Tag Archive for: environmental footprint

The Importance of Adopting Green Construction Practices

Sustainability is a hot topic lately; stakeholders across all industries are being compelled to switch their practices to incorporate more “green” practices in the interest of protecting the planet from further pollution and complying with new regulations. The construction industry is no exception; green construction is taking over the sector. Construction firms are adopting green construction practices to ensure that future projects are built sustainably and that cities are cleaner places to live and work.

What is Green Construction?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “green construction is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle.” This includes the design and construction of the building, as well as any future operations, maintenance, and renovations. More and more construction companies are adopting green practices in their building projects. In 2021, 47% of construction companies identified 60% of its projects as green building projects. This represents significant growth, compared to only 27% of construction firms making this claim in 2018.

The environmental benefits of sustainable construction are numerous, including:

  • Enhancing and protecting the ecosystem. Construction zones are notorious for being environmentally hazardous. Implementing green construction practices will help reduce the long-term devastation of ecosystems and their inhabitants.
  • Improving air and water quality. According to the World Green Building Council, the construction industry generates an estimated 39% of the world’s total carbon emissions. Structures built using green construction practices create less pollution than those built using traditional construction tactics.
  • Reducing waste. In a 2018 study, the EPA found that the United States produced over 600 million tons of construction-related waste. Green construction sites produce significantly less waste than traditional construction sites.
  • Conserving and restoring natural resources. These modern buildings utilize natural, renewable energy resources to create electricity. Wind turbines, solar panels, and water pump systems all power these green buildings without creating waste or burning fossil fuels.

Examples of Green Construction

Thankfully, we are seeing more and more green buildings pop up across the globe. These structures are not only striking to look at and great examples of modern architecture, but they are also paving the way for green buildings to be the norm instead of the exception.

Museum of Tomorrow – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This incredible science museum is beautiful to look at and a testament to the future of architecture. The building features adjustable, fin-like solar panels and a revolutionary air-conditioning system that distributes the cold water from Guanabara Bay throughout the building. This all-natural method of providing cool air throughout the building is a great energy saver.

Shanghai Tower – Shanghai, China

The Shanghai Tower is the world’s second-tallest building, measuring 2,073 feet. This building is wrapped in a transparent second layer through which captured air serves as natural ventilation. This innovation, including the 270 wind turbines that power the building’s external lights, significantly reduced energy costs and waste.

CopenHill – Copenhagen, Denmark

This power plant burns waste to generate electricity. Every year, 440,000 tons of garbage is converted into clean electricity and heating for 150,000 nearby homes. In addition to being a green power plant, this building is a sports facility with one of the world’s tallest climbing towers and artificial ski slopes.

The Future is Green

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 represents the largest investment in climate action in U.S. history. This bill directs $370 billion over the next decade to rapidly increase renewable energy production and create significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This will be accomplished by accelerating the production of clean energy, vehicles, buildings, and manufacturing.

Backed by federal funding, states and cities will hopefully continue to turn to more green construction practices in the future.

Durable, Sustainable Bridges

Here at U.S. Bridge, we believe in building bridges that positively affect the community and that will last decades. Construction has a major impact on a country’s environment, including its carbon footprint.

As industry leaders and an AISC-recognized supplier, we work directly with companies around the world—without middlemen—to engineer, manufacture, and construct high-quality steel bridges for every project. Steel is a strong, recyclable, and versatile material that is great for construction.

That’s why we’re proud to offer a wide selection of prefabricated bridges specifically designed for your project.

Contact us for a free estimate, or use our industry-leading Bridgescope tool to begin planning your project now!

President Biden Signs 1.2 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

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On August 10th the Senate passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill intended to invest into America’s economy and roadways. The approval on the 2, 702-page bill came after months of negotiations and deficit concerns. This past Monday, President Biden signed the new bill into law.

The Infrastructure Bill

After passing congress in a 69-30 vote, the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill was later signed into law by President Joe Biden— providing one of the biggest investments in infrastructure in over a decade.

The bill is said to encompass physical structures such as roads, bridges, waterways, and airports. And it includes around $550 billion in new spending, as well as $450 billion in previously approved infrastructure investments.

