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 refe...
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 ba...
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...
Going Down Under Down Under: Brisbane’s Complex Airport Link Achieves Innovation and Cuts Costs
When the city of Brisbane, Australia, and its suburbs needed to reduce heavy congestion going to, from and around Brisbane Airport, Brisbane City Council initiated development of a massive infrastructure project to solve the problem. The council’s goal was to reduce traffic congestion by 45 percent, fixing notorious roadway bottlenecks and minimizing travel time to the airport for people living in northern suburbs—all while improving overall connectivity with the city. The project consisted o...
Rehabilitation with Minimal Interruption
The Wells Street Bridge holds the distinction of being the longest double-deck, double-leaf, bascule bridge built over the Chicago River, and it’s one of two remaining bascule bridges in the city that carries both highway and rail transit on dual levels. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) elevated railway occupies the upper level, and vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic are on its lower level. The bridge’s main span is 345 feet long and 72 feet wide, with three lanes of vehicular traffic, a...
Video: New Roundabout Under Construction at McIver and Old Florence Roads in Darlington County
Promenade at The Point
June Issue 2026
.jpg?width=225)