Greetings ASCE Corpus Christi members,
As the 2021-2022 year draws to a close, I would like to thank the ASCE Corpus Christi Branch members, sponsors, and Board of Directors for making this year a success! It has been an honor and privilege to have served as President alongside an amazing group of professionals. Thank you for entrusting me to serve you all and for allowing me to learn and grow as an individual and professional. My involvement with ASCE will not end here and I look forward to what is to come.
I am proud of all the things that the group was able to accomplish this year during unprecedented times. Over the last year, the Branch was able to have its first in person meeting since the pandemic began, a new mentorship program for students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville to tour local engineering companies was started, a very successful Joint Meeting took place at the Del Mar College FEMA Dome, a very active Younger Members group was reinstated, and the branch’s social media presence on Instagram was started. These are just a few of many wonderful things that come to mind in addition to the branch meetings.
To top things off, last Saturday, June 25, 2022 the Corpus Christi Branch ended the year with an exciting field trip to SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to visit a facility with the leading edge in the aerospace industry. I would like to thank Justin De La Rosa, Vice-President, and all of our sponsors for taking action and leading this initiative.
I would like to request feedback on your experience over the past year. It is always great to receive constructive criticism on how we can better serve our members from topics, presenters, venue, food, what you liked, and what you disliked. Please let me know and I will pass this on to your new leadership for consideration and to improve your experience.
The Corpus Christi Branch election ballot will be sent out soon. If you are interested in getting involved in the Corpus Christi Branch, please reach out to me at VMurillo@hanson-inc.com.
Stay safe, cool, and have a great summer! I cannot wait to see what the new year brings to all. You are all in great hands and I look forward to continuing to see the Corpus Christi Branch doing amazing things.
Victor E. Murillo, P.E.
President
Corpus Christi Branch
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2021-2022 Branch Sponsors |
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Thank you to our current Branch Sponsors
Please consider Sponsoring the ASCE Corpus Christi Branch.
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A FEW FACTS ABOUT THE OFFSHORE INDUSTRY &
COASTAL BEND CONTRIBUTIONS
The birth of the modern offshore oil & gas industry dates back to 1947, when the first well drilled beyond sight of land in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) began producing. This Kerr-McGee well was located 10-1/2 mi. from the Louisiana shoreline in 18-ft. of water. The industry focus in the ensuing decades was directed toward developing reserves farther out on the continental shelf in progressively deeper water. Increasingly demanding environmental conditions drove innovation in structural design and other related technologies.
While the early days of offshore were primarily Louisiana-based, Texas eventually entered the picture. By the 1970s as production moved into deepwater (over 400-ft.), the Coastal Bend was poised to make significant contributions to construction history. By the mid-1970s large offshore fabrication yards were built in the Aransas Pass area by Brown & Root, ETPM (French contractor), and Chicago Bridge & Iron.
After establishing themselves as significant contributors to offshore construction, these yards excelled at fabricating some world-class structures. Brown & Root built Exxon’s “Lena” guyed tower, which was installed in 1983. A square jacket 1,078-ft. tall and weighing 27,000-tons, it differed from normal fixed offshore platforms in that it was “compliant”: designed with cable stays to sway with wave action.
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Photo by W.A. Hayes
Exxon’s “Lena” guyed tower is shown under construction in Brown & Root’s Harbor Island yard. This platform produced for 35-yrs. before being toppled-in-place in 2020 to create a new reef site under the Minerals Management Service (MMS) “Rigs to Reefs Program”. This is the tallest jacket in the Gulf of Mexico to become an artificial reef.
The ETPM and Chicago Bridge & Iron yards were eventually acquired by Gulf Marine Fabricators (GMF). Between 1985 and 1988 GMF constructed Shell’s “Bullwinkle” platform, which was installed in 1,356-ft. of water in the Gulf. The jacket weighed 49,375-tons. “Bullwinkle” was the recipient of ASCE’s 1989 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) award.
