Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction

The parking garage at Phoenix's Sky Harbor terminal number four is being expanded by extending the structure over the roadways on each side of the main terminal building. To support the structure over the roadways there are 28, 220-ton concrete “Y” columns. The hoisting of the “Y” columns at the Sky Harbor terminal garage expansion is an inspiring construction undertaking that demonstrates what can be achieved when ingenuity and good planning are implemented to solve a difficult problem. This paper describes the placement of these structural “Y” columns used to support the expanded garage structure.

In recent years, the utilization of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) in urban areas for the installation of telecommunication, utilities, or municipal services has experienced a rapid growth. The hazards and complexity of working in urbanized areas, together with the ever increasing volume of construction activities, make the development of suggested practices much needed for engineers and inspectors whose primary responsibility is to oversee the project to a safe and successful completion. This paper presents suggested practices for underground installations of pipelines and conduits using HDD technology. Written feedback from numerous consulting engineers, contractors, owners, and research institutions in North America were solicited in the development of this paper. Contracting and construction aspects of HDD projects including design rules-of-thumb are incorporated to provide designers with the necessary tools for enhancing the probability of a successful HDD project. Topics include contract considerations, contractor bid submission, site evaluation, preconstruction, drilling operations, drilling fluid collection and disposal, site restoration, construction, and postconstruction evaluation. Additionally, provisions for measurement and payment are presented and discussed.

This paper presents the design and construction of an innovative dual-purpose screen that can block headlight glare while having adequate height to deter pedestrian crossover. Glare screens are used to shield drivers from the headlights of opposing traffic, which has been shown to be detrimental when the glare is within an angle of 20°. Review of previous studies indicates that existing systems, such as expanded metal mesh glare screens, require improvements in design to simplify construction and to reduce maintenance cost. On the other hand, pedestrian deaths from highway crossings over barrier and glare screen installation have warranted the construction of pedestrian fencing on highways in urban areas. The proposed system, called combination glare screen pedestrian fence (CGSPF), has the strength and stiffness to satisfy the structural and geometric requirements of a dual system, and its design is such that it is very easy to install and maintain. The proposed design uses recycled plastics, further reducing both initial and life-cycle costs because of the inherent characteristics and lightweightness of the material. Furthermore, the color and texture of CGSPF can be controlled for aesthetics and safety purposes (e.g., as median delineator); and the use of recycled material is environmentally responsive. A brief description of the recycled plastic material used, and the results of experiments on the mounting systems are also presented.

This paper describes the important engineering features relating to the design and construction of a deep excavation for power canal, intake, and powerhouse structure of the Hudson Falls hydroelectric development on the Hudson River at Glens Falls, N.Y. The excavation is located in a medium hard shale with shallow dipping bedding, numerous intersecting joint sets, and several varieties of fractures. This paper presents the engineering evaluation of the slopes and identifies the importance of flexibility of construction contracts and division of responsibility between engineer and contractor to achieve a high level of cooperation in producing a very successful project.

This paper reports on the damage of Wushi Bridge in a recent Taiwan 921 earthquake. Damage to Wushi Bridge appeared in the superstructure, substructure, and approaches. Typical types of damage are discussed and illustrated in this paper. A review of the bridge design specifications in Taiwan is also presented to give the background on the seismic design of Taiwan highway bridges.