Infra Views

ACEC’S ENGINEERING INC. — Innovations in Airport Design

Tuesday, September 19th, 2017
ACEC’S ENGINEERING INC. — Innovations in Airport Design - Quarry Lake

Since early 2016, a new 3,600-ton capacity geothermal system has been providing cooling for the entire terminal building at the Nashville International Airport, significantly reducing the facility’s use of both electricity and water. The nearly $10.4 million project finished three months ahead of schedule and under budget.

View this complete Infra Views post...

Signs of Digital Distress: Mapping Broadband Availability and Subscription in America

Monday, September 18th, 2017
Brookings Institution: Broadband Access in America

BROOKINGS INSTITUTION METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM Executive Summary The internet is now a fundamental component of the American economy, creating new ways to educate, employ, bring services to, and entertain every person. Broadband, especially wireline broadband in American homes, is the essential infrastructure for unlocking the internet’s economic benefits. However, broadband infrastructure is far from ubiquitous, […]

View this complete Infra Views post...

Electricity Markets and Reliability: US DOE Staff Report to the Secretary

Thursday, September 14th, 2017
Electricity Markets and Reliability: Daily Energy Load Curve

On April 14, 2017, Energy Secretary Rick Perry issued a memorandum requesting a study to examine electricity markets and reliability. With this document, Department of Energy (DOE) staff are delivering a study that seeks not only to evaluate the present status of the electricity system, but more importantly to exercise foresight to help ensure a system that is reliable, resilient, and affordable long into the future. Therefore, while carefully acknowledging history, this study focuses on the present trajectory of trends that are of particular concern in meeting those long-term goals.

View this complete Infra Views post...

Responsible for what? Carbon producer CO2 contributions and the energy transition

Wednesday, September 13th, 2017
CO2 contributions - Sherco Generating Station - Photo by Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota

The article this accompanies is the third in an important series. The foundational analysis of the contributions of major carbon producers to atmospheric CO2 emissions and methane emissions was the first to appear (Heede 2014), followed by a rich and concrete analysis of the moral responsibilities of the major carbon producers in light of those contributions (Frumhoff et al. 2015). This third analysis not only refines the calculations of the contributions of major carbon producers to atmospheric CO2 and methane emissions but also expands the calculations to include the contributions of those same producers to global mean surface temperature and global sea level (Ekwurzel et al. 2017).

View this complete Infra Views post...

ACEC’S ENGINEERING INC. — The Enduring Legend of Gridlock Sam

Monday, September 11th, 2017
The Enduring Legend of Gridlock Sam: Sam Schwartz addresses employees at the company

“Gridlock Sam” Schwartz has always had an outsized presence in his endeavors. “He is, inarguably, the most beloved transportation engineer alive,” says Charles Komanoff, a New York City transport economist, who then adds with a smile, “Admittedly, there’s not much competition.”

View this complete Infra Views post...

California Green Innovation Index

Wednesday, September 6th, 2017
FIGURE 1. GLOBAL FOSSIL FUEL COMBUSTION IN CALIFORNIA AND OTHER REGIONS

Despite moves from the current federal administration to roll back policies that manage carbon-intensive energy sources, California continues to lead in implementing statewide policies that incentivize innovation in business, technology and carbon reduction. While California provides a strong template for others to follow in sustaining economic growth while pursuing climate change mitigation policies, there is still work to be done to ensure the state meets its emission reduction goals. Indicators relating to the carbon economy help track this progress and illustrate the changing relationship between economic vitality and environmental quality.

View this complete Infra Views post...

Ground Transportation Gaps

Monday, September 4th, 2017
Ground Transportation Gaps - Table 1

The study calls for practical steps to restore momentum to bus and rail travel that require a relatively small amount of public investment, including ways to cultivate new express coach service and promote greater rail/bus integration. It also calls for initiatives to overcome the lack of institutional planning and investment that is thwarting planning for rail services that cross state lines and thus require a great deal of interjurisdictional coordination. Such efforts, the study shows, would help foster more fuel-efficient and comparatively safe forms of travel.

View this complete Infra Views post...

Rail and the California Economy

Friday, September 1st, 2017
Rail and the California Economy

A broad investment in all types of transport has been critical to California’s economic success, and rail is a fundamental component of the transportation system. Rail has helped define California’s history, with westward expansion creating communities and allowing for growth in agriculture, and other early drivers of the state’s economy. With the coming high-speed rail system and record traffic in containerized freight, it is also helping to define the state’s future.

View this complete Infra Views post...

A Right to the Road: Understanding & Addressing Bicyclist Safety

Tuesday, August 29th, 2017
A Right to the Road

GHSA analyzed bicyclist fatal crash data resulting from a collision with a motor vehicle from 1975 to 2015 using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Report System (FARS) to identify changes in trend lines associated with who is being killed, when and where those crashes are more likely to occur and why.

View this complete Infra Views post...

P3 Infrastructure Delivery: Principles for State Legislatures

Thursday, August 24th, 2017
Project Delivery Models Along a Continuum of Private Sector Involvement

Because P3s cover a broad range of innovative contracting, project delivery and financing arrangements, a singular definition is difficult to establish. P3s take various forms based on the type of infrastructure involved and level of risk sharing sought by the public sector. Key characteristics of P3s, delineating them from typical arrangements between the public and private sectors, include the transfer of risk from the public sector to the private sector, the marrying of multiple steps of the procurement lifecycle and the shifting of some public sector responsibilities to the private sector.

View this complete Infra Views post...

Follow InfraUSA on Twitter Facebook YouTube Flickr

CATEGORIES


Show us your infra! Show us your infra!

Video, stills and tales. Share images of the Infra in your community that demands attention. Post your ideas about national Infra issues. Go ahead. Show Us Your Infra!  Upload and instantly share your message.

Polls Polls

Is the administration moving fast enough on Infra issues? Are Americans prepared to pay more taxes for repairs? Should job creation be the guiding determination? Vote now!

Views

What do the experts think? This is where the nation's public policy organizations, trade associations and think tanks weigh in with analysis on Infra issues. Tell them what you think.  Ask questions.  Share a different view.

Blog

The Infra Blog offers cutting edge perspective on a broad spectrum of Infra topics. Frequent updates and provocative posts highlight hot button topics -- essential ingredients of a national Infra dialogue.


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