What civil engineers are reading this week

• Your 5 most popular Source Technical Notes of the year

  Using drones and AI to improve road maintenance, the most durable concrete mortars, and more: These are the year’s top five Technical Notes based on downloads of related ASCE journal papers.

• Watch a humanoid robot power through an hour of sorting packages

  A mesmerizing video shows a humanoid robot sorting packages, successfully placing various bags and boxes onto a conveyor belt, with the label facing down, without error, for a full hour.

• The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is crumbling, but NYC can’t agree on how to fix it

  The three-level expressway, which opened in 1954, was designed for 50 years of use. The risks only rise by the year as it continues to deteriorate, even as interim measures extend its lifespan.

• Autonomous vehicles are here, and the transition will ‘happen faster than we think’

  Autonomous vehicles offer many benefits, but there are still challenges and skepticism around their adoption. How does it compare to our shift from horses to automobiles more than 100 years ago?

• Pacific Northwest under flood alerts as atmospheric river brings heavy rain

  The Skagit River is predicted to crest at more than 47 feet near the town of Concrete, north of Seattle, by the end of the week.

• AI pioneer and Ohio State engineering dean to be an ASCE2027 keynote speaker

  “I always say, ‘Imagination fuels engineering,’ and engineering is now fueling imagination.” Meet Ayanna Howard, the first of four keynotes coming to the new flagship event, ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience.