Free Essay

Roads, Highways, and Bridges

In: Social Issues

Submitted By bbyahjoint
Words 723
Pages 3
Roads, Highways, and Bridges
Runoff controls are essential to preventing polluted runoff from roads, highways and bridges from reaching surface waters. Erosion during and after construction of roads, highway and bridges can contribute large amounts of sediment and silt to runoff waters, which can deteriorate water quality and lead to fish kills and other ecological problems. Heavy metals, oils, other toxic substances and debris from construction traffic and spillage can be absorbed by soil at construction sites and carried with runoff water to lakes, rivers and bays. Runoff control measures can be installed at the time of road, highway and bridge construction to reduce runoff pollution both during and after construction. Such measures can effectively limit the entry of pollutants into surface waters and ground waters and protect their quality, fish habitats and public health. Pesticides and fertilizers used along roadways rights-of-way and adjoining land can pollute surface waters and ground water when they filter into the soil or are blown by wind from the area where they are applied. The best way to prevent such is to shut down the areas where there is being any form of construction on the highways.
Random Emission Testing Over a period of years the people have tried to tell the state and federal officials that the mandates embodied in the Clean Air Act of 1990 were based on incorrect assumptions, faulty science and hidden or self-serving agendas. One of the more counterproductive elements of this law is the wholesale expansion of universal automobile inspection program. Mandating emissions inspections of the entire vehicle fleet benefit the manufacturers of testing equipment, contractors that conduct the tests, the automotive repair industry and the bureaucracy that involves to regulate the inspection and certification process. Mandated emissions inspection systems are very expensive, complicated, intrusive, inconvenient and value the citizens’ time at zero. The ultimate insult is that mandated universal emissions inspection systems do not significantly improve air quality. Promoting fuel-efficient cars The global vehicle fleet is set to grow from less than one billion to 2.5 billion or more by 2050. Ninety percent of this growth is taking place in non-OECD countries. At the same time the average vehicle efficiency of non-OECD countries is getting worse and carbon dioxide (C02) emissions per vehicle are increasing. Even though vehicles in OECD countries are, in contrast getting more efficient, C02 emissions of the global fleet are increasing and are set to increase even more sharply in the years to come. Improving fuel economy has many co-benefits for human health, the natural environment and the economy. These include the reduction of black carbon emissions and the subsequent improvement of urban air quality, a reduction in a county’s dependence on oil and cheaper transport for consumers. Many countries have put policies in place that promote cleaner and more efficient vehicles and have adopted ambitious long-term targets. Cost effective cleaner technologies such as smaller engines (with more power), lighter cars and low resistance tyres have improved vehicle efficiency. Hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are now entering many markets. Encouraging carpooling If we implementing our community like Craiova in many other cities in Romania, the private cars will be the most popular and convenient mode of transport, especially for commuting to work. Many employees working late in the industrial areas of the city have no access to public transport and no option other than using taxis or their private cars to get back home. The distance from/to the bus/tram it is about 2-4 km. This further discourages employees to use the public transport service. The number of cars on the road in this industrial area west of the city during peak hours is approximately 2,500 standard vehicles per hour and this is predicted to rise to 3,000 by 2016. Another major problem is the number of parking spaces available. The area is cluttered because cars are parked on the side of the street.

References

Rogue Parrish. “How to Arrange a Carpool to Work”. (n.d).Retrieved from http://homeguides.sfgate.com/arrange-carpool-work-7878370.html

Roland Hwang “Why fuel-efficient cars are better for the economy and the earth” (April 6, 2012) http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/04/09/why-fuel-efficient-cars-are-better-economy-and-earth

