Federal highway and transit investment programs impart economic benefits across the U.S. economy, according to an IHS Inc. study commissioned by the American Road & Transportation Builders– and Associated General Contractors-led Transportation Construction Coalition.
Read MoreDay: January 30, 2015
GPS data boosts FHWA-backed pavement measurement technology
A Federal Highway Administration and Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) product developed by Austin, Texas, engineering and design firm Transtec Group, ProVAL software has been upgraded to offer highway agencies and contractors map-based features alongside pavement profile characteristics.
ASCE states case for life cycle cost analysis
The American Society of Civil Engineers and Eno Center for Transportation question the first-cost philosophy behind much transportation infrastructure funding, based on findings from “Maximizing the Value of Investments Using Life Cycle Cost Analysis.”
NRMCA, ABC challenge EPA Clean Power Plan claims, costs, feasibility
As the public comment period closed late last year for the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units” rule, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association and the Associated Builders & Contractors joined a host of business interests raising concerns of the proposal’s increased costs and limited benefits, especially on greenhouse gas reduction claims.
Revised ACI 318 Code streamlines concrete mix, performance references
The American Concrete Institute’s just-released ACI 318-14, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete consolidates concrete mixture-specific references from 318-11 Chapters 3 (Materials), 4 (Durability) and 5 (Strength and Construction Issues) into new Chapters 19 (Concrete: Design and Durability Requirements) and 26 (Construction Documents and Inspection). The reorganization of these sections permitted an evaluation and elimination of some Code provisions related to concrete mixtures and construction when better addressed in other referenced standards.
Labor Board rules open employees’ e-mail to union communications
National Labor Relations Board had adopted a final Representation–Case Procedures rule to modernize and streamline union organizing and election dispute resolution, Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce noting: “With these changes, the Board strives to ensure [the] process remains a model of fairness and efficiency for all.”
American Concrete Institute’s ACI 318-14: A modern, accessible code platform
The contemporary use of structural concrete is a complex endeavor, requiring the skills, training, insights and experience of a broad range of professionals. These include designers, engineers, construction specifiers, insurers and code officials, as well as the general contractors, subcontractors and construction personnel.
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