The Infra Blog

A Natural Solution to Infrastructure Challenges

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
ASLA Green Roof

Infrastructure, a word that likely invokes images of bridges and roads, essential components of our nation’s infrastructure that we see every day. From cracks to potholes, we can easily judge the state of our bridges and roads. However, so much of our critical infrastructure is not visible to the eye and takes the shape of tunnels and pipes. These types of infrastructure that transport water to people across the country are also often inadequate or nearing the end of its useful life.

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Transportation Industry Reacts to Trump’s “Skinny Budget”

Monday, March 27th, 2017
America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again

When the Trump administration released the FY2018 budget proposal, called “America First: A Budget Proposal to Make America Great Again,” infrastructure stakeholders around the country responded immediately. Overall, the budget is characterized by an increase in defense spending and a decrease in lots and lots of other programs, especially in infrastructure-related departments like Energy, Environment and Transportation. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will release the final version in May. According to the LA Times Editorial Board, this budget reads like a “wish list of perennial GOP targets” mainly serving to “reveal the White House’s priorities,” rather than indicating actual policy changes.

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ACEC Engineering Excellence 2017: Bluffton Parkway project in Beaufort County, SC

Thursday, March 23rd, 2017
HDR|ICA: Phase 5A of the Bluffton Parkway project in Beaufort County, S.C

HDR|ICA of Columbia, SC, has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 50th annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) for Phase 5A of the Bluffton Parkway project in Beaufort County, SC.

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Smart Cities NYC ’17: Powered by People

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017
Smart Cities NYC 2017 - Powered by People

Smart Cities NYC ’17: Powered by People (May 3-6) will convene global mayors, CTOs, CIOs, and private sector and NGO leaders to explore how innovation and smart infrastructure are transforming cities, improving urban life, and creating more inclusive economies. The groundbreaking SCNYC17 conference and expo will be hosted at the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard with our multi-sector sponsors and partners, including Microsoft, Smart Dubai, and Cities for Life, among others.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Erica Brennes, Video Marketing Manager, moovel US, and Co-Creator of Transit Trends

Tuesday, March 21st, 2017
Erica Brennes on The Infra Blog

“I think we keep the show so that it could be interesting for my mom to watch, but also can still be interesting for someone who is in the industry to watch, because we know—and I know, as a former traffic anchor—people love to talk about transportation. They love to talk about traffic. If you check out some of the comments, it’s a place for people go to talk about these various topics and for us to engage in either our users or our clients or industry experts or…students. So it’s a platform for people to engage in this conversation and learn about what’s trending in transportation.”

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Norma Jean Mattei, 2017 President, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Thursday, March 16th, 2017
Norma Jean Mattei on The Infra Blog

“I think one of the problems is we have gotten into the habit of just waiting until things break, and when you have many sectors at a “D,” it just takes one major event to shut something down and have something fail. And then we throw a lot of money at it. But that’s not a wise way of handling things, because when you’re dealing with a disaster, you’re throwing four times the money at what is now broken, instead of maintaining something in a condition that’s at least average condition.”

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Is a perfect storm looming in the U.S.?

Wednesday, March 15th, 2017
Construction Zone

…a huge problem is looming. Construction and engineering firms are already loudly proclaiming that they cannot find enough workers. There is a critical shortage of trained construction workers throughout the U.S. and Trump’s immigration policies will deplete the inadequate pool of workers significantly.

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ACEC Engineering Excellence 2017: Boca Grande Causeway Swing Bridge project in Placida, Florida

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Spanning the picturesque Boca Grande pass, the swing bridge is the only structural link connecting Charlotte County to the barrier islands. Despite a rigorous maintenance program, the swing span’s operational reliability had become more difficult to maintain. Along with narrow travel lanes unsuited for 21st Century traffic, the low-lying bridge and its substructure was at risk of collapse from vessel impacts, and wave loading from coastal storm events.

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Public-private partnerships – happening even in small cities, rural areas of the country

Wednesday, March 8th, 2017
Countryside on US 9 north of Red Hook, NY, USA, by Daniel Cooke - Original: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_9_north_of_Red_Hook,_NY.jpg

…there’s not much news about P3s in smaller cities or in rural areas. That is about to change. As public officials in less populated parts of the country lament that the projects they need to launch are not large enough to capture the attention of investors or experienced contracting partners, some of their counterparts are forging ahead.

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Guest on The Infra Blog: Mike Toohey, President and CEO, Waterways Council, Inc.

Wednesday, March 1st, 2017
Mike Toohey on The Infra Blog

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) is the only organization that advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained system of inland waterways infrastructure. WCI educates policy-makers in the national’s capital and around the nation, in the news media, and the general public about the waterways systems’ critical importance. With aging locks and dams built in the 1920s and during […]

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Dear Friends,

 

It is encouraging to finally see clear signs of federal action to support a comprehensive US infrastructure investment plan.

 

Now more than ever, our advocacy is needed to keep stakeholders informed and connected, and to hold politicians to their promises to finally fix our nation’s ailing infrastructure.

 

We have already engaged nearly 280,000 users, and hoping to add many more as interest continues to grow.

 

We require your support in order to rise to this occasion, to make the most of this opportunity. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to InfrastructureUSA.org.

 

Steve Anderson

Managing Director

 

SteveAnderson@InfrastructureUSA.org

917-940-7125

InfrastructureUSA: Citizen Dialogue About Civil Infrastructure