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Business

...Road characteristics: road categories, road surfacing. Other road enginering structures. Lecturer I. Piščikienė Vilnius 2013 Introduction Content World bridges…………………………………………………………………………………………………..4 World longest tunnels………………………………………………………………………………………6 Types of roads………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 Roads surfacing……………………………………………………………………………………………….10 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………………………..13 List of sources………………………………………………………………………………………………….14 World bridges The world’s longest bridge is the Danyang-Kunsgan Grand Bridge(1) in China, part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The bridge, which opened in June 2011, spans 165 kilometres. This bridge constructed in just 4 years, employing 10.000 workers, at a cost of about 8.5 million dollars. It crosses low rice paddies, part of the Yangtze River Delta, with just a few miles of the bridge actually crossing the open water of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. The bridge averages about 31 meters off the ground. 1.Danyang-Kunsgan Grand Bridge The sidu river bridge(2) is the tallest bridge in the world, standing around 1.500 ft tall. The are exactly 1.550 feet from the bottom of the bridge to the valley floor. It is located at the border of Yichang and En’shi in the Hubei province. It is 1365 meters across. This bridge connects Shanghai on the...

Words: 2444 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Smart Road

...Imagine you are driving at night on a winding road. The snow is coming down and you cannot see, as you begin to approach a curve. You make out dim brake lights of traffic ahead, but despite the driving conditions, you feel safe. How can you feel safe under these conditions, you ask. Very easily, the way of the future will be Scott Brusaw’s Smart Road. Owned by Virginia Department of Transportation, the Smart Road will lead to safer highways and vehicles, more conventional travel, and less stress behind the wheel. Researchers will get to apply their creative ideas to real-life situations in a low-risk environment, while business developers could gain profitable partnerships and new projects. The Smart Road is a rare, state-of-the-art, full-scale, closed test-bed research facility which features weather-making capabilities, an experimental lighting system, pavement markings, road weather information systems, a signalized intersection, a differential GPS system, road access and surveillance, and a computer-equipped control center. It is the first of its kind with a long history and possibly an even longer future. It all started when the idea and the proposal for a connecting road from Blacksburg to Interstate 81 was introduced in 1985. Roanoke Mayor Noel Taylor favored the idea introduced by Roanoke-Virginia Tech Advisory Council in 1986. The following year the Department of Transportation was asked to consider short and long-term answers for traffic jamming along Route 460. Governor...

Words: 2166 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

The Big Dig

...for this investigation into the 'Big Dig' project has been from sought various Journals, publications specific to the project, the World Wide Web, independent reports into the project and other reports delivered by the Project Managers Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff (B/PB) and the project owners Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) . Before the merger of the previously mentioned companies the MTA was known as the Massachusetts Highway Department The big dig or CA/T as it became more infamously known as was a magnanimous infrastructural project that took place in the greater Boston area from inception in 1982 to completion in 2007. This was to be the solution to the escalating traffic problem that plagued motorists in the greater Boston area for the past 50 years. The Central Artchry was originally built in 1959 and was a significant infrastructural project in its day. However as middle class families became more widespread as time evolved so too did the family car and thus the Central Archry was somewhat obsolete with the now 200,000 cars on the same road in the late 1980’s. Traffic jams up to 10 hours long were not uncommon and came at a huge personal and financial loss to families, businesses and the government. In order to...

Words: 1250 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Private Bus Service: Is It a Real Service Provider to the Nation?

...Private bus service: Is it a real service provider to the nation? Today, people have begun to express their frustration over the unfair increase of bus fares from time to time in the recent past. It has become the widespread subject of arguments among the public. A certain bus ownership has threatened an increase in bus fares on its own from September but the Transport Commission has categorically emphasised that transport permits would be revoked against any illegal increase of bus fares. This cold war between a particular bus ownership and the Government has become hot news in the media these days. It has been the practice throughout to raise bus fares every year irresponsibly with the approval of the Transport Commission without any reliable excuse. The increase in fuel prices were followed by another instance of raising private bus fares last February. Regrettably, the most affected are the middle class and the public with low incomes who use buses for their daily travel. In the interest of the general public, the Transport Commission is duty-bound to review if private bus services, after experience of 35 years, have won the confidence of commuters with such a remarkable service as pledged at the inauguration in 1978.   Nationalisation With nationalisation of bus companies by the Bandaranaike Government in 1958, a longstanding progressive demand by the people, the Ceylon Transport Board which was the key body of national transport was established to provide an excellent...

