| Project Spotlights |
| Willamette River millrace a window into the past |
| May 10, 2013 Oregon Department of Transportation |
| Under the site of the new Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge project, a complex architectural network of eroding concrete and moss-covered walls are the only visible remains of a once-definitive structure for the city of Eugene, Ore. — its millrace. Just as skyscrapers today tend to cluster in one area of a city, in the 19th century, mills and factories would often crop up along the same section of a fast-moving river. These operations depended on their riverside location for power; before the harnessing of steam and electricity, industry ran on water. |
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| Project Spotlights |
| Future engineers tour Willamette River Bridge project |
| April 12, 2013 Oregon Department of Transportation |
| Many people are curious about what’s happening in the active work zone around the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge project in Eugene and Springfield, Ore., where the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is replacing two spans more than 1,700 feet long that are valued at more than $200 million. Since the start of construction in August 2009, 33 groups have toured the enormous project, ranging from public works employees to senior citizens. In January, the project team hosted a particularly keen group of visitors: the students in the Churchill High School science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program. |
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| Engineering & Construction |
| Public works and ethics go hand in hand |
| April 5, 2013 LA Consulting |
Ethical behavior helps us live and work in a civil society. Human nature dictates that we act in our own self-interest in most circumstances unless we feel a moral obligation to others or society. Today’s society promotes a “me first” mentality. Citizens expect public works officials to be watchful and careful with the resources entrusted to them. How can we create an environment that will encourage ethical behavior in the public works sector?
What is ethics? |
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| Engineering & Construction |
| Caltrans helps Cal Poly Pomona’s Civil Engineering students |
| March 15, 2013 Transoft Solutions |
| If you want to be a transportation engineer in Southern California, your chances improve dramatically when you have Xudong Jia as your professor. At California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona), Jia teaches in the Civil Engineering department with classes of students who want to build the roadways of the future. Several years ago, Jia formed a partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to give his students real-world experience. To say it was ground-breaking is an understatement. |
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| Project Spotlights |
| Whilamut Passage Bridge spans both place and time |
| December 5, 2012 Oregon Department of Transportation |
| The new Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge being built in Eugene-Springfield, Ore., is a vital link in the transportation corridor that connects commuters, tourists, and freight haulers all along the West Coast, from Mexico to Canada. On a sunny Saturday in September, the bridge also connected the past with the present as leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and community members joined the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to celebrate the bridge’s new name: Whilamut Passage Bridge. |
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Department of Transportation makes steps to ensure the structure's ecological footprint is as small as possible, leaving room for natural habitats to flourish.
