Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Your 5-minute Guide to Industry News & Trends
Vol. 1, No. 8 ● August 20, 2007
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Safety Issues
Innovations Calendar
Economy
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A Better Roads exclusive report What Happened in the Minneapolis Bridge Collapse? One of the nation's 145,996 structurally deficient bridges collapsed on August 1. Minneapolis' I-35W arch truss bridge's northbound lanes went into the Mississippi River during rush hour. By August 16, the death toll had risen to 9, with five more missing. Another 100 or more were injured.
The 1,907-foot bridge, built in 1967, carries about 140,000 vehicles per day. It was rated at 50% in a May 2006 inspection. That report states that the Ayers Associates' 2004 underwater inspection found "no evidence of scour or changes to the structure condition." Underwater in-depth inspections were on a 60-month cycle. In-depth fracture-critical inspections were on a 48-month cycle, and were inspected in June of 2003. The Minneapolis Department of Transportation had major concerns about the bridge. Consulting engineers, including URS of San Francisco, said there were two ways to resolve those concerns - make overall repairs or inspect the bridge closely to find fatigue cracks and bolt steel plating only on the cracked sections. The second method was chosen, according to the MnDOT's Chief Bridge Engineer Dan Dorgan. Why? Last winter, the DOT considered reinforcing the bridge with bolting steel plates to the outside faces of some truss members. Concerned that drilling thousands of holes for this type of repair would weaken the bridge, the agency, turned to the inspection method. Inspections began in May, but were put on hold while patching and deck surfacing got underway. The collapse appears to have started on the east side of the northbound lanes. A train reportedly had just passed under the bridge, leading to speculation that its vibrations could have contributed to the collapse. After the collapse, DOT engineers and federal investigators hurried to find clues to its causes. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker warned that the bridge continues to weaken and that falling concrete and other debris hampers recovery divers' efforts. The federal, state, and local investigation could take as long as 18 months to complete, Rosenker says. Better Roads will report in depth on the bridge collapse in its November Better Bridges section, and will carry ongoing coverage in its e-RoadPro newsletter at www.BetterRoads.com and in our printed magazine issues. Click here for photo gallery Internet resources on the I-35W bridge collapse
National and state bridge data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics: |
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Oberstar proposes federal gas tax increase to fix bridges after I-35W collapse Accusing government of a "tombstone mentality," U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., announced a national bridge reconstruction program in Minneapolis on August 8. After flying in from Washington, D.C., to visit the site of the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge, Oberstar announced a plan that would provide funding, prohibit earmarks in favor of distributing funds solely on the basis on need and safety, improve bridge inspection requirements and establish a trust for the repair and replacement of structurally deficient bridges. Full Story Sponsored by: |
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AASHTO statement on proposed National Highway System Bridge Reconstruction Initiative "Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has shown great leadership in calling for a program to repair structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. [AASHTO] also welcomes his assistance in freeing states from regulatory barriers to delivering needed infrastructure improvements." Full Story
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President Bush voices opposition to increasing federal gas tax to pay for bridge repairs A week after a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, President Bush dismissed raising the federal gasoline tax to repair bridges at least until Congress changes how it spends highway money. Bush said, "Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities." Full Story
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NLRB strikes down agreement to require construction contractor to sign project labor agreement In a landmark ruling on the National Labor Relations Act and how it applies to the construction industry, the National Labor Relations Board has held that a labor union representing construction craft workers and the owner of an upcoming project cannot lawfully agree to require the owners construction contractor to sign a project labor agreement. Full Story |
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Pennsylvania Route 219 named in honor of Flight 93 heroes Pennsylvania state Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler and state and local officials dedicated a portion of Route 219 in Somerset County in honor of the heroes of Flight 93. The heroism of the victims of Flight 93 is something we want to always remember, Biehler said. From today forward, Route 219 will be known as Flight 93 Memorial Highway." Full Story |
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U.S. business group targets infrastructure red tape The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it will launch a multimillion-dollar campaign against red tape, lawsuits and regulations hindering efforts to fix America's infrastructure in the wake of the bridge collapse in Minnesota. Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the powerful business group, said the country faced a crisis that was undermining its global economic fitness and threatening to take more lives. Full Story
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Cables moved, making way for Bay Bridge project They were just electric lines, but they once threatened to be the proverbial tail that wagged the $5.6 billion dog. Now the issue has been put to rest, literally, on the floor of the San Francisco Bay, and replacing the eastern span of the Bay Bridge can continue as quickly as ever, on track to open by 2013. Full Story
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U.S. Secretary of Transportation names five communities to receive funding to help fight traffic congestion Five metropolitan areas across the country have been selected as the first communities to participate in a new federal initiative to fight traffic gridlock. The selection follows an eight-month nationwide competition among the 26 who applied to join the Urban Partnership program, aimed to reduce traffic congestion using approaches like congestion pricing, transit, tolling, and teleworking. These communities, as winners of the competition, will receive the following funding amounts to implement their traffic-fighting plans: Miami, $62.9 million; the Minneapolis area, $133.3 million; New York City, $354.5 million; San Francisco, $158.7 million; and the Seattle area (King County), $138.7 million. Full Story
