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Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInside America's largest asphalt maker and road paver94 percent of the roads in the U.S. are paved with asphalt. Companies like CRH - the largest road paver in America - are newly flush with billions from the US government which is the largest buyer of asphalt in the country. Some in the business say it's the golden age of infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, is adding $1.2 trillion, a 40% to 50% increase over the previous FAST Act. But there are some strings attached.

Organizations: Infrastructure Investment, Jobs Locations: U.S, America

☆ America's biggest asphalt maker faces a 'golden age' with some green strings attached
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Robert Ferris | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There are about 2.8 million miles of roads in the United States, and 94% of that is made of asphalt. There's also recycled asphalt pavement, which is exactly what it sounds like: pavement that has been scraped off a road, ground up and used again. Right now, CRH says about 25% of every mile of road it paves is recycled asphalt pavement, though there are some places where the share of recycled asphalt is much higher. The reason: When recycled pavement was first introduced, it had a tendency to degrade faster, simply because it was older. The industry, represented by the National Asphalt Pavement Association, wants to raise the level of recycled asphalt in any given road to about 50% of the mix that is laid down.

Persons: Randy Lake, we're Organizations: Investment, Jobs, Solutions, Asphalt Pavement Association Locations: United States, Irish, Canada, U.S, North America, America

☆ Montana bridge collapse sends tank cars into Yellowstone River
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 24 (Reuters) - A bridge in Montana collapsed into the Yellowstone River early on Saturday, landing multiple rail cars in the water, officials said. Montana Rail Link, the company operating the train, said in a statement that "several hazmat cars" plunged into the river. The rail cars were carrying asphalt and molten sulfur, substances that quickly solidify when they come in contact with cooler temperatures, the company said. Two cars transporting sodium hydro sulfate, an acid salt, did not enter the water and initial air quality assessments indicate the chemical was not released from the cars, Montana Rail Link said. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said the derailment and bridge collapse led to the closure of parts of the Yellowstone and Stillwater Rivers.

Persons: Maria Caspani, Richard Chang Organizations: Montana Rail, Montana Rail Link, Montana Fish, Wildlife, Parks, Thomson Locations: Montana, Billings, Reed Point, Stillwater County, Yellowstone, Stillwater Rivers

☆ How Philadelphia was able to reopen I-95 so quickly after its partial collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A combination of NASCAR equipment, recycled glass and police escorts helped reopen the repaired portion of I-95 in Philadelphia way ahead of schedule. Six lanes reopened to motorists at noon on Friday, 12 days after a bridge collapsed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gov. Its original facility is in a town outside of Philadelphia – Filshill grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. The crew worked throughout the holiday weekend to fill the gap up to surface level using the glass, Shapiro said, thanking the Philadelphia Building Trades. Aero Aggregates used the glass in other Pennsylvania projects, including the Philadelphia Navy Yard, a press release from Shapiro said.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, Mike Carroll, ” Shapiro, Carroll, ” Carroll, Ricky Durst, Archie Filshill, Filshill, Philadelphia – Filshill, ” Filshill, Shapiro Organizations: New, New York CNN, NASCAR, Pennsylvania’s, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Workers, Pocono, Aero, “, Philadelphia Navy Yard Locations: New York, Philadelphia, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Long Pond , Pennsylvania, Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

☆ Ukraine hits bridge linking Crimea to mainland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It solves nothing as far as the special military operation is concerned," he said, vowing to repair the bridge and restore traffic. He threatened to retaliate by targeting a bridge linking neighbouring Moldova to NATO-member Romania: "A very serious response is coming very soon." The Chonhar bridge hit overnight is one of just a handful of access roads to Crimea, which is linked to the Ukrainian mainland by a narrow isthmus. Russian investigators said four missiles had been fired by Ukrainian forces at the bridge, the RIA news agency reported. He also described fierce fighting in the east, where Ukraine says it has been holding off Russian attacks.

Persons: Vladimir Saldo, Yuriy Sobolevsky, Andriy Kovaliov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Peter Graff, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, NATO, Kyiv, Troops, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson, Crimea Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, London, Moldova, Romania, Russia, France, Rivnopil, Moscow

☆ How to Increase the Value of Your Home With 5 Popular Home Improvements
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Daniel Bortz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Plus, data also suggests solar panels increase a home’s value somewhat when it comes time to sell. Does a new roof increase home value? Does a new kitchen increase home value? Does a new bathroom increase home value? “Classic subway tile is clean, simple and has a timeless appeal.”Do energy-efficient windows increase home value?

