Transportation

At the Gala des Affaires de Drummondville (Quebec) on 1 November, the Drummond Chamber of Commerce and Industry recognized the knowledge and achievements of the Drummond RMC (Regional County Municupality) business community. SOPREMA earned two top award. First up was recognized with a Napoléon Award in the "Manufacturing Enterprise with 75 or more employees." And then: the much-coveted "Prix Distinction" was awarded to SOPREMA. The award is the Drummond RMC's award for Enterprise of the Year. Geosynthetica warmly congratulates the company on these well-deserved achievements. Learn more here.;

The latest conference update from the Asia Mining Congress (23-27 March 2009, Singapore) is available. The current issue includes information on the latest speakers from mining, manufacturing, governments, and investment groups; workshops; sponsors; and the most current event brochure. Read the newsletter online. Learn more here.;

Over at the Erosion Control magazine blog, we've found news of Shirley Morrow's new alphabet-sounding venture: ABC’s of BMP’s, LLC. Morrow (CPESC, CISEC) is an industry veteran with tremendous experience in training others. Now she'll bring that experience to her own business. We wish her well--and we found it apt that this future venture in erosion control was posted on October 28 but dated November 3! Looks like the future really is now. Congratulations and best of luck, Shirley! Learn more here.;

Over at e-Veritas--tthe website for the Royal Military College's (RMC) Club--they've posted congratulatory news regarding Dr. Richard Bathurst, who has been awarded this year's Quigley Award. The R.M. Quigley Award is awarded annually by the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) to an individual or individuals whose paper has been judged to be the best paper published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal during the preceding year. The title of his winning paper is “Development of the K-stiffness method for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls constructed with c-ö soils." Learn more here.;

With the sudden decline of oil prices and companies in the mining and oil extraction industries facing tighter credit markets--credit that otherwise would support expansion plans--some companies are delaying projects. HazMat Magazine reports that two key oil sands projects in Alberta are putting upgrades on hold. The mining and conversion of oil sands has generally been considered profitable only at higher global prices for oil. Learn more here.;

Now you can get your Mining Weekly news on a daily (or even hourly) basis. Creamer Media has launched an iPhone-supported mobile version that may be accessed at any point for the latest news from MW's editorial team, Reuters news service and other sources. News is divided into world regions and breaking news files. The application, which is available as a free download from the iTunes Apps Store, works very well. Learn more here.;

The Asia Mining Congress 2009 is offering a complimentary seat at the congress's Sustainability Awards dinner with all registrations placed through 11 November 2008. This critical mining conference--the fifth in the series--will feature more than 100 speakers. It takes place in Singapore from 23-27 March 2009. Learn more here.;

The Business Co-Ordination House (BCH) of India has released a review of its one-day seminar on geotextiles in India. The event was held 17 October 2008 in Mumbai, was well-attended, and received strong response from participants. Read more in the review. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has taken an industry initiative to invest in the development of specialist software that enables engineers and contractors to calculate CO2 savings that arise from the use of TriAx geogrids on specific ground stabilization projects. In addition, using Tensar's TriAx geogrids in ground stabilisation applications can enable reductions in aggregate thickness of over 40% for the same load bearing performance, compared to traditional methods. Learn more here.;

In Charleston, West Virginia, an emergency plan has been approved to keep a road from collapsing into the Kanawha River. The US Army Corps of Engineers is assisting the project to install geosynthetic reinforcement and soil protection along Kanawha Boulevard. Riprap will also be installed in an erosion control zone. Learn more here.;

The October 2008 issue of CE News includes an opportunity for readers to earn PDHs by reading and responding to Stephen Archer's peer-reviewed article "Subgrade Improvement for Paved and Unpaved Surfaces Using Geogrids." Archer has brought his experience from Tensar to this latest installment in CE News' Professional Development Series. A PDF copy is available courtesy of Tensar. Get your copy today and earn your hours. Learn more here.;

In South Africa, the "Dustbowl" traders along a much-needed lagoon access-road reinforcement project are suffering. Jo-Ann Bekker's story notes the significant decline in cheese sales during construction. But the upgrades are vital: gabion support on the embankments to protect against slip failure. Turbidity curtains have also been installed to contain disturbed clay that is mixing into the lagoon. With any luck, the dustbowl trading station will be free of obstructions soon and normal sales will resume. Learn more here.;

The 5th annual Asia Mining Congress will be held 23-27 March 2009 in Singapore. The coordinators are offering free awards dinner tickets with registrations made before November 10. Read the latest update from the conference here. Learn more here.;

