Technical Tours

 Thursday, October 21, 2004 

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
TECHNICAL TOUR: BWI Airport's Expansion Project
During the airport tour, you will be immersed in Baltimore/Washington International Airport's (BWI) unprecedented five-year, $1.8 billion expansion project. Elements of this project still under construction include:
  • New parking garages close to the terminal
  • Expanded main access roads in front of the terminal
  • Three enclosed climate-controlled skywalks connecting garage and terminal
  • Moving sidewalks, providing access from the top level of the garage to the terminal
  • The BWI Smart Park system, an automated parking guidance system
  • A spacious new rental car facility to provide one-stop rental car shopping
  • A newly improved Concourse A to result in 26 new gates
  • Expansion of the terminal width by 10 feet with new window walls, elevators, and escalators/stairways.
Fee: $25.
Sponsored by Parsons Transportation Group Inc.

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
TECHNICAL TOUR: Two Dams — Loch Raven & Druid Lake
The City of Baltimore's Loch Raven Dam is currently in the second year of a three-year rehabilitation project focused on improving structural stability and increasing spillway capacity. This $29 million project includes the placement of 63,000 cubic yards of roller-compacted concrete and 7,000 cubic yards of conventional concrete, replacement of a portion of the 120-inch raw water main, and installation of 58 rock anchors ranging up to 14 inches in diameter.When completed, the dam will be the largest roller compacted concrete dam in Maryland.

The City's Druid Lake has been an important part of the local water distribution system for some 133 years. Recent projects at the lake have included rehabilitation of the Druid Lake Dam and restoration of the historic Moorish Tower. Projects currently underway or envisioned include replacement of the existing chlorination system with a sodium hydroxide disinfection system and evaluation of options required to phase out the use of the lake as an open finished water reservoir.

Tour participants will be transported to the Loch Raven and Druid Lake sites via bus. During the ride, Baltimore City representatives will discuss the City's water treatment system and answer questions.Hard hats are required and shoes appropriate for construction sites are recommended.

Fee: $30.

 Friday, October 22, 2004 

8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Leaving from the Baltimore Engineers Club and both Conference hotels

H&H TECHNICAL TOUR: Thomas Viaduct, Bollman Truss Bridge & B&O Railroad Museum
Sponsored by Century Engineering, Inc.

The Greater Baltimore Region has a rich history in the manufacture and transport of a vast array of goods. With its deepwater port and inland location from the Atlantic, Baltimore was a vital hub for goods' movement throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with roads and railways leading north and south and uniquely west over the Appalachians to the booming frontier. ASCE's 2004 History and Heritage tour will focus on landmark railroad features found in the Greater Baltimore Region. The 704-ft. Thomas Viaduct is the oldest stone arch railroad viaduct in use today.At the time of its construction in 1835, the viaduct was the largest bridge in America and the first built on a curve. Originally designed to carry newly-introduced mechanical steam engines weighing six tons, it now bears engines weighing about 350 tons with no additional reinforcement.

The Bollman Truss was a uniquely American all-iron bridge, introduced in the 1850's and used only by the B&O Railroad. It represents a rare and fascinating type of bridge. Bollman trusses were once common, however only a single two-span example survives, in Savage, MD. That bridge was built in 1869 to carry trains on the railroad's main line. In 1887, it was removed from its original location and reused on a siding that served the Savage Mill.

Baltimore City is home to one of the largest collections of historic rail cars in the nation, housed in the 1830 B&O Railroad Museum. This beautiful roundhouse and a part of the historic collection, were devastated by snowfall in 2003, when the roof collapsed under the wet snow's weight.Our tour will continue to the museum, where restoration of the museum and its collection can be viewed and discussed.

Tour fee: $25.

12:30 PM - 4:00 PM
TECHNICAL TOUR: Seagirt Marine Terminal
The Seagirt Marine Terminal stands as a working monument to the Port of Baltimore's innovative and progressive spirit.Opened in 1990, Seagirt features the latest in cargo-handling equipment and systems. The $220- million terminal's seven 20-story high-speed computerized cranes dominate the port's skyline. These 100-ft. gauge (30.5 m), post-Panamax cranes are among the most productive in the industry, averaging 33 to 35 containers an hour. Three of the cranes feature the latest dual-hoist systems, which lift two containers simultaneously to expedite the loading and discharge of the vessel. Further enhancing Seagirt's efficiency is the adjacent Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, which brings the railhead to within 1,000 ft. of the bulkhead and makes the Seagirt complex the port's intermodal hub. The port's progressive labor-management approach complements Seagirt's advanced equipment, technology, and systems to further its reputation as one of the nation's most productive terminals.

Fee: $30.
Sponsored by Moffatt & Nichol

12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
TECHNICAL TOUR: Tenax Plant
Tenax Corporation is the world's premier geosynthetics manufacturer, with more than 40 years' experience as a plastic extruder. Tenax is well known for the quality and performance of its products, and for providing its customers with time and cost-saving innovations through technological advancements, ever mindful of increased safety and regulatory compliance. Our Tenax Plant tour will consist of a 30-minute presentation on Tenax's innovative geosynthetic products for use in geotechnical, transportation, and environmental applications, followed by a tour the Tenax production plant. There, you will observe the plastic extrusion and lamination processes that result in high-performance drainage products, and have the opportunity to visit the manufacturing quality control laboratory.

Fee: $30.