Tampa's Elevated Connector Tests the Team

An elevated Tampa toll road with 23 spans, a tangle of flyovers and unexpected foundation issues is challenging the project team, while it is also revealing the limitations of contractor-obtained financing. The 65%-complete job, currently estimated at $412 million, instead of the original $389 million, is now expected to finish up next fall, or about six months later than originally planned.

Designed to boost the Port of Tampa, the 12-lane Tampa Interstate 4/Selmon Expressway Connector involves constructing a 1.1-mile north-south toll road to link the east-west I-4 and the expressway. The project is in part a response to the expansion of the Panama Canal, which port officials say will deliver "significant new trade opportunities" to Tampa.

"The I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector will provide a vital connection between two of the most important surface transportation facilities in the region," says Richard Frank, construction project manager with the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT).

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Busch Gardens engineer found his calling designing thrills

“Mark Rose, left, vice president of design and engineering at Busch Gardens in Tampa, supervises construction contractors and ride builders. He has overseen the conception and construction of almost every new or remodeled attraction at the theme park.”

Nobody has left more of an imprint on Busch Gardens Tampa Bay than Mark Rose. At 60, the theme park vice president of design and engineering has overseen the conception and construction of almost every new or remodeled attraction in the 330 acre park. Hes remodeled every gift shop twice, and he even built two Bill Austin restaurants in an ill-fated Busch attempt to sell the parks trademark smokehouse menu outside park gates. Hired as project manager in 1982, Rose has been an integral cog in Busch Gardens and its parent companys collaborative approach to create one-of-a-kind theme park rides. While wrapping up construction of the parks new Cheetah Hunt coaster and animal habitat scheduled to open May 27, Rose talked about the process, offered behind-the-scenes secrets and explained how his family served as his testing lab including a 17-day fact-finding vacation to 17 theme parks.

via Busch Gardens engineer found his calling designing thrills – St. Petersburg Times.

Pinellas plans to connect | TBO.com

ST. PETERSBURG –As Pinellas County prepares for rail or improved bus services, planners are keeping connectivity with Hillsborough County in mind, a consultant for an ongoing transportation study told elected and business officials Thursday.

A Pinellas transportation committee in May selected a route between St. Petersburg, the Gateway Area off the Howard Frankland Bridge and Clearwater for some type of bus or rail corridor.

The ongoing study area for the project extends to Tampa, perhaps utilizing a replacement span envisioned for the Howard Frankland Bridge, Cassandra Ecker Brochers, project manager for Jacobs Engineering told a gathering of about 150 business and elected officials.

The key element — funding sources — won’t be recommended until the transportation mode is determined at year’s end.

The enhanced transportation corridor runs from downtown St. Petersburg along CSX tracks, Interstate 275, East-West Bay Drive and another portion of CSX tracks into downtown Clearwater.

The corridor could accommodate rail or bus rapid transit on a bus-only lane or with buses alongside traffic on roads.

via Pinellas plans to connect | TBO.com.

CE News

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. — Purdue University students are improving the quality of drinking water for rural Colombians through the university’s Global Engineering Program in a project sponsored by Kimberly-Clark Corp. The company operates paper production facilities in South America, including a plant near Barbosa, Colombia. Company officials wanted to improve water quality for area residents, many of whom are employees, said Chad Jafvert, a professor of civil engineering.

Untreated water from nearby streams is piped to elementary schools and homes in the villages of Las Peñas, Buga and Graciano, which are accessible by narrow roads leading from Barbosa. The water contains particles and pathogens from sources such as dead leaves and cow manure. Students on the Global Design Team determined one of the most affordable and easy-to-maintain filtration methods for the communities is slow-sand filtration, which uses layers of sand and gravel to clean water. However, existing slow-sand filtering systems were too bulky and expensive for the communities, Jafvert said.

“We needed something lower cost for very rural areas where people are living with few resources,” he said.

Jafvert and the students created a new type of slow-sand filter contained in two five-gallon plastic buckets. Water is poured in the top bucket and emerges clear from the bottom bucket.

“We created a design that’s simple, portable and easy t

via CE News.

The enemies of clean water – St. Petersburg Times

U.S. Rep. John Mica, the Winter Park Republican whose district hugs the east coast of Florida and stretches from near Jacksonville to the Orlando area, should appreciate the benefits of clean water. Largely nestled between the St. Johns River and the beaches of the Atlantic, Mica’s district includes or abuts waterways that help drive Florida’s economy. Yet Mica is sponsoring legislation scheduled for a House vote today to eviscerate the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to enforce the Clean Water Act. This is not in Florida’s best interest, and Tampa Bay Republicans such as Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Richard Nugent and C.W. Bill Young should not put partisanship above clean water.

One of the things America has done well over the last 40 years is to clean its waterways of industrial and human pollution. Rivers that once caught fire and lakes that once were declared dead are now recreation areas and fishing havens. The reason: the Clean Water Act, which in 1972 handed the EPA the responsibility to regulate water pollution when states refused to do it. But HB 2018, which Mica sponsored as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with ranking member Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., would take America back to the days when rules differed wildly state by state and local politicians could put the financial interests of their favored industries above water quality and public health. Continue reading →