[VIDEO] A Sheet of Copier Paper Can Actually Cut a Piece of Wood

August 23, 2016 Shane Hedmond

If positioned the right way, paper is known to give some pretty mean paper cuts, so say to the office tethered thrill seekers of the world. Try to cut wood by running a sheet of paper against it, however, and you’ll end up a mangled piece of paper. But, perhaps we’ve been using paper the wrong way all along. Maybe it’s a metaphor for life, put an object or a person in the wrong situation and get poor results, but put them in the right situation and you’ll reap the rewards.

[VIDEO] How the Connecticut DOT Reduced a 2-Year Bridge Replacement to 28 Days

August 22, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Nobody likes traffic, especially when lane closures and construction are involved. Construction zones are prone to increased accidents, which also put construction workers in extreme danger. The best way to reduce traffic, accidents, and worker injuries is to reduce the on-site schedule, but how do you go about doing that?

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) needed to overhaul its highly trafficked Route 8 in Bridgeport, CT which included several bridges. The bridges, which were built in the 1970s, handled over 88,000 vehicles per day and had degraded to a point that the CDOT determined the bridges had reached the end of their useful life. The original estimated schedule for the bridge overhaul was 2 years, which officials determined would be way too long to displace that amount of traffic, so they looked for alternative methods. In the end, the CDOT opted for a Design-Build concept with Manafort Brothers, Inc. and Parsons Brinkerhoff which would ultimately reduce the total on-site work schedule to two 14-periods over the summer of 2016.

The $35 million project not only used Design-Build to shorten the schedule, but also employed the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) technique. To further reduce the schedule, the ABC method utilized Prefabricated Bridge Units (PBUs), which were large sections of the bridge that were fabricated off site. Once substantial completion of the PBUs was reached, the on-sire work began. Each 14 day period wound up closing one direction at a time, which shifted traffic to the opposite side. The new bridges are close to being complete now, with a finish date set for September 2016 and the DOT is hoping that maintenance of the new bridge will be significantly reduced compared to the old bridge. According to the website set up for the Route 8 construction, the bridge design incorporated “modern weathering steel beams that require no paint or maintenance over their anticipated 75 year lifespan.”

While it’s not quite as fast as this this multi-lane overpass that was removed and replaced in 43 hours in China or this 230 foot long tunnel installed under a highway in the Netherlands in just 3 days, it’s definitely a step in the right direction for improving contractor efficiency and public safety.

You can watch a timelapse video of the demolition of the old bridges and the construction of the new, uploaded to Youtube by CME Associates, below:

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Feb 24, 2021

Crane Collapses on Jobsite in Syracuse, NY, No Injuries Reported

Feb 24, 2021

On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Feb 24, 2021

Feb 2, 2021

[VIDEO] Need to Get Some Heavy Equipment Up a Mountain? Try a Cable Car System

Feb 2, 2021

Remote jobsites with difficult terrain pose some substantial logistical challenges when it comes to getting equipment and materials on site. I’ve seen several different methods used in the past, such as heavy equipment carrying blimps, cargo planes, helicopters, and the Fat Truck, but I recently came across a new method: a cable car.

Feb 2, 2021

Jan 26, 2021

[VIDEO] A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Recent Record Breaker for World’s Tallest Demolition

Jan 26, 2021

In November of last year, the 546 foot tall Mina Plaza in Abu Dhabi officially broke the world record for tallest demolition by explosion, supplanting Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan, which held the record for 22 years.

Jan 26, 2021

Jan 22, 2021

[VIDEO] Helicopter Drops Cooling Tower During Lift to Roof

Jan 22, 2021

If you need to get some heavy mechanical equipment on the roof of your project, you could use a boring old crane – or you could gas up the bird and make that equipment take literal flight. Alright, so cranes aren’t actually boring, but some times a helicopter makes more logistical sense, either because it reduces total lift time or, in some cases, makes economical sense. Either way, there are some important safety precautions to take in case something goes wrong.

Jan 22, 2021

Jan 5, 2021

Top 7 Demolition Videos of 2020

Jan 5, 2021

2020 was a stressful year, so let’s decompress a little bit by reviewing some of the most fun demolition videos from the past year. A demolition that broke a 22 year old record highlights the bunch and I also stretch what the definition of “demolition” is a little bit, because I think the video is so cool. Don’t @ me.

Without further ado, here are the top 7 demolition videos from 2020:

Jan 5, 2021

Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Plant 2020

Dec 7, 2020

[VIDEO] Nuclear Power Plant Site Utilizes 2 of the World’s Largest Cranes, and 55 Other Tower Cranes

Dec 7, 2020

2 years ago, crane manufacturer, Sarens, unveiled what is considered to be the world’s largest crane, by both size and lifting capacity. Big Carl, as the huge crane was nicknamed, began work a few months later on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in England. Now, the jobsite boasts an abundance of crane activity, a true site to behold, and it was captured on aerial footage for you to enjoy.

Dec 7, 2020

Dec 1, 2020

[VIDEO] New World Record For Tallest Building Demolished By Explosives

Dec 1, 2020

Back in 1998, the Hudson Department Store in downtown Detroit, Michigan was demolished by explosives. That building stood 410 feet tall across its 29 floors, making it, at the time, the tallest building to ever be taken down by implosion. The dust cloud covered many city blocks and the 20,000 unsuspecting people that came to watch the event. That record was just recently broken by a building over 100 feet taller than it.

