Misplaced Pages

#644355

43-508: Construction of the bridge took two years to complete, and cost $ 6,650,000. Opened to traffic on December 1, 1952, following brief ribbon-cutting ceremonies that were conducted on the bridge and presided over by Henry T. Shelly, a vice president of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and former mayor of Milford, New Jersey, the new Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge was first crossed by automobiles driven by

86-550: A Coast Guard base in Greenland. Upon returning from active duty, he earned his PhD in soil mechanics from Northwestern University and joined the teaching faculty at the Pennsylvania State University . In 1952, Dr. Berger left his position at Pennsylvania State University to form the engineering consulting firm that would later become Louis Berger. Fredric S. Berger, son of the company's founder, Dr. Louis Berger,

129-540: A United States unit (formerly known as Louis Berger Group), an international unit, and a services unit that provides base logistics and operations support, global operations and maintenance, turnkey power solutions and fueling and facility services. Headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, Louis Berger manages its regional operations out of offices in Washington D.C., France, United Arab Emirates, India and Panama. The company

172-616: A debarment by the World Bank for corrupt practices. In 2019, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Louis Berger's inadequate peer review of the design contributed to the Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse . They were also criticized for failure to identify the significance of structural cracking and not preparing a remedial plan to address it. Louis Berger

215-469: A four-year undergraduate degree programs in business administration with concentrations in management, accounting, finance and marketing, information technology and computer science, and political science and public administration. AUAF held its sixth commencement ceremony of class 2015, on May 22, 2015. In fall 2008, Stanford Law School's Afghanistan Legal Education Project was launched at the university. It provides introductory legal training that features

258-912: A new AUAF campus in Qatar . AUAF was the country's first private, not-for-profit institution of higher education and was located in Kabul near the Darul Aman Palace and the Afghan Parliament . Chartered in 2004, the AUAF offered an MBA program, four undergraduate degree programs, pre-college preparation (Academy) and continuing education and professional development training (the Professional Development Institute). It opened in 2006 with 50 students, which grew to 1,700 full and part-time students. Its alumni include 29 Fulbright Scholars . The idea for

301-521: A one-year debarment on firm for engaging in "corrupt practices" in February 2015. American University of Afghanistan The American University of Afghanistan ( AUAF ) ( Persian : دانشگاه آمریکایی افغانستان ; Pashto : د افغانستان امریکايي دانشگاه ) was a private university located in the Darulaman section of Kabul . Former students of AUAF live abroad and, as of 2022, there were plans to create

344-500: A railroad conductor and a salesman, Joseph E. Wooley, of Bristol, Pennsylvania. This bridge's toll plaza was originally configured to collect tolls from both the northbound and southbound travel lanes. Today, tolls are collected only from vehicles travelling southbound (entering Pennsylvania/leaving New Jersey). Beginning in 2006, the Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge underwent renovation work to expand and rehabilitate

387-583: Is Prof. Victoria C Fontan. Until 2021, American University of Afghanistan had two campuses which were known as the West Campus and the International Campus. The campuses were located on Darulaman Road in Kabul , Afghanistan . The West campus operated on the site of the former American International School of Kabul. A large tract of land immediately across the road from the current campus, and running south to

430-682: Is a full-service engineering , architecture , planning, environmental, program and construction management and economic development firm based in Morristown, New Jersey . Founded in 1953 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by Dr. Louis Berger , the firm employed nearly 6,000 employees in more than 50 countries worldwide. The company was acquired by WSP Global in 2018. The firm provides services to federal, state and local government clients, as well as to international multilateral institutions and to commercial industry. As of September 2011, Louis Berger ranked as

473-599: Is an internationally supported private, not-for-profit university located in Kabul, Afghanistan. Established in 2006, it provides modern, global standard education to its students. The first students of the American University of Afghanistan enrolled in March 2006. They began with classes to improve their English language and study skills. By September of that year, the university began offering its first credit-bearing undergraduate courses. The Professional Development Institute

SECTION 10

#1733085194645

516-509: The American University of Beirut , encouraged the establishment of the American University of Afghanistan. The Afghanistan High Commission for Private Investment offered leases on two parcels of land totaling 55.354 acres (224,010 m ) in the Darulaman area of Kabul until 2103. In addition, the American University of Afghanistan corporation was chartered in the State of Delaware , under

559-605: The American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and at Bard College in New York, among other locations. All programs were conducted entirely in English. The university ran on the U.S. semester system with the academic year starting in August, and in other respects also operates in the style of American universities. AUAF, in fall 2011, began its first graduate program, offering

602-822: The Dar-ul-Amman Palace was being developed for campus expansion, until the Taliban takeover. Principal academic buildings on the campus included the Azizi Building, which housed classrooms and faculty offices; the Bayat Building, which housed administration offices and classrooms; and the Multi Purpose Academic Building, which housed the Bernice Nachman Marlowe Library, science and computer labs, and classrooms. This building also contained

