Top Story

• Confusion, violation of SOP led to cracks in pontoons
  Two state engineers in Washington who didn't follow standard operating procedures are being blamed for the cracks in the concrete pontoons to be used for the State Route 520 floating bridge. In addition, an internal analysis of the cracking issue found that "a poorly implemented project-delivery process that combined design-build and conventional design-bid-build created confusion that opened the door to faulty design work." Engineering News-Record (3/14), KOMO-TV/KOMO-AM (Seattle) (3/12)     

Infrastructure Watch

• Report: Va.'s Silver Line tunnel settles an inch
  A portion of a new rail tunnel in Tysons Corner, Va., has settled about an inch, but recent tests show there is still the necessary clearance for a Metro train to pass, according to an inspection report. The tunnel is part of the first phase of the $5.6 billion Silver Line rail line project. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority engineers and the Metro will review the findings in coming weeks. "At this point in time, right now, it looks all right," said Pat Nowakowski, chief construction manager on the Silver Line for MWAA. "It was built in accordance with the requirements." The Washington Post (3/14)     

• Ind. raises $702M for its share of Ohio River Bridges Project
  The state of Indiana sold $677 million worth of bonds at a premium and raised more than $702 million to help cover its $763 million share of construction costs for the eastern portion of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The bridge will connect Utica, Ind., and Prospect, Ky., and will be built by WVB East End Partners. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) (tiered subscription model) (3/14)     

• House may vote on Keystone XL bill before Memorial Day
  House Republican leaders are seeking to vote by the end of May on a bill that would green-light TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline. "It is about energy independence for North America," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. "I know the president is in his home state of Illinois today and he is going to talk about energy issues, and I think this is one of the key parts of any energy package or plan or vision," said Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., the bill's primary sponsor. The Hill/E2 Wire blog (3/15)     

• Obama's pick for Interior chief offers insight about fracking
  Natural gas has an important role in the country's energy economy, but the public needs to have full confidence that hydraulic fracturing is carried out safely, said Sally Jewell, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Department of the Interior. Jewell said she would urge the Bureau of Land Management to concentrate on "reasonable requirements" for the drilling technique. "I would encourage knowledge-sharing between the BLM and states to assure that the best available science is used to support safe and responsible resource development," Jewell said. Platts (3/15)     

• Land acquisition for $675M St. Croix River bridge to begin in April
  Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (3/15)     

Trends & Technology

• The roads of the future?
  This article presents two ideas for the roads of the future that use solar power and magnetic induction to energize transportation in the coming decades. The Solar Roadway was developed with the idea that a layer of concrete or asphalt used on regular roads could be replaced with "solar cells beneath a layer of glass." Installed on all U.S. roads and operating at just 15% efficiency, this could meet "more than four times our current electricity needs." Magnetic induction would be used in a system that keeps electric buses charged wirelessly through power-transfer systems in the road. FastCoExist (3/12)     

Sustainable Development

• Big Wood: A vision for more sustainable skyscrapers
  Architect Michael Charters has developed "Big Wood," a model for a large-scale timber skyscraper that could be built along the Chicago River in the city's South Loop. The mixed-use complex, with "acres of green roofs" would "serve as a sustainable alternative to standard building materials," writes Mark Boyer. "Similar to the rapid innovation in building technology that occurred in the early 1900s, 'Big Wood' is positioned to be a catalyst for a new renaissance in high-rise construction, changing forever the shape of our cities," Charters said. Inhabitat (3/16), Architizer.com (3/14)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by ASCE SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Many uses seen for colorful, light-emitting concrete wall (EarthTechling.com)

• Need some useful engineering apps? Look at these 5 (DesignBuildSource.com.au (Australia))

• Concrete Canvas Shelter has "far-reaching" implications (GlobalPost.com)

• Pontoons to be retrofitted for $4.13B Seattle bridge project (Engineering News-Record)

• "TRex" to test soil around quake-hit New Zealand city (The New Zealand Herald)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Advancing the Profession

• Experiential learning making a difference at engineering schools
  Universities are revamping engineering programs, focusing on real-world applications and taking students out of a heavily math-driven environment for a more engaging educational experience. The effort appears to be paying off, with the number of master's degrees in the field rising 8% between 2010 and 2011. Experiential learning means that students "are more hands-on, active and learning that there may be more than one way to solve a problem," observed Gary May, dean of the Georgia Tech College of Engineering. U.S. News & World Report (3/14)     

• Getting the greatest effort from your employees
  Many employees will acknowledge that they aren't fully dedicated to their jobs, Julie Winkle Giulioni writes. Fixing that requires a different approach to increasing productivity, including prioritizing the tasks of human resources and the need for persistent training. "Supply the equipment, tools, and resources to support excellence," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (3/14)     

News from ASCE

Position Title Company Name Location Structural / Bridge Engineer Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc US - VT - North Ferrisburgh Highway Design Engineer Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc US - VT - North Ferrisburgh Geotechnical Engineering Leader Arup US - NY - New York City Geotechnical / Structural Engineer HBK Engineering, LLC US - IL - Chicago Associate Project Manager or Project Manager Calleguas MWD Thousand Oaks, CA Engineering Project Manager AMEC Environment & Infrastructure Knoxville, TN Roadway/Hydraulics Engineer Confidential Alexandria, VA

Click here to view more job listings.

SmartQuote

What men value in this world is not rights but privileges." --H.L. Mencken, American journalist and essayist