Transportation

Current Past President D. Wayne Klotz, P.E., D.WRE, F.ASCE, the 2009 ASCE President, shares his thoughts about his year in office and what the future holds in a new Q&A with the American Academy of Water Resource Engineers. Klotz talks about the current state of civil engineering, advice for other engineers, some of the memorable moments he experienced, and what he enjoys doing for fun. Read the Wayne Klotz interview at the AAWRE site. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration today announced that Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will receive a $2.3 million grant from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to rehabilitate a runway critical to the airport's capacity. With this grant, all of FAA's Recovery Act dollars have been committed to 360 projects, many of which will remain under construction well into 2010. Significantly, the FAA had anticipated being able to fund 300 ARRA projects, but because of lower-than-anticipated bids, was able to fund 360 projects.

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has published a work item, WK26895 "Revision of D5261-92(2009) Standard Test Method for Measuring Mass per Unit Area of Geotextiles." Learn more here.;

Aalborg, Denmark-based nonwovens manufacturer sets up business in South Africa. This is a strategic initiative aimed at giving Fibertex easy access to markets which hold plans for huge future investments in, among other things, infrastructure. From the turn of the year, Fibertex will set up business with a factory in South Africa with a view to manufacturing and marketing needlepunch products -- primarily geotextiles for road works, but also products for the growing South African automotive industry.

World construction aggregates demand is forecast to expand 2.9 percent annually through 2013 to 28.0 billion metric tons. The Asia/Pacific region will experience the most intense growth, as nonbuilding, residential building and nonresidential building construction spending in the area increases rapidly. A number of countries in the region are expected to post large gains, including China, India and Indonesia. China alone will account for three-fifths of all new global product demand between 2008 and 2013. Learn more here.;

ASTM Committee D18 on Soil and Rock has issued a work item for a revision to D7208, "Standard Test Method for Determination of Temporary Ditch Check Performance in Protecting Earthen Channels from Stormwater-Induced Erosion - 06." The work item id is WK26724. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) has published its fifth edition of "Recommended Descriptions of Geosynthetics Functions, Geosynthetics Terminology, Mathematical and Graphical Symbols." The project provides IGS members and users of geosynthetics everywhere a current base of information for an ever-changing array of products, applications and terminology. Download a copy in PDF today. Learn more here.;

Residents along one of central Auckland’s busiest streets are preparing to fight plans that will see it dug up twice in a year. Residents of Curran St are less than impressed by plans to dig up the road to lay a watermain after an $800,000 upgrade in January 2009. That upgrade installed geotextiles for stabilization, but the trench work would have to slice through the cloth, undermining that protection. Learn more here.;

From 8-10 June 2010, the American Public Works Association (APWA) will host a conference on sustainability in public works. The event will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota (site of the 2005 APWA annual conference). And exhibit hall will be available at the conference hotel (the Hilton Minneapolis) and education sessions will focus on key issues such as low-impact development, measuring sustainable return on investment (ROI), selling sustainability politically, success stories, best practices, and much more. Learn more here.;

FleetPride, Inc., the nation's largest independent aftermarket distributor of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts, has announced the appointment of Woody M. McGee as President and CEO. McGee has a 40-year track record of success in industries such as heavy manufacturing, electronics, telecommunications, industrial automation, light manufacturing, security, wireless mobile computing/software, textile/geosynthetic fibers and retail consumer products. He joins FleetPride after serving as President and CEO of Propex Inc.

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. The Call for Abstracts has been issued. Current tracks include Soil/Rock Mechanics and Modeling; Geotechnical Testing and Site Characterization; Foundations and Ground Improvement; Slopes, Embankments, and Earth Retaining Structures; Geosynthetics; Geoenvironmental Engineering; Geo-Hazards (Earthquakes, Landslides, Erosions, Others); Transportation Materials and Pavements; and Other Geotechnical Related Issues. Abstracts of 200-300 words are due 8 March 2011. Learn more. Learn more here.;

NAUE GmbH and Co. KG, manufacturers of the Secugrid geogrids (among many other successful, global geosynthetic products), has developed a free game for the holidays: BallGrid! Players throw snowballs into a Secugrid matrix with points awarded based upon where in the grid the snowball lands. Watch the wind! And, one hint: special points are awarded for the snowman's hat. Play it online today. Learn more here.;

