The Coastal Zone: Battleground and Classroom
The coastal zone of the nation is becoming the battleground for opposing energy and environmental interests. The Coastal Zone Management Law of 1972 asked that each state prepare a coastal...
$70 Million for Dam Inspection
In 1972, Congress passed the National Dam Inspection Act, requiring the U.S. Corps of Engineers to inspect and inventory all dams in the United States; but few dams were inspected. Then...
Full-Depth, Full-Width Design, and Prestressed Concrete Pave the Way for Arizona's Highways
In an attempt to resolve design problems of Arizona's non-reinforced portland cement concrete pavements, a series of test installations are being made involving a comparison...
Mammoth Construction Jobs: How to Speed Them, Cut Costs�
Not a few massive construction projects in such fields as mass transit, water resources, and power plants are suffering greatly from inflated costs and long delays. Among reasons are the...
Flood Control Planning in Albuquerque
In 1973, a 42-mi� area adjacent to Albuquerque, New Mexico, was about one-third developed, and drainage problems were evident. The area is on an alluvial fan at the foot of the Sandia...
The Story Behind the New Clean Water Act of 1977
The Clean Water Act of 1977 keeps intact the basic principles of the strong Water Pollution Control Act (PL 92-500) of 1972. Because of the shear magnitude of upgrading the nation's...
Trans Alaska Pipeline
This is one of the most extraordinary projects contending for the OCEA awards. Examples: the 360 mile haul road built in one summer; the 29 construction camps, self-contained cities to...
Newark Airport Pilots Cost-Saving Runway Paving Concept
The NYC Met Section nominee for the 1978 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award was the expansion of Newark International Airport. The $200 million redevelopment included a new...
Isn't a Subway for Washington, D.C., Just the Thing�
After 100 years of dreaming and 10 years of design and construction, more than 22 miles and 28 stations of the Washington, D.C., Metro are now in revenue operation. When completed in 1983,...
The Renaissance of Downtown Detroit
The Detroit Renaissance Center consists of a 70-story hotel (one of the world's tallest) and 4 39 story office towers, plus restaurants, retail stores, and movie theaters....
Los Angeles Reservoir is Safe From Earthquakes
The Los Angeles Reservoir was nominated for the 1978 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award. The reservoir, which replaces the Van Norman Reservoir damaged during the 1971 San...
Minority Consulting Engineers Speak Out
A sampling of opinion from the point of view of black consulting engineers. Quota systems are discussed as are financial problems, attitudes of banks, joint-ventures, abuse of minority-participation...
Chicago Sanitary District Pioneers in Controlling Flooding, Water Pollution
Chicago's Metropolitan Sanitary District is a national leader in at least four areas: (1)Controlling overflows of combined sewers. Chicago's answer to this problem...
On Getting Foreign Jobs: Does Uncle Sam Help or Hinder
With his broad overview of the Washington scene, CIVIL ENGINEERING's Gene Halmos sought to get a reading on whether the U.S. government helps or hinders this country's...
Reliability and Limit States Approaches to Design
Increasingly, designers of structures and other civil engineering projects will be designing in these ways. What is the reliability approach? It is based in part on the fact that the magnitude...
Weather Modification Could Solve Some Water Resource Problems
On July 12, 1978 the Weather Modification Advisory Board submitted its final report to the Secretary of Commerce. The report proposes a national program for weather resources management,...
Florida Sewage Plant First to Remove Nutrients with Bacteria Alone�� No Need for Costly Chemicals
Palmetto, Florida is now constructing the first advanced wastewater treatment plant in the U.S. to use the Bardenpho process. Unlike other AWT processes, this ingenious plant removes pohosphorus...
Germany, Belgium and Los Angeles have Mandatory Design Review for Major Structures
The report of the engineering investigation into the causes of the collapse of the Hartford Coliseum space truss cited design deficiencies as the cause of failure. That report also says...
Causes of NY Financial Crisis
New York City's recent financial crisis was brought on by several factors. The main long-range cause was the out-migration of middle-income people (taxpayers) and the in-migration...
How New York City Can Be Restored to Economic Health
To be restored to economic and fiscal health, New York City will have to make some fundamental reforms. The overall strategy is to obtain slack resources, then to invest these resources...
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