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When the rain comes
July 18, 2012
Statistics show that wet weather and the dark is not the best mix for driving, but road markings offer a safety solution While good road markings are essential any time of the day, it is perhaps at night when roads are wet that they can offer extra guidance. Statistics are said to reveal that an estimated 50% of all accidents happen during the night when it rains but such conditions occur only 10% of the time and when there are usually less vehicles on the road. Indeed, at the 1st Road Marking Symposium hel
Brazil’s booming economy fuels infrastructure demand
July 18, 2012
The emergence of Brazil as a major economic force and its need to improve infrastructure is proving a magnet for investment. Patrick Smith reports Brazil is now the sixth biggest economy in the world according to its Finance Minister Guido Mantega. The largest country in South America with a population of 190 million and one of the BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Brazil’s economy grew 2.7% in 2011 and is now worth $2.5 trillion, having overtaken the UK. With big oil and gas reserves stil
Brazil’s booming economy fuels infrastructure demand
July 18, 2012
The emergence of Brazil as a major economic force and its need to improve infrastructure is proving a magnet for investment. Patrick Smith reports Brazil is now the sixth biggest economy in the world according to its Finance Minister Guido Mantega. The largest country in South America with a population of 190 million and one of the BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Brazil’s economy grew 2.7% in 2011 and is now worth $2.5 trillion, having overtaken the UK. With big oil and gas reserves stil
Forming iconic structures
July 18, 2012
Specially designed and constructed formwork is being used to create some iconic bridges worldwide The Golden Ears Bridge over the Fraser River will unite the municipalities of Richmond, New Westminister and Delta in the scenic British Columbia province of Canada. The bridge, part of a CAD$800 million (US$670 million) project, is an 'extra dosed' cable stayed bridge, which means the deck will be supported by both cables and the structure itself. This design reduces the overall height of the two towers as req
The power of water
July 18, 2012
The popularity of hydrodemolition is growing worldwide and was the specified solution for work on two vital Swedish links The hydrodemolition technique, which uses high pressure water jets to remove damaged concrete from various structures, is playing a crucial role in the major restoration of the vital Central Bridge and Söderled Tunnel in the centre of Sweden's capital Stockholm. The 1,550m dual two-lane rectangular box Söderled Tunnel and connecting dual two and three-lane Central Bridge are a vital 2.6k
Rising to the challenge
July 18, 2012
Visualise today's concept of a major commercial traffic corridor in the western United States. A roadway responsible for delivering goods to Arizona, Nevada and Utah, that also connects Mexico to the United States to Canada through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). What springs to mind? A multi-lane highway carrying thousands of vehicles a day past cities at speeds up to 113km/hour, while egress ramps make sure vehicles get safely to city streets and their final destination. This is not the c
Fast-track Biloxi Bay bridge
July 18, 2012
Construction of a bridge destroyed in a hurricane was completed early, and with some added aesthetic benefits Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in US history, made landfall on 29 August, 2005, devastating the Gulf Coast. The US 90 Bridge over Biloxi Bay (connecting the communities of Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi) was one of many major highway and railroad bridges knocked out of service due to extensive storm damage. The eye of the storm passed 96km west of Bilo
Australian bridge slides into position
July 18, 2012
A heavy rail crossing as part of Australia's EastLink motorway demanded great ingenuity and careful planning Most of the 88 bridges on the EastLink tolled motorway in, Melbourne, Australia were kept as simple and straightforward as possible. Contractor Thiess John Holland (TJH) developed its own precast yard 150km from the city, which provided many of the prefabricated materials required for the structures. This offered speed and economy while logistics and sequencing were vital for their erection. But the
Sila's Sandvik Thai success
July 17, 2012
The Sila Sanon limestone quarry in Thailand is playing a key role in providing high quality aggregates for the growing Thai construction industry.Recently the family-owned operation has invested in a full range of crushing and screening plant supplied by Sandvik Construction’s dealer in Thailand, the William Wong Group, and the quarry is now able to supply over 200,000tonnes of accurately sized materials on a monthly basis. The Sila Sanon Quarry in Saraburi Province, just over 100km north of the capital Ba
Mini-bridge aids Forth repairs
July 17, 2012
An engineering "first" means that rehabilitation work on a vital Scottish bridge built over 40 years ago can be carried out smoothly A new report to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) in Scotland recommends appointing Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering of Edinburgh as 'preferred bidder' to carry out the scheduled replacement of the bridge's main expansion joints in 2009. However, the report to the bridge authority says the tender price of £13.7 million (US$21.3 million) is some £5 million ($7.8 mill