Infrastructure in the News: Issues abound during Infrastructure Week
May 20th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
With Infrastructure Week raising awareness of the important role our roads, bridges, transit and water infrastructure play, this week’s news headlines have been powerful reminders of our need for further action. ASCE’s Failure to Act economic report continues to garner news headlines, emphasizing our infrastructure investment needs. CNBC, and C-SPAN covered the economic impact of failing to invest in infrastructure in our country, and the importance of all levels of government being involved in restoring it. Investment needs are seen in action every day when infrastructure breaks. Transit needs across the country are manifesting themselves through subway dysfunctions and disruptions. This week there was a large fire in the NYC subway that impacted thousands of train passengers’ morning commutes. The DC Metro released its SafeTrack Plan to address safety recommendations and repair the Metrorail system in an expedited timeframe. It is also no secret that deteriorating roads have a very real impact on our daily commutes. In an editorial this week, a Syracuse writer noted that it cost her nearly $200 to replace the right front tire on her car that blew out when she hit a pothole on her way to work. And AAA reported that 70 percent of motorists who plan on traveling this summer are concerned about poor roadway conditions or being stuck in traffic. As if that weren’t enough, a bridge collapsed in Oklahoma City because a truck driver did not realize he did not have sufficient clearance, causing road shutdowns and costing an estimated $50,000 in debris removal alone. Improving our nation’s infrastructure only comes when it is prioritized and properly funded. Even though Infrastructure Week, is coming to a close you can still share that #InfrastructureMatters by sending a letter to your elected officials.#InfrastructureMatters Hits the Hill
May 18th, 2016 | By: Becky Moylan
The message that #InfrastructureMatters made its way to Capitol Hill today, as American business, labor, citizen groups, and more met with members of Congress and their staffs. Mid-day, the group took a break from Infrastructure Week Advocacy Day meetings to come together at a congressional briefing. Building America’s Future Co-Chair Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) started the day by pointing out the high percentage of state initiatives to improve infrastructure that are approved by voters. The briefing included remarks from all four of Infrastructure Week’s Congressional Co-Chairs: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), Rep. Garett Graves (R-LA), and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY). Each Member of Congress took a few minutes to talk about why #InfrastructureMatters and highlighted the important work Infrastructure Week and its participants are doing. Sen. Cardin talked about the importance of the issue, and shared his personal experience of the commute from Baltimore to D.C. being far longer than it should be—typically over 2 hours, rather than 45 minutes. Sen. Capito talked about a successful grassroots campaign in her state launched by a local radio personality, known as #FTDR—fix the (censored) roads. Rep. Graves trumpeted how preventative investment is more cost effective than emergency repairs, both from a safety and economic standpoint. And Rep. Maloney shared the policy idea of increasing our investment in infrastructure to align with 5% of our nation’s GDP. After Rep. Maloney set the stage well, ASCE’s Casey Dinges presented the new Failure to Act study, highlighting that poor infrastructure is costing every American household for $9 a day, and posing the question (and solution) “Would you be willing to pay $3 a day per family for better infrastructure?,” as we could close the investment gap in 10 years if we invested $3 more a day per family. Members from the business and labor communities, including Liuna, Case, and AECOM, also shared perspectives on the importance on infrastructure investment. A wide variety of interests were represented in the room, but as Infrastructure Week more broadly showcases, all these voices strongly agree on the need to rebuild and renew our infrastructure because it matters to our economy and quality of life.Infrastructure Week Events to Check Out
May 12th, 2016 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card
There’s a great line up of events happening for Infrastructure Week! See what’s happening near you!Infrastructure Week Calendar of Events
Infrastructure in the News: Dams, Potholes…
April 29th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
A new dam rehabilitation bill introduced in the Senate and continued attention to our nation’s water and surface infrastructure needs marked this week’s infrastructure headlines. The High Hazard Potential Small Dam Safety Act, a Senate bill sponsored by bipartisan lawmakers, would provide the first non-emergency federal grants to help local governments repair or replace aging dams to ensure public safety. The measure would provide $600 million of matching grants to states, local governments, and water districts over the next 10 years, with the federal program picking up 65% of the costs. We believe this act is a great step, as there are 85,000 dams in the U.S. and the average age is 52 years old. Dams aren’t the only facet of infrastructure that needs critical attention. According to Politico Magazine’s fifth national Mayors Survey, nearly 1 in 3 American mayors think that they may have already hurt their own citizens by making cost-saving decisions on critical infrastructure. According to the survey, the top concerns were roads and bridges, followed by water quality and pipe stability. However, mayors are struggling to find the money from their governors and states to properly address their infrastructure maintenance issues. Mayors aren’t the only ones who are fed up with deteriorating infrastructure. A Mississippi resident expressed his frustration with our beleaguered roads by actually throwing a local pothole a birthday party. After several local news outlets reported on the pothole party, city officials finally filled it in, and will proceed to pave the surrounding area. This action, though comedic, is telling of the level to which our nation is collectively frustrated with poor infrastructure. In a little under one month, we will celebrate Infrastructure Week to remind us all of the critical role that infrastructure plays in our economy, quality of life, safety and communities. You can support Infrastructure Week by sharing this thunderclap and remind everyone how #InfrastructureMatters.We're Telling You First — the Save America's Infrastructure App Is Here!
May 11th, 2015 | By: Becky Moylan
While around these parts it’s infrastructure 24/7/365, national Infrastructure Week now in its third year is a great opportunity to highlight the importance of infrastructure to the economy and the great strides being made to prioritize investment and renewal into our roads, bridges, ports, water pipes and other infrastructure.
