Archive Issue

For the first time in 30 years, nuclear reactors are again becoming a serious option for power generation in Georgia. Recently, Georgia Power came one step closer to building two new 1115 megawatt Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle in Waynesboro, Georgia. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011 and finish in 2016 for Unit Three and 2017 for Unit Four.

You may have noticed a stir in the media back in February 2009, when a bill to allow Georgia Power to begin recovering costs associated with the two proposed 1115 Megawatt nuclear reactors for Plant Vogtle was pass.... READ MORE

The Georgia coast, like many coastal areas, is growing rapidly. This growth places a huge demand on the area's existing transportation resources, and with the recent funding shortfalls, seriously impacts the ability of state and local governments to meet the burgeoning transportation needs.

Liberty County, which was primarily rural until recent years, has become an area of particular interest because of the amount of developable land, beautiful coastal scenery, natural resources, and easy access to I-95. In addition, the expansion of Ft. Stewart, a major U.S. Army installation, has an.... READ MORE

The nation's airport infrastructure represents a significant capital investment and is critical in the productivity and economic success of communities, states and regions. The largest single asset comprising an airport facility is pavement. Recognizing the need to monitor its transportation assets, the federal government has mandated greater attention be paid to the preservation, upgrading, and timely replacement of critical infrastructure.

Airports have historically made decisions regarding pavement maintenance and rehabilitation based on past experience and immediate need rather.... READ MORE

Ever since local governments got in the business of supplying water, citizens have generally been happy with the arrangement. They watered their lawns, washed their cars, bathed, and enjoyed clean tap water without a second thought about that water’s source or seeming abundance.

But more recently, water has been a source of citizen discontent for many municipal governments in Georgia. As the Southeast’s lingering drought caused reservoirs to shrink and intensified the Georgia-Florida-Alabama water war, local water authorities urged their customers to conserve, with many imposing us.... READ MORE

A lonely survey party hacked its way along a ridge into Georgia's interior wilderness in the 1830s and drove a stake into the ground near the Chattahoochee River.  Its purpose was to mark the beginning point of a railroad to Ross's Landing on the Tennessee River (now Chattanooga).  

At the same moment, railroads were being built into the interior lands of Georgia from Augusta and Savannah, but with only a vague notion of their endpoint.    These two railroads were privately funded, constructed, and operated.  In due course, they met at the surveyor's .... READ MORE

In the weeks and months leading up to Barack Obama's
inauguration-and since-three topics have dominated the news: the ailing economy, the need to create better job opportunities for middle-class workers, and the development of clean, home-grown sources of energy.

I would like to offer an across-the-board solution: nuclear power.

The fact is that few initiatives can achieve the "hope and change" promised by our new president like a nuclear renaissance: jobs for the middle class, economic growth, energy independence and a cleaner environment.

While some people on.... READ MORE

In his Forecast for the Nation, released today, Dhawan said that positive signs, such as increases in consumer confidence and the stock market the so-called green shoots of recovery will turn into full-fledged stalks loaded with grain only with time and careful nurturing. There must be moisture, marked by consumers' willingness to spend; treatment with fertilizer (i.e. corporate investment); a working relationship between private capital, a.k.a. Wall Street and the government; and the avoidance of an early-stage frost (such as the Lehman and AIG blowups). He further noted that the green shoots.... READ MORE

Gresham, Smith and Partners, a leading national engineering, architecture and planning firm, announces the design of a 12.5- mile intelligent transportation system (ITS) for the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation is complete.  The design calls for installation of a fiber optic communications network and associated ITS technology, including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, along Sugarloaf Parkway, a principal arterial roadway in Gwinnett County between Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and SR 20/Grayson Highway.  This ITS will be incorporated into the GDOT NaviGAtor sy.... READ MORE

The date is set and the final logistics are in the works for the 2009 ITS Georgia annual meeting and conference.  The dates are October 4 -6 at beautiful Brasstown Valley Resort in the north Georgia mountains.
   
Our theme for this year is "Improving Transportation Sustainability," which correlates to our organization's name and is one of the core principles driving intelligent transportation technology.
   
So, how does ITS equate to Improving Transportation Sustainability?
   
The three fundamental tenets of sustainabili.... READ MORE

As I sit down to write this, I realize that this is my final President's Message as I will turn over the gavel to our next president at our summer meeting in June 2009.  While the time it takes to write these articles is often spent late night, on a plane, or crammed between two other deadlines, I've got to tell you…I'm really going to miss writing them.    
   
The theme of this issue of the Georgia Engineer is "Natural Resources".  The first article I wrote as President last year had the same theme, and I started off talking about the ugly cardb.... READ MORE