Visit Roadbuilding at Journal of Commerce
SPECIAL SECTION
Roadbuilding
July 2, 2008
New tunnel safety regulation opposed by British Columbia unions
Two groups representing unionized construction workers in British Columbia are voicing their opposition to proposed changes to safety regulations for tunnelling.
June 20, 2008
Ultra high-performance concrete formulation extends material’s limits
When I first wrote about ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) almost seven years ago, it was a new product that had grown out of a concept that was, itself, little more than a decade old, writes Daily Commercial News columnist Korky Koroluk.
May 30, 2008
Communications providers bypass Big Dig’s hidden duct system
Boston’s Big Dig engineers thought they were making a wise investment by spending millions of dollars building a series of hidden compartments that were meant to someday carry unsightly utility cables through the tunnels.
May 28, 2008
Rising asphalt prices cut into Mississippi’s paving plans
The Mississippi Department of Transportation plans to spend between US$55 million and US$60 million on road overlays in fiscal 2009, up about USUS$10 million past few years, according to the Jackson, Miss. Clarion-Ledger.
May 23, 2008
New cables help bridges ride out earthquakes
Shape memory alloys (SMAs)t appear to hold out the promise of bridge decks that snap back into position after an earthquake.
May 20, 2008
Less road work, fewer repairs as asphalt prices hit $676.47 per tonne
The Ministry of Transportation Ontario has kicked off the spring construction season by posting its new asphalt price index benchmark at $676.47 per tonne, leading to predictions that less paving work will be done this year.
May 1, 2008
Government announces plans for $1.6-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway
The new Windsor-Essex Parkway will include two kilometres of tunnel sections, while the rest will be built below-grade to minimize traffic noise and exhaust in neighbourhoods. It will be five times more expensive per kilometre than any highway previously built in Ontario.
April 28, 2008
Rebar fall won’t delay Pitt River bridge job
Workers building the new Pitt River Bridge are assessing the damage and developing a plan for repairing the structure after a rebar column toppled.
April 14, 2008
TRIP Canada cheers record highway spending by provinces
Provinces are spending more on highways this year than ever before and six of them are setting record highs, according to TRIP Canada’s annual provincial highways budget report.
April 10, 2008
Floating bridge on British Columbia lake overcomes early delays
Motorists will be crossing Okanagan Lake on the new William R. Bennett Bridge sooner than expected.
February 29, 2008
Meeting environment regulations can be planned
Finding ways in which road builders can plan for and work within environmental regulations is the goal of a new Road Building Academy environmental course.
February 29, 2008
Give trades’ compulsory certification a lot more thought
While the media snoozed through the winter, preoccupied with snow storms and a new holiday that didn’t work out perfectly in its first run-through, public consultations have been going on that could conceivably lead to legislation that would require all construction tradespeople to be certified.
February 29, 2008
Hybrid trucks gaining attention as new fleet option
It’s big. It’s ugly. It has a unique electric drive train called ProPulse. And it could point the way for on and off-road hauling in the future. It’s called HEMTT A3, it’s ready for full production, and it’s about to enter service with the U.S. military.
February 29, 2008
Commuter traffic will gain new corridor as work done daily underfoot and undercover
Under ground and under the radar of passersby, a $40 million Simcoe Street tunnel extension has required military precision to build in one of North America’s busiest railway corridors.
February 29, 2008
Paver of the Year Miller Northwest takes outstanding honour
Miller Northwest Limited took home top honours at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s (MTO) Paver of The Year Awards, presented at the annual convention of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA).
February 29, 2008
Safety Awards
Routly Safety awards were presented at the recent ORBA conference.
February 29, 2008
Corridor Manager will be ‘go to’ for projects
Acting on a suggestion by the Ontario Road Builders Association (ORBA), the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has agreed to create a new supervisory position — Corridor Manager — for long-term Highways 69 and 11 projects in northeastern Ontario.
February 29, 2008
MTO considers applying international quality index
The International Roughness Index (IRI) has been used by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for more than a decade as an internal benchmark for the smoothness of the province’s road surfaces.
February 29, 2008
Peers laud Steed, Evans for stellar contributions
Newly-minted Ontario Road Building Hall of Fame members Roy Steed and Denis Evans not only made their mark in business, they also broke new ground in employer-employee relationships.
February 29, 2008
Paving time
Except during recent snow storms, it’s always paving time in Toronto, which means road closures and traffic headaches. But building and maintaining infrastructure is vital to the province’s economy.
February 29, 2008
Peat bog highway beds under intensive study
A peat bog might seem to be an unlikely place to build a highway interchange, but that’s exactly where the first bridge of an interchange near Seattle was built in 1940, and engineers with the state transportation department have been living with it ever since.
February 29, 2008
Filmport paving
Furfari Paving Co. Ltd. lays down some fresh asphalt at phase one of the Filmport complex, part of the Toronto Film Studios project.
| MOST POPULAR STORIES |
| CURRENT STORIES |
- Davies-Smith crews pull together at waterfront Rowe condominium project
- Ottawa city council votes in favour of plasma gasification plant to process municipal waste
- Burk’s Falls and Parry Sound receive funds for water, sewer improvements
- Tucker HiRise crews ready rebar at X condominium project
- Innovative George Brown trades program trains potential apprentices
- Mexico needs Canadian construction expertise, says EDC
- Brookfield completes financing for acquisition of Itiquira generating plant
- Solterra conducts construction at Vancouver’s Dolce tower project
- GDP numbers don’t reflect recession, Flaherty says
- British Columbia’s mining industry plans more construction activity
- Stantec buys mining engineering firm McIntosh Engineering
| ALEX’S BLOG |

Reed Construction Data Chief Economist Alex Carrick discusses current developments in Canada's economic environment. He also shares light-hearted reflections on life and current events.
Economics Blog More 
- Will China be another Japan? (2) (July 4, 2008)
- Will China be another Japan? (1) (July 3, 2008)
- The Export Dependency of Canada’s Provinces (July 2, 2008)
Lifestyle Blog More 
- High Finance, Carrick Family Style (June 30, 2008)
- A Dozen Ways to Lure American Visitors to Canada (June 23, 2008)
| PROJECT NEWS BRIEFS |
Updates on Canadian construction projects from Reed Construction Data’s research team. More 
- Thompson Rivers University receives funding for library, First Nations learning centre (Jul 4, 2008)
- Manitoba Hydro plans new Riel Converter Station (Jul 4, 2008)
- Grandview Shores proposes upscale condo/hotel complex for Trail (Jul 4, 2008)
- Menkes sets early 2009 start date for Four Seasons hotel project (Jul 3, 2008)
- Ottawa’s Congress Centre prepares to set green example (Jul 3, 2008)