Words: 9364 - Pages: 38

Free Essay

New Jersey Route 4

...Route 4 is a state highway in Bergen County and Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The highway stretches 10.83 mi (17.43 km) from Route 20 (McLean Boulevard) in Paterson east to an interchange with Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1/9, U.S. Route 46, and U.S. Route 9W at the George Washington Bridge approach in Fort Lee. The route is a four- to six-lane 40 to 50 mph (64 to 80 km/h) divided highway its entire length, with the portion east of the Route 208 interchange in Fair Lawn a partial freeway consisting of interchanges and right-in/right-out intersections with a few businesses along the road, particularly in Paramus, where the route passes through a major shopping area consisting of numerous malls, Hackensack, Englewood, and Fort Lee. West of Route 208, the route is a surface arterial lined that runs through commercial areas. Route 4 intersects many important roads, including Route 208 in Fair Lawn and the Garden State Parkway and Route 17 in Paramus. The highway is officially named the Mackay Highway,[2] but is rarely referred to as such. Route 4 was legislated in 1927 to run from Cape May to the George Washington Bridge. This route replaced pre-1927 Route 14 between Cape May and Seaville, what was planned as pre-1927 Route 19 between Seaville and Absecon, pre-1927 Route 4 between Absecon and Lakewood and South Amboy and Rahway, and a spur of pre-1927 Route 7 between Lakewood and Freehold, with the rest of the route to be built on a new alignment. The present-day routing...

Words: 397 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Road Safety

...ROAD SAFETY IN BANGLADESH Introduction: Deaths and injuries as a result of road traffic accidents are recognized as global health issue. It is estimated that road crashes kill 1.2 million people and injure 20-50 million annually (daily road tolls more than 3000 i.e. nearly 140 deaths per hour). Transport is an extremely important part of the Bangladesh economy. Some 12% of GDP and 20% of the annual development budget is spent on transport, and 9.4% of the national employment is in the transport industry. Bangladesh has about 0.7 million motorized vehicle and 1.5 million non-motorized vehicles. But in Bangladesh, road accident problem grew over time and has been regarded as a massive outbreak of a fatal disease. Road fatalities are said to be correlated with a number of factors – number of population and its increasing numbers, length of roads, weather conditions, and mechanical condition of vehicles, drivers’ consideration of traffic laws, commuter safety skills and more. Road Accidents – this epidemic is related to faults of the drivers and the pedestrians and then our road infrastructures, social commitments, mechanical faults of vehicles, behavioral factors and more. Current Situation: Total Reported Road Accidents: According to police statistics, Road accidents in Bangladesh claim, on average 4000 lives and injure another 5000 a year. In Current prices, road accident in Bangladesh is costing community at least Tk. 5,000 crore /US$ 850 million per...

Words: 1804 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Traffic

...Background: Traffic congestion is not a new problem. The number of automobiles and trucks have been increased during the last few decades after the car boom period. So there was an urgent need for constructing more highways and bridges , improving traffic-signal controllers, making changeable highway signs, rerouting rush hour traffic, creating traffic-control centers that monitor and display the overall traffic conditions, using preplanned alternative traffic solutions based on repeated daily traffic patterns, etc. However, some strict financial sanctions or fines must be applied to eliminate the problem of traffic jam. For Jeddah city, the streets are overcrowded with cars and people. At the same time, the airports are welcoming a large number of newcomers all over the world every day. Moreover, the number of roads and bridges is not sufficient to the increasing number of vehicles. In addition, in Jeddah there are approximately four million people both Saudis and expatriates who use over one million vehicles to move around the city. We also expect more. Causes of traffic congestion inside the cities Saudi Arabia is a modern Country, but it also has a modern and serious problem. Every day in the morning and evening, the roads and streets are so crowded with cars, taxis, buses and trucks. In this part will mention the causes of traffic congestion in Saudi Arabia’s major cities. In the next lines, we will speak about the several reasons for traffic problems in...

