What civil engineers are reading this week

• Fred the Tree: Mascot of an abandoned Florida Keys bridge

  The original Seven Mile Bridge, built for rail in 1912, converted to a highway later, and abandoned in 1982, has sections now used by pedestrians, cyclists – and a hardy, friendly evergreen tree.

• Design-build firm ‘off-ramped’ from Baltimore’s Key Bridge rebuild

  Over differences in cost estimates, the Maryland Transportation Authority informed Kiewit that it would not be retained for the next phase of the project’s construction.

• USGS launches nationwide tool to assess water availability and demand across watersheds

  The U.S. Geological Survey introduces its first nationwide platform designed to help water planners evaluate whether current and future water needs can be met.

• The end of gas pain? Oregon launches nation’s first road-user charge

  The Beaver State is moving from pilot to adoption, but the degree of public acceptance remains unclear.

• Emails can set legal standard of care for design-builders

  A court rules that a design-builder breached the standard of care based on a statement in an email. Here’s how seemingly routine communications can create legal risk – and how to protect yourself.

• ASCE president-elect nominee for 2027 sees Society at ‘an inflection point’

  “Our members are navigating unprecedented demands” in their careers, says 2028 ASCE president-to-be Rossana D’Antonio, who sees the challenges as opportunities. Hear her vision for ASCE.