By Sam Boykin

Blythe Construction Inc. will put up $20 million to help fund the start of a long-awaited NCDOT project that will ultimately complete the Charlotte Outer Loop Interstate in northeast Mecklenburg County.

The deal, which Gov. Bev Perdue announced during a Charlotte press conference yesterday, is an unusual one. As described in detail in a story in a March 23 story in The Mecklenberg Times, it uses a mechanism called design/build/finance, the first time such a model has been used in North Carolina.

“It’s a new tool in our toolbox,” Perdue said yesterday at the Metrolina Traffic Management Center on Tipton Drive.

Under the traditional model, the state awards contracts separately for design and construction of a highway, and those steps occur sequentially. Under design/build, one contract is awarded for both functions, which allows teams to design and build simultaneously and finish projects sooner. In this case, Blythe Construction, headquartered in Charlotte, has partnered with Wilbur Smith Associates, a design firm in Raleigh.

NCDOT has used design/build on about 35 projects in North Carolina over the past 14 years, including the widening of I-77 and I-485 in Charlotte, said Rodger Rochelle, Director of NCDOT’s Transportation Program Management Unit.

But this is the first time the state agency has added a financial component, in which the contractor puts up a portion of the project cost. As the General Assembly in the future appropriates money for urban loops, the state will reimburse the contractors’ share, with interest.

The $139.5 million project will consist of constructing a multilevel interchange at I-485 and I-85 and will complete the loop.

Jim McBryde, Blythe Construction vice president, said yesterday that while his company has made arrangements to borrow its $20 million portion of the project if necessary, “our intent is to self-finance the money.”

Perdue said that of the four companies short-listed for the project, Blythe submitted the lowest bid. She credited North Carolina Secretary of Transportation Gene Conti, who was also at the press conference, with helping put together the unique deal.

“Traditional highway trust funds are not enough to fund North Carolina’s highway and road projects,” she said. “Conti helped us figure out a new model for the 21st century.”

The new financing component establishes terms that give the NCDOT time beyond the construction period to pay back the contractor.

McBryde said Blythe Construction expects to start work on the project next June and finish by December 2014. During peak construction, about 150 employees will be at work. The state will pay the contractor about 85 percent to 89 percent of the total cost of the contract during this time and will make the remaining payments throughout 2015.

Conti said this allows the project to be contracted and built in a competitive construction environment in way that will save taxpayers an estimated $25 million. He also said it will help accelerate the project by three to five years.

NCDOT I-485 CHARLOTTE OUTER LOOP PROJECT

The I-85/I-485 interchange is actually three related projects combined into one package. The first is completion of the remaining five miles of the I-485 loop ($185 million); the second is the widening of I-85 into Cabarrus County ($200 million); and the third is the interchange to connect I-485 with I-85 ($155 million), for a total cost of $540 million. Two of projects rely on the design/build/finance model, while the widening of I-85 is simply design/build.

Rodger Rochelle, director of NCDOT’s Transportation Program Management Unit, said that separating the project into three smaller jobs increases the number of contractors that can do the work and obtain financing.

It also increases competition among contractors and produces lower bids. Rochelle said the NCDOT expects to open bids for the three projects this summer, and begin construction by next spring. The plan accelerates construction of the loop by about five years, with completion of all phases scheduled by 2015.

The interchange will be the final link in the Charlotte Outer Loop. Construction on the outer loop started in 1988, and when completed will be approximately 67 miles, said Jen Thompson, NCDOT public information officer.

According to NCDOT’s analysis, the beltway, parts of which have eight travel lanes, will accommodate more than 130,000 vehicles per day by 2035. The outer loop connects to several major highways, including I-77, NC 16, NC 115 and US 74.

Courtsey of Mecklenburg Times

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Steve Jobs promised us the iPad would change our lives, and while it hasn’t been all things to all people – what about that front-facing camera, Steve? – the beauty of such a device is that developers (to the extent that Apple will allow them, anyhow) are free to get as creative as they want with the device. Just ask Merlin the bottlenose dolphin. He loves the iPad, and thanks to a symbol-based human-dolphin communication interface being developed for the iPad’s ample touchscreen, he could one day be able to tell you so himself.

