Light Rail Gains New Momentum
Light rail, which evolved from the old trolley lines, is staging a comeback in U.S. cities. Light rail is a fixed guideway, operator controlled system, offering an alternative to heavy...
Building on Air
Copley Place, a $500 million hotel/retail/office/residential complex, was built on air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike and an adjacent railroad in Boston. Two hotels occupy land...
Temperature Effects on Lasers
While lasers have markedly improved the accuracy of engineering, air temperature gradients can reduce that drastically. Based on a sewer project that used lasers to align all the pipe,...
Superhydro
In 1986, when its six turbine/pump-generator/motor units will be in operation, the Bath County Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in Virginia will be the world's largest....
Taj Mahals in the Desert
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has just opened two major international airports and is in the process of building a third. These are unusual projects in that designers and contractors were...
Alluvial Fans: Novel Flood Challenge
After disastrous floods hit Cabazon, Calif., engineers faced the challenge of balancing concerns about protecting property and life (by limiting or prohibiting construction) against the...
Highway Capacity Manual Revisited
The forthcoming third edition of this manual of highway and traffic engineering, due in 1985, will significantly change how highway capacity is analyzed. Of the edition's...
Itaipu, South America's Grande Dame
When fully operational, the Itaipu hydropower project, located along the Parana River between Brazil and Paraguay, will be the world's largest. In 1989, it is expected to...
Retaining Walls: Competition or Anarchy?
Until the last 10 years, when a retaining wall was needed a cast-in-place concrete gravity or cantilever wall was used. Then along came Reinforced Earth, and this proprietary system began...
Prestressed Concrete Pavements: Status Report
Prestressed concrete is cost-competitive with and requires less maintenance than conventional concrete, but acceptance of prestressed pavements in this country has been slow. While Europe...
Project Documentation and Management Using Jobsite Microcomputers
The use of onsite microcomputers to handle the project documentation tasks of labor, equipment, and material logs, correspondence, daily diaries and inspection reports will enable project...
Use of LP: An Aggregate Blending Example
The use of well known linear programs which in the past were largely confined to relatively limited mainframe usage, for the management of engineered construction is explored using a well...
Computers in the Construction Resident Office
The application of small computers to the management and control of construction projects is obvious. However, what benefits could be realized from their application in a resident office,...
Computer Estimating System-Design / Implementation
The Ball, Ball and Brosamer (BBB) Construction Company of Danville, California recognized the need to computerize their estimating process in the fall of 1981. This paper is a narrative...
Organizational Adaptation to Small Computers
The organizational changes associated with the introduction of mini- and micro-computers into firms in the construction industry is addressed in this paper. A review of the general management...
Financing and Charges for Wastewater Systems
A general overview of the current practices and procedures that should be considered for financing and charges for wastewater collection and treatment systems is presented. The publication...
Calendar: A 1985 Calendar of Bridge Photographs
Featured bridges are: Golden Gate Bridge (CA); Richmond . San Rafael Bridge (CA); Market Street Bridge (PA); Alsea Bay Bridge (OR); Longview Bridge (WA); Tyrone Bridge (KY); Newport Bridge...
Working Abroad? What About Taxes?
Highlights of the 1981 Tax Act are explained. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 was intended to simplify the calculations required to arrive at taxable income both for citizens abroad...
Inspecting Buildings During Construction: Are We Doing a Good Enough Job?
Everyone agrees that inspecting buildings during their construction is important�and that it could be done a lot better than in the past. Suggestions for improving inspection practice...
Reagan's Lopsided Energy R&D Policy: Peril to U.S. Security?
The Reagan Administration has made (or proposed) some major shifts in the country's energy policy. It believes the federal energy research and development program should be...
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