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South Carolina's 27 in 7 program drew ire of state auditors While most South Carolina state transportation leaders have called 27 in 7 a complete success, the program also led to much of the criticism directed at the agency in the November Legislative Audit Council report. That report, from the investigative arm of the General Assembly, spurred lawmakers to pass a Transportation Department reform bill in June. The audit concluded the agency's contracts with construction firms to manage hundreds of millions of dollars in road and bridge projects were too generous, and that the agency paid for work that was never completed. Full Story
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Missouri to sell $550M for roads The Missouri Highways & Transportation Commission will hold a retail-order period on Monday, August 20, and an institutional pricing the following day for its $550 million new-money, second-lien road bond issue to finance ongoing highway projects. The MHTC last week approved the issue that marks its first time using a second lien. Full Story |
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PennDOT announces initial postings of bridge rating numbers Pennsylvania DOT Secretary Allen Biehler announced that both the sufficiency and condition ratings for 54 steel deck truss bridges are now available on the PennDOT website, www.dot.state.pa.us . The posting contains a glossary of terms used in the bridge charts, a drawing of a steel truss bridge with components identified and the chart with individual bridge information, including the sufficiency rating and three condition rating numbers. Full Story
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A bridge that collapsed in China killing at least 64 people broke apart like a pat of "beancurd" because there were apparently no steel reinforcement bars, state media said, quoting a rescuer. More than 1,500 people were searching for about 30 missing people following the August 13 disaster on the 320-metre-long (1,050-foot) bridge on the verge of completion across the Tuo river in the southern province of Hunan. Full Story
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Massachusetts authorities brought the first criminal charges after last year's fatal collapse in Boston's massive Big Dig road and tunnel project, accusing an adhesives company of manslaughter. A Suffolk Country grand jury indicted Powers Fasteners, of Brewster, New York, with one count of involuntary manslaughter. Full Story
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Arizona DOT orders bracing on bridge girders Arizona state transportation officials are asking contractors to add temporary bracing to bridges under construction in the wake of the bridge collapse in Mesa on August 9. Because nine of 11 concrete girders fell on a 114-foot bridge section under construction, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants contractors to brace girders on other bridge projects. ADOT can't order the bracing on contracts that already have been issued, but agency spokesman Doug Nintzel said state officials have advised contractors on bridge projects to do so out of caution. Full Story |
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Wisconsin bridges to get 24-hour monitoring Gov. Jim Doyle announced that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation will install sensors on 15 bridges in Wisconsin to provide 24-hour monitoring of the structures. In addition, the state will inspect the 15 deck truss bridges in the state within two weeks. A 16th deck truss bridge in Burnett County has been removed and is being rebuilt. Doyle directed the department to review safety data for all 13,654 bridges in the state. Full Story
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Just one night to replace bridge Construction crews in Ottawa are celebrating now that they've successfully performed Canada's first overnight highway bridge replacement. Huge machines controlled by men picked up Ottawa's old Island Park bridges and plopped two new ones in their place in less than a day. Full Story |
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Steve Arms started by designing sensors that could be arthroscopically implanted to measure strain on knee ligaments. These days, Arms and his company, MicroStrain Inc., are experimenting with wireless sensing technology that could play a bigger role in assessing the condition of bridges after one in Minneapolis collapsed two weeks ago, killing at least nine people. Full Story |
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08/16/2007-08/22/2007
Louisville, KY - 112th Annual
Conference & 30th Annual School 08/18/2007-08/22/2007
Amelia Island, FL - Midyear and
Board of Directors Meeting 08/20/2007-08/23/2007
Phoenix, AZ - StormCon, The
North American Surface Water Quality Conference & Exposition 08/22/2007-08/25/2007
Portland, OR - Annual Midyear
Meeting 08/29/2007-08/30/2007
Columbus, OH - Eastern Winter
Road Maintenance Symposium & Equipment Expo 09/04/2007-09/06/2007
Ventura Beach, CA - 39th Annual
Conference & Equipment Show 09/09/2007-09/12/2007
San Antonio, TX - International
Public Works Congress and Expo 09/10/2007-09/12/2007
Washington, DC - 2007 Business
Leadership Conference 09/11/2007-09/13/2007
Moran, WY - 2007 Annual Meeting 09/11/2007-09/11/2007
San Antonio, TX -
Asphalt-Rubber 101 09/13/2007-09/16/2007
Charlotte, NC - Annual
Conference 09/17/2007-09/19/2007
Denver, CO - Fall Meeting 09/18/2007-09/19/2007
Chicago, IL - Fall Meeting 09/19/2007-09/21/2007
Washington, DC - Int'l
Conference on Recent Advances in Concrete Technology 09/23/2007-09/26/2007
Portland, OR - 2007 Annual
Meeting 09/26/2007-09/29/2007
Maui, HI - Fall Conference |
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For our full events calendar, go to http://www.betterroads.com/calendar |
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U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services The nation's international deficit in goods and services decreased to $58.1 billion in June from $59.2 billion (revised) in May, as exports increased more than imports. 8/14/07 Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales U.S. total business sales for June were $1,111.2 billion, down 0.3% from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,412.4 billion, up 0.4% from last month. 8/13/07 Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories June 2007 sales of merchant wholesalers were $359.5 billion, up 0.6 percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $398.5 billion, up 0.5 percent from last month. 8/13/07 Economy at a glance: http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm. |
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Compiled by Larry Green, news editor, Better Roads. To contact Larry about the newsletter content, send e-mail to . Interested in being a sponsor of our newsletter? Contact your sales representative for more information. Click here for list of contacts.
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August
2007 Issue Highlights:
Visit
www.BetterRoads.com for
online |
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The
four northbound lanes were carrying bumper-to-bumper rush-hour
traffic on two lanes. Construction equipment completing surface
repairs was working on the other two northbound lanes. One of those
killed was Greg Jolstad, 45, who was operating construction
equipment. The rest of his crew survived.
Toll
Massachusetts
charges supplier in tunnel collapse
Company develops
solar-powered sensors to monitor strain on bridges