Professional Documents
Culture Documents
JULY 2010
I nfrastructure M o n t h l y
$897 MILLION ALLOCATED TO Highlights of the project allocations Project in San Bernardino County and
EXPAND STATE’S ECONOMY AND include: the State Route 180 Braided Ramps
IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION Project in Fresno. Design-build is a
Los Angeles - $16.6 million in project delivery method that combines
Sacramento – The California Recovery Act funding to help repave design and construction into one
Transportation Commission (CTC) has and repair 112 lane miles of pavement contract. Faster project delivery occurs
allocated $897 million to 170 on Interstate 5 near Castaic. because design and construction take
transportation projects statewide, place concurrently. Caltrans anticipates
including $157 million from Proposition Kern County - $20 million from the both projects will be completed at least
1B, a transportation bond approved by Recovery Act to help replace 42 lanes two years earlier using design-build.
voters in 2006, and $49 million from miles of pavement on Interstate 5 near The expedited construction schedule
President Obama’s American Recovery Buttonwillow. will bring thousand of jobs to San
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Bernardino County and Fresno sooner
(Recovery Act). The remaining $691 San Mateo County - $30 million in than expected.
million in allocations came from Proposition 1B funding to provide grade
assorted transportation accounts funded separation of an existing at-grade rail The Devore interchange (Interstate
by state and federal dollars. crossing in San Bruno. This will reduce 15/215) is the second greatest
the potential for accidents and decrease bottleneck for goods movement in the
“The Recovery Act and Proposition 1B emissions from vehicles waiting for country. The annual cost of traffic
are paying for vital transportation trains to pass by. delays at the interchange is almost $4
projects that help relieve traffic million and is expected to increase to
congestion and improve the quality of San Bernardino County - $45 million almost $80 million a year by 2040. The
life for all Californians,” said Governor from Proposition 1B for a rail grade $369 million Devore project will
Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Investing in separation project along the Alameda dramatically improve goods movement
our infrastructure is strengthening our Corridor East in Ontario. and enhance traffic safety.
economy and creating jobs throughout
the state at a time when we need them “From one end of the state to the other, The Braided Ramps Project, located
most.” transportation projects are providing between State Routes 41 and 168 in
good paying jobs and improving Fresno, will ease congestion and
Since its passage, approximately $5.9 mobility for people and businesses in improve safety for motorists by
billion in Proposition 1B funding has California,” said Caltrans Director eliminating many merging and
been allocated. California has obligated Cindy McKim. transition conflicts along a series of
nearly $2.5 billion from the Recovery interlocking freeways, making it easier
Act to 931 highway, local street, and job The CTC also approved two projects for for motorists to travel throughout
Caltrans’ design-build demonstration
training transportation projects Fresno.
statewide. program: the Devore Interchange
INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY
JULY 2010
The Right Hire Introduces Market Trends as Reported by Companies Around the
Industry
By Matt Plotkin
President, The Right Hire
I sincerely hope you've been enjoying Infrastructure Monthly. Every month we do our best to provide an
informative collection of articles to educate our audience. As a recruiter and business owner, I try to
keep my finger on the pulse of what's coming in the months ahead.
Lately, I've noticed an uptick in jobs within the Construction and Civil Engineering fields. It seems after
months of job losses, there arguably are better times ahead. In addition to writing pulitzer prize
winning articles, in the next couple of months I'm going to start a new section about industry trends.
As much as I talk to people in the industry everyday, both to companies and interviewing top talent,
one man alone cannot gage the entire industry as a whole. I'm asking for your assistance in this task,
and have put together a survey that will help us to better understand what's next for this industry. After
all, knowledge is power and that’s what we strive to give to you.
The first rounds of surveys have gone out, and we are analyzing them to discover the trends that have
been occurring in the market. We appreciate all the responses we have received and will be publishing
the first round of trends starting next month. Thank you again to everyone that has been participating,
and we ask everyone who receives the survey this month to take a minute and reply for the benefit of
the infrastructure industry.
Building to Withstand Hurricanes as a four-sloped hip roof. These roofs perform better
under wind forces than the gable roofs with two slopes.
Gable roofs are common only because they are cheaper
ScienceDaily (June 22, 2010) — Rima Taher, an expert in the to build. Research and testing demonstrate that a 30-
design of low-rise buildings for extreme winds and hurricane, degree roof slope will have the best results.
hopes her phone won't ring much this hurricane season. It's • Wind forces on a roof tend to uplift it. "This explains
already been busy with requests for information about best why roofs blow off during extreme wind events," Taher
building design and construction practices to reduce wind said. To combat uplift, she advises connecting roofs to
pressures on building surfaces. walls strongly with nails, not staples. Stapled roofs were
banned in Florida after Hurricane Andrew. The use of
In the aftermath of the January earthquake in Haiti, Taher, a civil
hurricane clips is recommended. The choice of roofing is
and structural engineer at the NJIT College of Architecture and
important. Different roofing systems perform differently
Design, prepared a document for Architecture for Humanity
under hurricane conditions. In tile roofs, loose tiles often
about best building practices for hurricane and earthquake-prone
become wind-borne debris threatening other structures.
areas. It's posted on the organization's Haiti Reconstruction
• Aim for strong connections between the structure and
website and still circulates in Haiti. More recently, she
foundation. Structural failure-- one structural element
cooperated with wind researchers at Tokyo Polytechnic
triggering the collapse of another -- can be progressive.