As part of Infrastructure Week, today ASCE is releasing a new phone app. Help save America’s roads, water pipes, airports, and more by telling your elected officials to get to work on raising America’s infrastructure grades. Whether it’s an issue in your state or nationally, the new app will remind you when it’s critical for your elected leaders to hear from you.
Enter your zip code to find out how many structurally deficient bridges there are in your county and how your state compares to the nation overall. The app for iPhone and Android includes infographics, videos, national and state data, and news. It then enables you to take all that information and do something about it in the Action Center. Through the app you can contact your elected leaders with just a few taps and let them know that you expect their leadership in making infrastructure renewal a priority.
Our nation’s infrastructure most recently received a “D+” in the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. This app gives you the opportunity to share the stats of our aging infrastructure with your social networks and elected leaders, to help increase awareness of these often “out of sight, out of mind” issues.
So download the new app right now for your iPhone or Android phone and join in (or continue) the effort to save America’s infrastructure as a way to celebrate Infrastructure Week from anywhere.
Tags: Infrastructure Week, phone app, Report Card for America's Infrastructure
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Happy Infrastructure Week
May 10th, 2015 | By: Becky Moylan
Infrastructure Week is finally upon us. To kick off the week, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx are discussing the economic impact of our country’s deteriorating infrastructure systems at “America on the Move: Investing in America’s Economy” the morning of Monday, May 11 at 9:15 ET. Tune in to the webcast to hear the conversation.
In addition to Monday’s kickoff event, there’s a slew of things happening around the country. Here are a few sponsored by ASCE:
- Congressional Briefing: Investing in America’s Flood Infrastructure, Monday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. Rayburn House Office Building B-318, Washington DC
- 2015 Report Card for Arizona’s Infrastructure release, Wednesday, May 13 at 11:30, 2000 Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, AZ 85281
- Pittsburgh on the Move, Wednesday, May 13 at 3 p.m., Carnegie Mellon University, Porter Hall Room 100
- Alaska Municipal Light & Power’s Most Energy Efficient Plant: A Look Behind the Construction Fence at Alaska’s Resilient and Sustainable Energy Infrastructure Wednesday, May 13 at 10 a.m., Juneau, AK
- Infrastructure Delivers More Than You Think: Tour Port NoLa, Thursday, May 14 at 9 a.m, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place New Orleans, LA
This Week in Infrastructure: Infrastructure Week Delivers on its Name
May 16th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Infrastructure Week lived up to its name! In addition to the events marking the occasion and furthering the conversation on emerging solutions, innovative approaches and best practices, President Obama, Vice President Biden, Secretary of Transportation Foxx and Congress all spoke over the past few days on the need for investment. On Wednesday, President Obama took his message to the Tappan Zee Bridge, a major thruway for New Yorkers, highlighting his plan to get projects moving faster while remaining on budget. Meanwhile, in Cleveland against the backdrop of a rail car repair shop, Vice President Biden shared a similar plea, citing the Infrastructure Report Card’s estimate that the U.S. needs to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 to get our nation’s infrastructure GPA up to a B. Secretary Foxx also warned of the perils of inaction regarding the Highway Trust Fund, saying “We cannot meet the needs of a growing country and a growing economy by simply maintaining our current level of effort.” The remarks from the administration did not fall on deaf ears, as Chairman Boxer and Sen. Vitter released a bipartisan bill to authorize six years of highway and transit programs on Monday that passed out of the Environment & Public Works Committee on Thursday. Could infrastructure be the new political buzzword? Or will congressional gridlock derail it? Hopefully the trend continues into action, as failure to act comes at a high cost of its own, including a loss of as many as 700,000 jobs. As The Baltimore Sun points out, a short-term bailout “defeats the purpose of the trust fund.” It is time for a reliable funding mechanism that will pave the way to a Highway Trust Fund equipped with 2014 dollars, rather than 1993 ones. The Highway Trust Fund and transportation-based infrastructure, however, were not the only sectors getting attention during Infrastructure Week. The details of WRRDA were agreed upon and the bill will be sent to the President for his signature next week. Secretary Foxx also honored the Champions of Change in Transportation, reminding us that improving infrastructure, fixing the Highway Trust Fund and passing legislation like WRRDA is ultimately about helping people. These 11 individuals each offer innovative solutions to improve transportation in their communities and exemplify the great work that can help improve citizens’ lives through transportation projects. Hope you all had a great Infrastructure Week, too!Tags: congress, highway trust fund, Infrastructure Week, transportation, wrrda
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The Best Thing About Next Week? It's Infrastructure Week
May 6th, 2014 | By: Infrastructure Report Card
Indeed, May 12 to 16th is officially Infrastructure Week. It’s a week built for talking about trains, planes, and automobiles and all the ways they get from point A to point B. If you’re in or around D.C., Infrastructure Week is already packed with events to collaborate and learn from industry leaders, and, of course, to raise the question – what’s next for infrastructure in the U.S.? If you’re elsewhere, check out the webinars and livestreamed events and feel free to join the Twitter traffic with #RebuildRenew.
Yes, some might say it’s a bit wonky, but most people haven’t taken ten seconds to imagine their life without infrastructure. So, in honor of Infrastructure Week, let’s consider our lives if we erased the seamless, connected, and capable infrastructure systems we take advantage of every day:
- If there was no road or transit, you’d be walking almost everywhere…. Yes, you…walking….everywhere.
- If there were no pipes, you’d be trekking your water bucket to the nearest well or river. The “watering hole” would no longer be your local sports bar.
- If there wasn’t electricity, let’s just say 99% of American entertainment vanishes, and please don’t mention the cringe-worthy threat of a summer without air conditioning.
- If there weren’t airports, that international vacation you’ve been planning all year is going to take all your vacation days just to get there.
Tags: #RebuildRenew, infrastructure, Infrastructure Week, leaders, social
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