Public Works articles from March 2004

Public Works archives from March 2004

Towns, cities don't deserve tab for MTBE cleanup.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Despite the complexities of our political system, most consumers still recognize a raw deal when they see it. That's why a small, obscure provision concerning a gasoline additive was able to delay the massive national energy bill in...

Forgotten 'first responders' merit higher priority.(Editorial Viewpoint)
March 1, 2004... Nine years ago, I had the sad privilege of covering the federal building bombing in Oklahoma City. Then one of the first acts of terrorism on domestic soil, it remains today the most heart-wrenching assignment that I have ever had as a...

Congress renews highway debate under veto threat.(Washington Report)
March 1, 2004... Disregarding the threat of a presidential veto, the Senate has passed legislation allocating $318 billion for highway and mass transit projects over 6 years. The 76 to 21 vote indicated the Senate has the two-thirds majority to override...

APWA, AASHTO, others assail Bush's 2005 budget.(Washington Report)
March 1, 2004... The Bush administration's proposed $2.4 trillion fiscal 2005 budget has drawn an array of complaints from several trade groups representing segments of the public works industry. The budget proposal stresses the administration's continuing...

Transportation policy group touts virtues of repairs.(Washington Report)
March 1, 2004... The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) has issued a report touting the economic rewards of transportation improvements. Released Jan. 28, the study said that investments in road and bridge repair create 9 percent more jobs per dollar...

Chicago taps team for $6.6 billion O'Hare modernization.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... The City of Chicago's Department of Procurement Services and O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) have selected the Chicago Aviation Partners (CAP) joint venture as the Program Management Office (PMO) for Phase One of the OMP. CAP consists of six...

D.C. eyes source of lead controversy.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... City leaders said last month that they will create an independent task force to investigate why the Washington, D.C., Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) failed to inform the public sooner that tap water in thousands of homes contains high levels...

Snowy states no longer wait to put down salt.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... Salt is just about everywhere these days in Maryland and elsewhere--spread on steps, showered on parking lots, and dumped on roads by the ton. But the science of salt has changed over the years, with highway crews applying more anti-icing...

Consultant reports on proposed Silicon Valley gas pipeline.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... Ninyo & Moore, Oakland, Calif., has completed a geotechnical evaluation for the proposed Silicon Valley Power Natural Gas Pipeline Project located in Santa Clara, Calif. The project involves the construction of a new natural gas pipeline in...

Cleveland completes first phase of water utilities GIS program.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... The Asset Group (TAG), Broomfield, Colo., a provider of asset management solutions to the utilities industry, has completed Phase I and the beginning of Phase II of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program for the Cleveland Department...

JFK AirTrain now up and running.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... Travelers using New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport now have a new ground transportation option, as the Port Authority's 8-mile AirTrain system, connecting the airport terminals with the subway at Howard Beach and the Long...

Severn Trent's CCIX selected.(Engineering Notes)
March 1, 2004... EMIT Water Discharge Technology has selected Severn Trent Services' Higgins Loop Continuous Contercurrent Ion Exchange (CCIX) system to provide oil and gas producers with water purification services. The system will purify byproduct water...

MACTEC Engineering and Consulting.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Alpharetta, Ga., has named Warren High senior principal scientist and project manager. He will spearhead a company-wide initiative to expand MACTEC's capabilities in stream restoration. In addition, High will...

Fred W. Heldenfels IV.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... Fred W. Heldenfels IV has been named chairman of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago. Heldenfels is president and CEO of Heldenfels Enterprises Inc., a family-owned construction and materials business based in San Marcos, Texas....

The American Water Works Association (AWWA).(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... The American Water Works Association (AWWA) has named Andrew W. Richardson its president-elect. Richardson, a principal and director of the Phoenix and Las Vegas offices of the consulting firm Greeley and Hansen, will assume the AWWA presidency...

