Civil Engineering stories
Unsafe ground was behind five excavator tip-overs in 18 months, prompting warnings that operators can face fatal falls near edges and culverts.
Covering 35,000sqm, the wetland is meant to cut pollution, store floodwater and create habitat for endangered native wildlife in South Auckland.
Precision hoses and fittings helped keep the 6-7 tonne AC75 foiling boats upright as the contest was decided by engineering as much as sailing.
The closure delayed freight for nearly 24 hours after a truck struck a Taihape rail bridge, with 11 trains cancelled and costs to be recovered.
NZD $45 billion of new works will need smarter engineering and earlier ground planning if delays and overruns are to be avoided.
Drone surveying and machine control kept workers off a 70% slope, helping the port slip-remediation finish safely and almost exactly to design.
Poorly written tenders can push up whole-of-life costs, as councils later face rework, weaker skills and more project delays.
Crowdsourced smartphone data could let road agencies spot pothole risks sooner and prioritise repairs on costly networks more cheaply.
Mounting delays and mistakes on Transmission Gully have prompted an urgent independent review to be led by Australian road and rail expert Steve Richards.
Bidders are under pressure to show local benefits, safety gains and clear evidence of capability as major projects become ever more competitive.
Funding will still fall short of fixing decades of underinvestment, with experts warning roads and rail need more to meet safety and climate goals.
Short-term pain from Covid-19 and delayed projects is being offset by record infrastructure spending, with many contractors still hiring.
A new University of Colorado Boulder model suggests crowded, poorly ventilated spaces raise coronavirus risk, especially without masks.
Tender documents have been issued for two Auckland transport schemes, bringing planned roadworks a step nearer and easing congestion for growing suburbs.
Contractors must now issue travel letters and display QR posters as COVID-19 rules tighten across Alert Levels 2 and 3.
Corrosion-free reinforcement is gaining traction as engineers seek lower maintenance costs and longer-lasting bridges, seawalls and dams.
Delayed project details are leaving construction firms unable to plan, risking job losses as ministers drip-feed a $2.6 billion infrastructure package.
Transport industry groups say decades of stop-start planning could end if National’s $31 billion road and rail programme goes ahead.
With only a fifth of NZD$2.6 billion in promised projects released, contractors warn delays are already forcing layoffs and weakening confidence.
The proposed $31 billion programme would reshape commuting in the upper North Island, while relying on RMA repeal and borrowing powers.
