How Steel Deck Is Shaking Up Cold-Formed Steel Framing Design
All too often, we get stuck in the mindset that the way we currently do things is the way we must continue to do them. An example that hits close to home is the way steel deck is underutilized by designers in the low- and mid-rise construction market. Current practice favors the use of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing on cold-formed steel (CFS) floor and roof trusses, because that’s how things have been done for years. But why not shake things up and consider using steel dec...
Brick Sewer Rehabilitation in the Nation’s Capital
The Washington, D.C., sewer system (managed by DC Water) is a mix of pipe systems that includes large-diameter brick structures. Following an alert from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), DC Water’s engineering group carried out a pipe entry inspection to verify the integrity of a 72-inch-diameter brick sewer on the F Street NW block between 12th and 11th streets. A 72-inch brick sewer required rehabilitation in downtown Washington, D.C. Repair of the brick sewer wa...
We’re Not Bluffing: Erosion Is a Serious Issue
By Matt Welch, CPESC, CESSWI, and Adam Dibble, CPESC, CESSWI The North American Great Lakes account for roughly 21 percent of the planet’s surface freshwater and 84 percent of North America’s surface freshwater. If you haven’t had a chance to look across one of these truly magnificent lakes, add it to your to-do list. Not only are these lakes beautiful, biodiverse and full of rich history, but they provide a resource that will only become more important as population increases, pollut...
Supercomputing that Supports Infrastructure
Argonne National Laboratories Makes Climate Modeling Practical for Regional Infrastructure Asset Management Argonne National Laboratory, located in Lemont, Ill. (just outside Chicago), has some of the trappings of an outstanding Bond villain lair, including its own 0.7-mile-circumference electron storage ring (a bit like a CERN-style particle accelerator); the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), which is the “first superconducting linear accelerator for heavy ions at en...
Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement: Engineers Explain Methods Used on the Seabrook Strauss Bascule Bridge
By Gregory P. Taravella, P.E., and James W.H. Costigan, E.I. The Seabrook Bridge is a Strauss Heel-Trunnion Bascule Bridge located in New Orleans and owned by the Port of New Orleans. Built in 1923, the through-truss bridge originally carried two railroad tracks inside the trusses and two single-lane roadways cantilevered outside the trusses. The bridge is one of three duplicate bridges that cross the Inner Harbor-Navigation Canal (IH-NC), which links the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartra...
An Olympian Achievement: Los Angeles Zeroes in on Emissions-Free Bus Fleet
When Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympic Games in 2028, city officials are hoping its zero-emissions bus fleet will share a bit of the spotlight with the world’s best athletes. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is starting the journey to create a comprehensive Zero Emissions Bus Program through an analysis of its network of 165 bus and bus rapid-transit routes and 12 maintenance facilities. The goal is to convert to a complete zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030. To a...
Stormwater Management System Protects University of Michigan Campus
The system protects university buildings from potential floods while benefiting the environment and the city of Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan’s Central Campus is a gathering spot for students and visitors. It’s also a stormwater collection point in the downtown Ann Arbor, Mich., area, particularly during large storm events. A new underground stormwater infiltration system was designed to protect the campus and adjacent historic buildings from a 100-year storm event while pr...
Four Places Putting Green Infrastructure to Work for Local Communities
Figure 1. A map shows areas that would be flooded by 1.5 meters of sea-level rise, which is how much sea levels could rise by 2100 if emissions aren’t curtailed. By Emily Cassidy and Suzanne Ozment Water is a source of growing tension and violence in places where it’s scarce. At the same time, sea-level rise and flooding threaten millions of people living near coastlines and low-lying areas. Traditional infrastructure such as concrete dams and seawalls isn’t sufficient to...
Interview with Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems: The Continuing Evolution of Engineering Software
Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson (right) interviewed Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley (left). In April 2019, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson went to Bentley Systems’ corporate headquarters in Exton, Pa., (photo below) to interview its CEO, Greg Bentley. The full 45-minute interview can be viewed above or at wp.me/p8dJln-cyJ, but we also wanted to include some excerpts in this “5th Anniversary Special Edition” on “Smart Engineering....
Building a Smarter City: Baton Rouge Shows that Bigger Isn’t (Necessarily) Better
According to the IESE Cities in Motion Index, New York City, London, Paris and Tokyo topped the list of the world’s “smartest cities” in 2018. When megacities (with populations of more than 8 million) top these types of rankings, it’s easy to lose sight of the areas of real opportunity. In fact, much of the innovation and explosive growth in the Smart City arena is happening in small and midsize cities. This makes sense. Although megacities have the staff and budgets to really embrace some...
Video: New Roundabout Under Construction at McIver and Old Florence Roads in Darlington County
Promenade at The Point
June Issue 2026
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