Bryan Decker

About Interstate 5. For Santa Clarita Valley residents, construction of the interstate freeway from the Mexican border to Canada was really one more in a long line of highway improvements stretching back 50 years to the opening of the Ridge Route across the mountaintops to the floor of the San Joaquin Valley and beyond to Bakersfield. The original route was followed by the new and improved "Ridge alternate," which gave way in 1933 to the even newer — and straighter — U.S. Highway 99. Interstate 5 was born on paper in 1956 through the Eisenhower-era National Interstate and Defense Highway Act, which diverted money from the defense budget to link strategic military facilities via a modern highway system that civilians would also be able to use. It was late in John F. Kennedy's presidency before there was tangible evidence of it locally. Just as the new State Route 14 was starting to open section-by-section on the east side of the valley in 1963, the first eight-lane section of Interstate 5 was underway on the west side between Lyons Avenue and about one mile north of Castaic Junction (Highway 126). The Newhall Land and Farming Co., with its new town of Valencia on the drawing board, successfully lobbied for additional on- and off-ramps where originally only one was planned. By that time, actually in July 1964, the California Highway Commission came up with a bizarre idea to save money on engineering that was otherwise needed to make the steep climb north of Parker Road manageable for trucks. The existing Highway 99, which was decommissioned locally that same year, would become the northbound I-5 freeway lanes, while southbound lanes would be separated off to the east. That meant the north- and southbound lanes would switch sides, with an upper and lower crossover to put them back where they belong. At that same 1964 Highway Commission meeting, the decision was made to separate cars and trucks in the Newhall Pass with their own dedicated lanes. Construction of the new Interstate 5 Freeway through the Santa Clarita Valley was completed in 1967, coinciding with the opening of the first Valencia homes. Construction over the Grapevine and into the San Joaquin Valley, with separate alignments for each direction of traffic — but without switching sides — was done by 1970. The final section in California, near Stockton, opened in 1979.

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The biggest industrial "divorce" is about to happen. Iron, the father, is separating from Steel, the mother. However, Iron has promised to continue supporting by providing feed in the form of HBI (Hot Briquetted Iron). The Downstream, their children will stay with their mother for now. Rising energy and labor costs in Japan, Europe, and several other regions have made traditional iron-making no longer feasible. As a result, new eco-friendly iron hub projects are being developed in areas where current energy costs remain reasonable and, more importantly, where there is significant potential for low-cost renewable energy. This shift is occurring much faster than anyone anticipated. This will create a significant business opportunity for companies that act quickly. P.S. : Our couple gives a sad impression because they were living happily together in an “integrated” form for centuries. No worries, this is not a sad story, will have a happy ending, especially for the family’s sustainability and the children’s benefit. Illustration credit: Gencraft based on my description. #iron and #steel #decarbonization #sustainability #emiratessteel #uae #abudhabi #middleeast #europe #japan #industry #mena #türkiye #germany #austria #netherlands #sweden #italy #belgium #france #luxembourg

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Just because a portion of your sws deck is at a much higher elevation from the rest, doesn't mean it can be without a parapet. BC3307.6.4.6 requires a parapet on all open sides of a sws deck

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Initiative - Bechtel Corporation are confronting Suicide in the Construction Community There was a time – not so long ago – when death and injury in heavy construction were accepted as normal. Building plans would include a specific estimate for the likely number of fatalities. Tragic of course, we used to think, but also inevitable when human bodies mix with powerful machines to move massive amounts of earth, concrete, and steel. The construction industry worked for decades to dismantle that mindset. We adopted new practices, equipment, and technologies designed to prevent jobsite accidents. Today, at Bechtel, virtually every metric shows that the teams on our projects have never been safer. Yet there was something big that we missed. A different problem we struggled to see. Despite all our success in protecting construction workers while they are on the job, a devastatingly high number return to their home, their hotel room, or their residence camp, and end their own life. Our industry now loses five times as many colleagues to suicide as we do to work-place accidents. The painful truth is that among job occupations in the United States, construction has one of the highest rates of suicide. A person working in our field is more than twice as likely to die from suicide when compared with the general population. According to the Centers for Disease Control, statistics show 56 out of every hundred thousand workers will lose their lives this way each year. In an industry that employs 10 million people, that’s roughly 5,500 annually – or more than 100 per week. Construction workers contend with what some have called a perfect storm of #mentalhealth risk factors, including a predominantly male workforce, physically strenuous and stressful work, long hours, jobs often located away from home and family, intermittency of work, and for many, chronic pain. These risks are compounded by a culture that prides itself on pushing past challenges and getting the job done. The time has come for us to treat mental health – and #suicideprevention specifically – with the same determined focus that we have successfully brought to physical health, and as a natural extension of our historic commitment to safety. That’s why Bechtel Corporation and the American Foundation for #Suicide Prevention (AFSP) are partnering to begin addressing this problem with direct, practical solutions. Through our company’s foundation, Bechtel is funding a $7 million dollar grant, the largest AFSP has ever received. To their credit, other countries, including the #UK and #Australia, are well ahead of the #USA in their prevention response. Brendan Bechtel is #chairman and #CEO of Bechtel, a #global #engineering, procurement, #construction, and project management company. #mentalhealthawareness #innovative #initiative

