Public Works articles from April 2004

Public Works archives from April 2004

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... * May 16-22, National Public Works Week (NPWW). Instituted as a public education campaign by the American Public Works Association (APWA) in 1960, this week-long celebration calls attention to the importance of public works in community life....

E Pluribus Unum: evolving fixes for one tough problem.(Editorial Viewpoint)
April 1, 2004... "Out of many, one." That translation of the familiar Latin phrase, E Pluribus Unum, which runs across a banner held in the beak of a bald eagle on the $1 bill, evokes this nation's proud founding and conjures up noble images of Washington,...

House leaders still grappling with transportation reauthorization as political stakes climb higher.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... Granted 2 more months to draft a massive federal transportation bill, U.S. House of Representatives leaders at press time were still negotiating on the cost of the program and how to fund it. The Senate passed a bill Feb. 12 to fund two...

NLC survey finds cities less able to meet financial needs.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... According to a recent study by the National League of Cities (NLC), many conditions are worsening for many of the 345 cities and towns that it surveyed earlier this year. Still, a number of cities did report improvements in several areas such...

Terrorist warning system expanded across U.S.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... As part of its Homeland Security Information Network initiative, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last month that it is expanding its computer based counter-terrorism communications system to all 50 states, five...

Research says traffic bottlenecks can be cured.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... An updated study by Cambridge Systematics Inc. urges the U.S. Congress to focus more transportation funding on unclogging major traffic bottlenecks. The Cambridge, Mass., transportation research firm recently revised a report it had...

Aging sewer systems threaten public health.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) claim that sewage pollution costs Americans billions of dollars yearly in medical treatment, lost productivity, and property damage. Their joint...

Rail improvements could provide relief, ease transportation woes.(Washington Report)
April 1, 2004... The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) reports that Congress could reduce traffic congestion significantly if it dedicated more funding for rail projects. The report summarizes results from a study by the American Association of...

Fabricators central in rising steel plate prices.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... The United States is experiencing a "perfect storm" of conditions that are sharply driving up steel plate prices. Fabricators, who make the plate girders for steel bridge superstructures, find themselves at the center of this storm, according...

Mississippi to widen route to Memphis.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... Transformation of Interstate 55 in northwest Mississippi began mid-March, a project that will more than double the size of the central link between fast-growing DeSoto County and nearby Memphis, Tenn. Scheduled for completion in 3 years, the...

Concrete v. asphalt: caltrans opts for noisy durability.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... If Claremont, Calif., leaders wanted the Foothill (210) Freeway covered in the quieter rubberized asphalt, then why did they sign off on the noisier concrete? That was what Caltrans officials were asking late February as they responded to a...

Black & Veatch breaks ground on filtration plant.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... Black & Veatch, Kansas City, Mo., and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) have announced commencement of construction of the Stone Canyon Pumping and Filtration Plant. Mayor James Hahn, LADWP general manager David Wiggs, and...

ORANGES field operational test is bearing fruit.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... The Orlando Regional Alliance for Next Generation Electronic payment Systems (ORANGES) has launched an experimental trial of shared payment technology using smart cards, and it is now fully underway. The Florida project, which is sponsored by...

HDR selected for Atlanta streetcar study.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... Nonprofit coalition Atlanta Streetcar Inc. has selected HDR, Omaha, Neb., to develop a feasibility study for an 8-mile trolley line that would connect downtown Atlanta to Buckhead using the famed Peachtree Street corridor. The study will...

NTEA Work Truck Show sold-out success.(Engineering Notes)
April 1, 2004... The 2004 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show--held at the Baltimore Convention Center March 3-5--was a sold-out success. Attendees got an eyeful of trucks ranging from medium-duty pickups to heavy-duty workhorses. In...

Vertical Mapping Resources (VMR).(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * Vertical Mapping Resources (VMR), Scottsdale, Ariz., has been awarded a contract to map a 7-mile roadway alignment in Gooseberry, Utah. The effort encompasses 1:500 scale mapping with 1 meter contours, planimetric mapping, and color...

