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Chicago-Detroit high-speed rail plans outlined

(right to left) Ken McMullen (MDot), Matt Webb (HNTB Consultant), Mohammed Alguhurabi (MDot) and Tom Walls (City of Ft. Wayne) look over plan specifics in Gary on October 30, 2014. | Jim Karczewski/For Sun-Times Media The Michigan Department of Transportation is overseeing the project alongside agencies in Indiana and Illinois. The plan considered using existing Amtrak lines between Chicago and Porter, Indiana, but none would allow for more trips per day or the high speeds that are necessary. Currently, Amtrak offers three round trips daily between Chicago and Detroit. Officials discussed four routes that would require capital investments ranging from $2.3 billion to $3 billion and annual maintenance of about $155 million. Two of the routes might have an impact on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and all would require construction of bridges and other structures to avoid freight traffic in Northwest Indiana. All but one of the possible routes would stop at the Hammond/Whiting and Michigan City stations, but project officials said there is talk about building an additional station in Northwest Indiana. No likely candidates have been named, but several attendees mentioned a stop near the Gary/Chicago International Airport as being ideal. The Rev. Asher Harris of the Northwest Indiana Interfaith Alliance said a connection between passenger rail and the airport makes sense. “There should be something happening, particularly with the possibility of passenger airlines,” Harris said. “We certainly need a connection.” Harris said a project of this magnitude also could spur economic development in Gary. “We don’t want our citizens left behind,” he said. “There must be jobs.” Dennis Hodges, of Gary, vice president of business relations for the Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance, said the airport always has been envisioned as transportation hub for the region. Miller resident David Chary said the corridor is great idea to [...]

By smadi66|October 31st, 2014|Geotechnical Engineer Indiana, Geotechnical Engineer Indianapolis, Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection indianapolis, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

Five Cities Turning Ugly Overpasses Into Vibrant Parks

It seemed like a good idea at the time, right? We'd build vast, multi-lane roads slicing through the center of our cities, bulldozing our most historic architecture and displacing tens of thousands of residents at a time, all in the name of progress. 50 years later these genius improvements have severed our neighborhoods, ruined our air, and may not even have helped that much in the way of traffic. So why have a freeway exposed like a gaping, oozing urban wound when you can put a park on it? Freeway cap parks (or highway cap parks, or turnpike cap parks, depending on your preferred regional dialect and/or toll system) are the hot new way for cities to dial down the noise, pollution and blight that come with those pesky interstates. Facing rapidly growing populations as more people move back into urban areas, many cities across the country are looking at them as a way to quickly reclaim valuable public space. It's not a new idea, of course. Freeway cap parks have been around for as long as freeways. Technically, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, where the BQE tucks under a pedestrian walkway, is a freeway cap dating to the 1950s. Seattle's too-aptly-named Freeway Park (above) was constructed in 1976 as a Brutalist wonderland where the sound of waterfalls (almost) drown out the 5 Freeway below. In Phoenix, the 10 Freeway was routed into a tunnel when it was built in 1990 and Margaret T. Hance Park was built on top. Boston's elevated freeway, the Central Artery, was replaced by an underground freeway with a greenway at street level But freeway caps have come a long way in the last 2o years. Capping, or adding "decking" to the freeway, can be more time- and cost-effective than other redevelopment plans (Dallas built theirs [...]

By smadi66|October 31st, 2014|Geotechnical Engineer Indiana, Geotechnical Engineer Indianapolis, Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection indianapolis, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

How to Go About Burying 16,000-Ton Tunnel Segments Under a River

Throughout the summer, six large barge-like vessels floated out of Baltimore's harbor. These weren't boats, they were giant concrete tubes, destined for a tunnel in Southern Virginia that will expand a busy subterranean highway that connects two parts of the state. This week, those tunnel segments will start to be installed under the Elizabeth River and engineering firm Skanska has released detailed information about how exactly they are burying those 16,000-ton tunnel segments below a muddy riverbed. The Elizabeth River Tunnels is a transportation project launched in 2011 to double the capacity of the existing Midtown Tunnel, which connects the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia by car. It's one of the largest infrastructure projects currently happening in the U.S. But it's also in an extremely sensitive ecological region—the Elizabeth is the same river that's part of a larger restoration program to clean and repair the watershed that I've written about before. The project needs to have as light a touch on the surrounding environment as possible. Since the tunnel segments were cast in Baltimore, the first step for the journey was to transport those segments almost 220 miles away. Obviously the 350-foot-long concrete tubes were far too heavy (and inefficient) to haul via truck, so engineers used the river's natural transportation power. The segments were closed off on one side so they could float like barges, heading out the Chesapeake Bay and back up the Elizabeth River, where a trench awaited the segments' arrival. The rest of the action goes on underwater, so Skanska created an infographic to illustrate the process. First, 40,000 tons of aggregate and sand are dropped into the trench, where they're graded down to a tolerance of one inch by a kind of sand-plow device suspended from above. Then, the actions used to make the [...]

