Alex Altmann

What happens when municipalities don't preserve their asphalt assets? The short answer is they spend more taxpayer money in the long run. If you're in Tucson for the AZ APWA Statewide Conference come visit booth 9 to discuss pavement preservation for your city.

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🚋🏚️ Here is a cautionary tale, courtesy of the South Lake Union #streetcar in #Seattle: “Since Friday, Seattle has suspended service on the 1.3-mile-long South Lake Union streetcar due to an electrical outage that will take ‘several weeks’ to address.” 🤔Reminds one of the #Atlanta streetcar’s maintenance issues. “Ridership on the South Lake Union Streetcar is relatively anemic, as it carries just shy of 500 weekday rides, as of the latest June figures.” 😮Wait, we thought streetcars magically generated their own ridership? Perhaps we’ve listened to too many BeltLine Rail Now presentations… “The SLU streetcar’s weak ridership is hardly a shock given its short length and more frequent bus service in the corridor.” 🤯What? Cheaper buses can out-compete streetcars? Has anyone told Ryan Gravel about this? “…Mayor Jenny Durkan pulled the plug on the funded and shovel-ready Center City project in 2018, citing concerns about alleged design errors and cost overruns…the latest estimate put the Center City streetcar’s cost at $410 million.” 😏So, cost overruns are a legitimate reason to cancel a streetcar project. Someone alert the board at MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority). The article concludes with speculation that the existing streetcar rails may end up being removed. Well, that’s several hundred million dollars that taxpayers won’t get back. 🤦🏾‍♂️ Let’s hope #Atlanta leaders pay attention to the Seattle fiasco and stop the Atlanta Beltline streetcar folly before it’s too late.💸 https://lnkd.in/e_cKnQU6

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Comprehensive Life Resources (CLR)- 2nd Floor TI Air Systems Engineering is excited to announce that we will be teaming up with JTM Construction for the buildout of the 2nd floor level of the newly relocated CLR Headquarters off of Fawcett & 7th Street in Tacoma. CLR provides essential services like mental health, dental, and medical care for underserved individuals in our community. Work will include refrigeration piping, ventilation ducting, and new HVAC controls. This project is scheduled to start within the next couple of months and will go quickly.

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I'm proud to be one of the many Geotechnical Special Inspectors (GSI) for the new Portage Bay Replacement project. WSDOT 520 Portage Bay Bridge Expansion: Temporary Work Trestle Construction Underway The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is advancing its SR 520 Portage Bay Bridge expansion project, a pivotal upgrade to Seattle’s transportation infrastructure. This expansion replaces the aging bridge with a modern, wider, and more seismically resilient structure to enhance safety and capacity for commuters. A critical phase of this $800 million project involves constructing a temporary work trestle, a platform that allows crews to work over water efficiently while minimizing environmental impact. This trestle serves as a foundation for heavy equipment and facilitates safe access to the construction site. To achieve this, specialized pile-driving barges are deploying massive steel cylinders into the lakebed, forming the trestle’s backbone. Temporary Trestle Construction Techniques The pile-driving process involves using vibratory hammers and impact drivers mounted on crane-equipped barges. Each steel cylinder, measuring up to 100 feet long and weighing several tons, is precision-placed into the sediment below Portage Bay. Vibratory hammers ensure the cylinders are partially embedded with minimal disturbance, while impact drivers drive them deeper to achieve the required load-bearing capacity. This work is conducted with strict adherence to environmental protocols. Noise attenuation devices, such as bubble curtains, are deployed to reduce underwater sound impacts on local marine life, including fish populations. Turbidity monitors ensure that sediment disruption remains within permissible limits, preserving water quality. Once completed, the temporary trestle will support equipment to begin foundational work for the new bridge, including installing concrete pilings and deck segments. This approach minimizes disruption to the waterway while ensuring construction progresses on schedule. WSDOT anticipates completing the new Portage Bay Bridge by 2030, marking a significant milestone in Seattle’s effort to modernize its transportation network and improve regional mobility.

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The Importance of Underground Services Alert (USA) Before Any Excavation Before any excavation begins, it’s crucial to contact your local underground services department. For us in Bakersfield, it’s called Underground Services Alert (USA). USA helps ensure the safety of both the workers and the surrounding community by identifying underground utilities like water, gas, and electrical lines. While it may add a bit of time to the project, it’s a necessary precaution to avoid costly delays, potential hazards, and even life-threatening situations. Not calling USA could result in hitting something dangerous, like gas lines, which could put lives at risk and bring the project to a halt. Safety always comes first—so make the call before you dig! Interested in learning more about safe excavation practices? Contact us today to discuss how we prioritize safety in all our projects. #USAAlert #UndergroundSafety #ExcavationSafety #BreakthroughGroundworks

