Transportation

The International Erosion Control Association (IECA) has opened registration for its annual conference and expo, Environmental Connection 2010 (EC10). Interested parties can visit IECA's website for details on full-day courses, field tours, special events and the exhibit hall. The complete listing of shorter technical sessions will be available later this fall.

Maccaferri offers a host of learning opportunities through educational engineering events in multiple locations. The company also supports a number of conferences and events. Whether you're looking for geotextile, gabion, or rockfall netting information; whether you're designing for shoreline stabilization, mining haul roads, or general geotechnical engineering, Maccaferri gives you many opportunities to connect face to face. See Maccaferri next at the following events (Continued)

Dr. Jean-Pierre Giroud, a key figure in the development of the geosynthetics, and notably geotextiles, industry, will attend Expo Hightex on Tuesday, 8 October 2009, at Montréal's Bonsecours Market. In the morning, Dr. Giroud will explain the innovation processes responsible for creating this market segment, along with the mechanisms the textile industry has developed to meet the needs of civil engineering, and in the afternoon of the same day, he will speak on geosynthetics' applications in road construction. Geosynthetics today generate billions of dollars annually and offer new possibilities for development, particularly in the textile industry.

Hightex 2009 takes place in Montreal 7-8 October 2009. The event, which will be held at Montreal's historic Bonsecours Market, brings together various sectors of the techncial textiles industry, affiliated industries, government officials, and many more. The October 7 session will feature a number of construction and infrastructure-related presentations as part of the Constructex session.

Strata Systems, a Glen Raven subsidiary specializing in geogrid products and services, is continuing its global expansion with the naming of a distributor in Egypt, the 13th country in which Strata has a distribution partner. VECO, Ltd. is an engineering and construction company that is supporting continuing infrastructure growth in Egypt including new highways. Read more in the release.

Economic recovery is progressing in China, India and Brazil, and DuPont (NYSE: DD) is well-positioned to continue to capture growth in these countries where a significant increase in population and globalization are transforming markets, said DuPont Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Thomas M. Connelly at the Credit Suisse Chemical and Ag Science Conference. Read more.

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), announces the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners, to be held at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany 15-16 September 2010. Abstract and papers for oral or poster presentations are invited on the following topics: Application / case studies (Landfills, Canals, Reservoirs / Dams, Transportation Infrastructure) • Durability / Lifetime • Laboratory testing • Performance (Cation exchange, Desiccation, Experience from excavation • Regulations / Approvals. Abstracts must be submitted via e-mail to: gbr-c2k10@skz.de no later than 30 September 2009. View the flyer in PDF

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) is offering its very early-bird registration rate through 30 September 2009. Add to it the early booking discount for hotel, and those who take advantage of registering now will save more than $700. The 9ICG will be held 23-27 May 2010 in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). Please register as soon as possible. Learn more here.;

Research and Markets has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "A Guide to Polymeric Geomembranes: A Practical Approach" to their offering. The report offers a detailed discussion of the major geomembrane types, manufacturing methods, key performance properties, industrial applications, testing and chemical resistance of geomembranes, and failure analysis methodology.

Inadequate infrastructure and chaotic urban development are being blamed for floods that have devastated Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city. Thirty years ago, Turkey's population was approximately 45 million. Today, more than 70 million people call Turkey home, and more than 70% of the population lives in urban areas. This breakneck growth and movement into cities like Istanbul has resulted in an infrastructure ill-prepared to properly support the nation's needs. Even moderate rainfall is thought to challenge Istanbul's system. Learn more here.;

On 12 November 2009, Dr. Ian D. Peggs of I-CORP INTERNATIONAL, Inc., will present a full day workshop during which three of the primary topics of SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be discussed in greater detail. (SKZ's conference takes place 11-12 November 2009 in Dubai, where Dr. Peggs' course will be held.) This in-depth event, "HDPE Geomembrane Liner Performance: the Reality," will address liner leakage, allowable leakage, liner integrity surveys and methods, understanding failure, predicting failure and end of useful service life, and more. Download the PDF registration form for more details.

Rail transport has enjoyed a revival in many parts of the world as the developing world moves more into cities and the developed world must upgrade its infrastructures significantly. High-speed rail has been particularly of interest. In the United Kingdom, leaders from Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield have come out in favor of a high-speed rail network to connect not only their economic development centers but the entire UK to Europe's high-speed network. Learn more here.;

British and European construction firms are forming or reforming joint ventures in hopes of landing lucrative Crossrail contracts. Costain, Skanska, Bam, Kier, Balfour Beatty and Morgan Est are all said to be in the hunt, and all have high-speed rail link experience. Learn more here.;

Environmentalists this week expressed fears that Venice would face an increased risk of flooding if plans to expand the Italian city’s port are allowed to go ahead. The city’s port authority wants to develop a huge facility for bulk carriers. Learn more here.;

From March 2008 to March 2009, NAUE GmbH & Co. KG, Germany cosponsored the construction of test cells for an independent field study of geogrid reinforcement in roadway subgrade stabilization. The Montana Department of Transportation was the other cosponsor. The study and subsequent forensic evaluation of exhumed materials from numerous manufacturers, which included numerous product manufacturing methods, was carried out by the Western Transportation Institute of Montana State University. The results reveal exceptional performance by NAUE Secugrid and Combigrid materials. Read more in the release for the world geosynthetics market outside of the Americas.