Dec 1, 2020

Nov 11, 2020

[VIDEO] Check Out This Excavator Free Fall Down a Huge Underground Access Shaft

Nov 11, 2020

Excavators aren’t typically meant to be dropped down to a lower level, but certain circumstances require it sometimes. The machines are obviously extremely heavy, so a large crane and proper rigging is required for it to happen safely. As a construction firm in Hong Kong, China recently found out, though, it’s a little tougher than it seems.

Nov 11, 2020

building in shanghai walks to new location.JPG

Nov 4, 2020

[VIDEO] Watch an 85 Year Old, 5 Story Building be Relocated 200 Feet with a ‘Walking Machine’

Nov 4, 2020

Usually, when a new development is going to go into a spot where a building already exists, that existing building gets blown into smithereens and its remaining rubble hauled away. BUT, there is apparently a different way to handle the situation now, which is by politely asking the building to walk away and to find a new home – well, kind of.

Nov 4, 2020

Nov 3, 2020

[VIDEO] CAT Creates Gigantic PAC-MAN Game Played with Remote Controlled Skid Steers

Nov 3, 2020

CAT is no stranger to finding extremely creative and expensive ways to show off their construction equipment. In years past, they’ve created a giant Jenga game with 600 pound blocks and the world’s first moving golf course on the backs of their dump trucks. Now, they’re showing off some of their new technology with the release of the biggest PAC-MAN game you’ve ever seen.

Nov 3, 2020

[VIDEO] Soccer Played with Construction Equipment and Cars Is Really Fun to Watch

August 8, 2016 Shane Hedmond

First, let me formally apologize to our non-American readers for calling the sport Soccer, but, since it is Olympics time, I have to stay loyal to my country. As soccer is the world’s most popular sport, many would argue that no changes need to be made to improve it. Well, a group of people have taken it upon themselves to create a super intense and over-the-top version of the game that I think all of us Construction Junkies will enjoy.

[VIDEO] Simultaneous Demolition of 3 Buildings Creates Enormous Dust Cloud

August 3, 2016 Shane Hedmond

It doesn’t seem like any high rise flat is safe in the UK these days, as another set of them has been demolished to make way for a new housing complex. 6 high rises were demolished simultaneously in Glasgow Scotland last year, another flat in Glasgow was imploded in Glasgow this year, two more in England took several attempts to bring them down in April, and yet another flat was demolished in Glasgow in May, but that video was hilariously ruined by a bus.

[VIDEO] This is What It Looks Like When a Wrecking Ball Hits a Minivan

August 2, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Wrecking balls got a big publicity boost in 2013 when Miley Cyrus released her hit song, but, they’re not really that popular with regards to demolition. Wrecking balls are slowly becoming extinct in the construction industry, making way for more precise hydraulic excavators and explosives. Made of forged steel, wrecking balls typically range between 1,000 to 12,000 pounds. Needless to say, they’re big, they’re heavy, and they don’t belong around operating streets and buildings. Which leads us to the video below…

[VIDEO] Construction Workers Forced to Jump Off 6 Story High Boom Lift That Caught Fire

July 22, 2016 Shane Hedmond

construction workers jump from burning lift

A lot of safety discussions center around how to keep yourself from falling off or being launched from lifts, but not many safety discussions involve how to get off of them when you’re in danger. Just recently, two construction workers in Boise, Idaho had to make some quick decisions as their welding blanket caught fire while they were in the lift.

Watch 16 Million Pounds of Concrete Be Poured for New York’s Gigantic Ferris Wheel

July 11, 2016 Shane Hedmond

The World’s first Ferris Wheel was designed and built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, IL in 1893 by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. Since then, the wheels have been a staple of many state fairs across the United States and many other places throughout the World. Much like tall buildings, the past few years has shown us that having the tallest Ferris Wheel is a strong source of pride for a city or country.

[VIDEO] Wheeled Crane Flips Trying to Remove Water Tower Tank

July 5, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Crane collapses can cause serious injuries and fatalities to construction workers and civilians. That’s why it’s so incredibly important to not only pay attention to the weather, especially high winds, as well as the total load that you’re able to lift. If either of those two things are ignored, disaster can strike.

[Timelapse] Watch 5 Years’ Worth of the Panama Canal Expansion in Under 3 Minutes

June 30, 2016 Shane Hedmond

The Panama Canal has been undergoing a 5.5 billion dollar expansion project since March of 2011 and has finally officially opened, as of Sunday, June 26, 2016. The mega project included a new, third set of locks, which lift passing ships up and down the differing elevations of the Canal; a new Pacific access channel, which required the excavation of roughly 65 million cubic yards (50 million cubic meters); a navigation channel improvement; and improvements to the water supply.

[VIDEO] Historic Riviera Casino in Las Vegas Imploded After Fireworks Show

June 17, 2016 Shane Hedmond

Las Vegas knows how to throw a party, even for an old rundown building in its last few seconds on Earth. The city can’t just demolish a historic casino with some boring old explosives, they have to put on an epic fireworks show beforehand with a 10 seconds countdown made out of fireworks. That’s right, there’s so much entertainment in that city that a normal implosion isn’t good enough for them. We don’t mind though, the video below had our eyes peeled for 5 minutes.