The program, being developed by a non-profit called Speak Dolphin at Dolphin Discovery’s swim facility in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico, is being tested on both the iPad and a Panasonic Toughbook. Merlin, a two-year-old bottlenose, uses his rostrum (that’s his elongated beak) to operate the touchscreen, learning to associates symbols with objects.

Researchers think once Merlin gets the hang of using the touchscreen to associate objects, he’ll be able to learn a kind of symbolic language to express more intangible ideas, like actions or even emotions. Of course, this dolphin-human interface requires some other more basic technology beyond the program, like anti-glare screens that Merlin can better see and waterproofing tech that keeps him from ruining his favorite status symbol.

^{But what’s starting out as rudimentary symbol association on a touchscreen could potentially provide a way for humans to communicate quickly and efficiently, if at a very basic level, with the more intelligent species with which we share the planet. Add “Dog Whisperer” to the list of apps we’d like to see hit the store in coming years.}

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BY Ariel SchwartzMon May 24, 2010

 

A month after oil started gushing from BP’s ruptured Gulf well, we’re officially witnessing a fishery disaster, BP refuses to use less toxic chemical dispersants, and oil is sinking into Louisiana’s shores–with horrifying results.

CNN reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has closed almost 20% of all commercial and recreational fisheries as a result of the spill, and now U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has declared a fisheries disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama–a move that lets the federal government send in extra resources to help with cleanup. No word on how much cash will be offered or when the government plans to provide funds.

In the meantime, oil is still gushing into the Gulf unabated, and BP continues to try every far-fetched solution it can think of. Next up is the “Top Kill” approach, which involves pumping drilling mud into the leaking pipe and sealing it with cement. BP estimates that the approach, expected to start on Wednesday, has a 60% to 70% chance of success–but we’ll only be satisfied when we see this thing work. If the Top Kill approach fails, don’t be surprised if the federal government steps in.

BP may be racing to plug the leak, but the tarnished oil giant doesn’t seem to care about the environmental impact of the spill. The EPA ordered BP to scale back on the amount of Corexit (a toxic chemical dispersant) it uses in the spill, but BP refuses. In a statement, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson expressed her concerns: “We are still deeply concerned about the things we don’t know. The long-term effects on aquatic life are still unknown and we must make sure that the dispersants that are used are as non-toxic as possible.” So why won’t BP let up? Dispersants keep oil away from the ocean surface–and away from the prying eyes of the public. As these images from the Big Picture demonstrate, that effort at secrecy isn’t exactly working.

But while reporters are having a difficult time gaining access to the spill sites, crowdsourcing will hopefully ensure that every little detail of this disaster is recorded. The Oil Reporter iPhone app called allows users to record audio and video of the spill and provide info on emergency situations. Urgent submissions go straight to CrisisCommons, an organization working to crowdsource disaster response.

On the morbid side of things, gambling website PaddyPower.com is taking bets on spill-related extinctions. The New York Times reports that Kemp’s ridley turtle looks most likely to go first, while species like the gulf sturgeon, smalltooth sawfish, and elkhorn cora are less likely to disappear. PaddyPower seems to be flip about the whole thing, but the site serves as a startling wake-up call–yes, this spill might be so bad that entire species die out as a result.

 Read more about the Gulf Oil Spill

Got information on the spill you want to share? Email us at oil@fastcompany.com. It’ll go directly to the lead reporter and editor on these stories, and they’ll assume all initial communication to be strictly confidential.

Ariel Schwartz can be reached on Twitter or by e-mail.

^{Call Rod Potter today at (704)840-4137 if you looking to buy or sell a home.}

14 ways to save when dining out

1.Slash your everyday expenses. Think one less specialty coffee, soft drink and candy bar a week.

2. Keep your eyes open for new restaurants in town. They typically offer grand opening specials.

3. Check your local newspapers for advertisements of lunch and dinner specials, early bird specials; look for coupons, too.

4. Take advantage of the chambers of commerce and visitors centers — even in your own town. You’ll find great restaurant discount coupons.

5. Limit eating lunch out; try brown bag lunches.

6. Do lunch instead of dinner. Lunch menus usually offer the same entrees as dinner, just smaller portions and a smaller check.

7. Dine out during the week rather than on the weekends. Often the menu prices climb over the weekend.

8. Go vegetarian. Vegetarian entrees are usually less expensive than ones made with meat.

9. Go ethnic. Some ethnic foods are better bargains than others. You can get a lot of food for the money in Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Thai restaurants.

