National Retrofit Hub’s Post

Engineers have learned and improved our practice from past failures. There are some good lessons that can be learned in this report.

We cant put our #LPG solution everywhere, which is something we understood from the outset. However, with each enquiry we get, we do a full site survey and point out any issues to the end user. Here are some examples of things that were written in to the RAMS for daily checks and or rectified by site prior to despatch. In this image, the site team were advised to look at all low lying areas and open drains. As this was in early construction phase, measures were put in place and drains blocked off. #LPG is heavier than air, and will find its way to lowest points. Daily checks are carried out to check these areas... #smellit #checkit #sortit Adlington Let's Power Greener - Adlington #letspowergreener wayne fox Andy Thompson

Toton Gateway 2050? No HS2 Eastern Leg? no problem. Showing an alternative to poor resource management. Integrated environment, infrastructure and economic planning. Joined up thinking.

1. If its weathering steel, keep those drains wide open 2. Periodically verify which members are 'FC' over the service life 3. When establishing weight limits, don't guess on the thickness of the deck

Update on progress at Windy Corner The current works to upgrade the Windy Corner junction are progressing well and are on schedule to be completed before Christmas. But we are advising that while the end is in sight, there is likely to be increased disruption to traffic during the final phase starting tomorrow, Wednesday 6 November 2024. The first phase with three-way lights in September caused some disruption at the start. This eased when two-way traffic was allowed on Dartmouth Road for the second phase to build retaining walls. But tomorrow morning (Wednesday) from 9.30am, the three-way lights will be put back in place for the last phase. This is needed for the safety of the workforce and road users while the final works are carried out on the traffic islands and to install new signals. We are aware this change is likely to cause extra disruption to travel. We are giving advance warning to expect longer delays, and to leave extra time for your journey. The developer and contractor are trying to get the work done as quickly as possible to minimise the disruption. Our highways team continue to work with them and the police to optimise traffic flows and ensure pedestrian safety. The good news is that the contractor has made good progress on the overall scheme so far due to favourable weather. But while the works are currently on schedule to finish well before Christmas, further progress is dependant on the weather. We expect to issue a further update around the end of November about how it is going. There is more information about the works at Windy Corner on our website: https://orlo.uk/w5H2B

Timing is Crucial It's time to take action to ensure safe and reliable transportation infrastructure in New York's Region 8. We need your help to get the message out and make an impact. Let your voice be heard in Albany. Please click and share the link. Click here; https://lnkd.in/eaX44SV5 Our roads and bridges are the lifelines of our communities, but they're in dire need of attention. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, the condition of our roads has been steadily declining since 2002, with more than half now rated as "Fair" or "Poor". This trend is alarming and demands immediate action.   We urge you to click on the link below and join us in advocating for the state to fully-fund road repairs and maintenance in Region 8. Make your voice heard by sending a letter to our state elected representatives, urging them to prioritize infrastructure investment in the upcoming budget. The button below provides a tool to assist you in this effort by providing a pre-written letter and ensuring it is delivered to your state representative in the Senate and Assembly.   Together, we can ensure safer roads, smoother commutes, and a stronger future for the Hudson Valley. Take action now!   Help us get the message out. Click here; https://lnkd.in/eaX44SV5 and share it forward!

Canary: "Minnesota takes rare step to allow power lines alongside highways." Other states have taken this action or are contemplating it, including Wisconsin, Iowa, California, Washington, Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire. "But states have been slow to shift from long-standing policies that aim to keep highway rights-of-way clear of other infrastructure that could compromise safety, burden transportation departments with unforeseen costs, or restrict the option of expanding highways in the future." In Minnesota, the chief forum for transmission expansions runs through the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the grid operator for all or part of 15 U.S. states and Canada’s Manitoba province."NextGen Highways is also lobbying for federal legislation that could support state efforts to site transmission along highways."

Recommended ENR article for those interested in risk management on design-build infrastructure projects. We at ZGB observe these project risks daily while serving our clients. We work tirelessly to help our clients manage these risks. We are encouraged to see creativity employed and team collaboration fostered at the agency level on these projects to help control and reduce risk. Excerpts from the article about a project in South Carolina involving major industry players we at ZGB have been fortunate enough to represent and work with: “The biggest change for the project has been the rephasing of [one of the phase]. It became apparent that risks in underground utility locations left it too exposed for potentially large change orders…Agency leadership canceled its procurement…and broke [the phase] into five smaller phases to reduce those risks.” “The rephasing plan breaks off utility work—and risk—into a stand-alone project. It breaks remaining work into smaller, more manageable pieces, opening opportunities for more design-build contracts.” A leading design firm noted: “It’s a challenge of constantly monitoring those risks and anticipating changes applicable to each of those risks…And then, tied to each of those risks is obviously cost and schedule impacts, because time equals money.” “Today, our biggest challenge… is cost and schedule control…” One leading design firm uses “a cost schedule risk analysis, bringing together team members and subject matter experts to talk about base cost estimates and schedule, finding probabilities of risks and their potential cost and schedule impacts.” “This is a three-day workshop we’ve conducted for the past four years, which has allowed us to control the cost as much as we can…It’s been quite effective.” “Design-build has been key to the project,” allowing "industry to build a better mousetrap for us, and show us how to use ... creativity to take advantage of some efficiencies…We’ve seen some great ideas ... be implemented in construction.”

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Join me and Jon James, one of our firms planners, at this years UT Land Use Conference as we discuss Texas SB 2038 and its practical impacts on Texas cities.