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EUROPE BITUMEN MARKET  2024-2030 Overview of the Europe Bitumen Market The Europe Bitumen Market plays a crucial role in infrastructure development, particularly in road construction, roofing, and waterproofing applications. Bitumen is a viscous product resulting from crude oil distillation, usually used as a binder in asphalt and applied in many construction projects as an adhesive. Among the factors contributing to the growth of bitumen demand in Europe are increased investment in infrastructure, government regulations related to general infrastructural development, and environmental considerations about sustainable construction practices. Market Drivers Growing Infrastructural Development: The key drivers for the Europe bitumen market include transportation infrastructure development and maintenance, such as roads, highways, and bridges. Bitumen is the major component in asphalt, which is the fundamental construction material utilized in the construction of roads. The European Union has allocated considerable budgets for modernization of infrastructure, including its effort to connect rural areas to urban centers, and this also is driving the demand for bitumen. Increased Urbanization and Industrialization: As a result of rapid urbanization and industrialization of these countries, especially in Eastern Europe, the demand for bitumen products has also increased within the construction sector. With the rising urban expansion, several new roads, residential complexes, and commercial buildings require bitumen-based materials. Government Initiatives and Investments: The various infrastructure projects in European economies to accelerate economic growth have resulted in increased investment by governments in recent years. National and EU policies aim at developing transportation networks and urban infrastructure, thus creating new opportunities for bitumen applications. Focus on green building standards and environmental regulations in Europe is resulting in the acceptance of modified bitumen types that offer improved durability and energy efficiency. Increasing Modified Bitumen Demand: Due to the better performance of PMBs in extreme weather conditions and longer lifetime than conventional bitumen, PMB is gaining popularity in Europe. In recent times, this type of bitumen has been increasingly utilized in road constructions which have to bear high volumes of traffic and variation in temperature. Sustainability and Environmental Concerns: Sustainability perspectives bring changes to the bitumen market, too. Building companies in Europe already focus on the eco-friendly alternative to bitumen; bio-based bitumen is its counterpart derived from renewable sources. Governments also try to motivate the application of RAP, which stands for "recycled asphalt pavement," with the purpose of reducing the negative ecological impact of road construction. Download free PDF Sample-https://lnkd.in/dKFBZJYJ

STATE OF MELBOURNE'S CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE MARKET: A CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM FOR 2024/2025 The past year has been challenging for Melbourne’s civil infrastructure sector. With fewer projects being tendered and the economic climate adding complexities, many within the industry have felt the strain. However, as we move through 2024, there’s a sense of cautious optimism as several significant projects are set to be awarded, potentially revitalising the market. 👷♀️ Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) - one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Victoria’s history, continues to make progress. Contracts for further construction phases are expected to be awarded soon, which will drive considerable activity in the sector. 👷♂️ North East Link Project (NELP) - Victoria’s largest road infrastructure project, is also moving towards key milestones. With early works well underway, major contracts for tunnel construction and related infrastructure are expected to be awarded later this year. This project will be pivotal in connecting the Eastern Freeway with the M80 Ring Road 🏗 Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) - is preparing to release several new contracts as part of its ongoing commitment to improving VIC’s road network. There are still 16 projects under this model that are currently being developed, with more expected to commence soon. 🌊 Water - There is anticipation around new projects to be awarded by water authorities in Melbourne, particularly focusing on infrastructure upgrades and expansions to support the city’s growing population. These developments are expected to generate new opportunities within the sector, particularly for firms specialising in water management and related infrastructure. 🚧 Additionally, upcoming projects from private developers are generating increased demand for civil engineering services, particularly in residential and mixed-use developments. While the past year has been tough going for many, the upcoming project releases indicate that the market might soon see an uptick in activity, offering a more optimistic outlook for the remainder of 2024 and beyond. #infrastructure #construction #media #investment #transport #rail #melbourne #victoria #australia #civilengineering #civilengineer #jobs #mrpv #SRL #northeastlink #suburbanrailloop #roads #waterinfrastructure

