Transportation

Another step forward for Freudenberg Politex in Russia: a spunbond line is going to be installed in the Russian facility located in Nizhniy Novgorod Region for the production of polyester nonwovens for the construction market. The start up of the first nonwovens line in 2006, the complete renovation of the building and the recent installation of a line for the production of geotextiles have allowed Freudenberg Politex to consolidate its leadership in Russian and CIS markets over the years.

Geosynthetic welcomes its newest underwriter, Brockton Equipment / Spilldam Inc. The company manufactures a wide range of oil containment booms and turbidity barriers for various applications in the marine environment, technologies which provide essential environmental protection for construction, mining, remediation, dewatering operations and many other applications. Learn more on Brockton's website. Learn more here.;

Checkmate Geosynthetics, Verdyol Biotic Earth, ErosionControlBlanket.com and Titan Environmental are sponsoring two Geosynthetics & Civil Engineering Summits in British Columbia, Canada, the first in Kewlona on 31 January 2011 and the second in Surrey on 2 February 2011. Attendees and expert presenters will represent sectors such as transportation, erosion control, pavement design, sediment control, and reatining walls.

Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Among the many short courses being held, ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will present one on test methods and specifications (March 13, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm). Up to 7 professional development hours (PDHs) are available. Learn about this event and others. Learn more here.;

The National Association of County Engineers (NACE) will hold its 2011 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 17-21 April 2011. As the event comes to the North Star state, it will operate under an appropriate theme: "Guiding with Vision." One of the most intriguing sessions that will be held, particularly from the perspective of the geosynthetics fields. One of the key sessions will focus on geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments. These GRS construction approaches have been economical and fast to construct. They abutments themselves have performed wonderfully, and these successes are helping transform the practice.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute's (FGI) next "Constructing with Fabricated Geomembranes & Emerging Trends" short course will be held 11 March 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Up to 7 PDHs are available, and government employees may attend the event for free. The full-day short course includes presentations from industry professionals on design, specification, testing, manufacturing, fabrication, installation, inspection, and field testing of different types of fabricated geomembranes for a variety of applications. A flyer has been released. Read it here (PDF).

Northwest Linings and Geotextile Products, Inc., a growing construction products distributor located in Kent, Washington seeks an outside sales person to prospect local northwestern territory calling on contractors, owners, and engineers. Five years geosynthetics experience selling to the construction industry is desired. Education: BA preferred, Associates minimum. Learn more about this and other opportunities on Geosynthetica's Employment Page.

Western Environmental Liner, an online supplier of custom fabricated pond liners, PVC liners, pit liners, field liners, canal liners and polypropylene liners,has been recommending reinforced products over un-reinforced products for most common applications. Their reinforced polyethylene also known as the Aqua seriesconsists of a very strong high density polyethylene scrim coated with a low density polyethylene coating. Western Environmental Liner's Aqua series consists of the best woven coated reinforced polyethylene available in the market today. The Aqua series has excellent tear and good u.v. resistance, excellent for long term applications. These products often make for a perfect pond liner.

To keep current with the latest developments in the field of geosynthetics, a seminar titled "Geosynthetics India 2011," preceded immediately by "An Introductory Course on Geosynthetics," is being organized by the Indian Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP). Topics include geosynthetic materials, testing and specification, reinforced soil structures, slope stabilization, filtration, drainage, roads, hydraulic structures, landfills and ash ponds, erosion control, ground improvement and more.

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association's (MECA) 23rd Annual Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Conference and Trade Show will be held 3-4 March 2011 at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Plymouth, Minnesota. The event will feature special pre-conference training opportunities and two days of expert presentations on local projects, stormwater management, innovative products, and more. Register by February 1 for a discounted rate. Learn more at MECA's website. Learn more here.;

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) is continuing to expand its product line by acquiring the assets of another leading manufacturer of concrete drainage structures, Frederick Precast Concrete, Inc. (Greencastle, Pennsylvania). Known for its custom as well as stock structures, Frederick Precast is being added to ADS' other recent acquisitions enabling it to provide a complete line of sanitary, storm and water structures to the mid-Atlantic United States. ADS purchased the Foltz Concrete Pipe Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina in April and Piedmont Concrete of Pineville, North Carolina in May.