The idea behind the bills’ spending allocations is to combine the urgent need to fix the country’s deteriorating infrastructure while also tackling long-term goals such as climate change. That’s not all, the hope is that a sequel of the bill will be proposed in later years.

Regardless, the Congressional Budget Office still fears that the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill would increase federal budget deficits. This assessment, however, was rejected by negotiators who argue that the CBO did not adequately consider the revenue the bill would generate.

Estimated Benefits

Aside from greatly improving America’s infrastructure system, another major goal is to greatly boost the economy. The bill proposes around $110 billion to replace and repair roads, bridges, and highways, and $66 billion for passenger and freight rail. This marks the most significant investment into the country’s railways for almost half a century.

An additional $55 billion is intended to repair the U.S. water supply; as well as $65 billion to improve the country’s power grid. A small portion of the bill is devoted to rehabilitating waterways, improving airports, and expanding broadband Internet service.

These surges of construction projects are intended to ensure new jobs across the country and a steady rise in the construction industry.

In Senator Portman’s speech regarding the bill, he stated, “It will improve the lives of all Americans.” And continues with “People do expect here in America, [with] this great economy we have, we should also be able to lead the world in infrastructure. But we don’t.” The hope is that the infrastructure bill will provide the improvements necessary to revamp the country’s infrastructure.

Build with U.S. Bridge

U.S. Bridge is an industry leader and expert with projects and experience all around the world.

Visit our blogs for more information on the construction industry or our services. Get a quote from us for your next bridge project or learn more about our steel bridges. Together, we’ll build a better future for America’s infrastructure.

Why We Use Steel Galvanizing for Bridges

Hot Dip Galvanized

A new bridge is a piece of infrastructure that will serve communities and transportation for decades. They must be built to last with the strongest and most durable materials. With hot-dip galvanizing, U.S. Bridge builds bridges that minimize maintenance and long-term durability regardless of the environment.

We’ve been galvanizing bridges since 1987, and we were the first to hot-dip galvanize an entire welded truss bridge. By bonding zinc to our U.S.-manufactured steel, we’re building long-lasting, reliable bridges with a sustainable process.

The Galvanizing Process

To galvanize steel, thorough cleaning of the steel is absolutely necessary. This is because zinc will only react with clean steel during the hot-dip process. Areas that are not perfectly clean will interfere with the process.

Before the Hot-Dip

Before hot-dip galvanizing, the surface must be prepared. This process includes degreasing, pickling, and fluxing.

Degreasing is the first step in cleansing the steel. It remotes dirt, oils, and organic residue. Next is pickling, which removes the iron oxides and scales from the steel’s surface to expose a bare area for galvanizing. Finally is the fluxing process, which prepares the steel for the hot-dip phase by applying a protective saline layer.

Hot-Dip Galvanizing

After the cleaning process, the steel is immersed in a kettle bath of 85% pure molten zinc at 830° F. The zinc reacts with the iron steel to form metallurgically-bonded coating. Once the steel reaches the bath temperature, the bonding is complete.

Once the steel cools down, an inspection verifies that it conforms to specifications. This includes a visual inspection and a magnetic thickness gauge that measures the coating.

Galvanizing Improves Bridge Life Cycle

The cost of hot-dip galvanized steel is roughly the same as painting a bridge. While a quality paint coat must be touched up, zinc-coated steel does not need maintenance over the bridge’s life.

However, the galvanized steel eliminates corrosion for up to 100 years in many cases. According to one study, the future maintenance of bridges can be reduced by 50% with galvanizing. With galvanized steel, the average service life is 8.5% longer. In fact, at U.S. Bridge, we have a 35-year warranty on our galvanized steel beam bridges — we’re that confident in lasting quality of galvanization.

Environmentally-Friendly

There are several environmental advantages to hot-dip galvanizing, beyond just the financial and durability impact. The key to sustainable construction of bridges is to continually lower the environmental impact of producing products. This is possible with zinc and steel.

Both zinc and steel are two naturally occurring, abundant elements. Ore — which steel is composed of — is the fourth-most abundant element on Earth. Zinc is 24th. Both are infinitely recyclable without the loss of physical or chemical properties. These materials can be used over and over without compromising their integrity.

With less maintenance, galvanizing will also prevent potentially harming environments during maintenance and traffic delays.