645-777: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act . A settlement agreement between the company with the US Department of Justice was announced in July 2015, in which the company admitted criminal responsibility and agreed to pay a penalty of $ 17.1 million. The inquiry into the company's activities in Vietnam uncovered corrupt payments to government officials in the Third Rural Transport and Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Projects, both World Bank funded projects. The World Bank imposed

688-602: The Taliban , funding a "Taliban-led terrorist insurgency" that killed or wounded thousands of Americans in Afghanistan. In 2009, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the "protection money" was "one of the major sources of funding for the Taliban." Between 1998 and 2010, executives at the company paid bribes amounting to $ 3.9 million to government officials in India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Kuwait to win business in violation of

731-675: The Abdul Madjid Zabuli real-presence videoconferencing system. Other buildings on campus included the Michael Bayat Gymnasium, the Faculty Office Buildings, two Masjids (for men and women), and the AUAF Cafeteria. The International Campus was built later and served as the main campus for day to day university classes. The Women Center was the main building where most of the classes and offices were located alongside

774-439: The American University of Afghanistan began in 2002 with Dr. Sharif Fayez , then Afghan Minister of Higher Education . At this time he proposed the creation of Afghanistan's first-ever private university. The following year in an address before UNESCO , then U.S. First Lady Laura Bush announced her support of educational initiatives in Afghanistan. The U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad , likely inspired from his own experience at

817-686: The Civil Code. A feasibility study was initiated by the Coordinating Council of International Universities, based in the United States, to recommend an institutional framework. In December 2004, the inaugural meeting of the Board of Trustees convened in Dubai , United Arab Emirates , where Dr. Fayez was elected President pro tempore , serving in this capacity until April 2007, when he was named "founder" by

860-546: The False Claims Act. The case, filed by a whistleblower, alleged that the company billed the government for internal costs unrelated to its rebuilding contracts in Afghanistan. According to the lawsuit, filed in December 2019 in the D.C. District Court on behalf of Gold Star families , some U.S. contractors involved in Afghanistan's reconstruction projects, including Louis Berger Group, made illegal "protection payments" to

903-597: The attack. An American and Australian professor were kidnapped on 7 August 2016, by criminals dressed in Afghan National Police uniforms. A team of U.S. Special Forces attempted to rescue them but failed. They were released 3 years later, in November 2019, in an exchange for three Taliban prisoners. On the evening of August 24, 2016, three gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives on campus killing seven university students, one policeman, three security guards at

SECTION 20

#1733085194645

946-570: The bridge and auxiliary structures. Improvements included the addition of a third northbound lane on the main bridge, installing a new soundwall along Northbound US 1 in Pennsylvania as well as lengthening deceleration lanes. This $ 67 million project was designed by the Louis Berger Group and awarded to Conti Enterprises Incorporated, and concluded in 2009. Louis Berger Group Louis Berger (formerly known as Berger Group Holdings)

989-466: The campus, and that included destroying files and hard drives. My colleagues and I and some of the students who remained in the last day stood around a bonfire that was made of our campus records." As of 2022, the buildings of the campus are intact, but no longer serve any teaching or research functions. The International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development (ICAWED), also known as the Women's Center,

1032-550: The ceremony was the presentation of the Doctorate of Humane Letters Honorary Degree to distinguished guest, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai , who also delivered the commencement address. In 2019, more than 1,700 full and part-time students from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan are enrolled in the university, including 1,190 students in undergraduate and graduate program, and 950 students in certification courses. About 36% of students for Spring 2015 were women, and more than 85% of

1075-467: The development of its new campus. The university held its first commencement ceremony in May 2011, awarding undergraduate degrees to 32 graduates. It held its fourth, and largest, graduation in December 2014, where 180 undergraduate and graduate students graduated. In May 2015, the university held its sixth commencement ceremony, honoring the class of 2015, at the university's International campus. The highlight of

1118-658: The firm was selected by USAID and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf District to design a 435-mile highway between Yangon and Mandalay in Myanmar. The project was initially rejected by the Burmese government as proposed by the Corps of Engineers, but Louis Berger was able to design the project using more economical alternatives. In December 2010, the Discovery Science Channel production team filmed thirty hours of footage of

1161-531: The first new text in decades dedicated to the legal system in Afghanistan. In September 2012, AUAF and Stanford University received a $ 7.2 million grant for this program from the US State Department. The American University of Afghanistan's Professional Development Institute was established in 2006. It offered training courses, workshops, and seminars to professionals from private sector, government, and non-governmental organizations working in Afghanistan and

1204-498: The leadership of Dr. Jacob van Lutsenburg Maas, who later became the non-profit corporation's president, to receive these leases. In 2007, the non-profit corporation became a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. A charter for the establishment of the American University of Afghanistan was granted on July 26, 2004, by the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education, under Article 46, Chapter 2 of the new Afghan Constitution and Article 445 of

