In 1851, over 800 abandoned ships filled San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Cove; some were turned into hotels, salons, churches, while others became museum relicsBeneath San Francisco’s bustling streets lies a forgotten maritime past. During the Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of fortune seekers arrived...
15 Sep, 2026, 08.25 PM IST
In 2024, engineers turned 140,000 coffees’ worth of used grounds into concrete; the 30-cubic-metre footpath saved more than 3 tons of sandCoffee concrete: Spent coffee grounds were transformed into biochar for a Pakenham footpath project. This innovation replaced river sand, d...
12 Sep, 2026, 09.15 PM IST
Maine buried 20,000 old tires beneath a road and they helped against frost damage. Now engineers are exploring them for walls, highways and moreIn an innovative engineering experiment, shredded tires were utilized in road construction, effectively tackling both durability and tire w...
09 Sep, 2026, 08.02 PM IST
In 2024, Arizona engineers used 100% recycled glass to widen 23 miles of Interstate 17 at 19 sites, protecting concrete culverts built for a narrower highwayInstead of adding heavy soil and stone above aging concrete drainage structures, engineers used ultra-lightweight foam glass made from recy...
09 Sep, 2026, 07.30 PM IST
Nearly 300 tonnes of unwanted glass were headed for the landfill. Idaho used them to build a highway instead and solved a local landfill crisisEngineers have ingeniously repurposed discarded glass as a foundation material for highways, utilizing around 300 tonnes of crushed glass c...
09 Sep, 2026, 07.28 PM IST
In 1990, Waupaca Foundry supplied 20,000 tons of used sand for a Wisconsin highway pilot project. 12 years later, its next contract called for 80,000 tons for Highway 10A highway in Wisconsin became an unexpected test ground for recycled industrial sand. In 1990, Waupaca Foundry supplied about 20,000 tons o...
08 Sep, 2026, 11.09 PM IST
Pennsylvania used 5,570 tons of shredded tires in the Tarrtown Bridge approaches; project estimated to save about $514,000Discarded tires are being creatively transformed into lightweight aggregate for use in road construction. This innovative method not only a...
08 Sep, 2026, 01.40 PM IST
In 1999, NYSDOT used about 2,500 metric tons of shredded tires in a Route 17 embankment; the 200-metre section was built as part of a Broome County road reconstruction projectEngineers in New York have pioneered an innovative solution by using shredded tires as fill for highway embankments. This dual-purpose init...
05 Sep, 2026, 03.20 PM IST
Mary Kathleen’s uranium town still had 212 homes when its mine closed in 1982; the company settlement was dismantled and auctioned off in 1983Mary Kathleen was once a thriving community centered around a uranium mine in Queensland, complete with schools, a cinema, and numerous hom...
05 Sep, 2026, 03.10 PM IST
In 1972, Illinois built a highway embankment with 246,000 cubic yards of coal ash. It’s still holding up even after 50 yearsIn 1972, a groundbreaking highway project in Illinois incorporated coal fly ash as a structural fill, challenging traditional practices. Th...
04 Sep, 2026, 09.46 PM IST
In 1989, Kentucky engineers built a 750-foot road base using about 80 tons of ponded fly ash; the 11% ash section was reported to perform well against the conventional controlAn experimental road base in Kentucky utilized coal plant residue in 1988. Fly ash has been a federal construction material since the 1970s...
04 Sep, 2026, 01.10 PM IST
In 2000, California packed 6,627 tons of shredded tires beneath Dixon Landing Road; the lightweight fill saved an estimated $477,000In Milpitas, California, an innovative on-ramp has been constructed using shredded tires as a lightweight fill material. This eco-friendly ...
02 Sep, 2026, 06.40 PM IST
In 1913, lead turned Picher, Oklahoma, from farmland into a town of about 14,000; by 2010, only 20 residents remained, and chat piles covered parts of Ottawa CountyPicher, a small town in northeast Oklahoma, transformed into a mining hub after the lead and zinc discovery in 1913. However, this rapid gr...
01 Sep, 2026, 02.40 PM IST
In Maine, engineers turn about 1 million scrap tires a year into lightweight highway fill; the shredded rubber stabilizes embankments built on weak marine clayInnovatively transforming shredded tyres into construction materials for highway embankments, Maine tackled substantial waste tyre pileup w...
31 Aug, 2026, 02.25 PM IST
ET World Leaders Forum 2026: Our reform express will move forward at even greater speed, says PM ModiBuilding on the theme of Shared Futures for the ET World Leaders Forum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the future of every country is in...
24 Aug, 2026, 01.25 PM IST
Maharashtra govt forms panel to tackle Chakan industrial belt’s infrastructure crisisMaharashtra government formed a high-level panel to resolve infrastructure issues in Chakan. Companies threatened relocation due to pothole...
17 Aug, 2026, 08.37 AM IST
In 1999, Oregon shipped a 1,000-ton nuclear reactor vessel 270 miles up the Columbia river, then buried it in WashingtonOregon's Trojan Nuclear Power Plant reactor vessel traveled 270 miles up the Columbia River. This massive 907-metric-ton vessel was then tr...
11 Aug, 2026, 10.27 PM IST