10. Dine early. Many restaurants offer specials before 6 p.m. It’s perfect for making a show on time or for parents who need to make an early night of it.

11. Share an entrée or stick with the appetizer menu. Many restaurants serve portions that are too large for one person to finish.

12. The markup on alcoholic beverages in restaurants is high. Instead of having a drink with dinner, have a glass of wine or some brandy after you get home.

13. Have a candlelight dinner at home, and then go out for coffee and dessert.

14. Instead of eating in a restaurant, order out! It’s customary to tip a few dollars to the delivery person, but not as much as at a restaurant, where the usual tip is 15 percent to 20 percent.

^{Call Rod Potter today at (704)840-4137 if you looking to buy or sell a home.}

32 ways to save when grocery shopping

1. Trim your food bill by as much as 19 percent simply by shopping at a couple of different stores.
2. Don’t “crisis cook.” Shopping after work for the day’s dinner gets expensive. Plan a weekly menu before shopping and watch your grocery bill shrink.
3. Don’t waste money on prepared foods. Instead, prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them, or double a recipe when cooking, and freeze the second for a hectic day coming up.
4. Don’t be fooled by familiar products, such as cereal, that have decreased package sizes while keeping prices constant, the food industry’s latest response to rising costs.
5. Take the farmer’s market approach: Buy produce that’s fresh, inexpensive and in season. With less middlemen involved, you get good buys and your family gets the freshest food.
6. The highest markup items on the shelves are at about chest level. Reach up or kneel down to select the cheaper house or generic brands.
7. A grocery store’s main aisles, like the paths to milk and bread, are usually strewn with high-priced land mines. Avoiding those pricey areas will really help.
8. Try to shop when you’re alone. Those little helpers can quickly boost your bill.
9. Shop early in the day. You get through the store faster with your list and spend less.
10. Avoid shopping for food when you’re hungry; you’ll buy more.
11. Don’t grocery shop when you’re tired, you’ll buy more sweets, more high-carbohydrates. When you’re angry you go for crunch food, the junk food.
12. Buy on the markdowns and save as much as 20 percent.
13. Read your newspaper’s weekly food section for local grocery sales and menu ideas.
14. Clip coupons. You’ll also find coupons in women’s and general-interest magazines.
15. Scout coupon swap-boxes, generally found at (surprise!) supermarkets, but also at some public libraries.
16. Take advantage of in-store coupon displays and the machines that spew them.
17. Log on to your supermarket’s online home page for coupons.
18. Call the toll-free numbers on your favorite products’ labels and tell the customer-service rep how much you enjoy them. Some reps will offer cents-off (or even free) coupons for the product itself; if not, ask.
19. Nab a newsie. Does your newspaper vendor just dump the inserts in unsold papers at the end of the day? If so, would he mind tossing a few your way?
20. Check out the wealth of national-brands coupon-offering services on the Web. They can save you money — even the ones that charge nominal fees.
21. Seek out supermarkets that will double — some super stores even triple — the face value of manufacturers’ coupons.
22. Try for triple plays. That’s when you use a manufacturer’s coupon and a store’s own coupon.
23. Some retailers guarantee that if the item doesn’t ring up at the correct price, you get it for free or at a discount. Pay attention to the details.
24. Avoid purchasing nongrocery items, such as painkillers, contact lens solution, etc., at a grocery store. You usually pay more.
25. Always get a rain check if a sale item is gone.
26. Know when your store marks down goods that expire, like meat and bread. The deal: Use them that night or freeze them.
27. Check your store for a small section where they discount products that aren’t as popular as the manufacturer had hoped. This area can be a gold mine for bargains.
28. Shop with a calculator. That way, you can figure whether the unit price for a case lot is really cheaper than buying one of the same item.
29. Request price matching. Find a store in your area that will honor all competitors’ ads. You’ll save money, time and gas.
30. Beware of “discount store syndrome.” Just because you’re in a bargain store doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price on every item.
31. Check your receipts. No matter how careful you or the store staff might be, mistakes happen.
32. Always send in for the rebate on a purchase whether it’s $2 or $50. It all adds up.
33. Put your savings to work. Whether it’s a trip, a car or a savings account, have some specific goals for the money you’re not spending on food.

Just interesting information that I thought you would like to know.

Square begins taking orders for free credit card reader

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