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Concrete #Estimation→ The make or break of your construction project. 🔍🏗 Why get it right? ❌ Too low→ risks and cost overruns lurk around the corner. ❌ Too high→ your bid could fly right out the window. Here's the mix for success→ Quality concrete material cost analysis = Projects on time, within budget, and beyond expectations. ✅ Hire professional estimators→ Precision leads to performance. ✅ Follow their advice→ Trust in their expertise for a smoother build. ✅ Communication is key→ Clear estimates build bridges with clients. Optimized #Estimation = Enhanced Reputation + Trust. Follow me for more insights→ #Construction, #ConcreteConstruction, #Services. Building a better future? Comment below and share your estimation experiences with fellow #constructioncompanies. #BiddingConfidence #ConstructionEstimation #ConstructionManagement #ProjectBidding #CostManagement #ConstructionIndustry #BuildingCosts #ContractorLife #Subcontracting #ConstructionProjects #ConstructionTrends #CivilEngineering #ConstructionTechnology  #InfrastructureDevelopment #ConstructionPlanning #ProjectManagement #UrbanDevelopment #GreenBuilding #ConstructionCosts #RealEstateDevelopment #CommercialConstruction #ResidentialConstruction #ConstructionSafety #ArchitecturalDesign #SustainableConstruction #ConstructionInnovation #BuildingInformationModeling #ConstructionEquipment #ConstructionJobs #ConstructionLaw #ConstructionMaterials #ConstructionEngineering #ConstructionWork #Preconstruction #ConstructionProcurement #BuildingStandards #ConstructionQuality #ConstructionIndustryUSA #AmericanContractors #USAConstruction #ConstructionInsights #BuildingProjects #ConstructionSector #InfrastructureProjects #CivilConstruction #ConstructionCostEstimating #ConstructionBid #ConstructionEstimators #ConstructionManagementSoftware #BuildingEstimation #CostEstimation

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Had a great time with the KELLER crew and observed the low mobility (compaction) grouting project in the Point Loma neighborhood in San Diego, CA. Compaction grouting involves the injection of a low-slump mortar grout to densify loose, granular soils and stabilize subsurface voids or sinkholes. The technique was developed in the 1950s as a remedial measure for the correction of building settlements. Over the past 25 years, low mobility grouting technology has evolved to treat a wide range of subsurface conditions for new and corrective construction. These include rubble fills, poorly placed fills, loosened or collapsible soils, karst conditions, and liquefiable soils. #KellerExcellence #CompactionGrouting

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This is a voicemail I received from a resident during recovery from the 2013 Colorado floods, 7 months post flood. These images are all from that flood. I’ve kept the voicemail all this time for several reasons. It’s one of the few and certainly one of the most heartfelt expressions of gratitude I’ve ever received from a resident related to our work. But the most interesting part is my agency wasn’t even able to provide her with direct assistance because the creek was all on private property. Although my job is very technically focused, in the aftermath of a flood it’s more important to lead with empathy than anything else because people have just experienced TRAUMA. Not something they teach us in engineering school. #helene #milton #floodrecovery #fema #wx #weather #cowx #extremeweather #AEC #aecindustry #engineering #project #publicworks #floodcontrol #floodplainmanagement #flood #storm #stormwater #APWA #ACEC #ASFPM #CASFM #ASLA #AEC #ASCE #EWRI #NASFMA #APA #milehighflooddistrict #floodprotection #stream #streamrestoration #river #riverrestoration #infrastructure #infrastructureprojects #civilengineering #civilengineer

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SUBGRADE HAS A CBR 20% (THAT IS HARD!) Adding a medium performing geogrid Life of the Pavement extends 4.30 Times It's not just for soft soils.

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🚧 Construction projects: predictable or chaotic? If you’ve worked in the industry, you probably know the answer. But what if predictability isn’t a pipe dream? In the latest TWO episodes of The EBFC Show, Victor Ortiz and I tackle how the Last Planner System (LPS) transforms construction chaos into harmony. By treating projects as dynamic production systems, LPS empowers teams to reduce costs, improve schedules, and—get this—boost job satisfaction. 🛠 Whether you're a Lean veteran or new to the game, these episodes are packed with actionable insights for making your projects flow better and feel better. 🎧 Listen now or watch on YouTube to find out how LPS is the blueprint for predictability in construction. 🔗 Visit The EBFC Show website for all the ways to watch or listen! 👉 How has LPS changed your approach to construction? Let’s discuss below!

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Question for my fellow structural engineers. We are placing concrete for columns with couplers to existing. The couplers are creating void pockets. I suggested using a cloth concrete chute (ie tremie) to get the concrete further down in the form. The pump operator is concerned about the chute kinking and causing a pump kick back or back up. Note this pumping is done with a boom and the line is long enough that a “pump off” needs to be radioed. Have any of you used alternatives to placing concrete in a congested area like a column?

