We currently have a project out to bid for the installation of about a quarter mile of 10-inch water main. As usual, after we release the notification to bidders, we begin receiving requests from companies asking for a list of bidders or plan holders. Our city's policy is to not release this list until after…
Category: Construction
Is the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card Really a Good Idea?
As a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), I regularly receive information and notices proclaiming their annual "grading" of our nation's infrastructure. There is even a website to promote this effort: http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/. My opinion on this might not be popular with my colleagues, but frankly I have never thought this report was…
The ADA Toolkit for Local Government in 3D
Most of us working in local government are probably familiar with the ADA Best Practices Toolkit for State and Local Government published online by the U.S. Department of Justice at http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/toolkitmain.htm. The document is well-written and helpful in providing guidance in understanding and complying with regulations related to accessibility. But like most government documents, it is…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 73
Day 73 or How to Save Our Transportation Funding Plan Review I spent part of the day reviewing the plans for a bike underpass that the county is planning to build. The county received a grant to construct the improvement. It's definitely needed! The underpass will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross one of…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 71
Day 71 Culvert Lining Project Today the project engineer for our culvert lining project told me that the pipe joint had opened up in our culvert lining project. We had the pipe manufacturer, Snap-Tite, visit the site to look it over and offer a solution. But after seeing how it failed, I would not recommend in the…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Days 68 & 69
Days 68 & 69 After spending most of the day yesterday in meetings, getting home late, then having to run out to attend a band concert, I decided just to wait until today and post both yesterday and today in one article. So here it is! Tuesday: IDOT audit of ARRA project IDOT was scheduled…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 67
Day 67 Culvert Lining Project I didn't have a chance to go out to the culvert lining project myself today because I had too many other meetings and things to do. But a couple of my staff went out to watch the contractor pour the headwalls. Our concern over this operation has been that the…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 66
Day 66 Culvert Lining Project It looks like our issue with the culvert lining project has been resolved. We gave the structural drawings from our consultant to the contractor. Theh contractor ended up getting a couple prices from other concrete contractors which were lower than the original subcontractor's price. So it looks like we will…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 65
Day 65 I really wanted to title this blog post: Today I Discovered Why We Have no Transportation Funds! The other day, I wrote about the BRT and Randall Road – the major corridor that runs through many of the communities in our area. In that post, I also mentioned the Route 529 study –…
A Day in the Life of a Civil Engineer – Day 64
Day 64 Culvert Lining Project Today was somewhat of a continuation of the issues that started yesterday with our culvert project. Tomorrow I am meeting with the contractor and giving him the detailed structural design that we received today from our consultant. The contractor will have to determine if the work shown was what he…