Transportation

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics WK29174 is a work item revision of D7001 - 06, "Standard Specification for Geocomposites for Pavement Edge Drains and Other High-Flow Applications." It is a review, update and reapprove work item. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics WK29175 is a work item revision of D6088 - 06, "Standard Practice for Installation of Geocomposite Pavement Drains." It is a review, update and reapprove work item. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics WK29191 is a work item revision of D5101 - 01(2006), "Standard Test Method for Measuring the Soil-Geotextile System Clogging Potential by the Gradient Ratio." The intent is to update the existing standard to reflect more accurate data collection and soil placement. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics WK29201 is a work item for "New Test Method for Flexural Rigidity of Geogrids, Geotextiles and Related Products." This test method covers the measurement of stiffness properties of geogrids, geotextiles and geogrid-geotextile composites all of which are referred to as geosynthetics within this standard. Bending length is measured and flexural rigidity is calculated through use of the cantilever test procedure. Learn more here.;

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) has announced that it is planning two workshops for the fall: "Erosion and Sediment Control Field" seminar to be held in Mankato (August or September) and "Stormwater Pollution Plan for the Flood" to be held in Moorhead (September). More details will be announced soon. Learn more here.;

On 29 July 2010, a one-day workshop from the Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) will introduce designers, regulators and contractors to the latest permanent erosion control practices and techniques. Examples of successful and unsuccessful erosion control projects will be provided, along with samples of materials and corresponding manufactures design and informational literature. Presenters include Steve Klein (Barr Engineering); John Chapman (University of Minnesota Erosion Control and Stormwater Management Program); and various product vendors. The event will be held in Hastings, Minnesota. Learn more here.;

The International Railway Safety Conference (IRSC) is a forum that brings together rail safety professionals from around the globe in order to exchange information and provide experiences and lessons for improving rail safety and is exclusively devoted to rail safety issues. IRSC 2010--the 20th annual meeting--will be held in Hong Kong 3-8 October 2010 under the theme "Challenges in Sustaining Railway Safety." Online registration is open for the second-stage early bird discount. Abstracts for presentations are being accepted through 30 June 2010. Learn more here.;

The town of Rosendale, New York began emergency road repairs in March to fix a rapidly eroding slope that forced a sudden road closure. A retaining wall is being constructed to stabilize the slope, and geotextile and crushed stone have been fitted at the toe to prevent further erosion and to provide stability. Learn more here.;

Total construction spending contracted by 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010 and is not expected to see positive growth until the last quarter of 2010, according to the Second Quarter U.S. Construction Briefing by IHS Global Insight's Construction Service. The residential construction sector, led by single-family construction, is seeing a rebound in activity. Low mortgage rates and low prices will result in improved affordability, which, when combined with income growth, pent-up demand and returning employment, will result in growth in the sector in 2010. Nonresidential construction, which is still being impacted by high vacancy rates and tight credit conditions, will continue to shrink throughout 2010 and will bottom out in the fourth quarter of the year.

Albarrie Canada Limited is proud to announce the launch of our new joint venture with Terrafix Geosynthetics Inc. These two well known companies are joining forces to create Terrafix Albarrie Geosynthetics (TAG) Environmental Inc. TAG Environmental will manufacture a full line of premium quality, Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCL), as well as other specialty products in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.

In Colwood, British Columbia--on Victoria Island--wave action is washing fill out from beneath the pavement at the Esquimalt Lagoon bridge. To address that problem, the City will place timbers at the base of the abutments to protect them from waves. On the north side, a section of the asphalt will be 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.;

Vietnam-based Vison, a cotton products manufacturing company, has announced that it is adding two Chinese-manufactured nonwoven geotextile lines to its business. The company intends to enter the infrastructure market in Vietnam and immediately surrounding region. Learn more here.;

Netherlands-based Koninklijke Ten Cate nv offers a Flexible Pavement Design web application. The program aims to reveal the "positive impact of geosynthetics on price, materials and the environment." Registration is required to use this free program. Learn more here.;

East Coast Erosion Blankets, Bernville, Pa., is proud to announce the hiring of Randy Massingill, the company's new Southeastern Sales Representative. Randy's extensive experience includes much more than sales and marketing. He also brings to East Coast, its distribution partners and customers considerable knowledge of the field from the testing and research side.

