Regular Commercial Truck Platoons Said to Soon Reach U.S. Highways
In a technology-focused news story with major implications for eroding the Highway Trust Fund, the Washington Post reported that commercial truck operators may adopt the use of regular truck platooning as soon as 2018. "A wave of new technology intended to make trucks safer – using radar, cameras and reflective light scanning – is sweeping the industry," the Post said Oct. 22. "By next year, much of it may be combined to put pairs of trucks on the road at a distance that before would not have...
D.C. Mayor Bowser Taps Marootian to Be DDOT Director Pending Confirmation
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser this month appointed Jeff Marootian as acting director of the District Department of Transportation, which puts him in line to be the agency's permanent director upon confirmation by the City Council. Bowser earlier named Marootian as DDOT's interim director upon the Aug. 11 departure of former Director Leif Dormsjo, who left to take a private-sector job. Marootian had been the department's deputy director since he joined DDOT in March, after workin...
Congress Completes Latest Disaster Aid Bill
The Senate on Oct. 24 followed the House in passing legislation to provide $36.5 billion in disaster relief for victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires, and President Trump signed into law Oct. 26. Also included is emergency credit to Puerto Rico to keep its government functioning, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Journal said the disaster-relief bill, which passed 82-17, includes $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster-relief fund, $16 billion to reple...
Highway Trust Fund Excise Tax Receipts Showed No Growth in Fiscal 2017
The government's combined receipts from all excise taxes in the Highway Trust Fund showed no growth in the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the Treasury reported, as a large decline in retail taxes on commercial trucks more than offset mild gains from fuel taxes. In its monthly statement for September...
TTWiiN Brings Innovative Damping Technology to Tall Buildings
TTWiiN, the technology accelerator of Thornton Tomasetti, the global leader in engineering design of supertall buildings, is proud to introduce Hummingbird Kinetics, an innovative solution for tuned mass damping in tall and supertall buildings. As cities increase in density and more tall buildings are built, there is a need for a better solution to the challenge of wind-induced motion in large buildings. Hummingbird Kinetics provides an affordable, compact, flexible and easy-to-maintain alter...
Bechtel Partners with Society of Women Engineers to Inspire Students to ‘Dream Big’ About Careers in Engineering
Bechtel, a global engineering, procurement and construction leader, partnered with the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) to host a free screening of the film DREAM BIG: Engineering our World for schools and community organizations during the SWE Conference in Austin Texas, Oct. 26-28. Female engineers from SWE, Bechtel, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will share their experiences and discuss science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers with local area students. “...
CH2M's Dale Sands elected Chair of ARISE-US, the United Nations Private Sector Initiative to Create Risk Resilient Societies
DENVER - CH2M's Dale Sands, senior vice president and global practice director for the private sector, was elected Chairperson for ARISE-US on October 13, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. ARISE was launched by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction to create greater understanding of disaster risk in the business community, safeguard future investments and reduce economic losses from disasters. The UN ARISE network has global membership of more than 140 leading corporations ac...
Stantec Acquires North State Resources, Inc.
Global design firm Stantec is bolstering its growing environmental service presence and capabilities across northern California by acquiring Redding, California-based North State Resources, Inc. (NSR). Founded in 1986, NSR is a 60-person environmental consulting firm with additional offices in Sacramento and Chico, California. The transaction closed on Friday, October 27. “The talent and regional reputation held by NSR is invaluable as we continually expand our capabilities to serve clients i...
Brendan Cassels Wins 2017 RTSA Young Rail Engineer Award
Arup’s Brendan Cassels has been recognised with the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) 2017 Young Rail Engineer award, which recognises excellence and involvement in railway engineering. A chartered engineer and RPEQ, Brendan’s first major project upon joining Arup in 2010 was the successful first stage of Gold Coast light rail where he was responsible for leading the innovative trackform design for the 12.5km of dual light rail tracks. He has since gone on to gain experien...
AECOM Completes Transition on US$3.6 Billion Contract to Provide U.S. Air Force with Range Support Services
LOS ANGELES — AECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, announced today that URS Federal Services Inc. (an AECOM company) has completed the transition phase for the 16-year contract for the U.S. Air Force to provide range support services. After a delayed start due to a protest of the award, transition was completed on October 24, 2017. The US$3.6 billion contract will be delivered by AECOM’s Management Services business, includes award fee provisions, and was previously...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
TriMet’s Banfield Type 1 Substation Replacement Project
February Issue 2026
