A carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite arch tube product—pumped with ready mixed on site and geared to 20- to 80-ft. span bridges—has landed the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2011 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation. Dubbed Bridge-in-a-Backpack by Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), the 12- or 15-in.-diameter FRP tubes bear ⅜-in. aggregate mixes with superplasticizers dosed to impart self-consolidating, concrete-level spread characteristics. As superstructure components, the hardened tubes provide what engineers note are corrosion protection and external concrete reinforcement in lieu of conventional rebar.
Read MoreMonth: May 2011
Report cites $70 billion tab for bridge repair and replacement backlog
One in nine bridges and overpasses is rated in poor enough condition that they could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to a Transportation for America report “The Fix We’re In For: The State of the Nation’s Bridges.” Nearly 70,000 crossings nationwide are rated “structurally deficient” and need substantial repair or replacement, authors contend, while the Federal Highway Administration estimates that the backlog of potentially dangerous bridges would cost $70.9 billion to clear—versus a current federal outlay just over $5 billion per year.
Read MoreOSH, Davis-Bacon Acts Bring Taxpayers Divergent Returns
As the Occupational Safety & Health Administration marked its 40th anniversary at the end of April, agency officials pointed to an impressive two-thirds reduction in workplace fatality rates since 1970 (report, OSHA timeline, page 14).
Read MoreGreen Building Materials report predicts concrete value up $11 billion by 2015
Source: The Freedonia Group, Inc., Cleveland
Demand for green building materials is projected to expand 13 percent annually to $71.1 billion in 2015, slightly outpacing the growth of building construction expenditures over that period as green materials continue to account for an increasing share of materials used. These and other trends are presented in Green Building Materials, a new study from market researcher Freedonia Group, which anticipates the largest value gain over the next five years will be from concrete products bearing recycled content, such as fly ash and blast furnace slag.
Read MoreBreckenridge parent looks farther south of St. Louis in three-plant investment
Source: BMC Enterprises, St. Louis; CP staff
After securing a strategic interest, BMC Enterprises will operate the former Ready Mix Concrete Inc. plants in Ste. Genevieve, Perryville, and Fredericktown, Mo., under RMC, LLC. The parent company of St. Louis ready mixed market leader Breckenridge Material Co. has appointed former principal Gaylon Light as RMC, LLC managing director. Another former principal, Terry Guethle, also remains with the business.
Read MoreEPA’s latest green infrastructure strategy supports pervious, permeable pavements
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
As part of its new efforts to promote the use of green infrastructure by cities and towns, EPA includes discussion of such practices as pervious and permeable pavements, as well as rain gardens, green roofs, infiltration plants and rain harvesting, as means of wet weather management that are cost-effective, sustainable and help reduce stormwater runoff that could pollute the nation’s waterways.
Read MoreU.S. demand for large-diameter pipe to exceed $8 billion in 2015, says study
Source: The Freedonia Group
The nation’s demand for large-diameter pipe—defined as pipe with a diameter of 15 inches or more—will rise 6.2 percent per year to $8.2 billion in 2015, according to trends presented in Large Diameter Pipe from The Freedonia Group.
Read MoreACI releases 2011 Manual of Concrete Practice
Source: American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, Mich. Available in hard copy, CD-ROM, or an online version, ACI’s benchmark reference contains 200-plus documents on concrete production, testing, delivery, placement, finishing, curing and tolerances, plus engineering and construction methods. The 2011 Manual of Concrete Practice includes the latest version of ACI 318-08, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. The hard-copy…
Read More