Build Sustainable Bridges with U.S. Bridge

In summary, hot-dip galvanizing steel is about the savings on the life-cycle of your bridge and the environmental benefits. With decades of experience in hot-dip galvanizing, we guarantee the highest level of quality in our steel bridge parts.

U.S. Bridge has been serving communities for more than 80 years, building bridges that withstand time. Our bridge experts will advise you on the best option for your bridge. Contact us today and let’s talk about how we can make your bridge project a long-lasting success.

Steel Bridges & Their Impact on the Environment

Steel Bridges & Their Impact on the Environment

The United States has been relying on steel for generations, and with good reason. Lighter in weight than many building materials, steel is affordable and durable, making it a great option for constructing everything from buildings to bridges. However, at U.S. Bridge, we especially appreciate the environmental benefits of steel. Read on to learn about the big benefits associated with building bridges from steel.

Steel Is Recyclable

The environmental benefits of steel include the fact that the material can be recycled with ease. Because of steel’s unique metallurgic properties, it doesn’t degrade over time like other materials. So, the product can be melted down and recycled for other purposes, while adding less waste. In fact, steel is currently the most recycled material on Earth.

Steel Has Economic Benefits

Another reason that steel is a great building material — and an environmentally friendly one — is that it has economic benefits. Builders can put steel constructions and bridges together quickly and affordably because steel weighs less than other materials. The ability to use less expensive equipment and lifts means money is saved in the long run. Municipal governments and communities can then use these funds for other purposes, like environmental conservation.

Steel Is Durable

It’s hard to save money when you’re constantly having to repair the same buildings or bridges. One of the best reasons to use steel for these projects is that it lasts for decades. This means you won’t have to spend valuable taxpayer dollars replacing the same structures again and again. Additionally, steel is a strong material that’s unlikely to be damaged by inclement weather conditions like storms and hurricanes. Steel even holds up well in the event of an earthquake. Because steel components require less maintenance, you can save money on both supplies and labor. The fewer resources needed to maintain steel, the fewer resources required from the environment.

Learn More About Steel Environmental Benefits

At U.S. Bridge, we create a wide array of bridges for communities throughout the nation. Relying on over 80 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing bridges, we take care to ensure our products stand the test of time. To learn more about the environmental benefits of steel, or what we can do for you, call today or contact us online.

Steel, Our Most Sustainable Material

Steel, Our Most Sustainable Material

Steel is one of the most widely utilized building materials for a variety of purposes, including:

  • Commercial and residential building projects
  • Bridges and highway construction
  • Vehicles and household appliances

Fortunately, through decades of innovation, steel has become easier to manufacture; and just as importantly, steel is one of the most recycled and thus sustainable materials in the world.

Why is Sustainability Important?

Sustainable materials don’t deplete non-renewable natural resources during the manufacturing process. This is extremely important since non-renewable resources are only available in finite quantities. The other benefit to preserving non-renewable resources is to maintain the environment’s natural equilibrium.

What Makes Steel Sustainable?

One factor that makes steel a sustainable material is its significant reduction in energy emissions (by approximately 31 percent). One ton of steel now takes one-third less energy to manufacture than it did in 1990. Also, during steel production, carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by 36 percent. Steel is also the most recycled material in the world, with more than 65 million tons recycled per year.

What is Life Cycle Thinking?

The steel industry has committed itself to Life Cycle Thinking. This method of analysis allows the industry to continually examine its environmental impact. Thus, Life Cycle Thinking looks beyond simple eco-friendly practices to understand the impact of steel production on all aspects of daily life. This includes manufacturing, design and production, use and maintenance, disposal and recyclability of waste and components.

Using Recyclable Steel

An estimated 93 percent of steel currently used in construction projects is recycled. Additionally, 98 percent of a building’s steel is recycled back into other steel projects once the building reaches the end of its life-cycle. This recycling happens without any degradation to the quality of the steel, making it a truly reusable resource.

We at U.S. Bridge pride ourselves on building structures that last, without negatively impacting the environment. By working with a sustainable material, like steel, we’re confident that our bridges will be around for decades without leaving much of a carbon footprint.

U.S. Bridge has worked with local and state governments and recently completed a bridge-building project in under 30 days. To discover what our professional team can do for your next project, please contact us today.