Features
By Robert L. Reid
When the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed last summer, 13 commuters were killed and more than 100 were injured. The disaster led to congressional hearings and media scrutiny that trained a spotlight on a long-standing national problem: how years of neglect, underfunding, and a lack of leadership and vision allowed America’s infrastructure to deteriorate. This special report examines the state of the nation’s collapsing infrastructure in 15 major categories—as outlined in ASCE’s three infrastructure “report cards”—and explores both the costs and challenges of finding solutions.
By Kevin C. Poulin, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, Sean M. O’Brien, P.E., and Brett H. Schneider
When the New Museum of Contemporary Art, in New York City, decided to build a permanent home for its modern collection, a daring and unconventional structure was envisioned. As realized, the structure assumes the form of stacked “boxes” with offsets and overhangs that seem to defy gravity. To keep the boxes from shifting, the structural system relies on perimeter braced frames and full-story steel trusses.
By Tim Paulus, P.E., Bonnie Greenleaf, P.E., A.M.ASCE, and Christopher Behling, P.E.
Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, experienced devastating flooding in the spring of 1997. Thanks to the recent completion of a $409-million flood control system along the Red River of the North and some of its tributaries, the two cities now enjoy much more comprehensive flood protection as well as numerous new recreational facilities.
By S. Kathiroli and Purnima Jalihal
The method by which temperature differences in water can create “flash evaporation” to yield able water are well understood, but bringing very cold water up from the depths of the ocean for use in such a process remains a challenge. One solution on an isolated island off the coast of India involved the construction of a 600 m long pipeline that will bend—but not break—as it rises from the depths of the sea and traverses a trestle bridge to a processing plant onshore.
Back to top
|
© Mark Kirkbride, Skanska Civil Engineering NASA |
|
|
|
HNTB Corporation |
Civil Engineering News
Geotechnical restoration • NASA plans an escape • Reclaimed water facilities • Portland addresses flood storage • Detroit highway reconstruction • Alleys made “green” • Chicago extends interstate •
News Briefs
Letters
Policy Briefing
Technology
History Lesson
Editor’s Note
Books
The Law