What civil engineers are reading this week

• California rejects desalination plant in Huntington Beach

  Despite the promised 50 million gallons of water per day, the California Coastal Commission decided it wasn’t worth the risk to both sea life and residents’ water bills.

• 6 months in, 4,300 infrastructure projects are underway

  The White House says the roads, bridges, and other projects are laying “a foundation for tremendous growth into the future.”

• Can gravity batteries solve our energy storage problems?

  A cutting-edge technology that harnesses one of the universe's fundamental forces could help solve our energy storage challenge.

• World’s longest suspension footbridge opens in Czech Republic

  The Skybridge 721 is the world’s longest suspension footbridge, spanning more than 2,300 feet between two mountain ridges.

• COVID brings 'unprecedented crisis upon the public transportation industry'

  A new report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials provides a snapshot of the transit issues caused by the pandemic.

• More states want power to approve wetlands development

  In 2020, Florida became just the third state to take over management of a federal Clean Water Act program that decides whether companies can dredge and fill wetlands and waterways.