Better in 3D: How 3D Modeling Helped Overcome Complexity in Building the Longest Cable-stayed Bridge in Africa
When Morocco’s highway company, Autoroutes Du Maroc (ADM), undertook a highway bypass project in 2010 that would cross the Bouregreg River, they could have built a traditional viaduct. Instead, they set out to construct Africa’s longest and tallest cable-stayed bridge. The resulting project presented unique and complex challenges that called for innovative solutions. The Bouregreg River runs from the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic coast between the cities of Rabat and Salé in western Morocco....
Oslo Airport Expansion: Open BIM Approach Improves Project Efficiency
By Bjørnar Markussen Avinor Oslo Airport plays a crucial role as the hub of Norway’s aviation system, serving domestic and international passenger and cargo flights. Upon opening in 1998, the new airport boosted its capacity to handle 17 million passengers annually, but less than a decade later, it was clear that demand would soon outgrow capacity. It was then that the board of Avinor, owner of the airport, began planning a major expansion in close collaboration with airlines and handling...
Crystal River Works to Save Manatees and the Local Economy
Crystal River, Fla., is the self-proclaimed “home of the manatee.” An estimated 300,000 tourists visit Crystal River each year, many of them to see and experience the graceful manatees, the giant herbivores often referred to as “sea cows.” For a town with a population of only 3,100, such an influx of people represents an important economic boon for everyone in the area. The geography and ecology of the Crystal River region is perfect for manatees, which often weigh up to 1,300 pounds. Because...
Ordnance Survey Ireland Creates an Authoritative National Spatial Data Infrastructure
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), Ireland’s national mapping agency, has developed a standardized, authoritative digital referencing framework that enables consistent referencing and integration of national data related to location. This visionary framework, known as Prime2, allows GIS data users to accurately integrate and use multiple data sources for improved analysis and decision making, resource optimization, and efficiency gains. More than six years in the making, the new spatial data refere...
Bridging the Gap Between Inspections and Decisions
Bridge safety hasn’t always been top of mind for legislators in the United States. The impetus for creating standards and collecting information on how structurally sound the bridges in this country was the collapse of the Silver Bridge in 1967, which spanned the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV, and Kanauga, Ohio. The tragedy claimed the lives of 46 people and caused the federal government to quickly mandate regular bridge inspections through the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS)...
Self-Propelled Bridges: Offsite Superstructure Construction Reduces Interruption
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is in the midst of a major project to rebuild the I-94 North-South freeway, one of the state’s most frequently used roadways. The freeway is being widened to eight lanes from the Wisconsin/Illinois border to Milwaukee, with new bridges and interchanges along the full 35-mile stretch. In addition to this freeway work, frontage roads and main arteries are being reconstructed and moved. In total, 17 interchanges are being completely redesigned,...
Connected Traffic—Learning from Smartphones to Develop Smart Cities
Back in the waning years of the 19th century, two innovative inventions were beginning their revolutionary paths to change the world. Telephones were just becoming available, and they brought with them the promise of instant and direct voice communication. Meanwhile, growing urban density and horse-drawn traffic created the need for safety and standards to keep streets safe, and the traffic signal was born. Despite not having much in common on the surface, telephony and traffic signals follow...
Intelligent Models for Roadways—A New Way to Work
Headquartered in Denmark, with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide and offices in 24 countries on four continents, COWI is a consultancy company servicing engineering, environmental-science and economics disciplines that has carried out more than 45,000 projects in 175 countries. COWI Norway, with 1,200 employees, is one of the country’s largest consultancy firms, and clients expect the firm to deliver large, complex projects, as it has has specialists in almost every engineering discipli...
Optioneering Helps MidCoast Water Transform Gloucester Water Network into a Reliable, Efficient System
MidCoast Water delivers water and sewerage services to 40,000 households in the Manning, Great Lakes, and Gloucester communities of New South Wales in Australia. It also supplies 8 billion liters of water a year to Karuah in the south, Crowdy Head in the north, and Gloucester in the west. In 2011, MidCoast Water accepted responsibility for the operation of the aging water and sewer networks in the Gloucester Shire Council area. The Gloucester water distribution network, parts of which date back...
Copenhagen-based Firm AG5 Wins with BIM Workflow
AG5, a small architecture practice based in Copenhagen, Denmark, specializes in simple, sustainable design. “That’s our main focus,” explained Brian Sheldon, partner at AG5. “And by using technology-enabled processes, we’re able to maintain a consistent approach throughout the design process, from conception to construction – and deliver a unique design response to a project’s location and purpose.” The firm’s three partners and five full-time employees collaborate with a diverse range of client...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
