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This article offers a look at the construction industry in Tennessee in 2006. Numerous high-dollar projects should make 2006 a prosperous year for the construction industry in Tennessee and Nashville appears to be a hot spot. One of the more recent developments is the announcement of a 70 million U.S. dollar headquarters for Nissan USA, lured to Middle Tennessee late last year from Southern California.

The article reports that the Nashville International Airport in Tennessee transformed a former on-site quarry into a cooling source for the geothermal cooling system following a 2012 sustainability study. Topics discussed include the reduction in energy consumption based on the five months of operation and projected annual savings on electricity, potable water and utility costs.

The article evaluates pug mills from Pugmill Systems.

The article reports that water utilities around the U.S. continue the upward trend in expanding, modifying and updating plants and lines as of 2015. Topics include Carlsbad desalination plant in San Diego, California nearing completion, Houston Texas working with four regional water authorities on the expansion and a related, phase-one project, and a chart listing top 10 water, wastewater and storm-sewer projects in the planning phase as per Dodge Data & Analytics firm.

The article discusses study by Tennessee Dept. of Transportation (TDOT) to access second rehabilitation or replacement of Interstate 440 highway in Nashville, Tennessee. Topics discussed include issues in the slab replacement and surface diamond grinding to provide texture and reduce hydroplaning, comments from Paul Degges of TDOT, on need for repair or replacement and Audrey Copeland of National Asphalt Pavement Association, on impact of resurfacing on traffic.

The article offers the author's view on changes to the Ministry of Energy and Mines in British Columbia. It mentions that the agency along with the Ministry of Environment (MoF) were engaged in mine permitting and under investigation over the disposal of water and construction waste into the Fraser River. An overview of the perspectives of agencies' Auditor General Carol Bellringer and Minister Bill Bennett on the issue is also presented.

The article reports on the legal payment to be paid by Mt. Juliet, Tennessee-based road and bridge builder Mountain States Contractors LLC to settle a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by its former employee Ron Meadows who accused the firm of putting its employees, along with HMA Contractors LLC, on the payroll of G&M Associates as a disadvantaged business enterprise. It notes that Mountain States will also be in monitoring agreement with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

The article focuses on the rockslides that cause the Interstate 75 (I-75) to close in both directions in east Tennessee. It states that an emergency repair project was started to stabilize and flatten the slope in order to prevent further rockslides. Comments from Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Nagi are also mentioned.

The article offers information on the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway to north of New Orleans to remove excess water in Mississippi River than starts flooding as of January 10, 2016. It mentions the views of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Ricky Boyett, on using the crane to manage the flow and prevent flood in Missouri. It states that improving of levees in coming years and actions to move backflows into tributaries.

The article focuses on the construction of two sustainable schools in Texas designed by SHW Group with initial costs that were below standard estimates. West Brazos Junior High School in Brazoria was the first public junior high school in the state to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)certification. Gloria Marshall Elementary School in Houston is expected to reduce energy usage by 25% with its use of a geothermal system for heating and cooling, among other sustainable features. INSET: The ABCs of Green Building.

The article reports that Fast Fix 8 project for replacing eight Interstate 40 bridges in Nashville, Tennessee during highway shutdowns was completed on December 4, 2015; and mentions that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) named Kiewit Infrastructure Group as construction manager.

The article reports that the Mt. Polley Mine, a site of Canada's worst spill, is seeking permits to return to full operation. It mentions that the a gold-and copper mine owned by Imperial Metals Corp in 2014 releasing its water and slurry with the mining waste into Polley Lake endangering the area's drinking water. It presents the views of its spokesman Steve Robertson, on the cost of reclamation and rehabilitation work.

The article discusses the repair of the Interstate 40 highway and drainage structure in Tennessee by Lane Construction Corp. after repeated hydroplane related wrecks. It informs that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has reviewed plans and construction of design-build job after alert by local police and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. It also presents views of TDOT's spokeswomans Heather Jensen and Lauralee Heckman for the same.

The article reports that Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) officials have been prompted to meet with representatives of Lane Construction Corp. by surge in hydroplane-related wrecks on a recently widened stretch of Interstate 40. It is noted that after local law-enforcement agencies reported an increase in wrecks, TDOT started looking at the area near mile marker 226 in Wilson County.

The article reports that a 200,000 dollars fine has been paid by Nashville Ready Mix Inc. after being charged with vehicular homicide and reckless homicide following a fatal crash of one of its trucks in 2013.