PBS & J.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... PBS & J, Orlando, Fla., has named Kan Chen, Sc.D., its national Integrated Management Solutions division as senior advisor. Contact him at 800-284-5182.

FWD/Seagrave Holdings.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... FWD/Seagrave Holdings, L.P., Wayne, Pa., the owner of Seagrave Fire Apparatus, has acquired Schmidt Engineering & Equipment Inc. of New Berlin, Wis. SEE manufactures Wausau and Snogo brands of heavy-duty snow management tools. FWD/Seagrave...

Black & Veatch.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... Black & Veatch, Overland Park, Kan., has earned a Project Merit award for its innovative implementation of membrane systems in several significant water and wastewater treatment plant designs in 2003. The Environmental Business Journal annually...

Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA).(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA), Columbia, S.C., has promoted Michael T. McGuire, P.E., to vice president, Mid South region; John L. Hudson, PLS, to division director of the newly created Columbia Survey Division; and Charles F. Stearns, P.E., to...

Severn Trent Services.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... Severn Trent Services, Fort Washington, Pa., has been awarded two new operations contracts for Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) in the state of Texas. The contracts are with the Fry Road MUD and the Fort Bend County MUD No. 35 both located...

The Florida Department of Transportation.(Worth Telling)
March 1, 2004... The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) to provide engineering design services for a new interchange in Lee County, Fla. Located at the intersection of I-75 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers,...

'First Responders' need to speak up: today, with our infrastructure perhaps more at risk than ever, public workers across the nation now must fight for recognition and funding to support their integral efforts in emergency response.(Homeland Security)
March 1, 2004... In these unsettled times, one thing has remained constant in the daily lives of the public works professional. He or she continues to play a significant role in our collective efforts to lessen the potentially devastating impact that natural...

You've completed your vulnerability assessment ... Now what? Tactics for post-VA implementation to create a framework where water utilities can get the maximum return on their security improvement investments.(Homeland Security)
March 1, 2004... As water utilities across the country complete their EPA-mandated vulnerability assessments (VAs), many are asking, what next? What follows are some practical steps water agencies can take to avoid common pitfalls as they make their systems...

Protecting against cyber terrorism: most public utilities possess sensitive information that needs to be guarded at all times, especially in its electronic form.(Homeland Security)
March 1, 2004... Playwright George Bernard Shaw once observed that in battle, all that is needed to make us fight is "the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win." In the ongoing battle against terrorism, the public sector should adopt this...

Show paves way for new technology: this month's World of Asphalt 2004 will include exhibits, educational sessions, and a variety of demonstrations.
March 1, 2004... World of Asphalt will be held March 15-18 at the Nashville (Tenn.) Convention Center. In addition to exhibits of the latest asphalt product technology and services, the event will feature three industry-specific conferences, a Warm Mix Asphalt...

Spreading the word on superpave: superpave was designed for highways, and it is becoming increasingly popular for local roads.(Asphalt Paving)
March 1, 2004... In recent years, virtually all state transportation departments have adopted Superpave, the relatively new system for designing hot mix asphalt pavements. And as Superpave becomes the predominant method for designing asphalt mixtures at the...

Securing funding for infrastructure projects: these success stories show how a consultant can help municipalities find funds for a variety of projects.(Administration & Management)
March 1, 2004... It is an inescapable reality; cities and states nationwide are facing leaner budgets this year. In California, for instance, the current $38 billion state budget shortfall still has municipalities scrambling to figure out how to keep...

Alerts strive to predict disasters: by combining weather radar with physical and geographic data, these early warning systems can anticipate potential flooding dangers.(Flood Control)
March 1, 2004... Unlike earthquakes and tornadoes, flooding is not unique to any particular part of the United States--but it can be every bit as devastating. Heavy rains, snowmelt runoff, coastal storms, urban stormwater runoff, and dam failures all are among...

