Illinois Dept. of Transportation, National Landscape Architects, and Portland Cement Association Offer New On-Line Resources

Illinois DOT seeks $300-million grant for Chicago-area transportation projects; Indiana goes after $71.4 million to fund NW rail work

Illinois DOT Seeks $300-Million TIGER Grant for Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program

The Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) has announced it is seeking $300 million in federal stimulus funds for 16 projects that are part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program.

A first-of-its-kind partnership, CREATE brings together Illinois DOT, the Chicago Dept. of Transportation and the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Illinois DOT is eligible for the funding under the federal Transportation Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program established in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

In addition to the $300 million being sought via the federal TIGER grant, CREATE partners also have committed to add 39% ($117.4 million) in state and private money for the projects.

The program outlined in the TIGER grant includes projects ranging from rail line improvements to a grade separation to viaduct improvements. Scheduled for completion by 2012, this program will support roughly 4,500 job years. The application details several additional benefits.

Economic:

• 17,684-hour annual reduction in freight rail delay

• $265.0 million annual savings in logistics cost

Livability:

• Reduced annual passenger rail delays of 57,631 passenger hours and $1.4 million in cost

• Reduced annual motorist delays of 344,499 hours and $8.5 million in cost

Sustainability:

• Reduced diesel consumption by 2.9 million gallons each year

• Reduced emissions from locomotives and vehicles due to improved efficiency and delay reduction

• $2.5 million annual cost savings associated with emissions reduction and reduced diesel consumption

Safety:

• Improved vehicle safety and crash prevention

Indiana Seeks $71.4 Million in Stimulus Funds for Northwest Rail Improvements

Indiana has requested $71.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to improve the congested Norfolk Southern rail line that connects Chicago to Detroit.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has proposed upgrading eight locations between Porter and the Illinois state line that would reduce delay time by 61% percent and save 752 gallons of fuel each week.

The application says the proposal addresses the single most delay-prone intercity rail passenger corridor in the country, in a way that provides both congestion relief and a path toward development of a high-speed corridor.

The Federal Rail Administration is expected to approve grants for this category of high-speed intercity passenger rail funds no later than February. If approved, most construction would take place in 2010 and 2011, with the lines remaining in service.

According to federal estimates, 703 jobs would be created or saved during the project. A copy of Indiana’s application can be found online at http://indot.IN.gov/3064.htm.

Fourteen daily Amtrak trains use the line.

Indiana is one of nine states in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, an ongoing effort to develop and expand an improved passenger rail system in the Midwest. The proposed system would provide high-speed rail service (80-110 mph) with shorter travel times, more frequent service, and better accessibility and reliability. Other participating states are Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

New IDOT Web site Offers Data about all Illinois Bridges

The Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) has launched a new web site aimed at providing detailed inventory and inspection data for all bridges and structures in Illinois.

The new web site will enable anyone with Internet access to search for bridges by county, Interstate, U.S. Highway, Illinois Highway, address or structure number. In addition to text searches, the site offers a mapping solution that lets users browse the “on-line” map for a specific bridge. Information can be obtained through a quick “Simple Report” or a two-page “Detailed Report.” In addition, users can download detailed information for multiple bridges by county in a standard spreadsheet.

For more details, visit http://wrc.dot.il.gov/bridgeinformation.

The new site joins IDOT’s Construction Dashboard web site, launched in August, which provides up-to-date information about all active construction contracts, including those funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, after contract execution. For more information, go to www.dot.il.gov/dashboardpublic.

Landscape Architect Society Now Offers Sustainability Guides On Line

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has created comprehensive new online resource guides covering sustainable design and planning.

Created for national and local policymakers, government agencies, design professionals, planners and students, the guides brings together hundreds of case studies, research papers, organizations and other government resources about sustainable design.

Sustainable design practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help adaptation to climate change, clean the air and water, reduce urban heat island effect, and increase the health and wellbeing of residents. They can also provide long-term savings through lower heating and cooling costs, higher property values and livable communities.

The five online resources include:

• Green Infrastructure, which covers park systems, wildlife habitat and corridors, urban forestry and green roofs.

• Sustainable Transportation, which covers transportation planning, siting transportation infrastructure, safe and visually appealing transportation infrastructure, green streets and reducing urban heat island effect.

• Sustainable Urban Development, which covers fighting sprawl, zoning, reusing brownfields, investing in downtowns, open spaces and urban design.

• Livable Communities, which covers sustainable land use, place making, green schools, sustainable housing, sustainable employment growth and health, safety and security.

• Combating Climate Change with Landscape Architecture, which covers site planning, open spaces, plant selection, stormwater management and other topics.

