Transportation

Members of the International Association of Geosynthetic Installers (IAGI) recently voted to fill four seats on IAGI's Board of Directors. Candidates were nominated by the industry and those elected will serve on the IAGI Board of Directors during 2012–2013. The IAGI members elected include: John Heap, Colorado Lining International, USA; Max Brady, DDT Liners, Australia; Bill Shehane, Seaman Corporation, USA; and Nicky Araujo, Servicios de Ingenieria Geosintetica, S.A., Costa Rica. Each director will serve for two years. New officers for the IAGI Board of Directors were elected at a recent Board of Directors meeting. Todd Harman was elected to serve as IAGI's President. David McLaury was elected First Vice President and Nicky Araujo was elected Second Vice President. Finally, Chris Eichelberger was elected Treasurer. Brian McKeown will serve the Board as Immediate Past President. All officers will serve two year terms.

The International Association of Geosynthetic Installers (IAGI) has published its first newsletter of 2012. This issue includes a welcome note from new IAGI President Todd Harman, an article on the Certified Welding Technician (CWT) "Renewal Process 2.0," an update to the IAGI Buyer's Guide, industry news, a call for entries for IAGI's awards, and an article from Elizabeth Peggs on the beta testing of Geosindex.com. Read the newsletter here (PDF)

In an interview with Calcutta's Telegraph newspaper, A.B. Joshi, a commissioner from the Ministry of Textiles, is quoted as saying "We are going all out for promotion of geotextiles in the Northeast in a big way. Geotextiles [have] been accepted worldwide for enhancing the quality and longevity of roads, but [their] use in India has been minimal." This follows the presentation of the 2012-2013 budget. Included in the Twelfth Plan is a Rs 500 crore (USD $100 million) pilot scheme for the promotion and application of geotextiles in the Northeast. Weaving centers have been planned.

The International Erosion Control Association's charitable fund, Save Our International Land (SOIL), raised more than $1,500 at Environmental Connection 2012 through its third annual SOIL Fund Silent Auction. The auction, which was held on Tuesday, February 28th, featured items collected from countries around the world which were generously donated by SOIL Fund Committee members and active supporters.

In the latest "View from…" story, TenCate Geosynthetics shares a piece of its Bodegraven, the Netherlands railway track renovation. Utilizing TenCate Polyfelt geotextile separation material, the rail operators deployed the largest work train in Europe to make the project happen. The result is a structural, environment-friendly solution.

GSE Lining Technology, LLC, GSE -0.42% the leading global manufacturer and provider of geosynthetic lining products and services, announced today the launch of its rebranded identity as GSE Environmental. Following its recent listing to the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 10, this rebrand reflects the company's transition from a multi-regional company to a truly global organization.

In a March 2012 release, American Excelsior's Kurt Kelsey and Vilas County, Wisconsin's Lake Conservation Specialist Mariquita Sheehan take a look at how imported sources of coir may be causing significant environmental damage, particularly at their source of production and preparation. From an environmental conservation perspective, it raises some questions on carbon footprint management and responsible global conservation approaches.

American Excelsior Company announced the addition of Loren Weeks to the position of Territory Manager for the company's Erosion Control Division. Loren will be responsible for sales and distribution management for the states of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. American Excelsior Company is a national manufacturer of erosion and sediment control products and produces a number of branded products including Curlex® erosion control blankets, Recyclex® turf reinforcement mats.

From January 2012, Joe Cavanaugh has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for Europe Africa and the Middle East and will relocate from the US to Tensar's UK offices in Blackburn. Joe has many years of experience with Tensar International, most recently as Vice President of Global Technology. A position he has held since 2009.

When it comes to rural road design, Gordon Keller has seen firsthand quite a bit of what the world has to offer. Since 1972, Keller has worked for the US Forest Service and worked in partnership with numerous international organizations, such as the World Bank, the Pan-American Highway Institute, and the International Road Federation (IRF) to promote best practices in design, maintenance, environmental analysis, and more. He'll next lead a workshop on Low Volume Roads (LVR) in Orlando, Florida for IRF 11-13 April 2012. He discusses the workshop and issues such as changing agricultural practices on rural roads in an interview with Geosynthetica.

Since 1977, the time of the first geosynthetics conference in Paris, geosynthetics have emerged as exciting engineering materials in a wide array of civil engineering applications, e.g., transportation, geotechnical, geoenvironmental, hydraulics, and private development. To provide a deeper understanding of this subject matter, author Robert M. Koerner presents Designing with Geosynthetics - 6th Edition, which contains two volumes, released through Xlibris.

Thrace-LINQ, a supplier of woven and nonwoven geosynthetic technical fabrics, is pleased to announce recent significant market expansions in its needlepunched nonwoven product lines. Capitalizing on its state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, Thrace-LINQ has extended its line into new markets including industrial, automotive, building materials, absorbency, furniture and bedding.

China plans to build the world’s largest cargo airport near Beijing in a $4.8 billion project due for completion in late 2017. The new airport, which has not yet been named, will have an annual capacity of more than 130 million passengers and 5 million metric tons of cargo. Construction of the 9 runways at a 6,600-acre site at Daxing, 30 miles south of Beijing, will begin this year. Beijing International Airport, the capital’s major air cargo hub, handled 1.7 million tons of cargo last year, up 10.7 percent year-over-year, according to preliminary figures from Airports Council International. The airport is the second largest by volume in China after Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. Learn more here.;

Gorantla Geosynthetics Private Limited (Chennai) has launched a new website, www.geomembranes-geotextiles.com. The company is a major manufacturer and supplier of geosynthetic products in India. The new website aims to be more comprehensive and user-friendly, offering a host of detailed product information, contact information, and presentations.

