Keeping It Together
A new framing system for precast concrete columns and beams will allow tall buildings to withstand large earthquakes without damage to the structural integrity of the building. By using...
Return of the Master Builder
As projects become more complex and clients demand streamlined design and construction approaches, more consulting companies are attempting to add hard-dollar construction to their scope....
Box Girder Balancing Act
On November 18, 1999, cranes lowered into place the last of 202 precast concrete segments that form the main span of the new Sagadahoc Bridge, a $46.6 million crossing that boasts the...
Sum of the Parts
As with all of the bay bridges that serve as life lines to the San Francisco peninsula, the 32-year-old San Mateo Bridge needs strengthening to withstand a maximum credible earthquake...
Branching Out (Available in Structural Engineering Special Issue only)
The Cologne/Bonn Airport in Germany is currently undergoing its biggest construction project to date: a $200 million, five-story addition. Close and productive collaboration between the...
New Bern Bypass
To alleviate congestion and offer tourists easier access to their destinations, the North Carolina Department of Transportation decided to reroute U.S. Route 17 out of the historic town...
On Martian Soil
Discussions are ongoing about how and when to build human settlements on other worlds. Many scientific discussions have focused on settlements on Mars, and how the initial colonists would...
Casino Connection
New Jersey's $330-million, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector will provide easy access to gambling casinos when it is completed in May 2001 and is one of the...
Fast-Track Funding
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has implemented one of the most innovative highway and bridge construction programs in the United States. With creative financing and contracting,...
The Berlin Local Transport Company (BVG): A Part of Berlin
Public transport was in existence in Berlin for more than 150 years. Buses, trams, and underground trains were combined in a single company, whose initials BVG became part of Berlin. As...
Third World Markets: Anticipating the Risks
The market for construction in lesser-developed nations is estimated at $750 billion. Clearly, these nations represent an important emerging market for engineering and construction firms,...
Re-Creating the Rainbow Bridge
A team of American and Chinese experts constructed a pier-free arch bridge in China based only on a 12th century...
High-Performance Hybrid
The Nebraska Department of Roads is taking advantage of the new high-performance steel (HPS) to develop a modular, two-girder bridge that will employ standardized hybrid HPS components,...
Suspension Solution
The new bridge across the Carquinez Strait near San Francisco, California, will upgrade an important transportation link across the Sacramento River. This new bridge, which renders the...
Safety in a Designer's Hands
Although contractors face safety issues every day, engineers and architects have traditionally not addressed construction site safety in project designs. But there are design practices...
The Final Connection
In 1969, New York City Transit (NYCT) began construction of a new subway to link Manhattan to east Queens. But funding issues prevented this 63rd Street Line from being completed as planned...
Historical Sediment Budget Analysis of the Malibu Coastline
Sediment supply to the Malibu coastline has been continually decreasing since development began in the Santa Monica Mountains in the 1880's due to dam construction for irrigation and recreation,...
Making Way for Runways
New runway construction at major U.S. airports is not only about landing more airplanes, it's about moving communities, spanning or moving interstate highways, and hauling...
Wireless Warnings
Formwork failures cause dozens of construction-related deaths per year, but most can be avoided by adequate monitoring. The problem is, most monitors must be hard-wired to a computer on...
Tight Squeeze
The Newark, New Jersey Route 21 Viaduct Replacement is a massive, $250 million highway improvement program being undertaken by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Michael Baker...
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