders at their most honorable help people prepare for and pursue their next big thing," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership
(5/14)
| News from ASCE | | |
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Deadline approaching for ethics award nominations
Honor an engineer-leader for a specific accomplishment or for lifetime achievements that demonstrate superior ethics and leadership while the individual participated in professional practice or service to the public. ASCE and ASFE: The Geoprofessional Business Association urge your nominations for the 2013 Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award. Put forward a peer, mentor or supervisor who is a licensed professional engineer. The recipient will be presented a certificate and honorarium. For more information and downloadable forms, visit the official award page. Submit nominations to awards@asce.org by June 3.
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