The Yucaipa Valley Water District, San Diego, has awarded a contract to HDR Inc.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * The Yucaipa Valley Water District, San Diego, has awarded a contract to HDR Inc., Omaha, Neb., for engineering services that will enable the Yucaipa Valley Regional Water Filtration Facility to meet the region's growing demand for drinking...

Berryman & Henigar, West Sacramento, Calif., has been contracted by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District to provide a wide variety of construction management services for the West Sacramento Force Main section of what is known as the Lower Northwest Interceptor.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * Berryman & Henigar, West Sacramento, Calif., has been contracted by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District to provide a wide variety of construction management services for the West Sacramento Force Main section of what is known...

Vollmer Associates, Albany, N.Y., has been selected by the Vermont Agency of Transportation to develop improvements to a number of highway-railroad grade crossings throughout the state.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * Vollmer Associates, Albany, N.Y., has been selected by the Vermont Agency of Transportation to develop improvements to a number of highway-railroad grade crossings throughout the state. The firm will provide a variety of design and...

Blue Water Technologies has appointed Remy Newcombe, Ph.D., to be the firm's chief technical officer.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * Blue Water Technologies has appointed Remy Newcombe, Ph.D., to be the firm's chief technical officer. Newcombe holds degrees in engineering science, geological sciences, and civil engineering. She started her career as a consulting...

The Ohio Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to the Dublin, Ohio, office of Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB), New York City, to design a new segment of US-24, a limited-access highway.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * The Ohio Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to the Dublin, Ohio, office of Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB), New York City, to design a new segment of US-24, a limited-access highway. The $72 million project involves design of a new...

MACTEC Engineering & Consulting, Alpharetta, Ga., has named Warren High senior principal scientist and project manager.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * MACTEC Engineering & Consulting, Alpharetta, Ga., has named Warren High senior principal scientist and project manager. Based in the firm's Cincinnati office, High will be spearheading a company-wide initiative to expand MACTEC's capabilities...

Underground Solutions Inc.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... Underground Solutions Inc., Pittsburgh, has been awarded a Fusible C900 PVC waterline installation to be completed via horizontal directional drilling. The 1100-foot run, which consists of a 12-inch diameter Fusible C900 pressure line, is being...

As part of their annual awards program, the California Alliance for Advanced Transportation Systems (CAATS) and the state chapter of ITS America have named the San Francisco Bay Area's 511 traveler advisory system to be the nation's Best Public Innovation for 2003.(Worth Telling)
April 1, 2004... * As part of their annual awards program, the California Alliance for Advanced Transportation Systems (CAATS) and the state chapter of ITS America have named the San Francisco Bay Area's 511 traveler advisory system to be the nation's Best...

Increased needs, decreased funds fuel erevolution: from Houston to Yuma, Greensboro to Salt Lake City, technology is helping cash-strapped departments meet the broadening demands of growing communities.(Technology)
April 1, 2004... In 2001, Houston's public works and engineering department employed a staff of 99 meter-readers, plus other support staff, to read the city's 440,000 water meters. Today, thanks to a hightech, computerized meter-reading program, it takes a...

A view from on high, at down-to-earth prices.
April 1, 2004... Satellite imagery is a technology solution that is no longer restricted to national defense applications. On the contrary, it is now commercially available at reasonable prices that public works departments can use for applications, from...

Bridging data islands efficiently: recent developments in Web-based GIS and database technologies provide excellent data integration and data mining tools for public works and utilities.(GIS/GPS)
April 1, 2004... Computer technology and applications have improved exponentially over the past 40 years. Information once derived only from tapes and disks now can be retrieved through networks and database management systems with universal access protocols...

Street smarts: a new intelligent transportation system in New York State is taking driving to a new level.(Traffic Control)
April 1, 2004... Imagine driving down the highway and learning--not by listening to the radio, but by reading road signs--that there's an accident 10 miles ahead that happened only seconds ago. The signs give you details about a detour, saving you time and gas,...