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The heat is destroying your asphalt. Temperatures have been up all over the West, with areas in Arizona sitting around the 110-degree mark all week. The UV rays that accompany extreme heat accelerate asphalt oxidation, which leads to asphalt becoming brittle and cracking. The good news is that you can take proactive measures to protect your pavements from the detrimental impacts of UV exposure. The primary method of doing this is through the use of surface treatments. Be aware, though, that not all surface treatments are designed to slow oxidation. Each treatment type is designed for specific use cases, so be sure you're selecting the treatment that will provide the most value for the condition and use of your pavement. If you've got any questions about pavement preservation or how to extend the life of asphalt assets and lower the financial burden on your city's taxpayers, shoot me a message! #pavementpreservation #innovation #publicworks #engineering #cities #streets #streetmaintenance #roadmaintenance

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Happy New Year!! Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. - Albert Einstein #concrete #utah #concretelife #webuildutah #fortheloveofconcrete #idaho #concretework #reels #fyp #concretecontractorsofinsta #construction #concretecontractor #concreteconstruction

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Advanced technologies are transforming the civil engineering world. Innovations such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and drone surveying are at the forefront of this revolution, enhancing construction projects' accuracy, efficiency, and safety. These tools are not just changing how projects are designed and executed, but they are also setting new standards for quality and collaboration within the industry. Check out some of our projects to see how we have utilized BIM.

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🚧 The story of trenchless construction over the past 100 years is a tale of technological marvels and evolving solutions that have reshaped our approach to underground infrastructure! 🌍 A century ago, constructing and maintaining underground pipelines was a labor-intensive process that involved extensive digging and significant surface disruption. Fast forward to today, and trenchless technology has transformed the industry, offering innovative methods that minimize environmental impact and reduce costs. 🔧 In the early 20th century, traditional construction methods dominated, leading to enormous trenches and widespread disruption. The 1960s marked the beginning of a transformative era with the introduction of trenchless techniques, driven by a growing need for more efficient and less invasive solutions. By the 1980s and 1990s, technologies like Auger Boring, Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), Pipe Bursting, and Microtunneling emerged, revolutionizing the way we approach underground construction. These methods not only streamline the installation and repair of pipes but also address critical challenges such as urban congestion and environmental preservation. HDD & auger boring allow for precise installations with minimal surface disruption, while Pipe Bursting enables the replacement of old pipes with new ones without extensive digging. Microtunneling offers an exact and efficient way to construct tunnels beneath busy cityscapes. 🌟 Today’s trenchless technologies are a testament to human ingenuity and our commitment to sustainable development. We’re able to preserve landscapes, reduce noise and traffic disruptions, and ensure safer, more reliable infrastructure systems. As we look to the future, the continued innovation in trenchless construction promises even greater efficiency and environmental stewardship. Here’s to celebrating a century of progress and to the engineers, innovators, and visionaries who have driven this remarkable journey forward! 🚀🔧💧 #TrenchlessTech #InfrastructureInnovation #EngineeringExcellence #FutureOfConstruction #SustainableDevelopment #100YearsOfProgress

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Optimizing Construction Projects with Civil and Concrete Takeoff for Big Canyon and Lake Point UT Stake in Beautiful Lake Point, Utah. #boldestimation #estimating #CivilAndConcrete

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The Sundt/Cannon JV team in Idaho completed a reconstruction of the I-15 Fort Hall interchange at exit 80. This new design features a precast bridge with two lanes in each direction, improving traffic flow and accommodating increased demand. The team reconstructed and expanded the interchange ramps and added a 6-foot shoulder for safer crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists. https://bit.ly/4iT3u49

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Where is the project? This project includes Sandhill Dr from below Old Mill Rd intersection up to the freeway, Old Mill Rd from west of the Sandhill intersection to Grayce, Hillside between Sandhill and Canal St, and Canal St. What is the project? This project includes the replacement of approximately 8,000 feet of existing waterline with new 8”, 10”, and 16” pipe. This project replaces aging waterline prone to breaks, upsizes waterline for additional fire flow, and simplifies the water system within the project boundaries. The fire flows in Canal St will increase with hydrants placed along the road. The 10” line being installed in Old Mill increases the fire flow at the east end of Old Mill. What is the anticipated project schedule? The contractor is currently finishing up waterline work on Canal St although additional work will continue through the next few weeks. They will start on Old Mill Rd next week and likely continue through most of January on Old Mill. Work on Sandhill is then expected to commence and continue for the next few months with the project finishing as late as June 2025. Please note that construction schedules change quite frequently, especially further into the future. How will the project affect me? There will be some traffic disruptions, especially along Old Mill in the near future. The work in Sandhill will generally occur at night although there are still some potential disruptions. Please drive slowly through the construction area. There will be short (hopefully 4-5 hours) water shutoffs in the area while making connections to waterlines. Notices are distributed for the planned shutoffs. There will also be a handful of residences on Canal and Old Mill and potentially some businesses that will be placed on a temporary waterline.

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Cutting slope with the only slope board in Nevada.

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