After having to replace the garbage disposal and stop the leaking faucet in one day, my two oldest have begun the "Daddy, you are an engineer so you can fix the sinks, thats why i want to be an engineer!" Well kids, no...lol. I became an engineer so I could make a tiny dent on the world and hopefully make it a better place.Which got me thinking, don't plumbers do the same thing. Actually, no, plumbers have a much greater impact than I do. If you didn't grow up like I did, which was "fix it or go without" then you've probably had to call a plumber. What about an electrician? Perhaps an HVAC professional? Without these trades professionals, we wouldn't have any of the built world that we live in. Sure, I can throw some black lines on a construction drawing, but what about the journeymen that are building this for us? Did you know that the average entry salary for a Civil Engineer is $62k? Did you also know that a journeyman plumber who just finished their four year apprenticeship will make approximately $64k per year? Let's stop stigmatizing the trades; the solid waste professionals, the cleaning professionals who make our lives possible. Your salary does not define you, but your impact on the world does. Join me in supporting our nations vocational schools, community colleges, organizations such as mikeroweWORKS foundation, and This Old House's Generation NEXT With professionals like Ross Trethewey, PE, M.Eng and other industry advocates, we can empower the next generation of trades professionals!

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How can servant leadership transform your engineering career? 🤔 In this week’s Engineering Management lessons video, Frank DiSalvo, P.E., a Professional Engineer and Regional Manager at American Pile and Foundation, LLC, shares the importance of servant leadership and its impact on company culture. 🌟 Discover how helping others achieve their goals can elevate your leadership skills and drive your career success. Watch now 👉 https://bit.ly/EMLServLead and tune into The Geotechnical Engineering Podcast next week to watch Frank’s full interview. What’s your take on servant leadership in engineering? Share in the comments! ⬇️ #Leadership #Engineering #CareerGrowth #ServantLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment

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If I told you I had the ultimate cheat sheet for Construction Quality Control..... would you want it? I sure hope the answer is YES because we have it and we want YOU to have it too!!!! We have spent decades in the dirt learning the ins and outs of Quality Control. The real down and dirty of what QC Managers need to do day by day and at every stage of the project from cradle to grave. Our QC Master Class is 7 modules packed full of lessons learned and tips and tricks for every aspect of QC Management. It covers Preconstruction meetings, kick-off meetings, Daily Reports, Submittals, As-Builts, Closeout Requirements, Tracking, Inspections, Deficiencies, and how to manage them to protect the GC, Red Zone, Commissioning, and MORE. Grab our cheat sheet for you or your team today!https://lnkd.in/emaRAbCx #constructioncheatsheet #constructiontips #constructiontraining

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Send me your good thoughts. It's gonna be a long night for my first testimony in person and I'm here to discuss the proposal I submitted for an Appendix in the 2027 IFC on temporary notification and detection systems for construction sites. This topic is a passion point for me because of critical information like the recent NFPA data from October 2023 that shows construction sites experience 4,300 fires annually, resulting in over $375 million in direct property damage, 62 injuries, and five deaths. Having spent 17 years in the field, I’ve seen firsthand how ineffective air horns are as a notification method. With workers wearing PPE, these horns are often drowned out, leaving workers vulnerable. Firefighters also face extreme dangers when responding to these incidents. The fire in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2023 triggered two Mayday calls due to the life-threatening conditions firefighters encountered while battling the blaze at a construction site. Unstable structures and a lack of communication systems make such environments especially hazardous. Early detection through temporary systems would not only ensure faster response times but also facilitate the full evacuation of the site, reducing the risk for both workers and firefighters who often have to search dangerous areas for trapped individuals. These systems would also alert local residents and nearby structures, helping to minimize collateral damage and displacement. With early warning, nearby properties can be evacuated, preventing further loss and making containment efforts more manageable for fire crews. Additionally, equipment losses during construction fires, including destroyed firefighting apparatus, further stress fire departments. The impacts extend beyond the construction site, delaying community development and recovery. Given the rising number of construction fires and the risks to workers, firefighters, and the public, this proposal is a necessary, cost-effective step for improving safety. I can only hope they care enough to agree.

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This is the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. “He (Muoto) recommends any home built in the last 10 years be allowed to be rebuilt with over-the-counter approval. Building codes haven’t changed much in the last decade, and these newer homes will have gone through a permitting process relatively recently.”   There will continue to be wildfires in California, and framed houses will continue to burn. The building codes need to be updated to require non-combustible construction. Concrete homes will not burn, are insurable, and are super energy efficient, solving at least three problems simultaneously.

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Attention Bridge Engineers and Designers: On November 14, 2024, AISC and NSBA will host a webinar that will preview the new AISC/NSBA standards that will simplify the design of hundreds of routine steel girder bridges. The webinar will be presented by Francesco R. of Russo Structural Services. These new standards cover bridges with 1, 2, 3, and 4-spans with span lengths ranging from 80 - 300 ft, and girder spacings of 8, 10, 12, and 14 ft, and are anticipated to be released later this year. The presentation will review the development of the standards and provide a walk-through showing how to use these standards to quickly design many short, medium, and long-span steel bridges. The presentation will also review the development of these standards, provide engineering and constructability background into their development, and discuss many details like cross-frames and field splices that are also provided. Register here: https://lnkd.in/epX3VgRM

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