Persons: Daniel Bortz, ”, David Steckel, you’ll, Steckel, Mallory Micetich, Micetich, HomeAdvisor, Courtney Mason, Mason Organizations: Rewiring America, Census, Google, Energy Locations: New York, Riverside , Calif, Atlanta ,, Tampa, Fla

☆ Where is the best place in New York City for a finance office?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

So if you have to come in, where's the best place to go? Note: Most of the companies listed below have multiple office locations beyond the one listed. An open letter to big banks going through an identity crisis. My open letter to big banks. Here's a list of nearly a dozen of the best chocolates you can buy, according to a professional chocolatier.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, we've, Spencer Platt, It's, Goldman Sachs, BNY Mellon, We'll, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, You've, I'm, Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka, Stephanie Cohen, Banks, We've, Brace, it's, Jeffrey Cane, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Getty, Apple, Downtown . Companies, NYSE, BNY, Metro North, . Companies, Bank of America, Barclays, BNP, Midwest, Midtown East . Companies, Blackstone, Millennium, Grand Central, Yards, Hudson Yards, Plaid, Rho Technologies, Connecticut . Companies, Paramount, Maverick Capital, Tiger Global, D1, JPMorgan, LinkedIn Locations: Downtown, JPMorgan, MarketAxess, BlackRock, midtown, — Flatiron, NoHo, Connecticut, Bridgewater, AQR, London, Citadel, New York

☆ A Toyota EV drove 1,200 miles without stopping to charge thanks to electric roads with wireless charging
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An innovative wireless charging system embedded under the asphalt. To demonstrate the tech's potential, Electreon drove an electric Toyota for 1,206 miles straight on a test track that had its wireless charging coils embedded under the asphalt. The impressive feat shows how wireless charging can revolutionize EV ownership, Oren Ezer, Electreon's CEO and cofounder, told Insider. But Ezer thinks wireless electric roads could work wonders for personal EV ownership, too. The firm plans to open a mile-long stretch of electric road in Detroit.

Persons: Electreon, Oren Ezer, Rav4, Ezer, EVs Organizations: Toyota, EV, — Locations: Germany, Detroit

☆ Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Touches Down in New Jersey
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two months and 25 shows after the pop megastar’s career-spanning Eras Tour began, the show arrived in the New York area for three weekend dates — her first concerts near (but not quite in) her adopted hometown in five years. “I really, really missed you!” Swift told the sold-out crowd of more than 72,000 people. One young woman announced that she was crying tears of joy as she strode down a tunnel leading to the parking lot. Two fans with tickets to Saturday’s concert who had traveled from Costa Rica came hoping to see Swift on Friday as well. A woman in an “I ❤️ T.S.” shirt refused an interview request, admitting that she teaches at a public school and was not supposed to be at the stadium on a Friday afternoon.

☆ This 15-mile, $6.7B bridge is a symbol of China’s ambitions, and its problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Greater Bay Area is home to 68 million people, covers 21,800 square miles and encompasses 11 cities: Hong Kong, Macao and nine others including Zhongshan and Shenzhen. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge project features artificial islands and an undersea tunnel. That bridge connects the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai with gambling hub Macao and leading financial center Hong Kong. An aerial view of the world's longest cross-sea bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, in Zhuhai city, south China's Guangdong province, 19 March 2019. The latest bridge would connect two mainland Chinese cities that were already under the same regulations, he pointed out.

☆ Driving Lamborghini's new off-road supercar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

I was driving a $380,000 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, and I couldn’t help laughing out loud. Lamborghini worked with Bridgestone to create tires using rubber similar to that on Lamborghini’s other performance tires, but with an off-road tread. The idea for it emerged while Lamborghini engineers and designers were having beers after a day driving off-road in a prototype of the Urus SUV. That was a lot of fun, they thought, but wouldn’t driving one of our all-wheel-drive supercars off-road be even better? Even those of us who can’t afford one should perhaps be glad the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato exists.

☆ This little-known rule shapes parking in America. Cities are reversing it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Approximately 2 billion parking spots cover the country, enough to pave over the entire state of Connecticut. Cities have built so much parking through a policy few people know: minimum parking requirements. Mandatory parking minimums helped shape the modern makeup of America cities. More parking spaces mean bigger parking lots. There are an estimated three to eight parking spots for every car in America.