University, Japan, to develop and translate from French a
• Hurricane shutters can protect glazing from wind-borne
brochure for UNESCO to help Haitians prepare for the upcoming
debris. Various designs are available.
hurricane season. UNESCO will distribute the brochure in Haiti.
• Roof overhangs are subject to wind uplift forces which
could trigger a roof failure. In the design of the
In 2007 Taher's article about the design of low-rise buildings for
hurricane-resistant home, the length of these overhangs
extreme wind events appeared in the Journal of Architectural
should be limited to about 20 inches.
Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Another
• The design of the researched cyclonic home includes
article on improved building practices for hurricanes appeared in
simple systems to reduce the local wind stresses at the
Caribbean Construction Magazine in July of 2009.
roof's lower edges such as a notched frieze or a
"Certain home shapes and roof types can make a big difference," horizontal grid. Install the latter at the level of the gutters
is a common refrain in all her work. along the homes' perimeter.
• An elevated structure on an open foundation reduces the
Her recommendations include the following. risk of damage from flooding and storm-driven water. All
foundation piles must be strengthened by bracing and
• Design buildings with square, hexagonal or even should penetrate deep enough into the soil to reduce the
octagonal floor plans with roofs of multiple slopes such risk of scour.
INFRASTRUCTURE MONTHLY
JULY 2010
Savings heat up with solar-powered water account for 14 to 25 percent of the energy consumed in
our homes."
heaters
According to Cika, in the construction of a new home,
(ARA) - More homeowners are deciding solar power is where the cost of the system is rolled into the mortgage,
the right thing to do - for the sake of the environment and homeowners can save more on their monthly energy bills
their wallets. New technologies make it easier than ever than the increase in their house payment. "Solar water
to use the sun to heat water in our homes. And Congress heating provides a positive cash flow from the day of
is helping make going green a cash-smart move too, by move in," he says, "effectively giving an immediate
extending the federal solar tax credit another eight years. payback."
Thanks to the tax credit program, you can recoup 30 "In the case of an installation in an existing home in an
percent of the total installed cost of a solar water heating area that has both federal and state rebates and
system. "It's a great time to switch to solar power for incentives," he says, "the payback can vary from three to
your water heating needs," says Jim Cika, a solar water seven years."
heating expert with VELUX America. But before you
buy a solar water heater, do your homework, he urges, Two primary solar technologies are available in the
learn about the technologies available and review just market right now: solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar
how solar-friendly your home can be. thermal. The photovoltaic process uses the sun to
generate electricity and solar thermal uses the sun to heat
"Homeowners need to factor in geographic location, water. Solar thermal often is the technology of choice for
orientation of the roof for solar collectors, costs and tax homeowners for a number of reasons. Kevin Hughes, a
incentives and rebates that may be available to arrive at writer for GreenBuildingElements.com, who installed a
an economically sensible and environmentally-sensitive solar thermal system in his San Francisco home, explains
decision," Cika says. why.
While a solar water heating system usually costs more to "I prefer solar thermal, specifically solar hot water, a
purchase and install than a conventional water heating much older technology. It is much cheaper to install,
system, it can reduce energy costs in the long run and is much more efficient and has a much faster payback," he
much kinder to the planet. says.
Cika says that the cost of an installed ENERGY STAR For homeowners considering an installation, the Internet
qualified system from his company will vary depending offers a number of websites that can be helpful with an
upon the volume of heated water required in a home. A analysis and then with locating products and installers.
packaged system consisting of one, two or three rooftop Findsolar.com and nabcep.org list certified installers by
solar collector panels will usually be installed along with state. Solar-rating.org lists certified solar equipment
a 60, 80 or 120-gallon solar storage tank. An average manufacturers and certified installers for VELUX units
installation is projected to cost $6,500 to $11,000, with are listed at veluxusa.com.
some complex installations running as much as $12,000.
Systems are available for gas, electric and boiler markets Eere.energy.gov/consumer includes a link to a calculator
throughout the U.S., Cika says. for initial cost, annual operating costs and determining
payback, as well as a consumer's guide to solar thermal,
"On average," he says, "if you install a solar water heater, while nrel.gov offers a consumer's guide to photovoltaic.
your water heating bills should drop 50 to 80 percent --
Federal and state tax credit information, by geographic
not an insignificant sum when you consider that the area, is available at dsireusa.org.
Department of Energy says that water heating can