Old Age and Underfunding

ASCE president Jean-Louis Briaud says of the 17 categories analyzed in the 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, five grades slightly improved while one grade (for bridges) decreased. These improvements in specific categories allowed the cumulative GPA to slightly increase from a ‘D+’ in 2017 to a ‘C-’ in 2021, marking the first time in more than 20 years that the nation’s infrastructure received a grade that wasn’t in the ‘D’ range. “However, 11 of the 17 categories scored in the ‘D’ range, and only two categories scored in the ‘B’ range—rail and ports,” Briaud says. “This is a major cause for concern and further emphasizes the need for a robust and comprehensive infrastructure package to address funding deficits across the 17 sectors. Not only have we been failing to maintain our infrastructure at levels that were deemed necessary in the past, but we are even further from fully modernizing our existing systems so that they are prepared to handle increased capacity and more severe weather patterns across the U.S.”

Severe weather plus a fair-to-poor infrastructure is a recipe for disaster. We need strategic investment from all levels of government—federal, state, and local, as well as private investment—to get back to the worldwide leadership position we once enjoyed.”

Source: ASCE 2021 Report Card for American’s Infrastructure

Underfunding has been a chronic issue for transportation infrastructure in recent past. ASCE’s Briaud says transportation infrastructure has largely struggled across the U.S. While rail had the highest grade in the 2021 report card with a ‘B’, this is due to proper investments being made in the freight rail network, which contrasts with passenger rail, which is lagging behind. “Over 40% of our roads are in poor or mediocre condition, and the number of bridges rated ‘good’ has been decreasing, while the number of bridges rated ‘fair’ is on the rise. Not helping matters is that the nation’s federal gas tax has not been raised and is still at 18 cents per gallon since 1993. Imagine living on your 1993 salary,” Briaud quips. “The gas tax plays a major role in funding these projects, and we’ve fallen too far behind in maintaining them. The FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act, passed in 2015, was a start to addressing funding, but that fund is set to expire in September 2021.”

elevated, like up on piers or tunneled, then that’s $100 million per lane mile, so it’s very expensive infrastructure,” Kockelman explains. “But the gas tax has stayed (the same) for the last 28 years, which is embarrassing, and so we are actually having to fund highways and transit from other sources, like income taxes. It’s a really awful, awful decision on the part of our legislators.”

And just how costly is the decision not to act to improve the nation’s infrastructure? Very costly indeed.

Source: Failure to Act Report

Zhu Mao, assistant professor in the Structural Dynamics and Acoustic Systems Laboratory at UMass Lowell, says improving the nation’s infrastructure is absolutely critical for future economic growth. “Infrastructure provides the necessary motility of people, food supply, power transmission, etc.,” Mao says. “The investment in improving the nation’s infrastructure will create jobs, stimulate vocational education and also STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, which will be beneficial to the country in a few decades.”

Source: ASCE 2021 Report Card for American’s Infrastructure

For instance, in the next decade, consumers, governments, and commercial operators will increasingly pursue the electrification of vehicles and fleets as a business decision, greening a sector that’s the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. “While there is great interest among consumers in EVs (electric vehicles), the lack of a robust EV charging infrastructure is a top barrier to EV adoption,” Gratzke explains. “We share the view that electric mobility can only grow as fast as the charging infrastructure enables it to.”

Smarter, Safer Infrastructure

The infrastructure investment gap is in the trillions, and the economic impact of this continued gap is clear. Using technology and innovation is critical in closing the gap. “Smart technology is already making major impacts on safety and security, and that will only increase with time,” says GHD’s Lehman. “Most cars can call to get help if your car is involved in a crash. Newer vehicles have many driver-assist features that improve safety. Smart buildings can monitor indoor air quality and adjust for improvements based on the sensor data. Cities are coordinating their signal systems, which can change to allow for rerouting traffic due to a crash or breakdown or change traffic patterns to allow for rapid evacuation in an incoming severe weather event.” Lehman uses the term techceleration to describe the process of better understanding how to apply IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to deliver better, faster, and cheaper infrastructure solutions more safely.

Source: Failure to Act Report

“This can only be achieved by a full understanding of the performance of the infrastructure, both during its construction and throughout its operating life through the application of innovative sensor technologies and data analytics.”

By learning much more about the real performance of infrastructure through sensing and data analytics, cities and nations can make step changes in how they design, construct, operate, and maintain the built environment. “There is an urgent need to exploit digital technologies to establish a smart and sustainable infrastructure industry,” concludes Mair. “Only by doing this can we reduce carbon, increase resilience, and preserve resources.”

At the same time, decentralized power systems like microgrids are supporting resilience, clean power, and environmental justice,” she says. “Energy efficiency and sustainability are another benefit. Buildings produce 40% of all emissions globally, but by deploying data technologies and clean power systems, (essentially) connecting smarter buildings to a smarter grid, we can both decarbonize our built environment and even make it less expensive to operate and maintain.”