☆ This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. Join In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. This data will help scientists understand better how birds are affected by forces like climate change and habitat loss. We’re obviously a little bit biased here, so I’m going to recommend the Merlin Bird ID app. Nearly half of all bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be in decline, and climate change could accelerate this trend. Look up past reports of that species on the eBird Species Map and zoom in on your city.

Persons: Mike McQuade, We’ll, Michelle Mildenberg Daryln Brewer Hoffstot, phoebe, Hoffstot, Indigo Goodson, “, Kirsten Luce, Alli Smith, Merlin, —, It’s, That’s, Andrew Spear, ”, Tom Auer, Mr, Auer, birders, James T, Tanner, Steven C, Latta, Chris Elphick, . Latta, Michaels, et, Christine Schuldheisz, Richard O ., Ivory, they’d, Mark, Elphick, there’s, ” Dr, eBird, I’m Organizations: Birds, Cornell, of Ornithology, The New York Times, New York Times, University of Connecticut, Credit, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Yale, Times, Cornell Lab, Walmart Locations: Pennsylvania, North America, Virginia, South America, Canada, Alaska, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, United States, Cuba, Arkansas, eBird

☆ Opinion: The banned Russian landmine with a deceptively poetic name
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Opinion Sasha Dovzhyk | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A great deal of eeriness is due to the highly explosive Russian “petals.” “Petal” — or, “lepestok,” in Russian — is the poetic name of an internationally banned Russian-made anti-personnel landmine. The Russian wish for Ukraine appears to be death: to render Ukrainian land uninhabitable, to maim and kill those who live on it. But as one learns from Kataev’s tale, the Russian petals travel far and know no borders. In November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 200,000 hectares (almost 50,000 acres) of Ukrainian land were contaminated with unexploded mines and shells. The rusted remains of a tank in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region, pictured during a PEN Ukraine trip in April 2023.

☆ Opinion | Against Despair: An Open Letter to Graduates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Margaret Renkl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

As you enter the world, remember, too, how beautiful this place is. It will make you feel better about the mess your species has made of things if you can find a way to help. Being in the wild world will make you feel better. I promise you will feel better. Fall in love with the wild world, and you are taking the first step toward saving it.

☆ A Banana Peel Has Made Me Question My Marriage. Who’s Right?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Kwame Anthony Appiah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

What some may view as a minor event has become a real fault line in our marriage. While we were driving recently on the Massachusetts Turnpike and going highway speed in the middle lane, my husband opened the passenger-side window and tossed a banana peel into the road. My husband’s response was that the banana peel would biodegrade, and he said, “I’m an adult, so I’ll do as I want.” I responded that the peel wouldn’t biodegrade on asphalt. — Teresa, New York CityFrom the Ethicist:Tossing that banana peel out of the car window was wrong, for reasons that you expressed at the time, and for others too. The Ethicist agrees with me.”But this isn’t a story about the proper disposal of banana peels; in this matter, your husband is no longer claiming he’s in the right.

☆ Photos capture US special operators landing one of the Air Force's biggest planes on a Wyoming highway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The event helped train the Air Force to use roads in case runways aren't an option. But that didn't stop the US Air Force from using the roads to land several aircraft — including one of its biggest planes. An MQ-9 Reaper with the 2nd Special Operations Squadron lands on Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot near Rawlins, Wyoming, April 30, 2023. Air Force planes — including the MC-130J and Warthog — have landed on stretches of highway in recent years in places like Michigan, Latvia, and Sweden. And the Air Force Special Operations Command has even explored modifications to the MC-130J to allow it to land in water.

☆ A lawyer-turned-fighter codenamed 'Witch' has gained viral fame defending Ukraine as a mortar commander in the fiercest battlefronts of the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar is better known in Ukraine by her callsign "Witch." Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. A baptism of fireJunior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces. Junior Lieutenant mortar platoon commander Olga Bigar of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces.

☆ Opinion | American Road Deaths Show an Alarming Racial Gap
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Adam Paul Susaneck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

The year before, pedestrian deaths reached a 40-year high. Pedestrian and cyclist injuries tend to be concentrated in poorer neighborhoods that have a larger share of Black and Hispanic residents. Roosevelt Boulevard North Philly High Injury Network West Philly 3 miles Percent Black and Hispanic 20 40 60 80% Washington D.C. Oslo and Helsinki, which adopted Vision Zero in the 1990s, recorded zero traffic deaths in 2019, and Helsinki had just two pedestrian deaths in 2021. In Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, pedestrian deaths have actually risen since the adoption of Vision Zero.