Minnesota's Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has begun work on the biggest Recovery Act-funded (a.k.a., the economic stimulus plan) road project. The $48 million construction of three new miles of a four-lane road connecting Highway 169 to County Road 81 will use $27 million in stimulus funds--funds which have greenlighted shovels on this project three years sooner than the state expected. The Recovery Act allocated $26 billion to roads, and to date $18 billion has been obligated. Minnesota has qualified for $500 million and has directed 70 percent of that money so far. Learn more here.;

SKZ's 2nd International Conference on Geosynthetics Middle East will be held in Dubai, UAE, 10-11 November 2009. The speaker and topic line up is certainly an impressive list. Ian Peggs of I-CORP will present on predicting end-of-life for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and the incorporation of flexible solar cells on exposed landfill caps; Carl De Leon of Solmax will present on geomembrane liners in harsh, petrochemical containment operations; Detlef Schramm of Dow will present a geomembrane global review; Silke Schwöbken of SENSOR will present on drainage detection systems; and much more. Dr. Helmut Zanzinger will chair the seminar. Download the program in PDF.

Tensar International has released the latest issue of GeoTalk. This 19th volume of the company's geosynthetics applications newsletter includes the introduction of TriAx Geogrids in the Americas, steep slope reinforcement, the GlasGrid system in California, saving on railroad track aggregate use, the construction of the new American Indian Cultural Center and Museum (AICCM), and more. Download the issue in PDF. Learn more here.;

Newly published literature shows how the Tensartech Geocell Mattress Foundation Reinforcement System creates a 1m deep stiff foundation platform over poor ground and mitigates the effects of differential settlements, reduces lateral spread of foundation soils and can also increase their bearing capacity to improve stability enabling accelerated fill placement and project completion. Read more about this innovative system in the press release.

The Minnesota Erosion Control Association (MECA) will hold a course on winter maintenance and affiliated sediment management issues on 14 October 2009. Sediment accrual and release from winter public works is significantly more of an issue than many realize. Each year, winter sanding in the Lake Superior Watershed results in the loss of about 4500 truckloads of sand to ditches, streams, lakes and Lake Superior. The half-day course will include results from the MECA Lake Superior Basin Sediment Study. Learn more here.;

The Asia Mining Congress 2010 has announced its speaker list: Donald Lindsay, CEO, Teck, Canada; Sam Walsh, CEO, Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Australia; Nagi Hamiyeh, Managing Director -Investment, Temasek Holdings, Singapore; Fabio Barbosa, CFO, Vale, Brazil; and Ian Pearce CEO, Xstrata Nickel, Canada. Learn more about this event from Terrapinn at the conference website. Learn more here.;

Heavy construction has started on the Utah Transit Authority's $300 million, six-mile light-rail track that will finally connect downtown Salt Lake City and the city's international airport. Crews will soon install separation geotextiles to improve the subgrade's performanc. Reclaimed concrete aggregate will be installed over the geotextile layer. Atop that: thousands of truckloads of soil and ballast. Learn more here.;

TenCate™ Geosynthetics base reinforcement geogrids excel in Montana DOT study. In the independent Montana DOT study, TenCate Mirafi® BXG - the woven geogrid of TenCate Geosynthetics North America - outperformed all tested biaxial geogrids including the traditional extruded biaxial geogrids. The research, performed for the Montana Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration by the Western Transportation Institute, evaluated the use of reinforcement geosynthetics in unsurfaced roads built on soft subgrades (Report No. FHWA/MT-09-003/8193). In this study, eight geogrids were evaluated against two control sections. The results of the study clearly demonstrate the unique benefits provided by TenCate Mirafi® BXG geogrids.

On the verge of China's 60th anniversary of its ruling Communist Party, environmental protests have cropped up over the pollution caused by the countries breakneck expansion. Thousands of protesters, many of whom work or have worked in the plants causing some much environmental damage, have clashed with riot police in numerous cities. Even hostages are reported to have been taken. Learn more here.;

In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, improve aging water infrastructure and protect human health and the environment for the people in New York State, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $86,811,000 to the New York State Department of Health. This new infusion of money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will help the state and local governments finance many of the overdue improvements to water projects that are essential to protecting public health and the environment across the state.