Raven Engineered Films Division has released its new website (www.RavenEFD.com) with an improved venue for easy navigation and enhanced user experience. Utilizing customer feedback, we have reconstructed our complex site into a simplified user-friendly environment that maintains the comprehensive product information our users expect in a dynamic layout that is easily navigated. Learn more.

The FabricLink Network is pleased to announce its 2012 picks for the Top 10 Textile Innovations of the year. This year's winners represent the best the industry has to offer, incorporating innovations from across the industry. The new technologies are commercially available in the specialty fabrics market, and are also available in finished consumer products from major brands. Among the honorees: TenCate Geosynthetics North America for its Tencate Mirafi® H2i roadway reinforcement geotextile.

HUESKER Synthetic GmbH hosted a special conference on 19 and 20 January 2012 in Düsseldorf and welcomed representatives of subsidiaries, numerous national and international business associates and partners of the company as well as representatives of engineering companies, testing institutes, authorities and universities.

The ongoing, rapid development of South and Central American infrastructure and the heavy concern with sustainability and energy innovation throughout the Americas will be key topics when engineers, contractors, regulators and other construction professionals gather in Lima, Peru for the GeoAmericas 2012 conference and exhibition. To be held May 1-4, GeoAmericas 2012 marks the Second Pan-American Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition and will take place under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The exhibitor space has sold out for the event, and many attendees are now turning attention not just to the strong technical sessions planned for the event but the exceptional short and long courses that have been announced. Featuring expert and internationally renowned instructors, these courses will provide an in-depth look at some of the hottest topics in geosynthetics and current engineering design.

The engines appear to be running full-throttle down in Houston. Having just completed an IPO and re-entering public trading, GSE is now announcing a new line of geomembranes. On a new page on the company website, the company describes its GSE High Performance Geomembranes as being "manufactured with the highest quality resin specifically formulated for flexible geomembranes. A premium grade carbon black is used that incorporates a fine particle size for enhanced resistance to UV radiation." Characteristics of these new formulations include extended life and heightened multi-axial performance. The full suite of data sheets for conductive, smooth, and textured membranes in 30-100 mil thicknesses, as well as FAQs, are available here. Learn more here.;

Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, Washington has grown to become the 18th busiest airport in the country and the need for convenient parking is a growing concern. To help provide needed parking, one of the area's leading parking services, MasterPark Inc., sought to turn unusable land near the airport into a valuable $20-per-night parking lot. Five retaining walls up to 33 feet in height reinforced with geogrid were needed to build up the site and create a level and stable area for the parking lot.

The International Road Federation (IRF) will bring its Executive Seminar Series to Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Orlando area) 11-13 April 2012 for a session on "Rural Roads: Best Practices in Low-Volume Roads Engineering." The event will be held at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista and lead instructor Gorden Keller, P.E., GE will be joined by two guest instructors: Alan Kercher, P.E. (President, Kercher Engineering) and the World Bank's Ben Gericke (Program Team Leader, Europe and Central Asia Sustainable Development). Key topics include geosynthetics, erosion control, drainage, slope stabilization, and more.

GSE Holding, Inc. ("GSE") today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 7,000,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $9.00 per share. All of the shares in the offering are being sold by GSE. GSE has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,050,000 shares at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments, if any. The shares are expected to begin trading tomorrow, February 10, 2012, on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "GSE", and the offering is expected to close on February 15, 2012.

In the February/March 2012 issue of Geosynthetics, Dr. Robert Koerner of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) notes that the field lacks generic specifications for erosion control materials (as well as generic specs for various other geosynthetic materials). He writes, "...a reasonable case can be made that generic specifications have significantly aided both geotextile materials (e.g., via AASHTO specs) and geomembrane materials (e.g., via GRI specs). Such specifications address most common situations and also provide a platform from which unusual or atypical site-specific conditions can be implemented." Read more in Dr. Koerner's column on this pressing issue. Learn more here.;

Erosion, sediment, and stormwater runoff have an unquestionably critical impact on the quality of our environment. The EPA estimates that forthcoming new rules will cost more than $900 million annually to keep pace with site control needs. Commonly, the erosion and sediment controls that are selected are referred to as best management practices, or BMPs. But what puts the "B" in BMP? In this two-part series, Katie Westfall writes about the positive impact the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) and the implementation of large-scale (or full-scale) erosion and sediment control testing are having on the field. This article has been updated from its initial version in September 2011.

Erosion, sediment, and stormwater runoff have an unquestionably critical impact on the quality of our environment. The EPA estimates that forthcoming new rules will cost more than $900 million annually to keep pace with site control needs. Commonly, the erosion and sediment controls that are selected are referred to as best management practices, or BMPs. But what puts the "B" in BMP? In this two-part series, Katie Westfall writes about the positive impact the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) and the implementation of large-scale (or full-scale) erosion and sediment control testing are having on the field. This article has been updated from its initial version in September 2011.