For the first time, Yamhill County, Oregon will use a method of supporting bridges that's slowly gaining popularity for its simplicity. "It's a low-cost method of building a foundation in areas where the bedrock is deep," County Engineer Bill Gille said. Instead of drilling down, workers on the Laughlin Hill bridge project will build the abutments using a geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) method, alternating between geotextiles, compacted fill, and cinder blocks. Learn more here.;

Finger Lakes Railway is applying for a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant from the federal Department of Transportation. The railroad wants to improve segments of its tracks, and carry garbage into the Seneca Meadows landfill. Pending regulations meant to reduce garbage trucks traveling through the region, unstable fuel prices and an initiative to make New York City more green have created a perfect storm that may push trash onto trains rather than tractor-trailers. Learn more here.;

The American state of Utah has been a big supporter of the use of geosynthetics in its highway and bridge work. The materials have helped significantly in matching the increasing roadway capacity needs of the state with the difficult soils. Geofoam has been used extensively. The I-15 project, it has been announced, will now extend beyond Provo. An additional $1.1 billion worth of funding has been secured. Learn more here.;

Due to popular demand, and after three sell-out sessions in 2009, Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI) has added two new European dates in 2010 for the Middle East Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar: 27 January 2010 in Brussels, Belgium and 16 March 2010 in Cologne, Germany. Read more about this event in Jon Nash's letter.

Cell-Tek Geosynthetics, LLC will have on presenting products at the 2010 Mants Show in Baltimore, Maryland. Anyone in the landscaping business is aware of the biggest event of the year which is the Mid Atlantic Nursery Trade Show known as MANTS occurring on January 6th through the 8th. The three day event features over a thousand businesses in the landscape industry as well as new products and innovation in the industry. Cell-Tek Geosynthetics a manufacturer of geocellular confinement systems used to control erosion will also have on display it's newest product Gravel-Lok.

The UK-based Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) has made 25 years of earthquake reconnaissance reports available online. Practitioners, researchers and students can download free the field reports from the EEFIT missions to 22 earthquake-affected areas spanning over 25 years. Reports for 18 of these event missions were previously only available though hard copy purchase. It is planned that all future reports will also be available free online. Learn more here.;

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide authority institution for standards, is featured in the latest issue of FITA's "Really Useful Websites" newsletter. FITA is an international federation of trade associations. The newsletter regularly includes import and export tips, international business networking opportunities, trade websites, and country profiles. The current profile: Nigeria. Learn more here.;

Andrew Aho, Executive Director of the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), writes: "Geotextile manufacturers are keen to update the specifying community regarding specifications that are outdated and no longer acceptable in the industry. Two tests retired by industry approval standards continue to creep into the occasional specification: the Mullen Burst Test and the Puncture Strength Test. The Mullen test was devised in 1887 by J.W. Mullen as a measure for the puncture strength of paper. Eventually it was adopted by the textile industry along with the Puncture Strength Text. In the 1970s these tests were available to the geotextile industry." Read more, including an open letter to specifiers of geosynthetics.

A $735,000 Hennepin County (Minnesota) grant was used to remove contaminants this fall and to reconstruct the steeply sloping Goose Lake shoreline. Geotextiles were used to stabilize the bank. The work was in response to the excavation and removal of about 3,200 tons of debris and contaminated soil discovered during roadwork along Goose Lake in the Elm Creek Park Reserve. The site contained, they found, an old dump. Learn more here.;

More than 100 road and drainage projects throughout unincorporated St. Tammany Parish are scheduled for next year using money from the parish's 2-cent sales tax. The parish's budget for 2010 provides for $17.5 million in capital improvements, including $10 million for individual road and drainage projects in each of the 14 council districts. Learn more here.;

This week the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) is meeting in Daytona Beach, Florida. ECTC promotes the use of erosion control mats and blankets through industry leadership and education in the hope of making a broad contribution to the science of erosion control and environmental preservation. Learn more here.;

TenCate Geosynthetics has published its Fall 2009 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 two case studies, application guidance, a pavement restoration video, the introduction of a synthetic grass geotextile, and more. Read more about it.

A direct link to the umbrella page for TenCate Geosynthetics North America's Fall 2009 issue of MiraFacts. Learn more here.;