Transportation

Raven Industries, Inc. has announced record sales and earnings for the first quarter of its 2012 fiscal year, which ended April 30, 2011. All divisions posted strong increases in sales, driven by demand for the company's precision agriculture and engineered film products, as well as military parachutes. Daniel Rykhus, president and CEO, commented that the company is "making a concerted effort to increase capacity for [the Engineered Films Division] in the coming year." He noted that Raven has upgraded its cast extruder line to produce texturized films for geomembrane applications and that capacity for specialty film capabilities have been significantly increased.

The Business Times reports on NAUE's new Bentofix GCL factory in Malaysia. Learn more here.;

APWA's Sustainability in Public Works Conference offers a meeting place for professionals in both the public and private sectors for the sharing of innovative ideas in sustainability. With the industry's newest processes and technologies available at this event, attending can prove to be a truly important investment in your community's (or business's) future. The event takes place 27-29 June 2011 in Portland, Oregon. A discounted registration rate is available through May 27. Learn more here.;

The Tunnelling 20Twenty event will be held in Hong Kong 19-22 September 2011. The conference explores the opportunities in tunnelling and what the international market may look like for the next 20 years. Currently, the Tunnelling 20Twenty website offers a downloadable map with 20 case studies that will be highlighted during the event. These include tunnel projects such as 18km Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link under the Baltic between Germany and Denmark, lessons learned from cave-ins in Beijing, Switzerland's Gotthard Tunnel, Brazil's boom, and more. Learn more here.;

The country's deteriorating transportation infrastructure increasingly puts it at a disadvantage in the global marketplace, a study by the Urban Land Institute found. America is falling far behind Brazil, China and India, the institute concluded.

If you are interested in presenting at EC12, you only have until Friday, 27 May 2011 to submit your 400-word abstract. Details on how to submit along with recommended topics may be found on IECA's website. EC12 will be held 26-29 February 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

More than 400,000 cubic meters of containment soil has been removed Toronto's TTC Light Rail Train Yard. The $51-million (including taxes) soil remediation and soil capping project involves rammed aggregate piers and a GCL-lined temporary sediment-control pond, among other site solutions. Learn more here.;

The construction of a 'Park and Ride' facility at a site in Cork City, Ireland has been proposed. The former landfill ceased operations more than 30 years ago. The proposed park-and-ride facility would sit upon 18,914 sq. m of the site. Some ground remediation and dynamic compaction would be required, and a geosynthetic barrier system would be installed to control any gas and leachate. Learn more here.;

In an entry on the Wall Street Journal's Emerging Europe blog, Ayla Albayrak writes about the proposed "quake-proof" cities near Istanbul, Turkey. Prime Minister Erdogan announced this idea as part of his re-election bid. He proposes to build earthquake-resistant infrastructures for two major urban centers off of one of Europe's most populous cities, with half of the development along the European side of the Bosporus and the other half on the Asian side. Learn more here.;

British non-woven fabrics maker Fiberweb Plc said it expected first-half profit to be hurt by higher raw material costs, but remained confident of making progress in the second half as it increases prices. Also, the company has said it would look for small deals in Western Europe and North America to expand its geotextiles, agricultural fabrics and filtration businesses. Fiberweb operates 16 production sites in eight countries. Learn more here.;

GSE is excited to release the New Interactive Online Drainage Design Manual site. This site is in collaboration with our Drainage Design Manual to assist in specifying the most cost-effective drainage systems on the market, provide product review and selection, and preparation of construction details. The Drainage Design Manual was written collectively by industry design professionals with the 1st Edition released in July 2004 then the 2nd Edition in June 2007. A 3rd Edition is forthcoming. Learn more here.;

TenCate Geosynthetics Americas has developed a seven-minute video clip "TenCate at Work Around the Globe" that features several innovative TenCate projects around the globe. These projects illustrate several possibilities and applications using geotextile materials, such as dewatering, steep slope reinforcement, soft soil coverage, and much more.