☆ Fact Check-Image of Egyptian soldiers running on road dates to at least 2021, is not related to 2023 clashes in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An image of Egyptian soldiers running is being falsely portrayed online as showing them fleeing April 2023 clashes in Sudan. “Egyptian forces escaped Merowi. An online image search reveals that the photo predates the violence. According to Egypt’s State Information Service, the photo shows Egyptian soldiers taking part in cross-country exercise and is unrelated to Sudan (here ). Egyptian authorities say the photo shows soldiers participating in cross-country exercise.

☆ ‘World’s longest’ purpose-built cycling tunnel opens in Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A three-kilometer-long (1.8-mile) cycling and pedestrian tunnel has been blasted through the base of Løvstakken mountain and its makers say it’s the longest purpose-built tunnel of its kind. Ronny Turøy/Bybanen UtbyggingIt takes a little under 10 minutes to whizz through the tunnel by bike and around 40 if strolling by foot. “This makes it more pleasant to use than if one would just walk on asphalt.”The tunnel was constructed in parallel with a new tram line. NCC/Bybanen UtbyggingThe new tunnel came about as a byproduct of Bergen’s second Bybanen tram line, which opened in November 2022. The tram line through the mountain required a parallel evacuation tunnel, so the developers decided to make the new tunnel multipurpose.

☆ The glut of parking spaces in the US is driving up housing costs and hurting the environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Devoting this much land to parking makes housing more expensive and hurts the environment. Removing some of our parking could boost our quality of life, according to a former Google exec. All this parking is a burden on our environment, government budgets, affordable housing, and, ultimately, quality of life, Poskey said. He pointed to onerous parking requirements as a reason for the country's lack of affordable housing. Areas of Plano, Texas; Springfield, Massachusetts; and New Orleans with a mix of commercial buildings and stores accounted for 3% of those cities' land but 40% of their jobs, the Brookings Institution found.

☆ America's Parking Addiction Hurts the Economy, Drives up Housing Costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Jeral Poskey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A society committed to housing and feeding its people will ensure plenty of land is dedicated to homes and farms. According to the builder WGI, the average parking stall in the US costs $27,900 to build, more than the cost of many new compact cars. The money and resources dedicated to parking could be used for other purposes, but breaking our country's reliance on parking has been difficult. Parking accounted for about 27% of per-unit costs, regardless of whether the resident owned a car or not. Better transportation, better land use, better citiesEfforts are underway to finally rid America of its unhealthy devotion to parking.

☆ US firm says Mexican authorities illegally seized its port terminal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A sign reading "Closure" hangs on a fence at the entrance of the limestone mining by Vulcan Materials in Calica, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico May 6, 2022. Mexico's government on Friday ordered a halt to Vulcan Materials, a producer of gravel and crushed stone, citing environmental concerns and provoking the U.S.-based firm to say it will take legal action to restart operations in Playa del Carmen. REUTERS/Paola ChiomanteMEXICO CITY, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. construction materials company Vulcan Materials (VMC.N) said on Monday Mexican security forces illegally took possession last week of its port terminal in southern Mexico, amid an extended lawsuit over its nearby limestone mining activities. It follows a 5-year fight with the Mexican government over Vulcan's concessions punctuated by sharp criticism from the country's president last year. Vulcan declined to say how last week's action was illegal or who is currently in control of its terminal.

☆ EU adopts fresh sanctions to raise pressure on Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We now have the most far-reaching sanctions ever - depleting Russia's war arsenal and biting deep into its economy," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, adding the bloc was turning up the pressure on those trying to circumvent EU sanctions. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned the bloc would continue to pile more sanctions on Moscow. It also imposes tighter export restrictions on another 96 entities for supporting Russia's military and industrial complex, including for the first time seven Iranian entities manufacturing military drones used by Moscow. We expect decisive steps against (Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company) Rosatom & Russian nuclear industry, more pressure on military & banking," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We expect further intensification of pressure and restrictions, especially in the area of the nuclear industry and the activities of Rosatom," Shmyhal said in tweet.

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