ACEC Weekly NewsLine
July 28, 2010
Land/Buildings BIM and Other Technologies Support Sustainable Campus Building Renovations
Water EPA to Scrutinize Power Plant Water Permits Ahead of New Effluent Limits
Transportation FHWA Proposes Rule for National Tunnel Inspection Safety Standards
Lack of Accurate Data Hinders Federal Highway Bridge Program
Energy
Study Lays Out Most Effective Practices to Harden the Electric Grid
Transmission & Distribution (06/10) Vol. 62, No. 6, P. 50; Brown, Richard E.
A storm-hardening study funded by the Texas Public Utility Commission analyzed the costs and advantages of practices electric utilities could follow to bolster the distribution grid. The study put together a list of a dozen best practices to guarantee that distribution hardening is pursued via a cost effective, consistent, transparent, and data driven process. The practices are divided into two stages: First-stage practices are either cheap or good practices irrespective of hardening considerations, are relatively simple to deploy, and establish a platform for more ambitious actions. Such practices include establishment of a test-and-treat cycle for wood poles; a formal feeder inspection program; audits of third-party attachments on distribution poles; inspections of foreign-owned poles; development of standards and processes to set appropriate pole depth; and acquisition of systems and processes to ensure poles do not become overloaded after initial installation. Second-stage practices are designed to be deployed in the intermediate term and mandate greater utility effort, investment, and potential revisions. Examples of second-stage practices include Grade B construction; the use of non-wood poles; post-storm data accumulation; development of a hardening toolkit comprised of a series of approved hardening strategies and an application guide for their employment; like-for-unlike replacement; and fortification of critical poles.
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House Panel Broadens Examination of Hydraulic Extraction Process
CQ Today (07/20/10) Wolfe, Kathryn
The House Energy and Commerce Committee investigating the natural-gas extraction process known as hydraulic fracturing has expanded its inquiry, requesting information from an additional 10 oil and gas producers. The committee is investigating what sort of chemicals are used in the process and how those chemicals might endanger the environment and public health. On July 19, Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Energy and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) sent letters to some of the nation's largest oil and gas producers - including BP America, Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips - asking specific questions about hydro-fracking operations near underground drinking water sources. The letters to the 10 producers seek responses by Aug. 6. Hydro-fracking is exempt from many federal regulations that govern other types of energy extraction under the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act (PL 93-523). Several bills have been introduced to tighten controls on the practice, including one by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), that would repeal hydro-fracking's safe-drinking-water exemptions and require disclosure of what chemicals are used.
Land/Buildings
BIM and Other Technologies Support Sustainable Campus Building Renovations
Engineered Systems (06/10) Vol. 27, No. 6, P. 44; Bandurowski, Tad
Three-dimensional (3D) modeling, laser scanning, and BIM are facilitating efficient renovations of existing campus buildings. Millersville University's Wickersham Hall was saddled with a dysfunctional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system; a failing electrical system; deficient fire safety, accessibility, and security systems; and a cobbled-together IT infrastructure. Renovations to the structure included the addition of energy recovery wheels that reclaim energy from the exhaust air and feed fresh air into the central outdoor unit; a new HVAC strategy that removed the energy waste from the concurrent operation of electric baseboard and cooling units; and the system's integration within the campus-wide energy management system to boost energy efficiency. A project at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo involved the overhaul of the long neglected Acheson Hall to house the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and engineers used 3D drawing tools to determine what would or would not fit and to pinpoint the optimal sites for chases and equipment. The 3D visualization of the piping, systems, and gear running through the building was significantly helpful to designers during the analysis stage and to contractors bidding the project. The new Science V building at SUNY Binghamton presented a number of design challenges through its linkage to existing structures and its location on a plaza above an underground basement. Floor-to-floor heights in the new structure were required to match the low floor-to-floor heights in the existing complex, which complicated the fitting of utilities into the spaces above the ceilings. Another challenge of the project was aligning all the new building's structural column sites with the preexisting column layout of the basement. Engineers employed 3D design for all building systems to fulfill design criteria and to prevent changes during construction.
