Bridges, roads, tunnels, canals

Bacteria prevents concrete from cracking
Concrete is one of the most commonly used building materials. It is cheap, strong, and easy to work with; there is a catch, though: it cracks easily; Dutch researchers find that mineral grains formed in the cracks of concrete that had been seeded with bacteria would go a long way toward sealing those cracks and making them waterproof
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Studying U.K.'s transportation system's resilience
The U.K. government funds a four-year study to examine whether the U.K. transportation system is resilient enough to withstand climate changes
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Self-healing concrete for safer, durable, and cheaper-to-maintain infrastructure
Wolverines researchers develop self-healing concrete; the concrete self-heals itself when it develops cracks; no human intervention required — only water and carbon dioxide
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Self-powered monitoring system for bridges developed
More than 70,000 of the U.S. bridges are structurally deficient; funds from the administration’s stimulus package will be going to shoring up these bridges; how do agencies responsible for keeping an eye on the health of tens of thousands of bridges do so? University of Miami researchers offer an answer
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DHS announces ARRA funding of Coast Guard improvement projects
DHS directs $240 of the stimulus package funds to make improvements to Coast Guard cutters and shoring up of bridges
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One-story masonry building withstands strong jolts during seismic tests
University of California, San Diego researchers design a one-story masonry structure and showed it could survive two days of intense earthquake jolts
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New concept for New York, New Jersey storm barriers
With worries about rising sea level and more intense storm, British engineering firm Harlow offers a new concept for protecting New York City and parts of the new Jersey coast against storm surges
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Composite materials extend life of existing bridges
The Obama administration’s stimulus package directs large amounts of money toward rehabilitating the aging U.S. infrastructure; Jayhawks researchers are testing a new class of devices that could double the life of America’s existing bridges using composite materials
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New design allows for using less steel in concrete beams
NC State researchers discover how to use 30 percent less reinforcing steel in the manufacture of the concrete beams; the success of the project is already drawing interest from the concrete industry
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More than 100 levees in 16 states are in an "unacceptable" state of disrepair
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gives “unacceptable” maintenance ratings to 114 levees in 16 states; these levees are in such a bad shape, that it can be “reasonably foreseen” that they will not perform properly in a major flood; 30 of the levees are in Arkansas
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Public support for infrastructure investment grows
University of Chicago NORC survey finds growing public support for investment in mass transit and infrastructure; support remains high for expenditures on education and health care
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Scientists: weight of water in reservoir may have triggered China quake
The May 2007 magnitude-7.9 quake in Sichuan province killed 70,000 and forced 5 million to be relocated; Just 550 yards from the fault line and 3.5 miles from the epicenter stands the 511-foot-high Zipingpu dam; scientists say that the immense weight of Zipingpu reservoir’s waters — 315 million tons — likely affected the timing and magnitude of the quake
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Doubling the service life of concrete
NIST researchers double the service life of concrete The key to the idea is a nano-sized additive that slows down penetration of chloride and sulphate ions from road salt, sea water, and soils into the concrete
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ASCE assigns Grade of D to U.S. infrastructure
Civil engineers association assigns a D grade to U.S. infrastructure, and says $2.2 trillion in repairs needed
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Detecting rusted metal encased in concrete structures
Many of the problems of aging infrastructure owe to rusting metal; trouble is, much of that metal is encased in concrete — in bridges, tunnels, dams, roads; new technology uses electromagnetic fields to measure corrosion through non-ferrous material
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