Transportation

Tensar International Corporation's innovative TriAx™ geogrid, and the technical developments it represents, has won one of civil engineering's most prestigious awards, from the International Geosynthetics Society. Tim Oliver, Tensar International Vice President Marketing, explains: "The IGS Award is all the more significant because it is presented for achievement in the period since 2005, not just the best in one year. Entry is by invitation following nominations from the industry, so Tensar's TriAx™ has obviously already made a genuine impression on an international stage."

Tensar International has released the latest issue of GeoTalk. This issue marks the opening of the corporate publication's 20th volume. The feature stories address how geogrids reduce overexcavation in subgrade reinforcement applications and save cost on aggregate need; an alternative to expensive overlays; the advantages in the new SpectraPave4-PRO™ software; a review of the reinforcement challenge from GeoFlorida 2010; the Triton® Marine Mattresses and Filter Mattresses system aces its "college" test; and more. Read it online today. Learn more here.;

To aid Nigeria’s drive for sustainable development, CP Fiberglass Limited, a company that specialises in advanced composites including fiberglass-reinforced products, is set to distribute fiberglass geogrids for road reinforcement/road repair systems. The company, which began operations in February 2010, is a subsidiary of UK-based Crestview and Price Ltd. CP Fiberglass is targeting Nigeria's oil and gas and construction sectors, among others. Learn more here.;

The July 2010 issue of CE News has been released, and in addition to interesting articles on an engineer's perspective of design-build, an exclusive on the EPA's strengthening of NPDES, and an "Olympic-sized" upgrade to one community's wastewater system, the Progressive Engineering section features an article from Laurie Honnigford of the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC). Honnigford's article, "Opening the QDOR," outlines the Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR™) program from ECTC--a program which takes a scientific view on selecting the best erosion control materials.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) has produced a new guideline entitled Subgrade Requirements for Fabricated Geomembranes. This guideline details the proper preparation of the subgrade for the installation of all fabricated geomembranes. This document is written such that these guidelines can be picked up by an engineer or specifier and put into a specification for subgrade condition and requirements. Color pictures of both acceptable and unacceptable subgrade preparations and protrusions are provided to give the user a visual depiction of what is described in the text.

Egypt plans to build a $1 billion tunnel under the Suez Canal at Port Said and will begin seeking finance as soon as the designs are completed. The tunnel, to be built 19 km (12 miles) south of the Canal's northern entrance, will have 3 passageways, one for rail and two for cars. Learn more here.;

The July 2010 issue of CE News features an article from Laurie Honnigford of the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC). Writing for the magazine's Progressive Engineering section, Honnigford outlines the Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program from ECTC--a program which takes a scientific view on selecting the best erosion control materails. Read "Opening the QDOR" online. Learn more here.;

In mid-May 2010, a "National Level One Week Up-gradation Programme on Geosynthetics" was organized by the Anchor Institute (Textile Sector) of the Department of Textile Engineering, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Dr M.K. Talukdar of Kusumgar Corporates presented "An Overview of Geosynthetics." His presentation is available here (PDF--no audio).

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has voiced their support for the International Green Construction Code, the first code to address regulation of green construction. A resolution was passed that endorses Version 1.0 of the Code, which is slated for release in November. The Conference of Mayors believes that making buildings more energy efficient could save the U.S. up to $140 billion annually. ASTM International is one of the Cooperating Sponsors of the IGCC. For more information, visit www.iccsafe.org. Learn more here.;

Even among construction professionals, it's widely believed that building green adds 10% or more to the cost of new projects -- but analysts say such beliefs have little basis in reality. Experts say that although about two-thirds of construction-industry professionals believe there's a hefty green-building premium, studies suggest that in fact going green brings negligible costs or a premium of as low as 1% to 2% Learn more here.;

Applied Market Information (AMI) has released the program and registration brochure for Waterproof Membranes 2010, the fourth international conference in this series. Waterproof Membranes 2010 takes place at the Maritim Hotel in Cologne, Germany 30 November - 2 December 2010. AMI is offering Euro 100 off registration for those who book their space before October 20. Learn more about this year's program.