Designing a public works facility that works: an architect with a portfolio full of public works clients has six recommendations for improving your on-the-job surroundings.(Facility Management)
March 1, 2004... "We don't have enough storage"... "Employees need more room"... "The set-up of our divisions is inefficient"... "The neighbors are upset." These are all common complaints among public works administrators. The solutions to these...

10 questions for APWA fleet chief Sam Lamerato.(PW Update: Equipment)
March 1, 2004... A 30-year veteran of the Department of Public Works in Troy, Mich., Sam Lamerato has something of a unique perch in the industry. From where he sits as superintendent of the city's fleet maintenance division, he sees daily examples of the types...

Guarding against improvised explosive devices.(Products Solving Problems)
March 1, 2004... Once confined to troubled and distant lands, pipe bombs and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs) now pose a serious threat to federal, state, and local government facilities here in the United States. These devices can be easily and...

ARINC installs new AIM control system.(Product Notes)
March 1, 2004... ARINC, Annapolis, Md., has been awarded a contract by the Washington State Department of Transportation to modernize the central computer system for two I-90 tunnel complexes south of Seattle, at Mount Baker Ridge and on nearby Mercer Island....

Constructware selected to manage multi-year building program.(Product Notes)
March 1, 2004... Citing the benefits of centralized, Internet-based communications and the desire to be a more organized "preferred owner" among the design and contractor community, the University of Kentucky has selected Constructware as its standard...

TDS supplies handhelds for emergency response.(Product Notes)
March 1, 2004... Tripod Data Systems (TDS), Corvallis, Ore., sold 51 of its rugged TDS Recon handheld computers to Morrow County's Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). The Recons were purchased for use by emergency personnel in case of a...

TAG develops information technology plan.(Product Notes)
March 1, 2004... The Asset Group (TAG), Broomfield, Colo., a provider of asset management solutions to the utilities industry, has been selected by the City of Las Vegas to develop a Strategic Information Technology Plan (SITP) for the city's water pollution...

Quebec City selects software for water supply project.(Product Notes)
March 1, 2004... Quebec City has selected Haestad Methods', Waterbury, Conn., French versions of WaterCAD, and the Darwin Calibrator and Designer modules to support the redevelopment and management of the city's newly configured water supply system. As a result...

In-pipe water surveillance.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... The PipeSonde in-pipe probe is a multi-parameter system for long-term monitoring of finished water in distribution mains. It complements the manufacturer's Water Distribution Monitoring panel and extends the network surveillance strategy of any...

GIS for crisis management.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... MapShop for Homeland Security provides crisis management centers with the ability to create a common operational view with accurate street data, imagery, census data, and real-time weather, without having to load any GIS software onto the...

Won't forget a face.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... The FACES 4.0 software creates fast, accurate, composite sketches of suspects for distribution within law enforcement communities to help in arrests. It creates computer-generated drawings from a selection of facial features, hairstyles, hats,...

Rapid notification system.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... The WARN Command system is an affordable wide-area rapid notification system for public works facilities. The system is redundant across every applicable communication protocol, contacting and delivering to home and business phone, digital,...

Concrete fences.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... Enhance security around public works facilities with a precast concrete fence. They are perfect for water-storage facilities, electrical substations, waste treatment centers, and other utility projects, while outperforming chain-link fencing....

High visibility lockout stations.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... Lockout Centers are permanent, high visibility stations for equipment and facilities. They feature Master Lock Lightweight No. 410 Safety Series padlocks, designed exclusively for OSHA lockout compliance; as well as durable, lightweight,...

Digital video surveillance.(Featuring: Security)
March 1, 2004... The G-Max DVR security systems employ digital video surveillance equipment and can record in Mpeg or AVI formats. The system also features digital watermarks to prevent tampering. It includes color or black and white cameras, lenses, and all...

Hired truck program suspended amid probe.(Legal Aspects)
March 1, 2004... Allegations of corruption, bribery, cronyism, and mismanagement have struck at the heart of Chicago's troubled, $40 million per year Hired Truck Program, run by the city's office of budget and management. Already this year, the scandal has...