Words: 1731 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Local Govt Ministy

...corruption, and related social problems. The economy of the country is poor and based on the rural agricultural sector, but natural disasters - mainly floods, affects the economy annually which delays economic progress. Rural-urban disparity in terms of per capita income, consumption, education, health facilities, and physical infrastructure is an important developmental issue in Bangladesh. The Government of Bangladesh and a significant number of non-government organizations (NGOs) are working to improve the socioeconomic conditions of rural poor people of the country. To improve the economic development of the country the local Government ministry should work for it. Bangladesh economy depends on some several sectors like agriculture, roads and highway, disaster management, industry etc. Role of several sector in economy are briefly discuss below- The Local Government for Agriculture in Bangladesh Bangladesh is an agricultural country. Our country is firstly an agrarian economy. Around 70% of our population is related with agriculture. This is one of the fewest parts of our economy where...

Words: 9553 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Economics

...saturates the entire society. To meet the present and future demand for infrastructure development, developing and least developed countries like Bangladesh always face scarcity of their own resources. Therefore, to accelerate infrastructure development, the Government has encouraged private sector participation in infrastructure projects. Bangladesh inherited underdeveloped and unevenly distributed infrastructure and transportation networks. Poor and inefficient infrastructure undermined the economic development in the country, and only recently has the government been able to address the problem systematically and channel investments towards expanding its highways, railroads, seaports, and airports. In this term paper I have discussed the past and current situation of the country’s 2 sectors of infrastructure i.e. communication (roads) and Power (solar) sector and their contribution towards the development of our economy. 2. Bangladesh Infrastructure: Power and Communication Bangladesh belongs to the group of countries with the lowest commercial energy consumption per head in the world. The CIA estimated that in 1999 the country produced 12.5 billion kWh, 85 percent of which was produced using gas, 7.0 percent was produced at hydroelectric power plants, and around 8 percent by using liquid fuel. According to the EIU Country Profile, 85 percent of households in...

Words: 3956 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Industry

...CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Definition: Construction in general is the process of building or assembling of architecture. The construction sector is responsible for building new houses, apartments, factories, offices and schools. It also builds roads, bridges, ports, railroads, sewers and tunnels, among many other things. In addition, it maintains and repairs all of those structures and produces the basic materials such as concrete that are used to make them. The industry’s significance is due not only to the fact that it provides the buildings and infrastructure on which virtually every other sector depends, but to the fact that it is such a sizeable sector in its own right. The construction industry is Europe’s largest industrial employer, accounting for about seven percent of total employment, and in the Europe, the US and Japan combined, it employs more than 40 million people. Among all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the construction industry accounts for an average of 6.47 percent of GDP. History since Industrial Revolution: There were many factors that revolutionized the construction industry after the industrial revolution. The invention of Portland cement, glass, reinforced concrete, architectural glasses, cranes etc. has brought in a huge leap in the technology. Cement: Portland cement was developed from natural cements made in Britain in the early part of the nineteenth century, and its name is derived from...

Words: 2591 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Project

...27-km-long Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, the country's most ambitious intra-city toll road will break even in three years, despite the fact that it has incurred 73 per cent of cost over-run, and is running two years behind schedule. The reason: starting January 2008, DS Constructions, the company building and managing this stretch, will impose a toll of Rs 15-18 (for passenger cars), Rs 18-20 (for taxis), and Rs 45-50 (for buses and trucks) per trip. It will help the company generate over Rs 250 crore of annual revenue. It will also help the company recover more than Rs 950 crore invested on the construction of this stretch within he next three years. Since it is an expressway, two-wheelers would not be allowed to commute on this stretch once it is completed, as service roads are being provided for local traffic movement, according to the company officials. The toll rates were ascertained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently after finalising the layout of the three toll plazas, which would be put up at this stretch. These toll plazas are being set up near IGI airport, Delhi-Gurgaon border and 42nd Milestone. After much delay, the project is expected to finish by December and company officials say they would start levying toll by January next year. Ministry sources say that toll rates have been determined considering the volume of traffic on that section of the highway. The rates would be subject to periodic review on annual basis and any increase...