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Photo by Lanmon Photography
The Bullwinkle jacket is shown being loaded on a launch barge for transport to Green Canyon Block 65. At the time it was the second tallest object on earth to be moved to another position.
Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc. separated from Aker Gulf Marine in 2001 and constructed a new 555-ac. facility on the La Quinta Channel near Ingleside. Kiewit Offshore Services specializes in integrating hulls and topsides, utilizing its unique Heavy Lifting Device (HLD). With a rated capacity of 11,000-tons, the HLD is the largest onshore lifting device in the Western Hemisphere.
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Photo by Vernon A. Wuensche
Pictured above is a June 2002 Corpus Christi Branch field trip to the Kiewit Offshore Services facility near Ingleside. Since that time Kiewit has grown to be a fabrication leader of topsides, living quarters, jackets, subsea components, piles, and tendons and has delivered some of the largest offshore projects in the world.
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Photo by Brian Bresler
Shown above is the earth-bound group that toured SpaceX Brownsville on Saturday, June 25, 2022. This image was captured after the tour, in a corner of the Starbase facility known as the “Rocket Garden” where retired ships are displayed. After a charter bus ride from Corpus Christi, attendees were separated into smaller groups led by SpaceX tour hosts. It was a truly fascinating look behind the scenes at all facets of the rocket building process!
The group saw many fantastic sights at the Boca Chica Beach production facility and test site, from various components of the Starship system being manufactured to assembly of the reusable rockets. One thing they did NOT see was a launch, as shown in the SpaceX gallery photo above. The most recent launch from Starship Starbase was Starship Serial Number 15 (SN15) on May 5, 2021. Here is a link to watch a 16-min. video of the high altitude test flight: https://visitbtx.com/spacex/
Many thanks go to the generous sponsors of this event, who are recognized on the banner!
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Corpus Christi Developments |
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Five-Year Infrastructure Management Plan Amended
Amended IMP to Account for Additional Funding and Reprogram Streets for Efficiency
May 24, 2022
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – At today's regularly scheduled business meeting, City Council approved an ordinance amending the FY2022-2026 Infrastructure Management Plan (IMP) to account for the repurposing of $4.49 million in older unspent Bond funds. The IMP planned a five-year maintenance schedule for street projects and was first used as a business and communications tool in FY 2021.
Corpus Christi City Council recently approved the reappropriation of $4.4 million in reconciled unspent Bond 2008, 2012, and 2016 funds to accelerate 15 streets up to the FY 2023 Residential Street Reconstruction Plan (RSRP). The funds have been divided equally between all five City Council districts.
This resolution approves three-block amendments to the City’s Adopted FY 2022-2026 Five-Year Infrastructure Management Plan. The proposed amendments are:
A. Accelerating a total of 15 street reconstruction projects to the FY 2023 RSRP using the Council-approved $4.4 million in reconciled Bond funding.
B. Exchanging one street maintenance project planned in the FY 2022 Street Preventative Maintenance Plan (SPMP) for a similar street maintenance project planned for FY 2023 SPMP project due to construction scheduling conflicts with the Marina’s piers A, B, C, D & L replacement project.
C. Exchanging a total of two FY 2022 In-House Pavement Rehabilitation projects for one FY 2025 In-House Pavement Rehabilitation project of comparable repair cost due to overwhelming community outreach and subsequent support for concurrence of planned street maintenance work for a higher priority community project.
For more information, please call Sr. Public Information Officer Melanie Lowry at 361-826-3837 or by email at melaniel@cctexas.com.
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1) Texas Civil Engineer Updates
Do you know any student or professional members of ASCE Texas Section that deserve to be highlighted in an upcoming membership article? Please send their name (and email if you have it) to share@TexASCE.org so we can get in touch with them.
Also, did you know ASCE Texas Section’s Editorial Committee regularly procures and publishes a variety of technical articles? A recent one we thought you shouldn’t miss is the May 2022 article, “Quake Stricken in Texas", written by Melinda Luna PE (ASCE Texas Section History & Heritage Committee Chair). Never miss an update by subscribing for monthly content releases at www.texasce.org/news/.
