Risk-based Methods for Geotechnical Features in Transportation Asset Management
The purpose of asset management is to meet life cycle performance goals through the management of assets in the most cost-effective manner. In developing risk-based, asset management plans...
Beer's Secret Ingredient: geology
As anyone in the beer business should know, water -- and what's in the water, courtesy of the geology through which it percolates -- can make all the difference in an end...
The Transbay Transit Center: Breaking New Ground in Urban Geotechnics
A building boom centered around the construction of the new Transbay Transit Center (TTC) is transforming the South of Market neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, newly dubbed the Transbay...
People Matters – Building Careers and Developing Leadership
This fifth article in the Business of Geotechnics series addresses personnel matters in private-sector engineering and consulting (E&C) firms. I'll be discussing the...
Communicating Risk in Geotechnical Engineering Practice
Three project situations are articulated with specific emphasis on an element of uncertainty or risk unique to each....
What the Future Holds for Geoengineering Firms and Their People
In this sixth and final article of the Business of Geotechnics series, the author offers his thoughts on the direction of the U.S. geoengineering business sector over the next 10 to 20...
Geotechnical IT Revolution: Intelligent Compaction and Beyond
The explosion of innovative developments in the IT industry is making many of us geotechnical engineers green with envy. We want some new technology, too! Luckily, advances in sensors...
Good Clients, Good Procurements, and the Importance of Quality Work
This fourth article in the Business of Geotechnics series addresses a number of topics related to engineering and consulting (E&C) firm clients and obtaining work from them. The...
Karst-Related Sinkholes: Dynamic Compaction as an Effective Remediation Option
The paramount issue to address before constructing at sites underlain by karst topography is identification and remediation of sinkholes which exist close to the surface, and specifically...
Geotechnical Design Over Karst. It's All About the Water
Karst is a type of topography which is formed over soluble rocks, such as limestone, dolomite, or gypsum. An irregular bedrock surface is typical of most karst areas, along with sinkholes,...
Improving Construction Quality by Seeing What's Hidden Underground
One of the challenges of deep foundation projects is the inability to see what's being built at depth. Construction is hidden below ground, in soil or rock conditions that...
Data Management System and Construction Monitoring Results from Wolf Creek Dam Rehabilitation
A review of the rehabilitation of Wolf Creek Dam and the Wolf Creek Information Management System (WCIMS), a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based application that was developed to...
The Future of Underground Construction Monitoring
In the past 15 years, the tools and techniques used to monitor the performance of existing ground and surrounding structures during construction have improved significantly. Practice is...
Transbay Transit Center: Innovations in Automated Monitoring
The new Transbay Transit Center will include a multimodal terminal serving 11 transit systems and future high-speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim. This is an ambitious,...
Sustainable Development — A Geotechnical Perspective
Sustainability has become a key factor in major construction projects these days, and many geotechnical engineers have started focusing on the concept. Owners, public agencies, and the...
Sinkhole Investigation and Grouting: Novel Recommendations for a Pipeline Right-of-Way
In 2009, numerous sinkholes developed within and adjacent to a 400-ft-long section of high-pressure, petroleum pipeline right-of-way that crosses under a local creek in Plymouth Meeting,...
Asset Management of Earth Retaining Structures: Design through Design Life
Regarding new earth retaining structures (ERS) construction, the message is clear: plan for asset management. New construction is certainly not immune to performance issues, and the time...
Support of Excavation Challenges and Solutions at a Manhattan Excavation Site
This article discusses the challenges and alternate solutions encountered in 2012 during support of excavation operations at a medical center project site in Manhattan, NY. The project...
Ground Freezing in a Congested Urban Area
Artificial ground freezing is a method of providing temporary earth support and ground water control for deep excavations and tunnels. The technique has been used for over 100 years in...
A Probabilistic Approach to Karstic Foundation Variability
Karst is a landscape formed in soluble rocks caused by movement of water that has become slightly acidic. Limestone, dolomite, and gypsum are vulnerable to these influences and may be...
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