Infrastructure Needs Heating Up
Climate change makes investment in future infrastructure essential
W
hile temperatures continually hit new records around the world, historic droughts in some areas of the world are matched by historic rains in others, and the sea water level rises on every coast, every community will have to deal with the side effects of climate change. One of the most discussed consequences is infrastructure that will need to be invented or reimagined in the face of our climate crisis. With record or near-record amounts of rain falling in Connecticut, flooding has been an issue for towns and cities across the state. For the coastal towns, the near future will force them to ask if sea level rise will force the issue on sea walls. In Miami, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a wall 20-feet high for six miles in Biscayne Bay to deal with the same set of problems. There, they are receiving pushback as arguments pour in over the effects on the quality of life if access to the ocean becomes blocked by a wall. Back in Connecticut, the flooding did cut off the ocean for many. Beaches along the coast were closed temporarily as bacteria and sewage infected the waters. Inland, roads and bridges crumble not only from lack of funding, but the increasing heat and the increasing usage that diminishes the lifespan of our infrastructure. We wrote in the May issue of CT&C that our Infrastructure report card gave us a C – for the year of 2018. With little to no support given for the kind of funding needed to bring it back up to serviceable, many of the 2100 miles of highway and 248 bridges in need of repair then are still in that state today. On many fronts, there is movement to change this. The impetus of the May article was the American Jobs Plan, a grand project of President Biden that needs broad bipartisan support to pass. It is modeled on the Depression-era Works Progress Administration in its largess. Despite this, Senator Chris Murphy said on our Municipal Voice podcast that this might not be even enough for the kind of investments we need across the country. In addition to projects to make our streets and roads
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safe, our new infrastructure must take into account climate change. For his part, Governor Lamont has been incentivizing electric vehicles. In June, he announced improved incentives to the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program. Despite not needing gas, EVs still need an investment in infrastructure. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority has recently approved a program to support the installation of charging ports for EVs, partnering with Eversource and United Illuminating. The program incentivizes home charging stations, as well as fast charging stations and workplace charging stations. The rebates are up to $500 for homeowners and $40,000 for apartment complexes or businesses. Perhaps more effective than electric vehicles reserved for personal use, is investing in a robust public transportation system. Connecticut is home to the most widely used commuter rails in the United States, but it pales in comparison to commuter lines around the world. The daily ridership is 385,000 across the entire MTA line, where commuter lines in Europe and Asia can reach into the millions. Faster and more reliable service on all of Connecticut’s rail lines could translate to hundreds to thousands of cars off the road, which could lead to even the unintended side effect of lessening commute times for those that still do need to drive. Harkening back to the WPA and post-Great Depression America, we can understand the need for investments in infrastructure and a reimagining of what that means for our towns and cities. Across Connecticut, post offices, schools, roads and bridges built during that time still exist. Roads were created with a new technology in mind – the automobile was just still in its infancy at that time. In the same way, we must look at the possibility of new infrastructure spending and ask what will the world look like in a decade or even a century ahead given what we know about climate change now.
