South Africa at the Crossroads
With the provisional decision to hold its first democratic elections in 1944, South Africa has reached the most crucial moment in its history, one on which its economic and social development...
Arches For A Parkway
The final phase of construction on the Natchez Trace Parkway (which follows a centuries-old 450 mi trail between Natchez, Miss. and Nashville, Tenn.) is nearing completion almost 60 years...
What Sank the Lacey Murrow?
This month marks the third anniversary of the sinking of the Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge near Seattle, Wash., in the midst of a major rehabilitation project. Early on Nov. 25, 1990,...
Keeping the Books: A Taxing Task
Keeping two sets of financial books used to be considered a criminal act. Now it may mean survival for building contractors. Construction contractors are faced with the challenge of following...
Conquering China: The Canadian Combination
Canadian architectural/engineering firms are doing hundreds of millions of dollars of consulting business in the People's Republic of China. Their advantages include well-connected...
Dispute Avoidance
Dispute avoidance is not something that begins at ground breaking. Dispute avoidance is not a technique that helps you resolve the inevitable problems that arise during construction. Dispute...
Dispute Resolution
No matter how responsible the consulting engineer, certain disputes will arise that are simply unavoidable. The consulting engineer interacts with a number of parties, including owners,...
U.S. Government Contracting
This chapter includes points to keep in mind when negotiations are with the government....
Appendix C: Checklist on How to Break Contract Deadlocks
Back matter pages come after the papers or chapters in a published work. This back matter contains a checklist on how to break contract deadlocks....
Pricing Armor Rock for Rubble Mound Breakwaters
The pricing of armor rock by breakwater contractors is an inexact exercise. Each breakwater project is so site specific that standard costing methods are difficult to apply. The wide range...
RCC Dam Construction?A Contractor's View
A contractor's view of RCC dam construction is presented. It begins with the principal construction elements and the challenge created by their interrelationships. Men and...
Economic Factors in Roller Compacted Concrete Dam Construction
This paper deals with some of the economic factors that designers and contractors need to consider in the design and execution of an RCC dam. Costs for the RCC portion of the Upper Stillwater...
Ethical, Legal and Professional Responsibilities of Engineers to Owners and Contractors
Engineers are under legal, professional, ethical and moral duties to protect owners, contractors and third parties, including the general public against injuries and deaths and economic...
Sandbridge Virginia Oceanfront Seawall Arbitration Hearing: Some Lessons Learned for Coastal Engineers
A group of beach property homeowners claimed that their new oceanfront seawall was defective in design. A beefed-up design cost about $1.3 million more and they sought this amount from...
A New Fast Track for Public Works
Most public contracts are still awarded to the lowest bidder, but some states are experimenting with other approaches for complex projects. In Oregon, officials facing a tight deadline...
Howdy, Partner
Litigation has long been a nemesis to the construction industry. In recent years, contractors and owners have used innovative alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques, such as arbitration,...
Life in the Fast Track
Through innovative financing and skillful construction management, Oklahoma is proving that transportation megaprojects are still possible, even during an economic downturn. The result...
Motown Tunneling
When finished in 1993, Wayne County Michigan's $69 million wastewater treatment/sewer project will link outlying areas such as Dearborn with sewage treatment facilities in...
Project Management: Keys to Success
Successful construction projects can be traced to several key factors observed by the owner, the AE and the contractor. They include: 1) Goals and commitment of the managing partners agreed...
Construction Approach to Denver International Airport
The new Denver International Airport, a $2.7 billion project, is being designed and constructed under the oversight and guidance of a Program Management Team (PMT) led by the City and...
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