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Retail Development Trends in a Changing Economy
Buildings (06/10) Scott, Tom
The recent improvements in the U.S. economy is good news for retail developers and owners, who have been plagued by capital problems and an inability to attract new tenants. Creativity and sensibility have been the keys to success for retail developers and owners, particularly through incorporating groundbreaking designs and unique planning strategies. Several trends have emerged as retail developers and owners work to survive. First, many are incorporating green elements to both lower costs and attract environmentally conscientious customers. For example, large detention basins, consisting of an impoundment or excavated basin for the short-term detention of stormwater runoff, enables the controlled release of contained water, and can prevent pollutants and sediments from being released into local water supplies. In areas where basins are not an option, porous pavement, rain gardens, and bioswales are being used. Second, developers are moving away from the traditional strip mall in favor of a Main Street aesthetic, giving storefronts the appearance of freestanding buildings, each with its own unique style and facade. Materials like masonry, precast stone, and fiber cement siding are being used to provide unique looks without increasing the amount of upkeep. Third, developers are looking to blend with the existing environment and structures, instead of simply leveling the area. This approach demonstrates a greater sensitivity to the community and its structures. Fourth, developers and managers are getting the community more involved in all phases of a project, including featuring a community space in the retail center, making the center part of the community instead of just another shopping center.
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SUE Methods Used in Florida Hospital Renovation Project
Trenchless Technology (06/10) Vol. 19, No. 6, P. 36; Allen, James
Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) is a damage prevention method undertaken by Pensacola, Fla.'s West Florida Medical Center in an extensive renovation project. The technique is a nondestructive engineering process that combines civil engineering, surface geophysics, surveying and mapping, nondestructive vacuum excavation, and asset management technologies. SUE identifies and classifies quality levels of existing subsurface utility data, while also mapping underground utilities' locations. The data accommodates the development of strategies and informed design decisions to manage risks and evade utility conflicts and construction delays. Seven years ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers issued a document that formally defined SUE and provided standard guidance for compiling and depicting SUE information; the standard establishes a quartet of quality levels of information about existing underground utilities, levels D through A. Records research is the core of Quality Level D and includes field reviews, interviewing key utility personnel, reviewing government permitting agencies, and performing a Web-based search for any unknown utilities that may have been recently permitted and deployed. Quality Level C entails field observation and survey of visible above-ground utility facilities and corresponding this data with existing Quality Level D utility records. Quality Level B information covers subsurface utility designating, in which a surface geophysical method is used to interpret the presence of a subsurface utility and mark its horizontal position on the ground surface. Quality Level A involves the exposure and recording of the exact vertical and horizontal site of an underground utility, and this usually involves nondestructive digging equipment at critical points along an underground utility's path to ascertain the precise horizontal and vertical position, size, and material composition of the underground utility line. The next step involves data collection and asset management, in which the Quality Level B designating and Quality Level A locating utility data is surveyed and inputted into a computer-aided design system, geographical information system, or other data representation system. The final step is the performance of a conflict analysis using engineering judgment, based on engineering and design best practices, to assess and compare depicted utility designating and locating data with proposed plans to alert all stakeholders of potential conflicts, potential resolutions, and rectification costs.
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Water
EPA to Scrutinize Power Plant Water Permits Ahead of New Effluent Limits
Water Policy Report (07/19/10) Vol. 19, No. 15,
The EPA is promising to closely examine state-issued Clean Water Act (CWA) discharge permits for power plants in preparation for its planned technology-based discharge standard for the sector as an interim measure to address environmentalists' concerns that the permits need to be strengthened. In a recent letter to environmental groups, EPA wastewater chief James Hanlon committed the agency to reviewing at least 35 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems permits for power plants before then end of 2012, when the EPA has promised to propose new discharge limits, or effluent limitation guidelines (ELG). In addition to the permit reviews, the EPA also issued a guidance outlining how to analyze discharges from flue gas desulfirization and coal combustion residual impoundments, which are key sources of wastewater discharges. Environmentalists have praised the EPA's permit review commitments and guidance. However, industry sources are questioning the need for the interim measures since the EPA is working to start collecting data to support the upcoming ELG. One source says it is "uncommon" for the EPA to issue such detailed interim guidance while conducting an information collection request to prepare for the new ELG, and that the guidance does not impose new legal requirements on its own, but clarifies how states should exercise their best professional judgment for determining the best available technology. Environmentalists say the guidance and reviews are significant, as states fail to set case-by-case limits on most types of power plant wastewater discharges, which is a violation of the law. One source says the EPA's actions should go a long way to address activists' concerns that many power plants will be installing new scrubbers in the next three years that would otherwise be exempt from new discharge limits.