The article reports that the construction company Kiewit Infrastructure Group has demolished and replaced an Interstate 40 bridge in Nashville using accelerated bridge construction to minimize traffic impact under the Fast Fix 8 project from Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Texas and Oklahoma were declared disaster areas after record rainfalls in May caused widespread destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the August 2014 Mount Polley tailings pond blowout in British Columbia, Alskans downstream fear environmental risks from larger mining operations in upsteram watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the January 30, 2015 report from an independent panel investigating the failure of the Mount Polley Mine earthen dam in western Canada, which blamed its faulty design that did not consider area's geology as the reason for the breach.

Water-soluble in karst areas can create subterranean voids that trigger sudden structural collapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contractors at work on repairs to the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., have demonstrated geotechnical expertise to plug a giant sinkhoe with grout, sand, and a grid of micro piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleanup crews battle icy winter conditions to remediate Yellowstone River after ruptured Bridger's Poplar Pipeline breached, spilling 38,000 gal of oil near Glendive, Mont. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a Tennessee Circuit Court's release of the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Crowder Construction Co. that runs its wastewater treatment plant from lawsuits filed by families of two workers, namely John Eslinger and Donald Storey who were killed in a wall collapse as of December 2014. Topics include a jury trial being scheduled for June 2015, an investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the views of attorney Bob Pryor on the same.

The article reviews several buildings to be constructed in Nashville, Tennessee including the JW Marriott Hotel to be built by Turnberry Associates, Bridgestone Americas' headquarter by Highwoods Properties, and HCA headquarters by Gresham Smith & Partners.

The article reports that the Mount Polley copper and gold mines tailing pond dam breach in British Columbia has resulted inspections at 100 tailing ponds. Topics discussed include government-mandated inspections initiated due to western Canada mine spill, hiring engineers to inspect mines, and 4.5 billion gallons of water dumped by Mount Polley Mine near Likely, British Columbia.

A Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation report on the repaired Leo Frigo Bridge that reopened in January after corroded pier foundations were repaired [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corvette Museum Board decides to permanently plug sinkhole that opened in February and swallowed eight sports cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force has called for the elimination of more than 72,000 blighted structures in Detroit, Michigan from 2014 to 2019. The plan involves the demolition of more than 15,000 structures per year and the creation of a new demolition board that is appointed by the mayor and the city council. It would also involve the coordination of utility disconnects by the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA).

The article reports that construction firm James McHugh Construction Co. has agreed to pay 12 million U.S. dollars to settle U.S. government charges that it used disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs). Topics discussed include information on the 2008 whistle-blower lawsuit filed by Ryan Keiser against James McHugh Construction, and the company's plan to dismiss senior vice president Michael Gould and general counsel Ben Johnston.

The article discusses the possibility of a jobsite welding spark igniting fires that destroyed multi-unit housing structures under construction in Houston, Texas and in San Francisco, California in March 2014. It stresses that windy days call for a fire watcher along with a welder to monitor spark distances. It adds that the fire watch should remain in the job site at least 30 minutes after welding as a fire may ignite after workers have gone home.

The article discusses Detroit, Michigan's Motor City Mapping Project by property information software company Loveland Technologies and data information and analysis firm Data Driven Detroit for the Detroit Blight Removal Task Force. It notes that the task force is charged with developing a plan to remove residential, commercial and public building blight. The project hired local residents as surveyors to collect information for the Task Force.

The article discusses plans of Detroit, Michigan to increase building demolition to an average of 400 to 450 a week before 2020. It indicates that the increased pace is part of its plan to exit its record 18 billion U.S. dollars bankruptcy filed by its emergency manager Kevyn Orr on February 21, 2014. It notes that Detroit has started a demolition program in 2010 aimed at taking down 10,000 vacant buildings by 2013 but was held down to total just over 5,000 structures due to lack of funds.

The article offers updates on the plan to replace the damaged Eggners Ferry Bridge over the Tennessee River in western Kentucky as of February 2014. It reports that the bid for the 131.5 million U.S. dollar four-lane bridge project was awarded to Fort Worth, Texas' Johnson Brothers Corp. It notes that the basket-handle bridge, which replaces the two-lane structure built in 1932, was designed by Michael Baker Inc. and that construction is expected to start in March.

The article reports that Freedom Industries Inc. has been given until March 15, 2014 to remove all the chemicals from its storage farm that leaked into the Elk River near Charleston, West Virginia, which shut down the supply of drinking water for about 300,000 people in January 2014. A background on the chemical spill on January 9 is presented. The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on January 14.

