A New Check System of Cost Estimation of Project Designs in Japan’s Local Governments

In Japan, “Pointing and Calling” is a known safety management method to prevent mistakes and ensure safety. This study constructed a new check system, “Verification Meeting/ Simple Verification Meeting,” that is based on the Pointing and Calling system and aims to prevent incorrect cost estimates for public works projects. It also contributes to improved staff morale and professional development. The new check system has five novel items compared with conventional cost estimation verification methods. The proposed system was put into actual use in Japan, during which time necessary improvements were made. As a result, there were no mistakes in cost estimation for about three years at the Port and Harbor Bureau of a certain city in Japan where the first author of this study worked. The system was further refined and could be adapted for use by all local governments, including those with few staff members.

Design of floatable monolithic breakwater structure to ensure tranquility in port and harbor basins

The objective of this paper is to present the selection, the detailing and optimal design of a floatable monolithic breakwater structure at Ponnani harbour in Kerala, India. Ponnani fishery harbour is an estuarine harbour and the breakwaters here serve the main purpose of river training bunds. Studies on preliminary analysis of tranquility condition in front of the wharf structure at Ponnani fishery harbour was conducted jointly by the Investigation subdivision, Beypore and Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Pune. It has been noticed that due to seasonal variation in the wave directions, wave heights inside the basin areas and near the water front structures of the harbour are not within the permissible limits. A floating breakwater structure (FBS) is suggested to change the direction of waves and surges with seasons.The present proposal consists of construction of a floatable monolithic breakwater structure of length 70m. A pile restrained pontoon floating breakwater structure is adopted for Ponnani harbour. The ability of FBS to attenuate the incident wave is determined by calculat-ing the transmission coefficient. Theoretical formulas are used to check the effectiveness of the suggested FBS. The FBS has been mod-elled, analysed and arrived at an optimal design using the ANSYS software.

Performance of pre-stressed concrete sheet pile after long-term exposure in the marine splash environments

Pre-stressed concrete (PC) sheet piles are commonly used for river revetment, retaining wall, etc. However, it has not been used in port and harbor structure due to corrosive environmental conditions, which is severe for steel corrosion in concrete structure. Performances of PC sheet piles were evaluated after 12 years exposure in the marine splash environment. An evaluation of mechanical properties, carbonation depth, porosity, chloride content and PC steel condition were carried out. Overall, all specimens showed satisfactory performance: only a few concrete corner and edge chips, low chloride content and low rate of corrosion were observed. Investigation results indicated that BS5 (B = GGBFS, S = steam curing, and cover thickness of 5 cm) showed the best performance (more durable), even though its strength was lower than the other.

Research on the Trend Toward Public Access to Canals in the Tokyo Waterfront Area

In recent years, great regard has been given to the participation of various administrative organizations, NPOs and local residents in coastal zone management. Following the formulation of the “Canal Renaissance Project (Tokyo Metropolitan Gov. Bureau of Port and Harbor, 2005)” as a step towards easing restrictions to vitalize canal spaces in the Tokyo waterfront area, local organizations are developing commercial and recreational uses of canal spaces. In this report, we have conducted field research and hearings with managers and business people in five regions of the Tokyo waterfront where the Canal Renaissance Project is being implemented. Through this research, we have observed the usage conditions of the canal spaces and how multiple organizations cooperate with each other, and attempt to identify problems associated with the use of canal spaces by local organizations. The results show that eased regulations on water area usage permissions have created new opportunities for local businesses, store associations and NPOs to utilize canals. By establishing floating restaurants and floating piers, waterfront areas have been developed with consideration for the spatial structure and surrounding area of canals in each region. We have observed a large variety of interactions between organizations and groups, and the establishment of a system centered on a committee made up of local businesses and residents in each region. However, we have also noted that due to the strong individuality of the projects carried out in each region, they have not lead to any inter-regional cooperation, thus not necessarily successfully utilizing the inherent spatial continuity of the canals. There have also been examples of complication of the committees that connect the local residents involved in the projects and the government. This is an issue in the management and operation of canal usage. From the aforementioned results, it is clear that the projects observed in canal usage under the eased regulations are organized such that they are directly carried out by committees, in a so-called “committee-based model.” There is no “local coordinator” present to handle the tasks of reconciling opinions between project leaders, applying for water area usage permission, maintenance of facilities, acceptance of new participants, and the like.