By smadi66|October 31st, 2014|Geotechnical Engineer Indiana, Geotechnical Engineer Indianapolis, Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection indianapolis, Construction Inspection Indiana, Tunneling|0 Comments

Landslide in Washington State

Landslide in Washington State USGS is working with partners to provide up-to-date information. Photograph from an aerial survey showing the extent and impacts from the landslide in northwest Washington that occurred on March 22, 2014. The survey was conducted by the Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, USGS, and King County Sheriff’s Office. A large landslide occurred in northwest Washington at about 10:37 am PDT on Saturday, March 22, 2014. Multiple casualties are confirmed as a direct result of the landslide and many people remain missing. Landslide debris covered about 30 houses and 0.8 miles of State Route 530. What Happened The landslide occurred in an area of known landslide activity, but this time the slide was much larger, traveled much further, and had greater destructive force than previously experienced. Precipitation in the area in February and March was 150 to 200% of the long-term average, and likely contributed to landslide initiation. The slide took place along the edge of a plateau about 600 feet high composed of glacial sediments. The volume of the slide is estimated to be about 10 million cubic yards, and it traveled about 0.7 miles from the toe of the slope. This travel distance is about three times longer than expected based on published information regarding previous slides of this height and volume worldwide. If the landslide had behaved in the expected range, it would have likely blocked the river and possibly destroyed a few houses. Instead it led to tragic loss of life and destruction of property. Flow also dammed and temporarily blocked the upper part of the North Fork Stillaguamish River. A pool of water formed behind the debris dam, which flooded houses and other structures. There were initial fears that the debris dam would create a flood hazard downstream if the dam were breached, but a catastrophic dam breach is now considered unlikely. Currently, [...]

By smadi66|April 8th, 2014|Landslides|0 Comments

Mysterious object obstructs the world’s largest TBM in Seattle

SEATTLE -- Bertha, Seattle's tunnel-boring machine, is officially stuck. According to a spokesperson with the Washington Department of Transportation, the giant drill hit some kind of obstruction and can't move through it or past it. WSDOT says the trouble started Friday when Bertha's five-story tall cutter head felt some resistance, then stopped. WSDOT says engineers with Seattle Tunnel Partners, the company in charge of building the viaduct replacement tunnel, have been consulting with other experts to identify the obstruction - whether it's natural or manmade. They say Bertha wasn't damaged in any way. They're keeping her idle until they decide whether crews need to dig the obstruction out from above or if Bertha can charge through it. Bertha has dug 1,000 feet of tunnel since July. She's sitting 60-feet underground between South Jackson Street and South Main Street among a mix of native dirt and fill tossed into place from as early as the 1800s. She has just 450 more feet to travel before leaving that fill behind. It will also mark the end of phase one in the $4 billion tunnel project that will stretch 1.7 miles from adjacent to Safeco Field to Battery Street. WSDOT doesn't know how long Bertha will remain stuck, but they say it's too early to say whether the delay will affect the project's bottom line or it's scheduled opening in late 2015.

By smadi66|December 19th, 2013|Tunneling|0 Comments

Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up – Impressive collection of sinkhole incidents with photos

Sinkholes: When the Earth Opens Up - Impressive collection of sinkhole incidents with photos The ground beneath our feet, our cars, our buildings, appears to be incredibly solid. But, rarely, that solid ground can simply open up without warning, dropping whatever was above into an unpredictably deep.hole. Sinkholes can be anywhere from a few feet wide and deep, to two thousand feet in diameter and depth. An undiscovered cavern or deep mine can collapse, allowing the ground above to crater, or a broken water main or heavy storm can erode a hole from below, until the surface becomes a thin shell that collapses at once. Communities built atop karst formations are very susceptible, where a layer of bedrock is water-soluble, like limestone, and natural processes can wear away caves and fissures, weakening support of the ground above. Gathered here are images of some of these sinkholes, both man-made and natural, around the world. [28 photos] A car at the bottom of a sinkhole caused by a broken water line in Toledo, Ohio on July 3, 2013. Police say the driver, 60-year-old Pamela Knox of Toledo, was shaken up and didn't appear hurt butwas taken to a hospital as a precaution. Fire officials told a local TV station that a water main break caused the large hole. (AP Photo/Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld, Toledo Fire and Rescue) A Toledo firefighter rescues Pamela Knox after a massive sinkhole opened up underneath her car in Toledo, Ohio, on July 3, 2013. (Reuters/Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld/Toledo Fire and Rescue) A Los Angeles fireman looks under a fire truck stuck in a sinkhole in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, on September 8, 2009. Four firefighters escaped injury early Tuesday after their fire engine sunk into a large hole caused by a burst [...]

