Latest news with #Nowack
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Construction delays mean Mackinac Bridge lane closures will continue through holiday weekend
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A heads up for travelers hitting the road for Memorial Day weekend: A construction project on the Mackinac Bridge has run long, meaning lane closures will continue through next week. The project , repairing and repaving the southbound lanes and replacing a modular joint over one of the bridge's piers. Inside Live traffic conditions The project was supposed to be wrapped up by May 22, but the cold, rainy start to spring delayed the work, including the March that closed the bridge to traffic for several days. 'We worked with the contractor to ensure that the planned work could be completed prior to the Memorial Day weekend, but poor weather conditions delayed this year's start of work and the modular joint installation took longer than expected,' Mackinac Bridge Authority Bridge Director Kim Nowack . 'Unfortunately, this means that there will be lane closures in place for the holiday weekend, but crews are working diligently to wrap the project up and get those lanes reopened.' The MBA says traffic typically peaks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends. Backups are common, even with all toll lanes open, so the MBA recommends drivers consider crossing at 'off-peak' times if they can. Police call off chase at Mackinac Bridge, driver caught in St. Ignace Interestingly, the project for the northbound lanes was done last year and also ran past Memorial Day. 'While Memorial Day weekend typically marks the seasonal increase in traffic volumes on the bridge, we fortunately did not see backups during last year's work, and traffic flowed smoothly,' Nowack stated. 'We hope that will be the case this holiday weekend.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mackinac Bridge still closed Thursday
The Mackinac Bridge in northern Michigan remains closed Thursday due to the threat of falling ice. The bridge has closed intermittently this week after a severe ice storm hit the northern part of the state, including the Straits region. The bridge's latest closure started at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Bridge workers have called the amount of ice unprecedented, according to the Mackinac Bridge Authority, which is continuing the monitor dramatically changing conditions. Dangerous ice sheets, spears and chunks have been falling from the bridge, sometimes from hundreds of feet. Winds have also shaken the suspended cables and knocked ice loose. Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack in a news release Wednesday urged travelers to avoid coming to the area since local emergency and relief services are strained, many businesses are closed and power outages remain. Nowack also warned travelers not to go to the Straits area expecting to cross the bridge. More: Mackinac Bridge closed again Wednesday for falling ice: Don't expect to cross "Given the amount of ice that remains on the cables and towers, any falling ice closures are likely to be lengthy, and could start and stop at any time," Nowack said. For updates on the Mackinac Bridge closures, check condition reports online at on X at @MackinacBridge or by signing up for text alerts by texting "MacBridge" to 67283. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mackinac Bridge still closed Thursday due to falling ice
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Major construction project resumes on Mackinac Bridge
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Construction work is set to resume Monday on a major two-season project on the Mackinac Bridge. According to the , the northbound side of the bridge was repaired and repaved last spring. This year, the work will focus on repairing and repaving the southbound lanes and replacing a modular joint over one of the bridge's piers. Mighty Mac included in list of bridges to be assessed Barring weather restrictions, repaving will start Monday along with work to replace the modular joint over Pier 34 at the start of the north viaduct span. The goal is to have that work done by April 26. From April 28 through May 22, construction crews will shift to the northbound side of the bridge to replace the other half of the modular joint. Through both of those stretches, the bridge will be limited to one lane of traffic in each direction. Piece of Mackinac Bridge finds new home at the South Pole Kim Nowack, bridge director of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, says the ultimate goal is to have the work done before the tourist season begins in earnest this summer. 'We've worked closely with the contractor to make sure the planned work can be completed prior to Memorial Day to help avoid delays for travelers,' Nowack . 'Focusing this season's work on the joint replacement and limited repaving should make that deadline achievable.' was scheduled with a similar timeline but delays forced the lane closures to extend into mid-June. A pilot's fateful flight under the Mackinac Bridge MDOT says the busiest time for travelers will be between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends. Travelers are encouraged to consider crossing at 'off-peak times' to try to avoid delays. Wide-load restrictions will be in place during construction. Vehicles wider than 10 feet will be allowed to cross once per day. Regular traffic will be stopped at approximately 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays to allow wide-load trucks to cross. Any trucker with a wide load must contact the at least 24 hours in advance and arrive at the bridge in time for the 7 p.m. pass. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The National
14-02-2025
- Business
- The National
Catching rays from space: The company holding up a mirror to the Earth