Transportation
FHWA Proposes Rule for National Tunnel Inspection Safety Standards
Federal Highway Administration Release (07/21/10)
The Federal Highway Administration is asking for comments on a proposed new rule to establish national uniform standards for federal tunnel inspections, which is intended to help improve driver safety. "Safety is our highest priority and this is an important step to make our tunnels even safer," says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Establishing national standards will help us maintain a high level of safety and uniformity across the country in the inspection of tunnels." The FHWA currently can and does provide tunnel inspection guidance, but existing regulations do not require owners, like state departments of transportation or local authorities, to inspect tunnels. Additionally, inspection methods can vary drastically between the estimated 350 highway tunnels in the U.S. The proposed National Tunnel Inspection Standards (NTIS) would be modeled after the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), the existing safety inspection program for bridges. The tunnel standards would include similar requirements for the inspection of structural and functional systems, as well as a national inventory of tunnels. "The safety and security of our nation's tunnels are of paramount importance," says Administrator Mendez. "Our goal is to help ensure that every inch of highway infrastructure is reliable and can support the needs of the traveling public." The FHWA's efforts to develop national tunnel inspections standards started before the fatal 2006 suspended ceiling collapse in the Central Artery Tunnel in Boston, MA, but the accident brought national attention to the need for mandated and uniform tunnel inspections for public safety.
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Lack of Accurate Data Hinders Federal Highway Bridge Program
U.S. Government Accountability Office (07/21/10)
The U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that one in four of the country's 600,000 bridges in the United States is either structurally deficient and in need of repair, or is functionally obsolete and is not adequate for today's traffic. The Highway Bridge Program (HBP) is the primary source of federal funding for bridges, and provided about $7 billion to states in fiscal year 2010. The GAO report states that the total number of deficient bridges has decreased over the past 12 years, even while the total number of bridges increases, due to a reduction in the number of structurally deficient bridges. However, the government is having difficulty measuring the HBP, partially because there is no comprehensive and complementary data for state and local bridge spending. The lack of data makes it impossible to distinguish the impact of HBP funding from other funding to improve bridges, or to determine the extent to which states may be substituting increased HBP funding for state and local funds that would otherwise be spent on bridges. Evaluating the success of HBP is important not only to understanding the outcome of past spending, but also for determining how to sensibly invest future federal resources. The program also lacks measures linking funding to performance, and does not use new tools like bridge management systems. Fiscal sustainability is also a challenge, as nearly $30 billion in additional revenues have been added to the Highway Account since fiscal year 2008.
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Airports Pitch Sites as All-Purpose Transport Hubs
USA Today (07/19/10) Yu, Roger
Some U.S. airports are starting to see themselves as all-purpose transportation centers, or intermodal hubs, where national, regional, and metro rail, local buses, rental cars, taxis, and shuttle operations are consolidated. These airports are looking to make better use of the buses, cars, trains, and acres of unused land that are available to them. The objective is to give travelers better access to and from airport terminals, and to make the airport a central station where people can go for a variety of choices in ground transportation. For example, travelers could take a local express bus or light rail to an airport to rent a car, or take regional or national rail service to another location without having to transfer to another station. By turning themselves into transportation centers, airports can reduce pollution and traffic congestion around terminals. Some airport officials also believe that they will attract greater air service and create another stream of non-aviation revenue from possible nearby commercial development. The industry is closely watching examples like Miami International and Providence's T.F. Green airports' high-profile projects. Miami's project includes a train station and a people mover rail system, which is predicted to reduce bus trips by about 30 percent, as well as a regional tri-county commuter rail and local metro trains to the Miami Central Station. Mass transit advocates have pushed for "intermodal hubs" for years without much success, but a recent interest in extending local rail service from terminals, and a proposal to build a national high-speed rail network, have caught the industry's attention.
