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Projects Receive Funding

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced funding for several upcoming highway projects.

In Iowa, a portion of Interstate 80 in Johnson County that was originally constructed in 1963 will be rebuilt. The work is part of a broader, five-year project that will see a 7.3-mile stretch of I-80 widened and rebuilt.

Iowa will also receive funding toward improvements of Edgewood Road in Cedar Rapids. The project will eliminate two at-grade rail crossings and improve access to Eastern Iowa Airport.

In Minnesota, a new highway known as U.S. Highway 212 has received a $2.9 million boost from the DOT. U.S. 212 is an 18-mile freeway in the Twin Cities area. Part of the road has been completed, while the right-of-way and other work is underway or planned for the rest of the highway. The entire project is expected to cost $175 million.

Stretches of road that will receive funding and will be recognized as Scenic Byways have also been announced by the U.S. DOT.

BASF Material Uses Nylon 6

BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J., is touting the recyclability of a new nylon fiber known as Savant. "BASF’s Savant...provides an important step in cradle-to-cradle recycling for the carpet industry," says architect and designer William McDonough, a building materials sustainability advocate.

Savant is a natural Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF) nylon product created by BASF to exceed the researched requirements of the design and specifying community, according to the company. A recent version of Savant introduces "a regular dye Savant fiber with 90 percent recycled content," says Ian Wolstenholme, sales and marketing manager for BASF’s Carpet Products. "This new fiber contains certified 50 percent post-consumer and 40 percent post-industrial recycled content, and it meets the stringent requirements of BASF’s performance certifications programs."

McDonough hopes the carpet can help keep the momentum going for carpet recycling. "Savant is made of nylon six, a polymer that is easily and continuously recyclable into fiber of equal or better value," he remarks. "BASF has the infrastructure in place to close the loop for their nylon six, allowing it to flow as a true technical nutrient in a sustainable fiber system."

Spring storm and flood damage throughout the U.S. has resulted in the federal Department of Transportation issuing several emergency repair funding allotments. The grants are indicative of increased spring activity for road building contractors and their subcontractors because of severe weather.

"By restoring damaged roadways, we can help local communities to fully recover from natural disasters," remarks U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.

The $105 million in emergency relief funds reimburse the state for damage repair work that has already been completed. Among the recipients were $21 million to Arkansas for repairs resulting from its 2000 ice storm and $15.3 million to the state of Washington for damages from an earthquake near Nisqually that occurred in February of 2001.