Archive for the ‘Civil Engineering’ Category

Street Smarts: From Holland, Bright Ideas for Highways

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

The NewYork Times reports on a planned road that would glow at night after light-sensitive material stores energy during the day.

If cars, traffic and navigation can be “smart,” is there any reason for roads to remain as dumb as bricks? Not according to the unlikely combination of Daan Roosegaarde, a Dutch art-school .Read more...

The Parking Lot

Friday, January 11th, 2013

Slate.com looks at the parking lot.

It’s not hard to imagine the would-be patron’s bafflement: Parking, from the moment we drive the car off the lot, seems to be everywhere. No one ever has—or could, really—put an exact number on the number of spaces in the United States. One common estimate .Read more...

Streetcars Making a Comeback

Monday, December 31st, 2012

Is the streetcar making a comeback in America? The Wall Street Journal reports.

Streetcars, which typically run as single-car, electric-powered units on steel tracks in a condensed area, once were a common part of the urban landscape. But most cities’ tracks were ripped out to make more room for automobiles on .Read more...

Why are British Drivers Slowing Down?

Friday, December 7th, 2012

The Economist looks at why British drivers are slowing down.

Compared with other European countries, Britain’s top legal limit of 70mph on motorways and some dual carriageways is comparatively low. That may be one reason why 49% of drivers broke it in 2010, a higher proportion than almost anywhere else. Yet .Read more...

Start-ups Aim to Fix Transportation Problems (and Potholes)

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

The Wall Street Journal looks at start-ups using data and technology to address transportation conundrums and annoyances.

Entrepreneurs and investors are finding new ways to tap the predictive power of numbers, including ways to kill the traffic jam and other motorist scourges such as potholes.

The results are playing out inside a .Read more...

New York’s Subways: Documenting the Flood

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

Sandy has been a particular challenge for New York’s MTA and the subway system. Fast Company shows how the MTA is utilizing social media to document the damage.

To date, the MTA has posted nearly 600 photos from Hurricane Sandy, documenting everything from damage at the South Ferry station to the .Read more...

Preventing the Next Hurricane Sandy Disaster

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

The Atlantic looks at five ideas that could have prevented some of the damage from Hurricane Sandy on the American east coast. Here’s the first:

Sea Gates and Surge Barriers. We’ll start with the biggie, a multi-billion dollar idea to keep storm surge out of New York by blocking it with some .Read more...

Wisconsin Crash Calendar Provides Visual History

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Wisconsin’s Governors Highway Safety Association created a rich info-graphic regarding all of the state crash data for 2011.

The unique display of crash statistics provokes interest and discussion among those who view it. The BOTS has brought the calendar to several multi-disciplinary meetings and have noticed how much conversation it generates as people .Read more...

Maryland Engineering Lifts Off

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

Discovery.com looks at the University of Maryland’s human-powered helicopter.

The concept of a human-powered helicopter dates back to Leonardo Da Vinci. A team of University of Maryland Students has made it a reality, breaking a flight duration record.

Called the Gamera II, the helicopter has four rotor blades, and is 105 feet across but .Read more...

PBS’ Do’s and Don’ts of Earthquake-Resistant Construction

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

PBS’ website takes an interactive look at proper earthquake-resistant construction.

Photo Credit

Airline Costs Broken Down by Seats on the Plane

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

The Wall Street Journal’s excellent column, The Middle Seat, examines airline costs broken down by the seat.

Fuel now is by far the biggest cost for airlines—greater than even airline salaries. On that 100-passenger US Airways flight, the tickets and fees of 29 people pay just for the fuel to make .Read more...

Santa Monica Technology Eliminates Extra Time at Meters

Friday, August 31st, 2012

The New York Times highlights a new parking system in the city of Santa Monica, California.

Using new technology, the city has adapted a system that resets the time on each parking meter to zero the moment a car pulls out of a space. And if a sign shows a parking .Read more...