Picture sitting on a beach in Dubai in the middle of the night as a cool breeze sways – but in natural sunlight. Ben Nowack, CEO and co-founder of California tech start-up Reflect Orbital, says this could soon be possible here in the UAE. The entrepreneur has developed a technology that can send mirrors into space to reflect rays from the Sun back to Earth. Reflect Orbital plans to launch a constellation of satellites equipped with expansive mirrors into Earth's orbit. These mirrors would reflect sunlight on to specific areas of the planet after sunset, providing solar power, even when the sun goes down. The company plans to offer this service to solar farms, enabling them to generate electricity during periods when traditional solar energy is unavailable. Each beam would light up an area about 5km in diameter, or about the size of Palm Jumeirah. "When you're in the spot, it's going to be bright but when you're outside of the spot, you'll just see the light on the ground, unless you're looking directly at the satellite and purpose," said Mr Nowack. A timeline for launch is yet to be announced, but Mr Nowack told The National that it could be as early as the beginning of next year. After that, launches will happen rapidly. "We'll go from one satellite to 100 quite quickly, and then from 100 to 1,000 pretty quickly. And then, after that, I think it'll be even faster," he said. "When you start scaling up for energy, you start wanting to place orders for several thousand satellites at once." Mr Nowack, a former SpaceX intern, added that the project has the backing of Elon Musk's firm. "We're not building rockets. SpaceX handles that. They will launch our satellites. We go into orbit, and then we sell the sunlight to crossovers." Solar, Mr Nowack says, is the natural choice when it comes to the future of clean energy. "Every second, the Sun makes 5,000 times more energy than humanity has ever consumed, and we're so good at building solar farms," he said. In September, Reflect Orbital announced the conclusion of its $6.5 million seed round, led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Starship Ventures. The main use for this technology is to provide solar energy to solar farms during the night, thereby increasing their energy output and efficiency. However, speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai this week, Mr Nowack shared that there are other uses, such as street lighting, agricultural purposes, mining and construction. "A lot of people will also use this to curb seasonal depression. We got a lot of applications from Scandinavia," said Mr Nowack. "If you are in a valley and it's winter time, you're not getting very much daylight, so you spend a lot of time in the darkness, and people struggle with depression." Seasonal applications could extend to the Middle East, lighting up areas at night during the summer. "People will often leave in the summer because it's too hot. So with our technology, we can light up an area at night when it's cooler." In January, the UAE launched what it called the 'world's first' facility that can provide renewable energy at scale around the clock. The $6 billion project, led by Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar, will integrate 5 gigawatts of solar capacity with 19 gigawatt hours of battery storage to generate 1 gigawatt of "uninterrupted clean power". 'For decades, the biggest barrier facing renewable energy has been intermittency,' Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said. 'It has been the moon shot challenge of our time. How can we power a world that never sleeps with energy sources that do? This will, for the first time ever, transform renewable energy into baseload energy. It is a first step that could become a giant leap.' The UAE is already home to a variety of solar-powered projects, including the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is set to become the world's largest single-site solar park with a projected production capacity of 5,000MW by 2030. The Al Dhafra Solar Power Plant in Abu Dhabi powers around 200,000 homes and is expected to reduce the emirate's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2.4 million tonnes annually – roughly the same as removing 470,000 cars from the roads. At an energy event in November, energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said the country, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, will initiate 'one or two' solar farms a year until the end of the decade. Research into space mirrors, solar sails, and harnessing solar space energy dates back to the mid-20th century. A Nasa document published in 1980 refers to "hardware characteristics and applications opportunities of large orbital mirrors" under the space agency's Solares programme. The report describes the deployment of thin film-covered structures that offer value to "terrestrial solar-energy systems". The plans were for Solares unites to be sent to space "assuming Space Shuttle availability", delivering "high-intensity insolation" sun light. The programme did not take off. In 1993, however, Russia's Znamya project took flight. Lead engineer, Vladimir Syromyatnikov, constructed a 65-foot-wide sheet of Mylar, a type of stretched reflective film, that could be unfurled from a central mechanism and launched from the Mir space station. While the Znamya launch in 1993 was hailed a success, further projects did not fully materialise. The BBC reported in 1998 that complaints and concerns were raised from astronomers who were worried about the impacts light pollution might have on the night sky, as well as ecologists concerned about the impacts of artificial light on wildlife and natural cycles.
Al Bawaba
12-02-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
UAE reveals new sustainable energy tech that works with the sun at night
Published February 12th, 2025 - 11:31 GMT ALBAWABA - Reflect Orbital, an aerospace company that captures sunlight and brings it to Earth using mirrors in space to power a solar future and light the world after the sun sets, announced the launch of its new sustainable energy technology in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Also Read UAE launches largest solar farm to power cryptocurrency mining Reflect Orbital, the company that sells sunlight after dark Reflect Orbital, the company that refers to itself as 'we sell sunlight after dark' announced the reveal of its new sustainable energy technology that works with the sun at night in Dubai, Nowack, Co-Founder & CEO, stated that his startup aims to illuminate urban landscapes, combat depression in sun-deprived cities, and make solar energy limitless. Previously in January 2025, Nowack discussed his innovative solar project with the presence of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the UAE. The entire system is designed to redirect light to various locations, with the ability to move light anywhere within an 800-kilometer radius in as little as 30 seconds. (Shutterstock) 'The sun already provides 5,000 times more energy than humanity has ever consumed. The challenge isn't generating power; it's getting it where it's needed, when it's needed. This is about making solar limitless,' Nowack to Nowach, Reflect Orbital can help Dubai extend solar energy till night to power both skyscrapers and diverse the startup introduces the concept of lightweight fleets that can direct sunlight beams. Furthermore, the entire system is designed to redirect light to various locations, with the ability to move light anywhere within an 800-kilometer radius in as little as 30 seconds. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