We've heard a great many calls for increased infrastructure spending in the United States. The ASCE scorecards on American infrastructure paint a pretty bleak picture, and we were reminded of that last year after a major bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed. The 2005 ASCE scorecard gave its highest marks to the waste management sector, in which geosynthetics are required. And earlier this year the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) announced huge strides in working with Congressional legislators to have geosynthetics considered for requirement in other sectors, such as water management. Infrastructure was pushed higher in the public debate this morning with the publication of Paul Krugman's latest column in the New York Times. Krugman is the Princeton professor and Times columnist who was awarded this year's Nobel Prize for Economics. Regarding the ragged state of the American economy, Krugman argues for the need of government spending now. And he idenitifies infrastructure as one of the main, necessary targets. He writes: "The usual argument against public works as economic stimulus is that they take too long: by the time you get around to repairing that bridge and upgrading that rail line, the slump is over and the stimulus isn’t needed. Well, that argument has no force now....So let’s get those projects rolling." Read the rest of Krugman's op-ed column. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica is always interested in the latest news and articles regarding engineering and geosynthetics. Contact Chris Kelsey for submission information.

The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) will host a Federal Highways Adminstration (FHWA) - National Highways Institute (NHI) workshop 13 November 2008 in Atlanta at a Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) facility. The workshop has been developed for federal, state and local transportation personnel involved in bridge, hydraulic, pavement, geotechnical, and construction work. The course qualifies for 0.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Learn more here.;

In Florida, paved roads that have suffered pitting and rutting, such as those in Gainsville, are being quickly corrected with paving fabric. The top layer of the asphalt is taken off speedily and the fabric rolled into place. New asphalt is applied on top. Paving fabrics have been shown to significantly reduce road crumbling and extend service lives. Learn more here.;

The October 2008 issue of CE News includes an opportunity for readers to earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) by reading and responding to Stephen Archer's peer-reviewed article "Subgrade Improvement for Paved and Unpaved Surfaces Using Geogrids." Archer has brought his experience from Tensar to this latest installment in CE News' Professional Development Series. Request a PDF copy of the article from CE News and earn your credit. Learn more here.;

Conwed Global Netting Solutions has announced the acquisition of Monahan Filaments located in Middlebury, Vermont. Monahan’s PROSTRAN® brand filaments are used as a component in turf reinforcement mats (TRMs). Read more at Erosion Control. Learn more here.;

The Business Co-Ordination House (BCH) of India has released the final program for its one-day seminar "Geotextiles in India: What, Where & Why." The event organizers have announced a venue change to the Hotel Rang Sharda. Read more on the event in the final program PDF.

geosynthetica.net has launched a mining study. The report will gauge future mining needs and ways these needs are expected to be met by geosynthetics (in tailings ponds, access road construction, leach pads, etc.). Geosynthetics in the Global Mining Industry is already in motion and will be released 31 March 2009. Companies interested in pre-purchasing the study (at a significant discount) and learning how they can be part of the survey oversight board should contact Elizabeth Peggs for information and a brochure.

The latest issue of Geosynthetics International is now available. The current issue--volume 15, number 5--contains the following: "Best Geosynthetics International Paper for 2007"; "Performance of geosynthetic-reinforced alternative sub-ballast material in a railway track" by Fernandes, Palmeira and Gomes; " Liquefaction resistance of sand reinforced with geosynthetics" by Altun, Göktepe and Lav; "Seismic stability of reinforced slopes: failure mechanisms and displacements" by Huang, Horng and Charng; "Reinforcement design for construction of cover soil over soft sludge" by Espinoza and Sabatini; "Comparative study on performance and index tests simulating abrasion damage of a woven geotextile" by Huang; "Electrokinetic improvement of soft clay using electrical vertical drains" by Rittirong, Douglas, Shang and Lee; and a "Corrigendum."

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is developing new roads to improve access for residents who live near I-5 in the fast-growing zone along the Washington-Oregon border. As Associated Construction Publications (ACP) reports, the region is transitioning from rural to suburban infrastructures, populations and traffic volumes. But developers and officials want to keep the wilder appearance of the area, so they are using interesting drainage technologies for site runoff. Holding ponds release across geogrid slopes with tree branch cover. As the water flows through, it interacts with the brush as in a wetland. Eventually, it reaches a creek. Learn more here.;

GeoAfrica 2009 marks the first African regional conference on geosynthetics. Held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and hosted by the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)--a chapter of IGS--the September 2009 Cape Town conference seeks abstracts and proposals. Deadline for receipt of 350-word abstracts is 30 Septmber 2008. Geosynthetica encourages its readers to get involved with this historic event. Visit the abstract submission page. Learn more here.;

Companies interested in exhibiting at GeoAfrica 2009, 2-5 September 2009, Cape Town, South Africa should be aware that the exhibit hall is limited to 30 spots. The conference organizers report that more than half of them have already been booked. Visit the conference's exhibitor page for more information. Learn more here.;