Kuwait hopes to stretch resource through reuse: a record-setter among membrane-based water reuse projects, Kuwait City's ongoing effort aims to squeeze more out of the desert's most precious commodity.(Water Treatment)
April 1, 2004... This spring, construction of the world's largest membrane-based water reuse project is well under way, as part of a joint effort by Ionics Inc., a water purification and wastewater treatment company based in Watertown, Mass., and Mohammed...

Overcoming obstacles by diving beneath them: horizontal directional drilling offers another way to navigate tough terrain.(Trenchless Technology)
April 1, 2004... What happens when the proposed route of a gas pipeline or water main intersects wetlands, an archeological site, or a congested urban area? Traditionally, engineers would design the pipeline to either go through the obstruction or around...

Infrastructure demands will shift management.(PW Update: Management)
April 1, 2004... Projections over the next 20 years say U.S. utilities will have to spend $40 billion to $80 billion annually to rehabilitate or replace deteriorating sewer collection and water distribution systems. This "outside-the-fenceline" investment in...

AVL boosts waste services department's efficiency.(Products Solving Problems)
April 1, 2004... The City of Plano, Texas, has long been recognized as a leader in adopting technology that improves services for its citizens. One example of this is in Plano's Department of Environmental Waste Services, which opted to install an automated...

Tracking wirelessly, spending wisely.
April 1, 2004... The ability to monitor the location and status of a fleet's individual units can pay considerable dividends in overall operating efficiency and improved service to the taxpaying public. The FleetDirector system from Teletrac consists of an...

New Hampshire DOT eyes paperless future for Transportation materials testing.(Products Solving Problems)
April 1, 2004... To improve its testing efficiency and accuracy, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) laboratory in Concord is now in the process of substantially upgrading its Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). NHDOT was...

Colorado slashes tire costs with retreads.(Products Solving Problems)
April 1, 2004... The crews of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 5, Maintenance Section 3, know all too well that snow can pile up--and quickly. They keep 1800 miles of roads and mountain passes safe for travel during Colorado's snow...

Peterson Pacific celebrates machine milestone.(Product Notes)
April 1, 2004... Peterson Pacific Corp., Eugene, Ore., recently celebrated the production of its 1000th machine. The unit, a model 4700 horizontal recycler, was sold to Pioneer Machinery, Columbia, S.C. Pioneer has been Peterson's long-term distributor for the...

UGSI receives certification for new products.(Product Notes)
April 1, 2004... Underground Solutions Inc. (UGSI), Pittsburgh, reports that its three newly introduced piping products are now listed by NSF International under ANSI/NSF Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components. Specifically, Fusible C900, Fusible C905,...

CITGO Asphalt introduces durable CITGOFLEX FR.(Product Notes)
April 1, 2004... Combining base components with the latest binder technology, CITGO Asphalt Refining Co., Tulsa, Okla., has launched its new CITGOFLEX FR polymer modified asphalt. The product offers improvements over existing blends in pavement durability,...

GIS accessibility multiplies with new product.(Product Notes)
April 1, 2004... GBA Master Series Inc. (GBAMS), Overland Park, Kan., and Engineering Mapping Solutions (EMS), Phoenix, have collaborated to develop an interface called GBA GIS Viewer, a low-cost geographic information system (GIS) alternative. GBAMS is a...

BexarMet selects Severn Trent's Eclox alert system.(Product Notes)
April 1, 2004... To maintain the highest levels of security and protection for its water supplies and infrastructure, Bexar Metropolitan Water District (BexarMet) is the first utility in southern Texas to employ the Eclox Rapid Response Water Test System from...

Dual-constellation RTK system.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The HiPer Lite+ is an updated version of the manufacturer's real-time kinematic GPS system. Along with providing cable-free operation and a spread spectrum radio, the system adds dual-constellation tracking to increase coverage. The unit...

Standardized GPS and total station.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The Universal Leica System 1200 combines modern survey equipment with software technology. The unit features three newly developed modules: The GPS 1200 family of receivers, the TPS1200 total stations, and the 1200 database and software, which...

