White House Summit on Resilience
May 12th, 2016 | By: Infrastructure Report Card
An important aspect of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure is resiliency. While Congress has been hit or miss on infrastructure issues this Congress, yes on Surface Transportation, not so much on resilience and building sciences, the White House has recently begun to place more emphasis on resiliency. Highlights of the White House emphasis include a February 2nd White House Summit on Earthquake Resilience and the related Executive Order entitled Establishing a Federal Earthquake Risk Management Standard for Federal buildings; the Presidential Proclamation establishing May as Building Safety Month; and this week’s Conference on Resilient Building Codes. While these efforts will not have the impact of a major new initiative or Congressional approved programs, and comes with no real additional funding, these events do serve to use the White House’s “bully pulpit” to highlight the increasing natural hazards risks and the importance of resilience and buildings codes in mitigating these risk. The development of standards, model building codes, and the local and state adoption as the building code are largely outside of Federal authority. The Federal government does have a role, as funder of research, as coordinator of technology transfer and knowledge dissemination, and as a cheerleader in rallying the many players involved. The American Society of Civil Engineers is supportive of the White House effort and played a major role this week’s conference, which focused on the critical role codes and standards play in achieving a resilient nation. ASCE joined with other groups representing standard developers, code officials, scientist, insurers, local governments, federal agencies and industries, to share insights, recent successes in developing resilient building codes, and perhaps more challenging, encourage their adoption nationwide. The Society had two representatives at this week’s event: Richard Wright, Ph.D, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE, Chair of the ASCE Committee on Adaption to a Changing Climate, who participated in a panel addressing Climate Change and the Implications for Buildings and James Rossberg, PE, F.SEI, M.ASCE, ASCE’s Managing Director of Engineering Programs, who joined a panel on Resilience in the Codes and Standards Community. Watch the video of the conference here. In the absence of Congressional action on such pending issues as the reauthorization of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), reauthorization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the passage the National Mitigation Investment Act, cheerleading from the White House is, at least, trying to push the nation in the right direction.Dagher to be recognized by White House for Composite Arch Bridges
October 9th, 2015 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
Could it be possible to construct a bridge in two weeks that lasts up to 100 years, has similar costs as a regular steel and concrete bridge, and requires minimal maintenance? It may seem farfetched, but ASCE member and Founding Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center Dr. Habib Dagher, invented and achieved that very thing with his award-winning composite arch bridge system, often known as the “Bridge-in-a-Backpack.” Dagher will be recognized Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, for his groundbreaking innovation by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx at a White House ceremony honoring 11 of the nation’s top transportation innovators. Each year, the Champions of Change program recognizes Americans who are advancing transportation and leading change that benefits our nation’s transportation system. The composite arch bridge system consists of inflatable tubes made of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) that act as reinforcement for cast-in-place concrete. Once on site, the patented bridge technology can be erected and lifted into place without heavy equipment or large crews in a matter of days, as opposed to several months. Construction costs for the “bridge-in-a-backpack” are comparable to those of a standard bridge. The technology is extremely durable, has a smaller carbon footprint than current bridge technologies, and is estimated to last two or three times longer than the typical 40-70 year lifespan of a concrete-and-steel bridge. The University of Maine has licensed the bridge technology to private start-up company Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), who designs and builds these bridges. The composite arch bridge system was also approved by AASHTO, the first technology of its kind to be approved in the U.S. bridge design code. To date, composite arch bridges have been installed by AIT in 18 locations around the nation and other countries.This Week in Infrastructure: All eyes are on the Senate… for next week
July 25th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
The Senate will vote early next week on the House’s bill to extend funding to the Highway Trust Fund until May. The upper chamber is poised to debate and vote on the bill and four amendments to it, including the Carper-Corker-Boxer Amendment, which ASCE supports. If passed, the amendment would shorten the funding extension, thus requiring Congress to revisit the topic by December and make a decision to pass a long-term, sustainable bill for the Highway Trust Fund. This would shorten the length of uncertainty for states, and allow for better planning of transportation projects. Maryland’s Senators authored an op-ed on the value in a multi-year transportation bill, again detailing the benefit of longer term transportation funding laws. Vice President Joe Biden tried his hand at the White House White Board video series to explain once again the value in infrastructure investment. While it can often seem Congress is “riding on four flat tires,” as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says, there was an encouraging announcement from another part of the federal government, The Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $10 billion in private funding for rural infrastructure investment. Next week’s Senate actions will provide clearer next steps in the quest for a long-term, sustainable bill to #FixtheTrustFund.Tags: congress, highway trust fund, infrastructure, White House
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ASCE Statement on the Build America Investment Initiative
July 17th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president, ASCE on the Build America Investment Initiative: “Today’s action by President Obama to launch the Build America Investment Initiative comes at a critical time as we witness Congress still debating how to provide a long-term, sustainable solution to the federal Highway Trust Fund. While private sector financing can by no means replace public funding, states and localities urgently need all of the best tools available to provide transportation solutions for their communities. “The newly-created Build America Transportation Investment Center can play a vital role in sharing best public-private partnerships (P3s) practices and encouraging more states to utilize P3s to a greater degree, thereby creating a more robust U.S. market and attracting private sector investment in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. “ASCE looks forward to working with the Obama Administration to positively implement this action in the coming weeks and months. ASCE supports a comprehensive funding and financing program for operating, maintaining, and improving the nation’s transportation system, which includes P3s, infrastructure banks, bonding and other innovative financing mechanisms. If utilized appropriately, these financing mechanisms can help leverage available transportation funding and play an important role in delivering projects and managing assets effectively.”###
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.Tags: ASCE, bridges, Build America Investment Initative, congress, highway trust fund, infrastructure, P3s, roads, surface transportation, White House
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This Week in Infrastructure: White House offers bill to GROW AMERICA
May 2nd, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
Congress is back in session, but it was not a member of the legislative branch who introduced legislation to fund transportation projects. Instead, the U.S. DOT and President Obama followed up on a promise from earlier this year to propose a $302 billion transportation budget, titled GROW AMERICA (which stands for Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America). Don’t worry, you won’t be tested on the anagram at the end of this post. However, despite a step toward a possible funding option for the Highway Trust Fund, to guarantee it doesn’t become insolvent during the height of summer road construction, Time suspects you didn’t even hear about it. There was some coverage, but it was not splashed across the top of news websites, nor did it get a breaking news app push notification or email (at least not from any I use. If yours did let me know and I will gladly convert). Most notable to the news media was the administration’s proposed shift in current law regarding tolls on interstate freeways. It is an alternative to raising the gas tax that will offer additional revenue, though the law makes it an option for states, rather than a federal mandate. So could the GROW Act be the answer to preventing Washington’s next cliff? Or will Congress put a pothole in its path to better transportation? Several states, including Iowa and Utah, continue to fear the Highway Trust Fund’s insolvency. And a Nevada paper urged that the country needs a plan. Both Rep. Dina Titus and Rep. Bill Shuster wrote in Roll Call this week about the importance of maintaining our infrastructure. It is time to transform these words into actions to #FixtheTrustFund.Tags: congress, gas tax, GROW Act, GROW AMERICA Act, highway trust fund, infrastructure, Tolls, White House
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