Vincennes geotechnical, construction testing, inspection, concrete testing, Soil Compaction, soil lab and drilling

I-65 construction south of Indy tests commuters’ patience

Trips from Southport to southern Johnson County can take up to an hour longer Story Highlights More than $286M in road projects from Indy to Louisville on I-65 this summer. 20 motorists have died in accidents on I-65 this year Southside commuters are swerving, merging and yielding a lot for road construction this summer — and there’s little relief in sight. From Southport Road to Edinburgh and beyond, concrete testing barricades and orange traffic barrels on Interstate 65 have led drivers through myriad lane shifts and closures, adding precious time to rush-hour commutes, as the highway and bridges are rebuilt or repaired. Alternative routes, including portions of U.S. 31, also are being revamped. “There aren’t too many areas (of I-65) where we don’t have construction testing and inspection going on right now,” said Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Harry Maginity. “If you are driving from Indianapolis to Louisville (Ky.), you are going to see a lot of it all year.” INDIANAPOLIS STAR I-65 NB lanes reopen in Lafayette area The biggest projects are on I-65 around Greenwood where about 63,000 cars travel both ways each day. Heavy machinery in the blocked-off medians and on bridges has made space in the travel lanes tight and twisting. Combined with reduced speeds, the journey in and out of Indianapolis can add more than hour of travel time for a trip between Southport and Edinburgh. “Our drivers plan that a trip from I-465 on the Southside to Edinburgh is going to be 45 minutes slower,” said Tim Piper, owner of Same Day Transportation, Indianapolis, which has 35 trucks. “If there’s an accident, it’s going to be even longer.” Overall, INDOT Construction Testing is doing three repair projects worth a combined $156 million on I-65 in the metro area. Four other projects to the Kentucky [...]

Percolation test

Testing method A percolation test consists of digging one or more holes in the soil of the proposed leach field to a specified depth, presoaking the holes by maintaining a high water level in the holes, then running the test by filling the holes to a specific level and timing the drop of the water level as the water percolates into the surrounding soil. There are various empirical formulae for determining the required size of a leach field based on the size of facility, the percolation test results, and other parameters. For leach line testing, a minimum of three test holes are drilled, most commonly six to eight inches in diameter. Ideally, these should be drilled to different depths from three to six feet below the surface. For better, more conclusive results, five drill holes are used in a pattern of one hole at each corner of the proposed leach field and one test hole in the center. Testing of these holes will result in a value with units of minutes per inch. This value is then correlated to a predetermined county health code to establish the exact size of the leach field. Testing for horizontal pits typically requires five to eight test holes drilled in a straight line, or along a common contour, from three to ten feet below the surface. Testing is identical to leach line testing, though the end result is a different type of septic system, established through a different calculation. Vertical seepage pits are slightly different in testing methods due to their large size, but the basic testing method is essentially the same. A hole, typically three to four feet in diameter is drilled to a depth of twenty or thirty feet (depending on the local groundwater table), and a fire hose is used to [...]

Geotechnical Experts on site Today Developing a Plan at Wildcat Creek Bridge

August 8, 2015 Geotechnical Experts on site Today Developing a Plan at Wildcat Creek Bridge TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. – Geotechnical experts observed conditions at the I-65 northbound bridge over Wildcat Creek today and are working to test and analyze the soils and develop a detailed plan to address and prevent further pier settlement. INDOT Commissioner Brandye Hendrickson briefed Governor Mike Pence by phone today and he is monitoring the situation. What happened Structural engineers monitoring the I-65 northbound bridge over the Wildcat Creek noticed movement in the riverbank pier and ordered the bridge closed Friday afternoon.  An estimated reopening date for the bridge will not be known until soils testing and analysis is completed.  INDOT will work to provide updates as new information is available. Detour I-65 northbound merges to one lane and is diverted onto U.S. 52 at Exit 141 north of Lebanon. Follow U.S. 52 north for nearly 17 miles, then turn left at State Road 28. Follow S.R. 28 west for about 10 miles, then turn right onto U.S. 231. Follow U.S. 231 north for about 33 miles until it intersects I-65 again in White County. INDOT thanks the motoring public for their patience while engineers and other experts work to safely reopen the bridge.  INDOT is installing temporary traffic signals at the S.R. 28 intersections with U.S. 52 and U.S. 231.  Until those are completed late on Sunday, INDOT and law enforcement staff are helping to direct traffic. INDOT engineers are monitoring traffic flow on U.S. 231 signals and adjusting timing patterns.  INDOT has asked contractors to suspend work where the official detour rejoins I-65 in White County. Message alerting travelers of the closure are posted on dynamic message signs as far south as the Louisville metro area. INDOT is working to identify and clear alternate routes [...]