Rapid utility inspection.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... TerraVision uses an array of 14 antennas to create a 6-foot wide survey path, making the locating of pipes and utilities easier than ever. The system features a data collection speed of 5 mph, which means you can process a mile of data in less...

Handheld flexibility.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The GeoExplorer series of rugged GPS handheld receivers is available with Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software for pocket PCs. The capability gives users high-quality GPS and the flexibility to choose from a comprehensive range of field...

Complete mapping and data acquisition system.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The Axis3 is a complete GIS/mapping and data acquisition system that can receive three GPS corrections and provide accurate, real-time positioning for GIS data collection. The compact, lightweight, yet rugged system combines easy-to-use...

Space age surveying solution.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The ProMark2 is a compact, 3-instrument GPS system with built-in navigation capabilities to locate control points. An integrated map database can locate a site by coordinates or by street address. The system, which is complimentary to a robotic...

Fleet management.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... Fleetminder incorporates GPS and mapping capabilities to monitor and record vehicles and their functions, improving fleet cost management and vehicle productivity. The system captures time and location of all vehicle events and can even track...

Laser grade control system.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The AccuGrade laser grade control system enables dozer operators to bring an area to grade faster, with fewer passes, without the need for traditional stakes or grade checkers. The feature increases productivity and accuracy, and it minimizes...

Track and manage your fleet.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The COMMANDfleet is an intelligent vehicle tracking and reporting system that builds upon previous COMMANDsignal models with advanced communications and data reporting for ready-mix, aggregate, and asphalt fleet delivery options. Designed to...

Coat surfaces to prolong life.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... Neoflex is a decorative wall coating that bridges cracks and prevents moisture intrusion on exterior wall surfaces, prolonging the life of a building. The product combines the decorative properties of high-quality acrylic paints with the...

Light up the jobsite.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... LT series light towers have been enhanced with better lighting, more durable lamp fixtures, and improved transportability. The elliptical light fixtures allow the lamps to be mounted horizontally, permitting more light to travel directly from...

Remove stains.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... Pour-N-Restore concrete and masonry stain remover erases stains caused by motor oil, grease, hydraulic/transmission fluid, antifreeze, tar, wax, vegetable oil, and other substances. It can be used on a wide variety of surfaces. The product...

Highway drains.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... Bridge and deck scuppers and median drains are specifically designed for use on expressways, freeways, and superhighways. High capacity units can be assembled in various combinations to provide desired drainage. Median drain assemblies can be...

Wheel washer.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The Rhino wheelwash system is compact, portable, easy to maintain, and can be set up quickly. The product keeps truck tires free of concrete, mud, dirt, and other contaminants, enabling operators to comply with environmental regulations. No...

Multi-use excavator.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... A quick-change boom attachment is available to enhance the company's XL 4000 Series II excavators. The feature can be installed in less than 30 minutes using the standard boom-end bucket and two pins. The high-pressure, load-sensing hydraulic...

Multi-use tool.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The Power All provides pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic tool power in one package. The power-take-off-driven unit can be mounted on a one-ton chassis or larger in combination with other equipment and on a variety of truck bodies. The product...

Protect your equipment.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The company has added two enclosed drop-deck models to its Escalate line of equipment trailers. The units are suitable for transporting light equipment and protecting it from weather or theft. The 5000 model has a payload capacity of 5000...

Color treat a surface.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... NECT-90 emulsion color treatment is a hydrous, multiple-polymer formulation of resin solids, color pigments, and a specially formulated tint base that delivers a wide range of colors. The product gives contractors, masons, and architects the...

Air saw.(Equipment & Services)
April 1, 2004... The CS 71773 air saw plunge-cuts up to 14 inches deep in one pass and can quickly cut mechanical openings, irregular shapes, and square corners. It can be used to cut through reinforced concrete, brick, block, concrete pipe, and natural stone....

Embattled water and sewer authority logs a legal win.(Legal Aspects)
April 1, 2004... Even as it battles daily criticism over its failure to notify customers of unsafe lead levels in their drinking water, the Washington, D.C., Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) last month still had cause to celebrate a major court victory. On...