2) 2022 Leadership Development Weekend Save the Date
Join us this summer for Leadership Development Weekend 2022, a two-day, invitation-only workshop. Select ASCE Branch and Section leaders are invited to join us in Fort Worth this July 22-24! Interested in attending? Reach out to your Branch President today to get more information!
3) ASCE Texas CECON 2022 Save the Date
ASCE Texas Section’s CECON Planning Committee is pleased to announce that the 2022 Texas Civil Engineering Conference (CECON) will be held in person this September 14-16 at the Embassy Suites, Dallas / Frisco Hotel, and Convention Center. This event focuses on speakers and technical seminars related to A Unified Community.
We have a lot in store for the CECON 2022 program including spirited keynote speakers, our annual Texas Legislative Panel, engineering and construction industry panels, the latest innovative technical presentations, exhibitors made up of Texas civil engineers & suppliers, and the presentation of ASCE Texas Section’s 2022 awards during the CECON Gala. There will be plenty of opportunities for networking and relationship building at this year’s in-person event. The CECON Planning Committee is looking forward to hosting you and providing you with a top-notch experience that will be safe and comfortable for all our attendees.
By joining us at CECON 2022 as an attendee, collaborator, exhibitor, speaker, or sponsor, you also support the ASCE Texas community with offerings like the annual Student Symposium, Texas Infrastructure Report Card, ASCE Texas Legislative Drive-In, Leadership Development Weekend, Texas Civil Engineer magazine, and much more.
4) Upcoming Webinars
a) Series on Geotechnical & Environmental Considerations for various civil engineering projects presented by David Eastwood PE, D.GE, DFE, C.A.P.M., F.FPA, F.ASCE from Geotech Engineering & Testing.
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The ASCE community is a talented group of individuals. Let's help enrich our own community.
Looking for a job? Or have a job you are trying to fill? Tell us about it.
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Company: Halff Associates, Inc.
Job Postings: Civil Engineering positions and a Survey/Geospatial (RPLS) position
Info: Halff has multiple openings in the civil engineering team, including Graduate and Project Manager, and the survey/geospatial team in Corpus Christi, TX. Each team is involved in projects within the public works, site development, industrial development, and other general civil engineering practices. The survey/geospatial team also performs work in the transportation, utility, energy, and land surveying practices. If you’re looking for a place to get your start or build your career, Halff has a lot to offer. For Details click here.
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Company: Mott MacDonald
Job Postings: Civil Project Manager, Senior Civil Project Manager, and Coastal Project Manager
Info: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management and development consultancy. Our purpose is to improve society by considering social outcomes in everything we do, relentlessly focusing on excellence and digital innovation, transforming our clients’ businesses, our communities and employee opportunities. Mott MacDonald is currently looking for a Civil Project Manager and Senior Civil Project Manager for our Corpus Christi, TX location. We are also looking for a Coastal Project Manager for our Corpus Christi, TX & Austin, TX locations. Mott MacDonald puts equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. Read more about each position here.
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The American Society of Civil Engineers was founded in 1852. In the early development of the engineering profession, there were only two types of engineers, those engaged in military work and those in civilian construction. That distinction brought the term "civil engineer" into being, and it was in 1852 that twelve-men engaged in civilian engineering in New York City banded together to form the American Society of Civil Engineers and Architects. Later, in 1869, "Architects" was dropped from the name as the architects had formed their own society (AIA) in 1857. Although the Boston Society of Civil Engineers was formed in 1848, ASCE was the first national engineering society. In later years, as more and more specialization developed in the engineering profession, other national engineering societies were formed. Then in 1934 the National Society of Professional Engineers was founded to represent all branches of the engineering profession. |
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Texas Civil Engineers are leaders in their communities, building a better quality of life across streets and around the world. |
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