Engineering Inc. - May/June 2007 - 31

h  Norfolk Southern Keystone Buildout, Indiana County, Pa. URS Corporation—Decatur, Ill. A new 5.3-mile rail line through the mountainous terrain of Pennsylvania answers Norfolk Southern Railway’s need for a shorter, more efficient coal delivery route to a primary electric generating plant. The extensive earthwork required the project team to apply resourceful hydraulic and hydrological design, including a unique shotcrete slope protection system for the new line, which crosses eight major streams and two grade separated highways. The project includes a 3.5-acre wetlands restoration area and now reduces the rail route by 104 miles round-trip, translating into a savings of 3,300 gallons of diesel fuel a year and a 23 percent reduction in air emissions. h  hoNoRAwARDs Clarian Pathology Laboratory, Indianapolis, Ind. BSA LifeStructures—Indianapolis, Ind. A gleaming, centrally located three-story laboratory atop a threestory 320-car parking facility solves Clarian Health’s need for significant expansion of its laboratories. The project team designed the new facility to connect to three nearby hospitals via the Clarian “People Mover” elevated transportation network. The project team also designed a pneumatic tube system on the People Mover to deliver specimens from various hospitals to the laboratory. In addition to streamlining delivery of services, the new building is a catalyst for development around Indianapolis’ Central Canal. h  Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Outer Loop Bascule Span, Md., Washington, D.C., and Va. Hardesty & Hanover—New York, N.Y. The outer loop bascule draw span on the new Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is the nation’s largest movable structure. The project team overcame significant load challenges in designing the 250-foot-wide draw span, which includes 350-ton girders. The span features 34 million pounds of moving structure, which rises to allow tall vessels to pass through the Potomac River navigational channel. A 20-foot increase in vertical clearance over the original bridge will decrease the number of yearly openings from 250 to 60 and significantly reduce traffic disruption. The span accommodates the daily demands of more than 300,000 highway vehicles and is adaptable for a planned Washington, D.C., commuter rail extension. h  M.R.T. Chaloem Ratchamongkhon Line, Bangkok, Thailand The Louis Berger Group—Washington, D.C. Bangkok’s first completely underground subway line provides more transportation options for residents and tourists while helping to ease traffic gridlock. In response to extreme traffic congestion and poor air quality due to vehicle emissions, the project team designed the new 12.4-mile underground rail system to include 18 underground stations and the ability to move 120,000 passengers an hour. Three of the new stations directly link with Bangkok’s existing 13-mile Sky Train system. The system features innovative measures to prevent flooding in the tunnels and on station platforms. MAY / JUNE 2007 ENGINEERING INC. 31

Engineering Inc. - May/June 2007

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