California highway landslide leaves vehicles buried – video

Aerial footage shows work crews clearing mud and debris following flash floods that left nearly 200 vehicles stuck in up to 5ft (1.5 metres) of mud. The Leona Valley, about 20 miles north of Los Angeles, saw extensive downpours on Thursday, with 3.58 inches (9 cm) of rainfall during a 30 minute period. Elsewhere in southern California, several roads were washed out and there were reports of motorists having to be rescued from torrential flooding  

Construction of Wind Farm Project in Indiana

Pattern Development Completes Financing and Starts Construction of Amazon Wind Farm Project in Indiana 150 MW wind project to use American-made turbines and create more than 300 jobs; Power to be acquired by Amazon SAN FRANCISCO , May 4, 2015 /CNW/ -- Construction is ramping up at the Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge) project. Pattern Energy Group LP ("Pattern Development") today announced the closing of financing on the 150 megawatt (MW) Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge) project located in Benton County, Indiana . The project has entered into a 13-year power purchase agreement with Amazon to supply electricity to the electric grids that service Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) datacenters. View gallery . "The Amazon Wind Farm project has successfully closed financing and is moving ahead on schedule," said Mike Garland , President and CEO of Pattern Development. "We look forward to helping Amazon power its customers' businesses with domestic clean energy harnessed from the winds of Indiana . We are now working with Amazon, Google and Walmart, demonstrating that America's leading corporations are increasingly investing in, or buying power from, non-polluting energy sources like wind power. We see this growing trend driving the development of more new projects." The Amazon Wind Farm (Fowler Ridge) project will utilize 65 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines with 'Made in America' components. The turbine blades are being manufactured at the Siemens factory in Ft. Madison, Iowa and the nacelles are being assembled at the Siemens facility in Hutchinson, Kansas . The turbine towers will be sourced from Michigan and Wisconsin . Transformers for the project will be manufactured at the Siemens facility in Richland, Mississippi . "Siemens is proud that our 'Made in America' wind components will be used at the Amazon Wind Farm. Wind power is an increasingly important part of our nation's energy [...]

Hoosier Environmental Indiana

Air Pollution (External Link) Amtrak Service Asbestos and Mesothelioma (External Link) Bats Biofuels (NRDC Report) Biomass (Union of Concerned Source: Index of Issues | Hoosier Environmental Council Index of Issues Air Pollution (External Link) Amtrak Service Asbestos and Mesothelioma (External Link) Bats Biofuels (NRDC Report) Biomass (Union of Concerned Scientists Report) Blue-Green Algae CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) CFOs (Confined Feeding Operations) Setbacks of CFO & CAFO Children’s Health (External Link) Clean Energy Clean Power Plan Clean Water Climate Change Climate Change Skeptics (External Link) Coal Coal Ash Coal-Fired Power Plants (Union of Concerned Scientists Report) Combined Heat and Power Environmental Justice Factory Farms Farmer’s Markets (External Link) Forest Protection Green Communities High Speed Passenger Rail Impaired Waters Lake County Mercury (External Link) Mounds Greenway Net Metering Nuclear Power (External Link) Oil Open Spaces Outdoor Wood Boilers (OWBs) Pathogens in Manure Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge Plastic Consumption (External Link) Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Public Transportation Renewable Energy SMSS (Satellite Manure Storage Structures) Solar (External Link) Sustainable Agriculture Watershed Restoration Well Testing Wildlife Refuges Wind Energy

Pence signs bill repealing Indiana construction wage law

A Republican-backed measure that will repeal Indiana's law setting wages for state and local government construction projects has been approved by Gov. Mike Pence. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Pence signs repeal of IN construction wage law A Republican-backed measure that will repeal Indiana's law setting wages for state and local government construction projects has been approved by Gov. Mike Pence. Pence signed the legislation Wednesday and says it will allow the free market to determine pay scales rather than government boards. Supporters estimate the change will reduce project costs by as much as 20 percent by allowing more contractors to pay wages below union scale. Opponents dispute such savings will occur and say it will open the door for low-paying, out-of-state contractors. The measure sparked controversy during this year's legislative session, including a rally that brought thousands of contractors and union members to the Statehouse lawn in April. The repeal takes effect in July.

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