ASCE Metropolitan Section - International Group

International Group News

Updated Guide to NYC Civil Engineering Projects Published

The International Group has published the second edition (2009) of its Guide to Civil Engineering Projects In and Around New York City, a pocket-size booklet that describes the many of the city's engineering wonders including its skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, highways, subways, water supply and wastewater systems, and transportation terminals. The guide is designed to provide the public and visitors with an overview of some of the major civil engineering landmarks in the NYC Metropolitan area. The guide has interesting historical information and useful for educational purposes and a location guide.

It's been half a century since the United States has seen a public works program as significant as the development of its interstate highway system. However, civil engineers young and old may soon be in store for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as the economic stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama has the potential to make 2009 one of the most important years in infrastructure development since the 1950s.

If you watched Michael Phelps rewrite history during the 2008 Summer Olympics, you definitely couldn't miss the impressive design of the Water Cube, the venue for the swimming and diving events where Phelps won an unprecedented eight gold medals. Inspired by Kelvin's "Foam Theory," the National Aquatics Center—commonly known as the Water Cube—was another star of the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Designed to resemble soap bubbles, the rectangular shape of the Water Cube was intended to coordinate with the circular design and philosophy of the neighboring National Stadium (Bird's Nest).

On April 30, 2008, Christian Ingerslev, P.E. gave a presentation on the multidisciplinary design, construction, and management of the Bosphorus Tunnel (Marmaray), a new rail link between Europe and Asia under the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. Designed to the most stringent seismic criteria corresponding to a 7.5 magnitude event on the Richter scale and to the fire safety requirements corresponding to a 100 MW design basis fire, this project is over 70 km long and includes 12.5 km of bored and cut-cover tunnels, up to 40 underground and surface stations, new track, signaling systems for intercity and commuter trains and extensive maintenance facilities.

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