Infrastructure. It’s the one thing Americans can actually agree on. America’s roads, bridges, water, energy, broadband, and more are among the most inferior in the Western world, and they are coming at the expense of citizens all over the country. But how did we get here? How did we reach a point where the United States' Building Blocks have become such a point of concern? This book will take a deep dive into the history of America’s infrastructure, its current state, and the plan passed two years ago to Rebuild the nation. The book looks at every aspect of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, what is in it and what progress in two years has been made so far. Citizens deserve to know not just what money politicians are throwing at a problem but how those resources are being implemented to benefit us, and through close attention to detail, Building Blocks seeks to reconstruct the relationship between the citizen and the politician. I am so excited to announce that Building Blocks is officially out and available for purchase. Thank you so much to those gracious enough to speak with me about the subject: Paul Comfort, Executive Director of the North American Transit Alliance, Host of Transit Unplugged Beth Osborne, Director of Transportation for America Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, Director of Public Affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Jim Gray, Secretary of Transportation of Kentucky Chris Korleski, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office Todd Nettesheim, Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office Emily Bills, Assistant Professor of History and Urban Planning at The New School Gary Valentine, Civil Engineer of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Joseph Heathcott, Chair of Urban and Environmental Studies at The New School Austin Wesnitzer, P.E., Engineering Project Manager with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility Brian Turmail, Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for the Associated General Contractors of America Alan McGowan, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at The New School Bhawani Venkataraman, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at The New School Lori Grinker, MY Capstone Professor at The New School This book is my major project as I graduate from The New School and move on to my next chapter, and I look forward to you all enjoying this story as much as I do. Purchase Building Blocks on Blurb or Read a Free 15-page Preview: https://lnkd.in/d_DwBMuf

Empire State Development Announces Nearly $25 Million In Fast NY Grants Awarded To Attract High-Tech Manufacturing Businesses To New York State Five Grants Awarded to Support Development of Shovel-Ready Sites in Four Regions. To Date, $200 Million in FAST NY Grants Awarded to Help Communities Attract and Grow Businesses in Advanced Manufacturing and Other Key Industries. Additional $100 Million Included in FY25 Budget The latest awardees are: Village of Bergen – $1.26 million: This project will support electrical infrastructure upgrades, including improvements to the electrical substation and distribution lines, which will increase capacity to serve anticipated load growth. These upgrades will allow Apple Tree Acres Corporate Park to further develop an additional 47 shovel ready acres intended for future manufacturing. Town of Liberty – $20 million: These site improvements will enable the construction of a one million square foot facility in the town and encourage the potential development of an additional 210 acres and four million square feet within the commercial corridor. Town of Schodack – $366,000: This project will advance several necessary environmental studies, including State Historic Preservation Office consultation. Town of Schoharie – $2.79 million: This water and wastewater infrastructure project will upgrade and extend existing water lines; add a new well, connection piping and storage tank; and extend sewer lines. Funding will also help unlock the potential of the 350-acre commercial district. Schoharie County IDA – $390,700: This involves the creation of a buildable lot in Cobleskill which will accommodate approximately 750,000 square feet of large-scale industrial space, including creating conceptual site design documents and plans for utility connections. https://lnkd.in/g857zRBZ

Project Spotlight 👷♀️🚧 Laguna Beach Tunnel The 60+ year-old tunnel currently houses a gravity sewer that provides wastewater service for the northern portion of Dana Point and homes along the west side of the coast highway at Three Arch Bay and in South Laguna. It is buried approximately 50 feet beneath the bluff from Three Arch Bay to Aliso Beach. The tunnel, located 20–30 feet from the edge of the cliffs and underneath multi-million dollar homes, could have a pipeline break that could take 36 hours or longer to control and allow over 800,000 gallons of sewage to flow into a federally protected marine life habitat. When built in 1964, the tunnel became an innovative engineering model because it relies solely on gravity flow, which eliminates costly and unsightly infrastructure, including unnecessary lift stations and several thousand feet of sewer mains. The system has maintained a minimal carbon footprint since its first day of operation and remains a vital piece of regional infrastructure. Part of this project called for a section of pipe that had been removed to be backfilled with flowable fill. The challenge was that even though there were access doors from the beach to the tunnel, it was inaccessible due to the private neighborhoods in the area. The solution was to grout the area from the access shaft located 6,300’ away from the point of injection. The size of the void was unknown, so a series of tremie pipes were bored to access the void space, and then placement of the material began. This solution helped ensure homeowners above this tunnel there would be no risk of damage to property due to this void in the ground.  Learn more about our projects at cell-crete.com/projects

⚖️Latest stress data underscores stark contrasts between public and private construction projects. Private project delays decreased by 11.5% year over year, while public project delays, including crucial infrastructure work, rose by 5.2%. Explore more 👉https://lnkd.in/e3JpbND4 #Construction #Maintenance #Economy

