Soil Reinforcement

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell testified in favor of a national infrastructure bank before a House committee Thursday. "It is obvious that existing revenue sources and methods are inadequate to address our vast infrastructure needs," said Rendell. The national infrastructure bank would help finance transportation and public-works projects across the U.S. Learn more here.;

With two of its most senior people, Chris Jenner and Hein Jas, retiring at the end of this year, Tensar International's commercial director John Kiely unveils the succession plan: "Knowing that Hein and Chris would be retiring we have had plans in place for some time and are pleased to have two Tensar personnel of immense experience and talent to replace them." Chris Jenner, who headed the technical design side of Tensar International in a 25 year career, handed over the role of Chief Civil Engineer to Chaido Doulala- Rigby (Yuli) almost 12 months ago. Hein Jas hands over the role of Director of Application Technology to Ian Fraser from January 2011.

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of June 15. WORK SMARTER. BIG PROJECTS On June 8, the California State Assembly...

Environmental Connection 2011 (EC11), annual conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (EC11), brings together the industry's best and brightest for a week of industry-leading education, networking and access to the largest expo hall of its kind. Early registration deadline is 10 December 2010, so register now to secure the best price and reserve a seat for some of the most in-demand education. Download a registration form today. Learn more here.;

The latest issue of Tensar's GEOTALK newsletter is now available. This issue includes case studies on the Port Mann/Highway 1 (PMH1) Improvement Project (British Colombia, Canada), a $500,000 cost reduction on a Michigan road rehab project, and a lake's restoration in Belleville, Wisconsin. Other articles focus on seasonal flood protection, the approval of key grade separation solutions, and Alabama Power's Hydromulch trials. Learn more here.;

Group CTT publishes a broad resource for the greater geosynthetics and textile industries: Textile Journal. Each issue examines market trends, changes in tests and standards, new opportunities for growth (e.g., nanotechnology), and much more. Read it online. Learn more here.;

The Business Coordination House (BCH) of India has published its latest quartlerly newsletter. This issue contains articles on the world economy (and the importance of emerging markets, such as India), geosynthetic applications in railways, agrotextiles, an interview with a government official on manufacturing, and more. Read it in PDF via the BCH website. Learn more here.;

Following the 21 November flood destruction of the town's bridges over the River Derwent in Workington, Cumbria, Army Royal Engineers have used Tensar International's TriAx™ geogrid to help construct new bridge abutments for a 40 ton temporary footbridge. Connecting the north and south of the town, the actual bridge will take a week to assemble, and is expected to be in place for the Monday morning school run. Read about this vital work and how it took less than three weeks from need to design to construction.

Reuters has reported that nonwovens giant Polymer Group, Inc. (PGI) has gained stronger support from Fiberweb's Board of Directors in PGI's bid to acquire Fiberweb.  Fiberweb is a major...

Du Toit Viljoen has retired from his years of work at South Africa-based Engineered Linings. Contacts for Engineered Linings are Marketing and Technical Director Peter Hardie (peterh@englining.co.za) and new Managing Director Dave Roy (droy@englining.co.za). Colleagues wishing to contact Du Toit privately may reach him through his new e-mail address, dutvil@gmail.com. We congratulate him on his retirement and trust we'll see him soon enough in his travels or perhaps at an IGS event. Learn more here.;

A national infrastructure bank would serve to make federal infrastructure investment a question of national economics rather than local politics, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. The bank would also help pair private capital with public funds. With the cost of bringing the country's infrastructure up to date now exceeding $2 trillion, according to American Society of Civil Engineers, the bank could raise billions through bonds and self-financing mechanisms to help bridge the gap. Learn more here.;

From June 7 to 9, professionals in construction, engineering, and equipment will gather in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the co-located events of BW Expo 2017, Construction Expo 2017 (International...

Renowned geotechnical engineering professor Kerry Rowe (Queen’s University, Canada) has been selected to deliver the prestigious Croce Lecture at the Italian Geotechnical Society (Associazione Geotecnica Italiana - AGI) annual...

Held under the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, the 6th Geosynthetics Middle East (GeoME 2013) conference from SKZ will take place 29-30 October 2013 in Abu...

With the aid of MultiView, Inc., the Society of Plastics Engineers has launched a new iPhone app: SPE Mobile. The app is designed to help SPE keep its members connected to the association anytime, anywhere through one convenient portal. App functions include industry product and service searches, weekly news, SPE event information, SPE store and membership information, and easy access to the SPE website.

After a series of well-received engineering webinars in September and October on canal lining, international geosynthetics manufacturer HUESKER is enhancing its education schedule with three free webinars in December....

The India-based Business Coordination House (BCH), which is involved in, among other things, the creation and promotion of geotextile and geosynthetic seminars, has released its April - June 2009 newsletter. This issue includes an article on page 35 on "Textiles for a Built Environment." This includes a section on landscaping materials, such as root barriers, soil stabilization materials, and greenroof support. Read it in PDF today. Learn more here.;

The annual terrafix® Winter Seminar Series delivers updated engineering and geosynthetic product information in a concise, free-to-attend seminar in multiple cities across Canada. This year's program involves substantial updates,...

The troubled Union-Go Dairy in Winchester, Indiana has finally resolved the problem of whales (“bubbles”) in the 21-million-gallon manure lagoon’s liner. It wasn’t a joke: on April Fool’s Day, engineers moved about the lagoon on flat-bottom boats and slowly released the gas from each swollen whale. A tube and valve device was used to minimize risk of an explosive release. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA Region One) is accepting abstracts for Environmental Connection 2016 through May 29. Environmental Connection is the annual conference and exhibition of the association,...

In a 1 December 2011 release, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) announced that it is postponing its IFAI Expo Asia 2012 event, originally scheduled to be held in late June 2012 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre. However, construction on the Suntec Center may not in fact be completed by June to ensure the full success of the event and the association cites the softness of the global economy as another primary reason for the event's postponement. Two geosynthetics sessions were to be held at the event.

On 5 November 2015, a catastrophic tailings dam failure occurred at an iron ore mine in Brazil. The reported  death toll from the event was 17 and...

Cliff Hall and David Cashman of Tensar International Ltd. have released a white paper, "Plotting the Road Map for Performance Specifications." Slowly but surely, specification by performance is becoming a more accepted method for construction by highways agencies both in the UK and internationally. The results promise much needed innovation and significant economic and environmental benefits. But how should contractors and suppliers be adapting to changing client demands? Tracing the route of changing specification practice tells us that reliance on laboratory-based testing of materials cannot show how materials perform under real life site conditions.

We have a number of stories were following in the global press that may interest users of geosynthetics. A handful of them are highlighted on our Press Brief page along with news of events we've added to our database. More updates will be available as stories are produced and events announced throughout the day. Visit the Press Brief page.

The Environmental Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers has announced that GPEC 2011 (Global Plastics Environmental Conference) will be held 17-19 October 2011 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta, GA, USA. The theme of GPEC 2011 is "Plastics Recycling and Sustainability on my Mind." Key topics include reclamation and supply; bio-based and biodegradable materials; and recycling. SPE invites abstracts through 11 May 2011. Learn more in the PDF flyer. Learn more here.;