Grossman & Keith Engineering Co.

04/08/2025

01/14/2025

Before the release of AutoCAD in 1982, the process of creating engineering drawings was entirely manual. Engineers and drafters relied on a variety of tools, such as different grade pencils, erasers, T-squares, and set squares, to carefully craft their designs. Each line had to be drawn with precision, and any mistakes could require starting the drawing from scratch, which made the process time-consuming and often frustrating.

The labor-intensive nature of these drawings posed additional challenges, especially when modifications were necessary. If changes were requested, engineers and toolmakers had to erase sections or completely redo large portions of their work. The uncertainty about whether adjustments would be required added to the stress, as every draft could feel like a fragile final product until it was approved.

With the introduction of AutoCAD, the drafting world transformed. Designers and architects now use digital tools that allow for easy revisions with just a few clicks. The convenience of digital drafts, combined with the ability to store and share them quickly, has revolutionized the field, making it far less labor-intensive and more efficient. This shift has allowed professionals to focus more on creativity and innovation rather than worrying about the time-consuming aspects of manual drawing.

01/04/2024

View Donald E. "Don" Farris's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

12/21/2023

07/09/2023

07/07/2023

The bridge spans over 1,000 meters and winds its way through the rugged terrain of the mountain, China. See More: nickeyscircle.com/three-story-highway-bridge/

05/30/2023

The Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge, in Japan, is an example of how to build a bridge from one mountainside to another when the sides of the mountain are so steep that it is not possible to build a road at the same elevation on both sides. It's one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

This double spiral brings cars up and down a full 45 meters (148 feet) while being seemingly suspended in a valley between two mountainsides.

Some other stats:

- 1.1 km long
- 80 meters in diameter
- speed limit: 30 km/h

03/23/2023

Here are very cool "then & now" photos of the National Old Trails Road (NOTR) portion that later was Route 66 between Barstow and Oro Grande, California. In the early 1900s, the use of the automobile began to grow and better roads became necessary. The National Old Trails planned a road from Los Angeles to New York, and they aligned it next to the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railroad tracks from Cajon Pass to Needles. The road passed through Oro Grande. Here they appear to be grading the future roadway using slip, Fresno scrapers pulled by mules, and a Holt crawler tractor in the back of the cut (Holt would later become Caterpillar). Some of the original sections of Route 66 and other highways of that time have a lot of curves to go around hills and valleys because of the limitations of the equipment. The top picture was taken in 1917 showing the new improvement of the existing 10-foot wide roadway of the 1849 Santa Fe & Salt Lake Trail.
This "then & now" photo is courtesy of Roger Starbuck.

12/20/2022

The leaders of the Oklahoma City, Tulsa and State Chambers of Commerce released a joint op-ed yesterday championing the ACCESS Oklahoma turnpike expansion program.

08/13/2022

On August 8, 1919, Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in Cheyenne as part of a large military convoy traveling to determine the condition of the nation’s roads.

"Eisenhower's 1919 Road Trip and the Interstate Highway System" written by Lori Van Pelt shares the rest of the story.

"On Aug. 8, 1919, young Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in Cheyenne with a long line of military cars, trucks and motorcycles. The Transcontinental Motor Truck Convoy entered the city on the Lincoln Highway during an evening thunderstorm.

The soldiers had spent 11 hours on the road that day, traveling from Kimball, Neb., to Cheyenne. Today, drivers on Interstate 80 can easily make the 66 miles between Kimball, Neb., and Cheyenne in less than an hour.

A few days before, on August 5, after leaving North Platte, Neb., the daily convoy log noted that many of the trucks had to be pulled through a 200-yard stretch of quicksand, resulting in a delay of seven hour and 20 minutes. A large, heavy truck called the Militor was able, after five unsuccessful attempts by other vehicles, to pull out one of the lighter trucks that had sunk into sand deep enough to cover both right wheels and its differential.

The purpose of the cross-country trip—never attempted before—was to determine the condition of the roads nationwide. The Cheyenne State Leader article explained that the 72 vehicles and personnel “showed signs of the road, but both were eloquent evidence of the efficiency” of the United States’ effort that helped win World War I the year before." READ MORE: https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/eisenhowers-1919-road-trip-and-interstate-highway-system

📷The transcontinental convoy entered Wyoming east of Cheyenne on the Lincoln Highway--a dirt road that varied widely in quality--on August 8, 1919. Photo archived at the Eisenhower Archives.