The editors of ENR have chosen these 25 individuals for their newsmaking achievements. One of them has already been chosen to receive the Award of Excellence, ENR's highest honor, and will be the subject of a cover story in the magazine's April 23 issue. At great risk, he also climbed high over the gorge to run the cable detensioning operation. As legislative chairman of the Arizona chapter of the American Subcontractors Association, Usher authored a bill enacted by the state of Arizona that requires owners to pay general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers promptly and requires progress payments every 30 days. Now, any contractual variation from the law's strict requirements must be spelled out clearly on every page of contracts and bid documents.
Contractors enjoy a legally protected right to stop work if the law is violated.
The bridge is also the first application in the U.S. of isotensioned ungrouted cables and external helical beads combined with internal dampers to mitigate vibration from wind and rain. He has worked to demonstrate how design professionals help make a safer, more civilized society. As lead scientist for Schlumberger Ltd.'s Ground Penetrating Imaging Radar Project, Oristaglio and his team created software algorithms that simultaneously interpret radar returns from multiple emitters traveling across the ground to generate real-time, 3D images of objects buried to depths of 3 ft. The technique is now being offered as a commercial service. The travel mechanism, conceptually akin to an in-line skate, evenly distributes roof loads over a long distance.