The Hoover Dam is by far one of the most astonishing engineering accomplishments in the United States. To reduce the amount of flooding caused by the fluctuation of rainfall into the Colorado River, engineers decided this modern marvel was absolutely necessary. Most of the surrounding land was farmland and lowlands, and states such as Arizona, Nevada, and California, wanted it to stay that way. The Hoover Dam, Built 1931-1935, has been improved and updated hundreds of times, including concrete being added and some hydroelectric generators being added. It collects trillions of gallons of fresh water and uses it to irrigate over a million acres of surrounding land. Because of the pure size and amount of water that the dam holds, it is apparent why this iconic water resource engineering project is still one of the highlights of the civil engineering field. http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/64/Hoover-Dam.aspx The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is another well-known structure produced from the field of civil engineering. It is a representative of transportation engineering, connecting two sides of the San Francisco Bay. Not only known for its beauty and golden accented color, the famous bridge is an engineering feat that is ideal for even the most recent civil engineering plans. When the structure was beginning to be built in 1933, engineers like Joseph B. Strauss decided the best type of bridge for the windy terrain would be a suspension bridge. The Golden Gate Straight Bridge, actually colored orange, was the longest suspension bridge for over 30 years, but still is looked at for ideas on future projects. http://www.sfmuseum.net/hist10/ggbridging.html http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/Interesting-Facts-About-the-Golden-Gate-Bridge.html
One of the biggest civil engineering disciplines that is up and coming quick is the section that deals with transportation. Years ago, that generally dealt with roads and highways, but now transportation includes a lot of global transportation. Airports are a big asset to the world now with the ever-growing global market searching for easier and quicker accessibility. One of the defining transportation structures in the United States is the Atlanta International Airport. It is the largest airport in the US among the busiest airport in the entire world. Spanning across almost 290 acres and consisting of 210 domestic and international