1247-642: The major Auditorium. In 2019, Bayat IT center also opened which mainly housed IT classes and labs for the Computer Science department. There were branches of Yummy fast food on the second floor of the Women Center and a Finest supermarket Branch near the Football field. According to the President of AUAF, Ian Bickford, "We spent the last two days on campus trying to remove any student records and employee records from

1290-520: The master of business administration degree. The program built on the success of the university's undergraduate business program, which was the most popular major among AUAF students. A total of 29 students were admitted in the first MBA class. The program had 14 credit courses, providing a view of general business management. The first cohort graduated in May 2013. On May 22, 2015, a total of 59 students graduated from MBA. Masters of Arts in Education program

1333-575: The new president. He continued to lobby the Afghan government on the university's behalf, served as an adviser to the current president, and maintained an office on campus until his death in 2019. In March 2005, then U.S. First Lady (and former teacher) Laura Bush visited the site and announced a substantial grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to launch the institution. The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF)

Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue

1376-502: The region. PDI offers a broad range of training and education courses throughout Afghanistan to private business, non-profit organizations, NGOs, government agencies and individuals. The English Language Center within the institute provides a comprehensive range of English language training for non-native speakers. PDI administers short-term courses in accounting, finance, project management, human resources management, and information technologies. The overall governance and management of AUAF

1419-477: The students receive financial assistance. In an interview with Film Annex, Dr. C. Michael Smith, former President of the American University of Afghanistan stated that for the 2012–13 school year over 50% of the entering students were women. Two employees were killed as a result of a Taliban gun and bomb attack on a restaurant in Kabul where the employees were dining in January 2014. Some 21 people reportedly died in

1462-553: The third largest USAID private-sector partner, and was ranked #25 in 2015 among U.S. design firms in terms of total firm revenue by Engineering News-Record . The company has suffered setbacks in recent years with settlement of fraud charges for contracts in Afghanistan ; admission of criminal responsibility to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations in a settlement with the US Department of Justice for bribery of governments in Asia; and

1505-613: The university, one university professor, and a guard from a neighboring school. Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Criminal Investigation Department of Kabul Police, said that they were able to kill the attackers. No group claimed responsibility. With the withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan (2020–2021) , Peter Bergen reported that thousands of university-educated students were hoping to flee Afghanistan, but were unable to. Eventually many were studying in Qatar, at

1548-880: The works for the construction of a new bridge over the Sava River in Belgrade, Serbia. In 2012, Louis Berger completed work on the Juba-Nimule Road in South Sudan under the Sudan Infrastructure Services Project. The road was the first paved highway in South Sudan and links the South Sudanese capital to the town of Nimule on the Ugandan border. Louis Berger consists of three operating companies which include

1591-491: Was acquired by the Canada-based WSP Global in 2018 for $ 400 million. Louis Berger was ranked #25 among U.S. design firms in 2015 based on total firm revenue by Engineering News-Record and #10 among Program Management firms The firm also ranked #37 among Environmental firms in 2014. In November 2010, Louis Berger agreed to pay a record $ 69.3 million to settle charges of fraud against the government brought under

1634-418: Was also launched in the same year, providing adult professional courses and adult professional level programs. On June 8, 2008, Mrs. Bush announced an additional $ 40 million (USD) in funding for the subsequent five years. Funding will cover more than half of the university's operating expenses during that period, leaving the university to pursue private funding for the remainder of its operating expenses and for

1677-595: Was appointed to advisory boards for the U.S. Institute of Peace and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency . The firm’s first major projects included design on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the first turnpike in the U.S., and on I-80 between Denville and Netcong, the first interstate road in the state of New Jersey The firm also designed the Herat-Islam Qala Highway in Afghanistan in 1965. Louis Berger began its first international project in 1959 when

1720-610: Was founded in 1953 by Louis Berger in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Born in 1914 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Dr. Berger graduated from Tufts College in 1936 with a degree in civil engineering, and earned a master’s in soils and geology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940. In 1942, Dr. Berger joined the United States Coast Guard where he designed waterfront facilities along the Mississippi River and commanded

1763-565: Was involved with the company since 1972 and served as chairman of Louis Berger Group from 2007 until his passing in April 2015. Mr. Berger held a bachelor's in economics from Tufts University and a master of science degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Mr. Berger was a founding member of the American University of Afghanistan and served on the university's board from 2004 to 2015. In 2013, Mr. Berger

Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge - Misplaced Pages Continue

1806-605: Was launched at AUAF in March 2014. It was a collaborative effort with Afghan Ministry of Education Teacher Training Directorate, and with funding from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and the World Bank. On April 17, 2015, AUAF held the graduation ceremony for the inaugural cohort of students in this program. The program included 318 students (23% female), representing all of the country's 34 provinces. The American University of Afghanistan offered

1849-417: Was overseen by the board of trustees. The first president of the university was president pro tempore Sharif Fayez , Afghanistan's Minister of Higher Education from 2002 to 2004. In January 2015, Dr. Mark A. English assumed leadership of the university as President. Dr. C. Michael Smith stepped down after nearly six years of exceptional service. The university's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

#644355