Roughly 120 visitors came to the renowned Bauhaus University Weimar recently for a Department of Civil Engineering event titled "Energy. Experiment. Experience." One of the event's highlights included the first public testing of geogrid-reinforced stone columns--using a 2.2-ton vehicle. NAUE GmbH & Co. KG, an international manufacturer of geosynthetics, worked with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Karl Josef Witt and Dipl.-Ing. Mary Noack from the Bauhaus University Weimar, to create the geogrid-reinforced stone columns on which the car was supported. The geogrid used in the experiment was NAUE's Secugrid®. Read about the experiment and link to a video demonstration.

One of the most beloved members of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA), Alfred Tsuguo Nitta, CPESC, founder of Nitta Erosion Control, passed away on 31 May 2010 on the family ranch in Loomis, CA where he was born on 19 March 1923. Al was 87 years old. Al joined IECA in 1977 and was awarded the Environmental Achievement Award for his innovative retrofit designs and, at 85 years of age, was named Contractor of the Year at EC08 in Orlando, FL. Read more.

We concluded our time at the American Public Works Association's (APWA) Sustainability in Public Works Conference today with a day of focused sessions and capped off with closing remarks from the organizers. The sessions I attended pertained to green infrastructure and biomass-to-energy, while other sessions addressed facility energy use, pervious concrete, success indicators, urban ecosystem management, the "people" side of sustainability measures and work, and recycled materials in road construction.

Day 2 of APWA's Sustainability in Public Works Conference has come and gone, and it provided significant fodder for discussion on infrastructure upgrades and the need for new designs to accommodate the potentially devastating impact of climate change--which, regardless of whether one supports the term "climate change" simply means that today public works departments must combat both increased risk for drought and flooding. The morning session featured introductory remarks and agenda setting. Later on, smaller sessions gathered. Geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey attended sessions on impacts of climate change on public works and the utilization of BMPs in low-impact development (LID). Read more in his day two report.

North American Green's HydraMatriCx™ hydraulically-applied erosion control products have posted the best results ever published to date in large-scale slope protection tests by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Official's National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (AASHTO-NTPEP). HydraCX2™ Extreme Slope Matrix™ demonstrated an unprecedented 100% soil protection and HydraCM™ Steep Slope Matrix™ registered an outstanding 99.7% effectiveness in reducing soil erosion.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has spent the last few years with hands firmly on the reins of sustainability issues in the public works profession. Two key outreach efforts have come about as of this work between APWA's membership and leadership committees: the launch of the APWA Center for Sustainability and the APWA Sustainability in Public Works conference series. The opening eve of the conference, which is being held at the Hilton Minneapolis, gave us an excellent opportunity to say hello to one another. A registration and welcome reception was held in the exhibit hall.

Each year, Geosynthetica participates in a number of conferences. Participation may include exhibiting, presentations (or paper co-authorship), session coordination and attendance. Also, Geosynthetica serves as a media partner or cooperating organization to many of these events. Some of these forthcoming events are briefly noted in this roundup article.

Low & Bonar PLC ("the Group"), the international performance materials group, today publishes a trading update for the half year to 31 May 2010. The improvement in sales referred to in the Interim Management Statement on 8 April has been maintained consistently throughout the second quarter. Like for like sales in this quarter were ahead of last year in all segments, with particularly strong performances in the transport, leisure and carpet manufacturing markets. As a result, at current exchange rates, the Group anticipates that the full year trading performance will be ahead of its previous expectations. We expect to announce the Group results for the half year to 31 May 2010 on 13 July 2010.

During the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG), which was held in May 2010 in Brazil, the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) announced results of its most recent election cycle. The IGS Council met so that the expiring council could conclude business and hand over control to the new council, which welcomed both new and returning council members. This includes both those elected and those co-opted.

At the recent 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9th ICG) held in Guarujá Brazil the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Council marked the beginning of a new Council term. At the General Assembly the officers and council members elected to serve for the 2010-2014 term were announced and officially took office.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a guidance document describing approaches that can help communities explore adaptive, innovative stormwater management techniques. The guide, "Green Infrastructure in Arid and Semi-Arid Climates," provides many environmental, social, and economic benefits of green infrastructure in order to reduce runoff, conserve water, recharge groundwater, conserve energy and improve air quality in water-limited areas. Learn more here.;