Verdyol Biotic Earth, ErosionControlBlanket.com, Titan Environmental and Checkmate Geosynthetics are sponsoring two Geosynthetics Summits in British Columbia, Canada, the first in Kewlona on 31 January 2011 and the second in Surrey on 2 February 2011. Attendees and expert presenters will represent sectors such as transportation, erosion control, pavement design, sediment control, and reatining walls. Learn more about and register for these day-long sessions. Learn more here.;

Queensland, Australia, faces billions of dollars in damage after massive floods struck the state. At least 55,923 miles of roads need to be rebuilt, and sewer systems and parks will need massive repairs. "In some instance, we won't rebuild it exactly as it was. We might build it better or smarter," said Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam. "But we could never build anything that would withstand what we've seen." Learn more here.;

The NPDES Permit Writers' Manual (EPA-833-K-10-001) provides a comprehensive overview of the framework of the NPDES program and serves as one of the principal training tools to help permit writers develop legally defensible and enforceable NPDES permits. Its primary purpose as a technical resource is to guide new state and EPA permit writers through the basic steps of permit development and issuance; however, the manual also is intended to serve as a resource for others (e.g., stakeholders, the regulated community) interested in the NPDES permitting process. Learn more here.;

The International Erosion Control Association has announced a new course on "Comprehensive Stormwater Compliance and Inspection Training for Construction Sites." This detailed training is geared towards contractors and sub-contractors. Training modules include: History and Requirements of the Clean Water Act, Basic Stormwater Management, Inspections and Documentation, Phases of Construction Management, Principles of Erosion and Sediment Control, Best Management Practices - Structural Controls, Best Management Practices - Procedural Controls. Participants have 7 days to complete the 300 minute, 7 module course. Cost: USD $175. Learn more here.;

Half of the 30 most costly projects in the world today are in rising economies such as China, Brazil and the Middle East. The No. 1 most expensive project, at $150 billion, is China's South-North Water Diversion plan, which will use the Grand Canal and two other routes to bring water to Beijing and other northern cities. Other top projects include Britain's $132 billion for offshore wind farms and Japan's $62 billion Daini Tomei Highway. Learn more here.;

Northwest Linings and Geotextile Products, Inc. seeks a Project Manager for Kent, WA location. Candidate must have a 4-year degree, 3 years of geosynthetics construction management experience, and an earthworks background including the reading of blue prints, specifications, and submittal processing. Learn more.

Tensar International Corporation has increased prices for its subgrade improvement and road base reinforcement geogrid products globally. The increase, effective February 15, has been implemented to partially offset significantly higher polymer raw material costs. Global cost of polypropylene is affected by a complex combination of factors. The base monomer, propylene, is a byproduct of both ethylene and gasoline production. These two processes account for over 90% of propylene production. Crude oil and natural gas prices, global cracking capacity and demand for gasoline and ethylene all have major impact on propylene availability and cost.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) offers an extensive series of professional development webinars and webcasts. On January 18 and 19, the association is rebroadcasting three of its most recent and most popular events: the three-part study guide towards the Certified Public Infrastructure Inspector exam and Stormwater Manager certification. Learn more.

TenCate Geosynthetics has published its Winter 2010 issue of MiraFacts, a semi-annual, electronic publication detailing projects, issues affecting engineering, short course and training opportunities, and more. The issue contains a host of interesting stories, including issues of road buildings, MiraSpec Design Solutions Software for flexible pavement designs, a pavement restoration warranty, two case studies, and more. Read it online. Learn more here.;

Strata Geosystems India Pvt Ltd has added "StrataWeb" to its range of soil reinforcement products. StrataWeb is a light-weight, expandable, three-dimensional honeycomb-like cellular confinement system, which acts as an erosion control barrier and also as a foundation reinforcement mat for improvement of bearing capacity of weak soils. Learn more in the release.

CompositesWorld’s High-Performance Fibers 2010 conference was held in Charleston, South Carolina recently. Among the many speakers, TenCate's Wilson Harvie spoke about the use of fiber-optic sensors in composite geotextiles. Read more in CW's review. Learn more here.;

Prof. Jonathan Fannin and Prof. Bob Holtz lead this regular course for the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC). This course encourages participants to develop an understanding of fundamental concepts as they govern the behaviour of geosynthetic reinforced soil structures. Material properties are examined that govern performance, including mobilized tensile strength, soil-geosynthetic bond and strain compatibility. The next edition of the course will be held 17 February 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Learn more. Learn more here.;

Erosion along the Brahmaputra River in India has reaped considerable disaster in the past 15 years. An article in the Assam Tribune indicates that erosion has claimed 28 villages, one police station, eight schools, four tea estates, one PWD road and wide stretches of agricultural land. A new project aims to stem some of that erosion by installing geotextile bags along multiple kms of the riverbank. Learn more here.;

Wayne Farrow, Vice President Geosynthetic Operations for Atlantic Lining Co., Inc. (ALCO), has announced that the company has moved fully into its new offices at 2206 Saylors Pond Road, Jobstown, NJ 08041. Phone: +1 609 723 2400 ext. 304. Fax: +1 609 723 2700. Learn more about ALCO's work at www.atlanticlining.com. Learn more here.;