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), will host the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GBR-C 2k10) 15-16 September 2010 at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany. Technical sessions will address shear and mechanical behaviour of GCLs, chemical resistance of GCLs, testing of GCLs under unsaturated conditions, behaviour of GCLs in landfill covers (case studies), regulations, new concepts and developments in the use of GCLs, and GCLs for hydraulic and construction applications. Visit the conference's website for the latest. Learn more here.;

After more than five months of traffic closure, the Esquimalt Lagoon bridge in Colwood, British Columbia--on Victoria Island--is being repaired. The City has placed timbers at the base of the abutments to protect them from waves. On the north side, a section of the asphalt is being removed and fill material excavated out. That area will then be repacked and the sides reinforced with geotextile to prevent fill material from being drawn out. Learn more here.;

The IGS Award Committee presented HUESKER Synthetic GmbH with the 2010 IGS Award at a special ceremony on 26 May 2010 during the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) in Guaruja, Brazil. The IGS Committee voted unanimously to present the award to HUESKER; the citation recognizes HUESKER for its continued commitment to the development and production of geosynthetic products, often using innovative polymers.

The Executive Board of Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) has appointed Dave Clarke (52) as new Global Group Director TenCate Advanced Composites, effective 1 January 2011. The Executive Board of Royal Ten Cate has appointed Wally Moore (46), former Group Director TenCate Geosynthetics Europe, as Global Group Director TenCate Geosynthetics, effective since 1 July 2010. Jorg Huber (66), the current Global Group Director TenCate Advanced Composites, will retire from TenCate at the end of this year and will continue to share his experience with TenCate as an external member of the Board of Royal Ten Cate USA.

The 31st Geotechnical Conference and Exhibition of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) will take place 3-6 November 2010 in Munich at the International Conference Center of Munich. The event celebrates 50 years of DGGT events and activities. Presentations will include NAUE, Huesker, BBG and other geosynthetic-related companies. Learn more at the event website. Learn more here.;

The 31st Geotechnical Conference and Exhibition of the German Geotechnical Society (DGGT) will take place 3-6 November 2010 in Munich at the International Conference Center of Munich. The event celebrates 50 years of DGGT events and activities. Presentations will include NAUE, Huesker, BBG and other geosynthetic-related companies. Download the event brochure. Learn more here.;

Amir N. Hanna seems close to going forth on a $600,000 study on "Effect of Geosynthetics on Structural Pavement Design." The study is affiliated with the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The start date has been listed as 13 June 2010, but official approval seems pegged to August 2010 funding announcements. 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; and, appropriately enough, will run with the theme, "Guiding with Vision." Learn more at the association website. Learn more here.;

The deadline for the early-bird registration rate to the American Public Works Association (APWA) 2010 conference and exhibition is 28 June 2010. The event will be held 15-18 August 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. It will be co-located with the Solid Waste Association of North America's (SWANA) annual WASTECON event. Learn more here.;

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more here.;

Drenotex geotextiles from Freudenberg Politex are not new on the Russian market. What is new at the facility in Nizhniy Novgorod Region is the additional capacity of over 3,000 tons of nonwovens for geotextiles applications which will be available from July 2010.

Freudenberg Politex has been forced again to raise its sales prices. Raw materials on the market are very short and over the last few weeks this situation has dramatically affected costs, with unpredictable and uncontrollable rises. The 7% prices increase will be applied effective from June 2010 including roofing reinforcements, nonwovens for thermal and acoustic insulation, as well as to all other building materials.

ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced a number of interesting work items, in the wake of the recent meeting in St. Louis. This includes five items covering areas such as nominal thickness of geosynthetics, geocomposites and pavement edge drains, soil-geotextile clogging, and more. Also, Committee D18 on Soil and Rock has items on hydraulically-applied erosion control (HECPs) products and gabions. See the latest here.

Co-hosted by IGS Thailand, a chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society, the International Conference on Slopes 2010 will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand 23-25 July 2010. The conference's main theme is "Geotechniques and Geosynthetics for Slopes." Stabilization, remediation, design and other engineering issues will be key. The official language of the conference is English. Learn more at the conference website. Learn more here.;