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Amtrak to Help Communities Develop Stations for New Service
Progressive Railroading (07/10)
Amtrak has offered to assist communities in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin with the development of new stations. New state-supported Amtrak service is slated to begin in those communities in the next three years. As part of the Great American Stations Project, Amtrak will host local and state leaders to discuss the development of stations on planned routes from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, via Rockford, Ill.; from Chicago to Iowa City, via the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities; and from Chicago to Madison, Wis., via Milwaukee. At a meeting in late July, Amtrak was expected to discuss real estate and railroad relationship issues, station design and staffing matters, as well as provide technical advice, including understanding how to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Helping communities understand development issues is necessary because Amtrak does not own the majority of the stations it serves, according to Amtrak officials.
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County’s New 'Zipper' Resurfaces Using Road’s Asphalt
Columbus Telegram (07/22/2010) Freeman, Eric
In an effort to save money, Platte County, NE, spent $127,610 on an "Asphalt Zipper." County Highway Superintendent Terry Wicht believes the machine will return an estimated $60,000 savings in road construction materials this year, and additional savings in materials and labor for years to come. The Asphalt Zipper is a reclamation/milling attachment used to grind and relay asphalt in areas plagued by pot holes and rough surfaces. The attachment, which can go on existing county equipment, chews up asphalt up to 12-inches deep and grinds it into a uniform texture. The material is then laid back down and compressed, making the road traffic ready immediately after the process is complete. "This is going to be a great way to save money on materials and labor," says Wicht. "Fixing this patch of road the old way would take six or seven men the better part of a day, but once they’re trained we’ll be able to do this same type of work with two men in only about an hour or two." In addition to saving manpower, the traditional way of doing these projects would require trucking out broken asphalt and disposing of it in a landfill. The Zipper allows that material to be recycled at the job site. "We are behind on this type of work, but we’re going to have the ‘Zipper’ out every day the weather permits," says Wicht. "There’s a big savings on materials with this right away. Another way to look at this is that we can get a lot more done in the time we have using this equipment. It’s going to take time, but I hope we can get caught up in the next two to three years and this equipment is going to be a big part of getting that done."
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FTA Study: $77.7 Billion Needed to Bring Nation’s Rail and Bus Transit Systems into 'State of Good Repair'
U.S. Department of Transportation (07/21/10)
A Federal Transit Administration (FTA) study estimates that it will cost $77.7 billion to bring the nation's rail and bus transit system to a state of good repair, and that a yearly average of $14.4 billion would be needed to maintain those systems. The FTA's National State of Good Repair Assessment Study, requested by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood as a follow-up to the 2009 Rail Modernization Study, provides a comprehensive analysis of the cost required to bring the country's rail and bus systems up to good operating order. "Transit remains one of the safest forms of transportation, but this report shows the clear need to reinvest in our bus, subway and light rail systems," says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "As a nation, we must lead when it comes to infrastructure development and commit ourselves to rebuilding America." Investment in the country's transit infrastructure is vital to a healthy economy and for the safety and well-being of transportation riders, according to Administrator Peter Rogoff. "For millions of Americans, having a safe and reliable transit system is the difference between seeing their children before bed or not, making it to work on time or arriving late, or getting to a doctor’s appointment or forgoing it," says Rogoff. While most of the $77.7 billion backlog is the result of rail systems, more than 40 percent of the nation's buses are in poor to marginal condition. In April, Rogoff announced the availability of $775 million through a competitive State of Good Repair funding program that will invest in the country's buses and bus facilities. The FTA has received about 400 project applications and more than $4.2 billion in requests for the $775 million available. Establishing a "State of Good Repair" for the country's transportation network is one of five system-wide goals established by LaHood in his proposed Strategic Plan for the Department of Transportation.