By smadi66|August 30th, 2013|Sinkholes|0 Comments

Construction Inspections Explained – Terre Haute, Indiana

Construction inspections explained Inspections required for new construction Updated: Friday, 02 Aug 2013, 6:56 PM EDT Published : Friday, 02 Aug 2013, 4:50 PM EDT TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The City of Terre Haute has condemned the building that collapsed Wednesday , injuring two construction workers. The City now wants some conditions met before construction of Moe's Southwest Grill can resume. "We have notified the contractor and told them before they can proceed and before we can lift the condemnation, we need a plan, their plan for moving forward,” said City Engineer, Chuck Ennis. Once the plan is approved, construction can resume. At what point in the construction process remains to be seen. Ennis says it's possible the contractor may be required to tear down the walls already built, and go from there. On Wednesday, the Terre Haute Fire Department told us crews were installing a truss system when the accident happened, bringing down the entire structure. That prompted us to ask Ennis about inspections on the project. He said the project had passed two initial inspections, but construction had not yet reached the point a third inspection was required. "We did a footing inspection, and we also did an inspection of the underground materials," Ennis said. "The plumbing and electrical was brought in below grade, under the floor. They were in the process of framing when the accident happened." Meanwhile, OSHA paid a visit to the site Thursday to begin its own investigation into the accident. Its inspectors will determine whether the contractor followed its guidelines for safe construction. In other words, this investigation is far from over, meaning the aftermath of the accident is all we'll see here for the time being. The designs for all commercial and apartment buildings must first receive state approval before local [...]

By smadi66|August 6th, 2013|Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection indianapolis, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

Downtown Storm Sewer Work Ready To Rev Up (VIDEO) | Indiana’s NewsCenter: News, Sports, Weather, Fort Wayne WPTA-TV, WISE-TV, and CW | Local

Downtown Storm Sewer Work Ready To Rev Up (VIDEO) By Emma Koch By Jeff Neumeyer July 29, 2013 Updated Jul 29, 2013 at 5:32 PM EDT Powered by Translate FORT WAYNE, Indiana Short-term pain for long-term gain. A major downtown Fort Wayne storm sewer project is about to get launched, reducing sewage overflows into the St. Marys River. Digital Daily – subscribe to our daily newsletter But the work will snarl traffic on many downtown streets for awhile. Impatient motorists may want to take a deep breath before entering the downtown area once this all gets started. A stretch of Fairfield Avenue will be closed down entirely from September through mid-November, as crews dig up several streets to install new sewer pipes. A $2-million contract could be awarded this week to reduce sewage overflows. New sewer pipes will be buried under Main Street, Pearl Street, Harrison and a handful of others. The new lines will hook into a main trunk line that was laid down beneath Ewing Street a few years back. Businesses in the area are bracing for traffic headaches and the potential for lost revenues while the work is underway. The agency named Stop Child Abuse and Neglect, or "SCAN", is very close to where the traffic tie-ups will be happening. About 200 children and their families each week drop in to the agency for court-ordered services. " This is a busy, hopping place right here at the corner of Fairfield and Main, but we will let families know via posting things, sending updates to them," said Jennifer Boen with SCAN. " There will be some issues with traffic, you know, anytime you have progress like this and try to improve things, there's always some downsides temporarily, but it's worth it, it's going to be worth it in [...]

By smadi66|July 30th, 2013|Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

Construction worker rescued from trench in Northern Indiana

Updated: Friday, 05 Jul 2013, 7:36 AM EDT SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Northern Indiana authorities have rescued a construction worker who fell into a trench and became buried in dirt up to his chest. South Bend Fire Chief Steve Cox says Wednesday evening's rescue was a "delicate, deliberate" task because the man had become mired in the trench at a sewer construction site. He tells the South Bend Tribune that after the man fell into the hole and became trapped, emergency crews had to shore up the area around the trapped worker. Cox declined to identify the worker, but he said the man was alert and conscious throughout his ordeal. Cox says the man was taken to a local hospital for observation.

By smadi66|July 10th, 2013|Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

Trial over Carmel’s Palladium defects delayed; new allegations likely | 2013-06-07 | Indianapolis Business Journal | IBJ.com – Construction Inspection

Attorneys for the Michigan contractor being sued over construction defects at Carmel’s Palladium concert hall have asked a Hamilton County court to halt repair work immediately to preserve evidence in the case. Indianapolis-based Kightlinger & Gray LLP filed a motion Thursday in Hamilton Superior Court requesting an emergency order to stop ongoing remediation, saying Steel Supply & Engineering Co.’s engineers need to examine the roof trusses to defend the company against new allegations. A trial on construction defects had been scheduled for next week, but recently was postponed until December. Construction of the $119 million Palladium stopped for about three months in 2009 after an inspection revealed a rip in the structural steel supporting the venue’s domed roof. Work resumed after extensive repairs. The Carmel Redevelopment Commission sued Steel Supply in 2011, alleging that the company failed to properly fabricate steel for the project. The commission is seeking about $5 million in damages. Steel Supply has denied liability, laying the blame on the project engineer’s design, which it says caused some of the steel columns supporting the roof to fail. The defense team discovered and reported new potential problems with the roof trusses in January, during the legal discovery process, and city consultants came up with a remediation plan in March. In April, the city said the venue would undergo another $140,000 in repairs, and crews have been working around its performance schedule to weld stiffeners and small plates into place. That work should be done next week, according to Thursday’s court filing, but Steel Supply has not had access to the engineering analysis that led to the repairs and has not been able to inspect the structural steel. Court records also indicate that fireproofing planned for the area following remediation will prevent further review of the area. [...]

By smadi66|June 7th, 2013|Geotechnical Indiana, Construction Inspection indianapolis, Construction Inspection Indiana|0 Comments

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