The article reports that West Virginia regulators have cited Freedom Industries Inc. for several violations following the January 9, 2014 toxic spill that shut down drinking-water supplies to 300,000 people. The regulators slapped Freedom Industries with citations for inadequate storage practices, poor record-keeping and substandard training. It also states that the operator of the Elk River terminal where the spill occurred has moved most of the methanol chemicals to Nitro, West Virginia.

The article repots developments in the 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) chemical spill case that shut down drinking-water supply for 300,000 individuals in Charleston, West Virginia for five days in January 2014. On January 13, 2014, the West Virginia American Water Co. treatment facility was cleared to resume water supply to residents in the area. The chemical spill came from a site owned by Freedom Industries Inc.

The article reports that the sinkhole that swallowed eight automobiles at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will be on permanent view to visitors. Topics discussed include the construction of a wall on one side of the sinkhole and a foundation slab near the bottom by Scott Murphy & Daniel LLC, securing the Skydome's foundation and center spire, and the construction of a glass pedestrian bridge across the hole. Also mentioned are the sinkhole's cave branches.

The article reports on the repair of the Leo Frigo Bridge on Interstate 43 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, which is expected to be completed in mid-January 2014. Zenith Tech won the repair contract. Schedule of the repair work by Zenith, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, is discussed. It also mentions that workers have added 20 drilled shafts at the bases of five piers.

The article reports on the fines imposed on four Tennessee contractors over workplace-safety law violations that led to two fatalities in 2013. These contractors include Solomon Builders Inc., N&S Waterproofing LLC, Thorne's Excavating Co. LLC and Tayes Masonry. A 15,200 dollar fine was imposed on Solomon, N&S and Thorne's for their failure to train employees on the hazards of working near a masonry wall under construction. A 14,000 dollar fine was imposed on Tayes.

The article reports that steel-struss support towers have been erected under the sagging Leo Frigo Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin as a temporary fix amid ongoing examination of the structure in 2013. On October 15, heavy highway construction firm Lunda Construction started its work on the support towers intended to stabilize the bridge. Early November is the target completion date for the project, which costs 1.5 million dollars.

The article discusses the efforts of engineers to repair the sagging Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It highlights state investigators' finding that corrosion affecting the pier pilings has caused the bridge to sag. The author says engineers are adding support towers to increase the stability of Pier 22 and work to develop solutions for the bridge's sagging problems.

The article reports that engineers are trying to determine the cause of the settling of a pier of the Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge on Interstate 43 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as of October 14, 2013. Consultants from engineering firms Michael Baker Jr. Inc. and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. have joined structural and geotechnical experts to examine the bridge and develop plans for repairing the bridge. Geoscientist John Luczaj says Pier 22's H-pilings are not deep enough to reach bedrock.

The article reports that growing the new and saving the old Detriot, Michigan is part of a strategy recommended by Kevyn Orr, Detroit's emergency manager, who filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. It discusses the move of Orr to ask experts for advice on handling municipal operations. Also mentioned are the turnaround signs emerging in downtown Detroit, including the move back of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and tax incentives arranged through Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

The article highlights how a metallurgical report has revealed that the 22-foot rupture found in ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline, which dumped over 5,000 barrels of oil on a suburb of Little Rock, Arkansas in March 2013, was caused by a manufacturing defect detected on the pipeline's Electric Resistance Weld (ERW) seam. It adds that the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) had ordered that the Pegasus pipeline must be shut down until it can be restarted safely.

The article discusses Jefferson County, Alabama and its filing of a plan on June 30, 2013 which outlines the county's plan to make an exit from a multi-billion dollar municipal bankruptcy, focusing on proposed sewer rate increases and Judge Thomas Bennett in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Alabama. It states that the financial firm JPMorgan Chase & Co., which is the county's biggest creditor, was implicated in a sewer-financing-related bribery scandal.

The article discusses the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB's) investigation of the January 2012 crash of a cargo ship owned by Foss Maritime Co. into the Eggner's Ferry Bridge near Aurora, Kentucky. Charges against the ship's crew, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) are mentioned, as well as the ship's pilot, electronic charts, and radar guidance.

The article discusses the initiation of a reentry plan for residents in a Mayflower, Arkansas neighborhood that was flooded by 210,000 gallons of heavy crude oil that escaped during a rupture in the Pegasus pipeline on March 29, 2013. The ExxonMobil oil company is mentioned, along with information on a reported pipeline leak near Doniphan, Missouri which was repaired on May 3, 2013. A July 2010 pipeline break involving pipeline owner Enbridge Inc. and the Kalamazoo River is also examined.

The article discusses the March 29, 2013 crude oil Pegasus pipeline rupture in Mayflower, Arkansas, focusing on the responses of the oil company Exxon Mobil Corp. and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as of April 2, 2013.