ASLA is also looking for additional or new resources on these topics. Those interested in submitting research, case studies or other items can contact ASLA at info@asla.org.

Portland Cement Association Offers Sample Ordinance For Sustainable Construction

While states and municipalities seek to adopt ordinances that require “green” or “sustainable” construction, code officials are scrambling for appropriate practices and language to include.

To help local governments implement green building codes, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) has developed “High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability,” a sample ordinance written in mandatory language that amends and appends the International Code Council’s International Building Code (IBC) to address high performance and sustainable buildings.

It is available as a free PDF download.

The PCA requirements include the concepts in most other sustainability or green standards that fall under the building code department while enhancing disaster resistance and setting more stringent durability requirements.

The PCA ordinance requires increased resistance to natural disasters in order to reduce the number of buildings destroyed, the amount of property damaged, and the number of lives lost.

PCA has aligned the provisions with the concepts of both the Whole Building Design Guide (www.wbdg.org) and High Performance Building Council. Enacting and enforcing these provisions provides the basis for designers and owners to be certified in the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction (LEED-NC) rating.

The ordinance is organized by chapter and section consistent with the IBC format, and is intentionally limited to issues typically within the purview of the building code and zoning and land use officials. There are no requirements for sole source certification or fees that increase the initial project design cost.

To download a free copy of “High Performance Building Requirements for Sustainability,” visit www.cement.org/codes.

Missouri DOT Starts Work on Page Extension for Route 364

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission broke ground October 1 for construction of the next section of Route 364, often referred to as the Page Extension. The $44-million project will construct Route 364 from Woodstone Drive to west of Central School Road. It is one of MoDOT’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects in metropolitan St. Louis. MoDOT expects to finish construction of this section by 2012. Fred Weber Inc. is the contractor. Crews will construct outer roads and extend Route 364 to Central School Road. The project will build Route 364 over Woodstone and Jungermann roads and construct a bridge to carry Central School Road traffic over the new route.

Geotechnology Awarded Contracts on Missouri Bridge Program and Army Corps of Engineers Project

Geotechnology Inc., a provider of geotechnical and environmental engineering, materials testing, drilling and subsurface utility engineering, has been selected to provide various services for two projects:

Missouri Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program - Geotechnology has won a $1.59-million contract from Kiewit Construction to provide drilling and lab testing to support the construction of 476 bridges through the Missouri Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Program. Geotechnology was chosen to be a sub consultant by KTU Constructors (Kiewit, Traylor Brothers, Inc. and United Contractors, Inc.) who won a Missouri Dept. of Transportation contract in May, 2009, to build a total of 554 bridges by the end of 2013. Geotechnology’s work will conclude at the end of March, 2010.

Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi River Valley Project - Geotechnology was selected as a sub consultant by Palmerton & Parrish Inc., Springfield, Mo., for geotechnical exploration, relief-well pump testing, and piezometer falling head tests within the geographic limits of the Mississippi River Valley Division. The team won the contract from the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

New International Code for Commercial Buildings will Draw on California Green Building Standards

The International Code Council (ICC) will use the current California Green Building Code as a key reference for the new International Green Construction Code that it is developing for commercial buildings.

A committee of 29 experts have met throughout 2009 to draft the International Green Construction Code, which will be presented for public comment in the spring of 2010 and published for adoption in 2012.

ICC Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Weiland said, “The IGCC is an important new opportunity for state and local governments to adopt a regulatory framework that will assist everyone from architects and builders through the code officials who will need to enforce its provisions.”

Chicago Aviation Commissioner Discusses O’Hare Modernization at North American Forum

Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino spoke to 350 global leaders, government officials and CEO’s recently at the North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.

Andolino was among six panel members to speak about North America’s top strategic infrastructure projects that will transform North America’s competitiveness.

She discussed upcoming capital projects at O’Hare and Midway International Airports, the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP), and how the CDA is incorporating sustainability into all aspects of Chicago’s airports.

“The OMP has been our region’s economic stimulus package for the past seven years - putting thousands of people to work, rebuilding our infrastructure and keeping businesses in our city and state,” Andolino said. “We will continue to invest in O’Hare and Midway to improve their efficiency, enhance their safety, and strengthen their value as economic assets.”

Other featured projects on the panel included the regional Midwest’s National Gateway plan; the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier in New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Tamazunchale Natural Gas Pipeline in Mexico.

The North American Strategic Infrastructure Forum brings together representatives of the Top 100 strategic infrastructure projects, highlighting a view of North America in 2025 that optimizes regional competitiveness and local opportunity.

For more information on the North American Strategic Infrastructure Forum, visit www.cg-la.com.