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Practical Purposes
Roads & Bridges (06/10) Vol. 48, No. 6, Naumovich, Dan
The marks of a successful transportation project including being on time, on budget, and causing a minimum number of headaches. However, during difficult economic times "good enough" is no longer good enough. Transportation agencies must demand more from their consultants, and consultants need to demonstrate new ways to execute projects. A project to expand a section of I-44 in Missouri shows how when an agency and consultant are in agreement, and both are focused on finding better ways to achieve goals, extraordinary results can be achieved. To capitalize on available funds, the project went from the formal consultant selection process to bidding in just over six months. The Missouri Department of Transportation's Practical Design philosophy is based on the idea that conventions should be challenged and procedures should be flexible. Once consultants become comfortable with this strategy, it often results in better, faster, and cheaper projects. Instead of having projects designed and waiting, with the possibility of never being started, MoDOT has adopted a unique philosophy that challenges the consultant community with finding the transportation project with the greatest need and allowing consultants to rise to the occasion. Too often, projects are forced to follow strict protocols that are usually well-intended, and sometimes necessary, but can stifle innovation. On the I-44 project, a less formal communication structure between the MoDOT, consultants, and the Federal Highway Administration served as a catalyst for expediting the project. Formal inquiry processes and monthly meetings were replaced with more direct and immediate correspondence.
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Sound Wall Made of Vegetation to be Studied by ODOT as Alternative to Concrete Wall
Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (07/18/10) Farkas, Karen
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will test a 12-foot-high wall of stacked, 70-pound bags with growing plants and grass as a new way to reduce highway sound. The 400-foot-long Green Noise Wall, which will be built on westbound Interstate 70 east of Columbus, is an attempt to develop an alternative to concrete sound barriers, and is only the second effort to create an environmentally friendly noise abatement system. In 1996, Wisconsin removed a sound wall made of plastic forms filled with soil and plants after the plants died, weeds flourished, and part of the wall collapsed. In Ohio, researchers who submit the best proposal for the experimental project will work with Deltalok USA, a Washington state company that has used its patented bag system in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. to control erosion, repair slopes, and protect stream banks. Over the two year experiment, the ODOT will determine if the vegetation wall can survive Ohio's seasons and road salt, how much water and maintenance will be needed, and if the wall can provide the same noise mitigation as a concrete wall. Noise walls have been rather controversial, with residents of neighborhoods near highways appreciating the noise reduction, while others complain about their appearance and effectiveness. From the side, the Green Noise Wall will look like a triangle with a nine-foot wide base. About 10,000 geotextile bags, made of a permeable fabric, will be used. Different soil mixtures will be used, and four varieties of plants or grasses will either be planted in the bags or grown from seeds mixed in the soil. Flat connectors with stakes on both sides will be placed between layers of bags to create a strong structure.
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UC's Little-Known Pavement Research Center Results in Smooth, Safe and Silent Rides
San Jose Mercury News (07/19/10) Krieger, Lisa M.
While the University of California is well known for its cosmology, nanoscale, and stem cell research, the innovations that resulted from its Pavement Research Center have had far greater and more wide-reaching impact on the lives of everyday people. To improve California's increasingly frail highways, UC engineers developed new recipes for asphalt to find the perfect blend for roads. Some blends use rounded rubble from the Sacramento River, some use beautiful but abrasive Watsonville granite, and others contain rubber recovered from recycled tires. All blends are subjected to rigorous tests. "Are they brittle, or too soft? Do they stay quiet? Do they hang together? That's what we're trying to learn," says UC Pavement Research Center assistant director and co-principal investigator James Signore. Discoveries made by the center have helped improve roads in Europe and the United States, including traction on Highway 17 to Santa Cruz, and Interstate 280 in Woodside, where sound-absorbing asphalt reduced highway noise by six decibels. "The paving industry, and indeed all Californians, owe a debt of gratitude to the unsung heroes of the UC PRC and their partners at Caltrans," says California Asphalt Pavement Association executive director Russell Snyder. Engineers say that every road setting is unique, and no one material is perfect for all jobs. For example, concrete is expensive, but durable and immune to potholes, while asphalt is preferred for when construction crews need to complete jobs quickly. Porous asphalt can also reduce road noise by absorbing some of the sound created by the interaction of tires and road. However, asphalt has a short life span, as it ruts, oxidizes, and fractures as it ages. The center is studying additives, like rubber from recycled tires, to improve asphalt's longevity and performance. Other substances, called modifiers, allows asphalt to be tailored for use on different terrains, like hot deserts or cold mountain roads.
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