How Texas got a New Highway Plan and More Construction Dollars
Texas has a new highway system plan, a new systems approach to highway design and about $300 million a year increase in highway funds over the next 20 years. Here are two articles that...
Structural Design of Tall Steel Buildings
This is the second in the ASCE five-volume Tall Building series. It is a comprehensive reference record and guide to the design and behavior of tall steel buildings. The volume is divided...
Construction Risks and Liability Sharing
Extensive litigation, large claims, construction conflicts and long delays have been increasing at an alarming rate during the past decade the trend is unmistakable and the dollar magnitude,...
101 Uses for Earth Reinforcement
A mini-symposium on earth reinforcement held at the April 1978 ASCE national convention attracted participants from around the world; symposium papers form the basis of this paper. Methods...
Seepage Cutoff Wall Installed Through Dam is Construction First
A new construction technique has been developed which provides a permanent solution to the foundation problems at Wolf Creek Dam. Muddy flows and sinkholes discovered in 1968 led to a...
Faults in Swedish and American Tunnel Practice: A Fable
Swedish and American practices in dealing with unanticipated geological conditions encountered during tunnel construction are contrasted. Swedish practice, illustrated with an actual example,...
Steel Plate Shear Walls Resist Lateral Load, Cut Costs
Two new buildings have a seldom-used stiffening system�� steel plate shear walls. Reasons for using them, rather than reinforced concrete shear walls or steel or concrete rigid frames,...
Highway History: Modern Turnpike Era Recounted
Early history of the development of revenue bond financing of transportation projects is outlined including advances in engineering technique and policies. The origins of the original...
Ontario Writes New Bridge Code
In 1976, Ontario's Ministry of Transportation and Communications decided to write its own bridge design code, breaking away from the AASHTO code, because: (1)It wanted a metric...
Top-to-Bottom Construction in High-Rise Buildings
This top-to-bottom construction method, called jackblock is a cousin of lift-slab. The main components are the jack and concrete block, hence the name. The top story of a building is constructed...
Design and Construction of Long-Span Metal Culverts
Long-span metal culverts are built of corrugated-metal plates bolted together. They have spans exceeding 15 ft. Principal applications include use as drainage structures, grade separations,...
World's Tallest Offshore Platform Stands in 1025 Ft of Water
During the summer and fall of 1977 and 1978, Shell Oil installed the world's deepest drilling and production platform in water. Located in 1025-ft of water at the Cognac tract...
Construction Risk: Who Pays�
A report is given on the January 1979 Construction Risk and Liability Sharing Conference sponsored by ASCE's Construction Division Committees on Contract Administration and...
Underground Buildings Save Energy
While properly designed underground buildings use less energy for heating and cooling, that's not always the reason they're underground. For example, San Francisco's...
Washington METRO: A People's Eye View
Much has been written about the technical aspects of this 101 mile, 86 station system. But as important in Washington, D.C. were the political aspects. Backed by Presidents; scrutinized...
Largest Inverted Shell Houses Two Theaters
A meeting center in Albany, New York, has such a complex shape that it took months just to design its surface mathematically. Perched on a pedestal, it is nearly elliptical in plan. From...
Modern Engineering Saves Troubled Dam
A badly deteriorated and potentially unsafe dam has been recycled. The 135-ft-high, 300-ft-long LaPrele Dam is a concrete slab-and-buttress structure. Its sloping face slab has leaked...
Space: A Place to Work
An overview of the nation's space program as space shuttle capability nears reality. The cargo truck aspects of the shuttle will transform our efforts in space. In the near...
Coming This Year: Reusable Link with Space
Scheduled for launch in early 1980, the Space Shuttle is the first reusable space vehicle. It will reduce space flight cost, saving an estimated $11.2 billion between 1980 and 1991. This...
Building Skyscrapers in Orbit
NASA plans to build a host of large structures (communications antennas, remote-sensing radiometers, solar power satellites, etc.) in space. Three ways to build them are: (1)Fabricate...
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