Words: 1571 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Road to Reaches

...MAY 7, 2007 [pic] COVER STORY By Emily Thornton Roads To Riches Why investors are clamoring to take over America's highways, bridges, and airports—and why the public should be nervous Steve Hogan was in a bind. The executive director of Colorado's Northwest Parkway Public Highway Authority had run up $416 million in debt to build the 10-mile toll road between north Denver and the Boulder Turnpike, and he was starting to worry about the high payments. So he tried to refinance, asking bankers in late 2005 to pitch investors on new, lower-interest-rate bonds. But none of the hundreds of investors canvassed was interested. Then, one day last spring, Hogan got a letter from Morgan Stanley (MS ) that promised to solve all of his problems. The bank suggested Hogan could lease the road to a private investor and raise enough money to pay off the whole chunk of debt. Now Hogan, after being inundated with proposals, is in hot-and-heavy negotiations with a team of bidders from Portugal and Brazil. "We literally got responses from around the world," he says. In the past year, banks and private investment firms have fallen in love with public infrastructure. They're smitten by the rich cash flows that roads, bridges, airports, parking garages, and shipping ports generate—and the monopolistic advantages that keep those cash flows as steady as a beating heart. Firms are so enamored, in fact, that they're beginning to consider infrastructure a brand new asset class in itself...

Words: 3484 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Common Factors Affecting Study Habits Among Students

...city proper particularly at public market and routine mobile patrol along national highway and coastal areas. Four (4) PNP elements of this station assigned at every COMPAC, Sta. Maria, Labuyo and Lorenzo Tan. Part Two – Operational Activities (PIPs, Enforcement of Special Laws, etc.) |ACTIVITY |NUMBER OF ACTIVITY |REMARKS | |Buy- bust Operation |0 | | |Police Visibility | | | | | | | |Foot/beat Patrol |1 2 |1500H,0800H, 1700H, City Proper, | | | |Along National highway, City Proper and coastal areas. | |Mobile Patrol |17 | | | | |Along National Highway, | |Bike Patrol ...

Words: 283 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Traffic Jam

...Introduction: Communication is an important aspect of our day-to-day life. And as such, the bad effect of traffic jam can better be understood than described. So movements on the roads and streets must strictly be regulated by certain rules, which we call traffic rules. Vehicles must keep to the left, obey speed limits and should avoid overtaking and follow the traffic signals. If these rules are followed strictly, the vehicles can go on smoothly without causing any traffic jam. But most often than not, there is glaring carelessness about these rules. As a result, the common people pay very dearly for it. People lose their time on their way for nothing. Sometimes we feel inclined to think that our government and the people at the helm of these affairs are very indifferent to such vital problems. Something positive must be done to relieve the people from such problems. Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queuing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles slows the speed of the traffic stream, congestion is incurred. As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersections along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for periods of time, this is colloquially known as a traffic jam. Consequences of Traffic jam: At rush...

Words: 2272 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Historias

...The Welcome Icon - New York-New York - Bellagio - Paris - Venetian - Fremont Street - Cirque du Soleil - Madame Tussauds: $20.76 Online Price Las Vegas to San Francisco Scenic would be over Sierra via Yosemite to 395 (highway 395) side trip thru Death Valley to Vegas. Second Choice It still follows scenic US Hwy 395. It's best for traveling in spring and fall - or even winter when the roads are clear. It goes through Death Valley, which is not recommended in summer because of extreme heat. San Francisco - Painted Ladies (Constructed in 1805, near Alamo Square) - Union Square (The heart of the city) - Chinatown - Transamerica Pyramid (Tallest building in S.F.) - California Bank - Palace of Fine Arts - Golden Gate Bridge * - Cable Car (An icon of SF, costs $6 for a single ride) - Lombard Street - Fisherman’s Wharf (Seafood Restaunt)) - Pier 39 – Aquarium of the Bay - Alcatraz Island (a military fortification & a military prison) - Wax Museum (每天 10am - 9pm,$16/person) ) San Francisco to Los Angeles (Highway 1 *) - Add Road Alternative - Highway 1 (Pacific Coast highway) - Monterey (California’s Capital until 1848) - Camel By the Sea - Big Sur - Big Sur – Bixby Creek Bridge - Santa Barbara - Malibu (the community is famous for its warm, sandy beaches, and for being the home of many Hollywood movie stars ) (Malibu City is famous for its warm, sandy beaches and for being the home of many Hollywood movie stars...

Words: 445 - Pages: 2