Connecting Continents: Challenges of the Eurasia Tunnel in Istanbul
The Eurasia Tunnel, the first bored tunnel crossing of the Istanbul Strait (Bosphorus) in Istanbul, Turkey, is a site that presents many unique challenges, including very poor ground conditions, unusually...
Advances In Geosynthetic Solutions For Sustainable Landfill Design: Geosynthetics Really Do Last!
Even though geosynthetics are now a well-established discipline within geotechnical engineering, ingenuity continues to play a significant role in projects involving their use. This is because it’s possible...
Embracing Disruption
The benefits of strategically embracing technology research and development within architecture, engineering, or construction companies’ business models are varied. But at its core, doing so can enable...
A Moving Mystery
Along the southeastern edge of California’s Salton Sea, there are areas that contain geothermal mud pots and mud volcanoes—Geological features that may change shape, but never location. In 2016, a large,...
Restoration Through Reclamation
The people of the Netherlands have a long history of reclaiming land from the sea. In one of the lasted examples, the construction of an artificial archipelago represents a remarkable collaboration among...
Crossing the Forth
Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinburgh and the Kingdom of Fife. Built at a cost of $1.89 billion in six and a half years, the 1.6 mi long cable-stayed bridge, with...
Designing Secret Cities
Before the U.S. government could develop the first atomic bombs in World War II, it first had to design and construct three “secret cities” at which that work would be completed. Created almost entirely...
Arena of Books
The new Qatar National Library features a folded design with cantilevered corners on the exterior, while inside, an enormous single space for reading or socializing offers terraces stacked with bookshelves....
Rapid Recovery
In May 2017, the California Department of Transportation had to contend with a massive landslide that closed a section of the iconic State Route 1 through central California’s scenic coastal region of...
What Lies Ahead?
How will trends in climate change, alternative energy, high-tech construction, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and public funding affect communities, infrastructure, and the practice of civil engineering...
Sustainability and Resilience in Transportation Infrastructure Geotechnics: Integrating Advanced Technologies for Better Asset Management
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, enumerates 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be achieved by the member countries...
Oroville Dam Spillway Incident: Putting Community Safety First While Investigating the Cause
The Oroville Dam, and its associated reservoir and hydropower plant facility, is located on the Feather River in Northern California and is owned and operated by the State of California, Department of...
The New Lightweight Contender: Ultra-lightweight Foamed Glass Aggregate Finds the U.S. Market
Geotechnical engineers are often confronted with sites where the existing soil is prone to settlement or where there are subsurface utilities sensitive to additional load. If relocation or realignment...
Lightweight Alternatives for Embankments on Soft Ground: A Focus on Railway Systems
Lightweight material for civil engineering application is primarily used for accelerated roadway and bridge approach construction, settlement mitigation, utility and tunnel abandonment, reduction of static...
Properties of Biochar-Amended Highway Soils: Biochar – An Eco-friendly Geomaterial
Historically, geotechnical engineers have designed or modified soils and sediments to achieve particular strength, volume change, or flow characteristics. For example, lime and fly ash have been used to...
What to Do about an Awakened Ancient Landslide: Solving a 75-Year-Old Problem along America’s First Super Highway
In school, we all learned that several factors can contribute to cause a mass of earth to landslide. But with more experience, it becomes clear that these factors must work together to mobilize a landslide....
Proactive Management of Landslide- and Rockfall-Prone Slopes: A New Program for Federal Land Management Agencies
Most people realize that the nation's transportation infrastructure is aging faster than federal, state, and local governments can manage with traditional methods. In fact, a national and international...
Paleoflood Analyses For Dam and Levee Safety Assessments: Was that Really the "500-Year Flood"?
What is paleoflood hydrology? How are paleofloods analyzed? What are common paleoflood results? What are the implications of paleoflood analyses?...
When Bridges, Roadways, and Dams Need Our Help: Innovative Techniques Can Help Save Our Nation's Critical Infrastructure
The nation's infrastructure is showing its age. The signs are obvious with structure distress, lack of functionality, and failure reported frequently over the last several decades. Specialty geotechnical...
Supporting A National Treasure: Spruce Tree House Alcove Arch Stabilization
Mesa Verse National Park, located in southwestern Colorado, honors the cultural significance of the fantastic cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people, who lived in the area from AD 600 to 1300....
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