Hey Jeff, nobody cares what’s buried under the road. What is the point of all this UG infrastructure talk? It’s a mess out there. Worse than you can imagine mostly because it is all hidden from view. The current situation is the result of a century of construction with constantly changing materials and practices across all industries. It’s typically first come first serve and if it’s cheaper and easier to install something that takes up twice the space than required it will probably get built that way. The point is this process can be more complicated and is getting more expensive than most people realize, even in areas outside of a congested urban environment. New construction materials and methods, or system protection technology will only get you so far. The US has some old infrastructure. Not just electric, gas and communications. This includes municipal owned water, sewer, drainage, and even steam… Some infrastructure can even be fragile to work nearby. It’s not a good practice to construct a 12-way concrete encased electric duct bank close to a 90” diameter brick sewer built in the 1940’s. A one for one replacement may be the only option for new infrastructure. The days of building in parallel and abandoning the old pipe in place gradually becomes less common. Building in parallel has benefits outside of just the physical construction. Existing electrical infrastructure can function in place until a new parallel system is built. This can simplify cutover to the new system and make the process more efficient. Without it there will have to be workarounds to the system just during construction. Sometimes these workarounds are expensive even if they are only temporary. An electric utility might have to run multiple sets of cables many city blocks to tie into the feeders around the construction area. They may have to relocate all existing cable into another duct bank and then put new cable back when it's done. Construction phases may have to be set up to take into account customers that need to stay energized while construction moves past their property. The least cost option may be an EXPENSIVE option. If the only path to install a new water main is to remove an abandoned communications duct bank it will be more expensive. If demand in a city rises due to electrification and more duct needs to be installed where an abandoned gas line is it will cost more money. If the only way to install a gravity fed drainage system is to get 3 utilities to relocate some of their infrastructure it will cost you.

Title: Prolonging Pavement Life: Insights from the Thought Leaders Series In the recent CPD webinar, "Thought Leaders Series: Extending the Service Life of Pavements," industry experts shared valuable insights into delaying cracking of pavement surfacing, a critical strategy to protect infrastructure from rapid deterioration. As Australia faces increasing demands to maintain its aging road and airfield pavements, asset owners seek innovative solutions for cost-effective and sustainable pavement maintenance. Simon Ouk, Solution Support Engineer at HUESKER Australia, brought 16 years of experience in developing maintenance and rehabilitation projects for major road, airport, defense, and port pavements. In his role at HUESKER, he collaborates with stakeholders throughout Oceania to deliver resilient and cost-effective pavement solutions. Jaco Liebenberg, Strategic Service Line Leader at GHD, shared his 27 years of expertise in pavement and aviation civil infrastructure design. His role involves project management and delivery of aviation design services at GHD, with notable contributions to runway resurfacing projects, conceptual pavement designs for Western Sydney Airport, and rehabilitation of international apron at Brisbane Airport. Key takeaways included the benefits of effective crack mitigation, common applications and treatments, the importance of raw material selection, and the sustainability aspects of pavement solutions. The presentation emphasized that not all treatments are created equal and showcased verified long-term case studies from Australia and around the world. Personally, the webinar provided valuable insights into innovative solutions for pavement maintenance, highlighting the economic and environmental benefits of delaying cracking. The real-life perspectives from both an asset owner and a consultant added depth to the discussion. A sincere thank you to Simon Ouk, Jaco Liebenberg, and all speakers for sharing their extensive knowledge. The webinar not only addressed the challenges faced by asset owners but also provided practical solutions to extend pavement service life, contributing to more sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure management.

B-permits are the most rigorous permits to obtain for Civil Engineers in Los Angeles. They are usually required on projects which are seeking Planning discretion, and where the roadway is not up to the current standards, or the infrastructure needs to be upgraded. A request can be made with the Planning department to waive dedications or improvements, but approval is not a guarantee. The most common triggers for B-permits, in my experience, are roadway widening and alley repaving. There are also different street standards for different parts of the city. For example, downtown districts usually require a decorative edge band along the back of the curb. Since the details and products for these bands have not yet been standardized, each permit requires a Revocable component and review by the Design Standards and Investigation Group (DSIG), which requires samples used for testing. Other examples, which may be voluntary, are decorative paving, sidewalk dining, and parkway irrigation, which are not uncommon for downtown developments. I had the pleasure and fortune to work on the B-permit for the Metropolis project, along with some of my colleagues at DKE, and at McCormick CC, in the 6th picture below, which included roadway widening, sewer bypass plans, catch basin relocations, edge bands, decorative paving, streetlight and traffic signal upgrades, restriping, and Caltrans approval.

Digital Twins can help with challenges in the infrastructure construction market