TenCate sales increased by 46% to €279 million compared with the first quarter of 2010. Pre-tax profits rose significantly from €3.0 million to €14.1 million during the first quarter. The increase in sales and profit shown is partly the result of considerably higher demand for TenCate Defender™ M products compared with the first quarter of 2010. There has also been an improvement in the capacity usage in production at several TenCate companies and a good upturn in profit in the Netherlands.

North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) Executive Director David Suits has announced that NAGS is now an approved provider for professional development hours (PDHs). No additional information has yet been announced, but this is certainly a welcomed development for NAGS members. Learn more here.;

In an effort to enhance the online experiences of its Institutes, ASCE has launched new websites for the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) and the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI). Each site features improved navigation and easier access to the information and services members demand. Discover new research, follow the Institutes' news, track upcoming events, view job openings, and much more. Visit the COPRI website at: http://asce.org/copri. Learn more here.;

In an effort to enhance the online experiences of its Institutes, ASCE has launched new websites for the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI) and the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI). Each site features improved navigation and easier access to the information and services members demand. Discover new research, follow the Institutes' news, track upcoming events, view job openings, and much more. Visit the EWRI website at http://asce.org/ewri. Learn more here.;

In its latest release, Western Environmental writes: "With geomembrane liner technology advancing all the time, for applications such as landfills, pond liners, oil liners & waste ponds, it is important for the liner company you work with to be up to date with what is available as well. Western Environmental Liner is constantly on the lookout for better products for their customers." Read more.

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) is pleased to introduce Advanced Drainage Structures, which is already providing a complete line of custom and stock sanitary and storm water structures for infrastructure projects. Advanced Drainage Structures is located in Greencastle, PA at the former site of Frederick Precast Concrete, Inc. Read more.

In the Geosynthetics Magazine blog, Andrew Aho of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) writes about the recent National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) meeting in San Antonio. He writes, "Some of the state DOT representatives shared their reasons for wanting better 'traceability' of the primary manufacturers by printing identifications directly on the geotextile fabrics." Read more. Learn more here.;

Leister Process Technologies interviewed Urs Streuli of Sika Bau AG, regarding the New Rail Alpine Crossing (NEAT) construction in the Gotthard Tunnel. This interview is a companion piece to Christophe von Arx and Norbert Tholl's article "At High Speed through the Heart of Europe: The Gotthard Base Tunnel."

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 Sustainability Conference will be held 27-29 June 2011 in Portland, Oregon. General topics of interest include low impact development, sustainable best practices, success stories in sustainability, and more. This year's early bird registration deadline is May 27. Register online. Learn more here.;

Construction of the New Rail Alpine Crossing (NEAT) project represents a further step in regard to Switzerland's integration in the growing European high-speed network. The core is the Gotthard base tunnel, which at 35.4 miles will be the longest rail tunnel in the world. This massive project involves more than 620 miles of welded geosynthetic panels. Technology from LEISTER is being utilized to ensure the seam strength. Read more from Christophe von Arx and Norbert Tholl.

The 2011 ICKGSS (International Conference of Korean Geosynthetics Society) invites you to participate in an event that commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the Korean Geosynthetics Society. Organized by the KGS under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS), 2011 ICKGSS will be held 23-24 November 2011 in Seoul, South Korea. KEY TOPICS include (I) Coastal, Transportation and Underground Engineering; (II) Erosion Control and Hydraulic Engineering; (III) Geo-Environmental and Green Structure Application; (IV) Testing, Standardization, Regulation and Reliability; (V) Geosynthetics Stabilized and Reinforced Soil Structure; and (VI) MQC/MQA and CQC/CQA of Geosynthetics. Abstracts due: 30 May 2011.

The Philippines Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started promoting "green" engineering using more environmentally friendly indigenous materials and bioengineering technology. This includes promoting the use of coconut geotextiles. New three-day training events are targeted to engineers. Learn more here.;

The international geosynthetics manufacturer NAUE has launched a new central website for its operations and technologies: www.naue.com. The new format takes full advantage of online video with a dedicated section called NAUE TV, which features project and application presentations in clear, large viewing windows. The revamped website also offers an extensive reference library detailing project challenges and geosynthetic solutions, an archive of the company's newsletter (NAUE News), global NAUE Group office information, key geosynthetic application descriptions, and much more.