INFRA US 1

OFF THE RAILS Union Pacific CEO James Young on the risks of neglecting the freight system (Page 34)

BREAKING POINT Critical infrastructure on the brink (Page 90)

www.americainfra.com • Q3 2009

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Is Obama's stimulus plan a bold vision for the future, or just a costly retread of the New Deal? (Page 28) us infra COVER.indd 1

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Editor’s note 3

A life less ordinary Why is the value of infrastructure development so often overlooked?

T

here are certain things in life that are hard to get excited about. Take buying a new refrigerator or washing machine. These unglamorous items are so ubiquitous that any effort expended on them seems like a chore. But when your milk becomes cottage cheese overnight and your clothes start developing mildew, you quickly sit up and take notice.

Our relationship with infrastructure is similarly vexed. How often do people think about the effort required to construct and maintain road systems, or generate power and transmit it to our homes? Generally the only time it registers is when things go wrong; a power outage that means we miss the game on TV, or a traffic jam that makes us late for work.

It really shouldn’t be that way. The story of infrastructure is the story of America’s growing maturity as a nation. It is impossible to overestimate the impact the Los Angeles Aqueduct had on California’s development into the economic

“We’ll put people to work repairing crumbling roads, bridges, and schools by eliminating the backlog of wellplanned, worthy and needed infrastructure projects.”

President Obama (page 28)

The new generation of sensor-packed smart bridges not only provide early alerts to structural problems, they can also de-ice themselves in bad weather conditions and reduce the number of accidents. Intelligent road systems can dynamically manage congestion to keep traffic moving, meaning that the average person spends less time in jams each year. Increased investment in transmission infrastructure for alternative power could lower household power costs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Just as it did in the past, infrastructure development still has the power to reshape the nation. It’s up to the industry to communicate this in terms the general public can understand. n

powerhouse we see today. The rail and highway systems that connected coast to coast dramatically shortened journey times, allowing people and goods to move around the country with comparative ease. Power infrastructure brought light and energy to even the most remote homes, giving Americans the ability to take lifechanging appliances like refrigerators for granted. Throughout US history, improvements in infrastructure have inexorably contributed to a rising quality of life and a greater level of economic success.

But the subject of infrastructure still fails to engage large swathes of the population, despite clear reminders of why it matters. The impact of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans levees and the I-35W Bridge collapse in Minneapolis are just two examples of infrastructure getting interesting for all the wrong reasons. But it should be possible to make a case based on the benefits infra can bring, rather than the harm it might do.

Huw Thomas Editor

“US railroads move 30 percent of the entire nation’s grain harvest – enough wheat to provide every man, woman and child with a fresh loaf of bread six days a week.”

James Young, CEO Union Pacific (page 34)

People want to move around a little differently, so we’re going to get back to some of the transit initiatives that, in the past, have been put on the back burner.”

Kirk Steudle, Director of Michigan DOT (page 40)

CONTENTS USI:june09 15/06/2009 13:32 Page 4

Contents 4

28

40 Report card In light of a damning assessment of America’s infrastructure, we speak to the director of Michigan’s Department of Transportation, Kirk Steudle, to find out what the state is now doing to make good

History lessons President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act promises a major boost for infrastructure funding. But does it go far enough and what can the response to an earlier crisis tell us about the likely outcome?

Freight train blues

90

The freight rail industry has long played a crucial role in supporting the US economy. But in today’s tight markets that relationship is hanging in the balance

Situation: Critical From collapsed bridges to leaking dams, American infrastructure is facing real decline. Matt Buttell investigates real life problems for America’s roads, bridges and transit lines, and asks, “What’s next?”

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Contents 6

134

Vint Cerf

120

Denise Bode

44 On track

50

Mind the gap

S I LV E R S P O N S O R

Fostering communication to address the key challenges of railroad infrastructure. By Dr. Francis Mulvey

tration needs to invest in technology if it is to truly bolster our nation’s transportation infrastructure system

66 Spend and receive 48 Red, white and green The federal government has a major role to play in making America more energy efficient and environmentally responsible

bridges are on their last legs. US Infrastructure assesses the situation and looks to the future

70 Freight lifting 54 Underground success

50 Mind the gap There is widespread concern that the country’s

ASK THE EXPERT 42 Dennis Bennett, Alpha Technologies Ltd. 72 Patrick Hofstadler, Plasser American Corporation 84 James Andrews, BASF Corporation 130 Jim Christian, Timmons Group

Leslie Blakey explains the need for strategic investment in the transportation system

How the ARC Mass Transit Tunnel will shake things up in New York and New Jersey. By Stephen Dilts

58 Go with the flow As one of America’s busiest cities, New York is engaged in a constant struggle with traffic. US Infrastructure examines its current plans and how congestion charging schemes from around the world might point the way forward

62 Time for change Scott Belcher explains why the new adminis-

Investing in rail infrastructure is vital for the continued health of the nation

74 A new focus The road to 2009 surface transportation authorization. By Dave Bauer

EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW 52 Wim D’Hooghe, OTN Systems 56 Ron Gant, Bentley Systems 106 Tanya Lin, Sprint 118 Tim Fuller, PlantCML

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IN THE BACK

ture component, says James Shannon, President of the National Fire Protection Association

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

104 Speaking the same language

100 Michael Troiano, Advanced Fire Systems, Inc. 122 Klaus Müller, Grundfos

Eastern grip

A strategic plan for interoperable emergency communications

124 “Where goods cross borders, armies don’t”

110 State of emergency The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials’ Bob Smith details the technological and human challenges facing emergency responders

136 Project Focus: At Home 138 Project Focus: Away 140 In review 143 Crisis or opportunity?

144 Final Word: Jay Stinson, Intergraph Corporation

By Dawn Christof Champney

126 The hit list How water utilities are applying a top 10 of effective utility management ‘Attributes’

114 Tough talk How The Infrastructure Security Partnership is driving the move from protection to resilience

132 The geomatics/surveying gap

120 Transmission proposition

134 Cerf’s up

American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode offers the case for new transmission infrastructure

In an exclusive interview, Vint Cerf explains why information infrastructure reform is just as important as physical gains

By Curt Sumner

76 The road ahead Working toward economic recovery with speed and watchfulness

86

78 The golden ticket An increased focus on public transport can provide big wins across the board, says William Millar

80 Paving the way How asphalt breakthrough technologies can lower greenhouse gas emissions.

86 Skills matter Why the American Institute of Contractors Certification Program is good for business. By David Crawford

70

Freight lifting

Skills matter

96 Emergency care Urgent action is needed if the crisis in US infrastructure is not to infect the entire nation, says Wayne Klotz

102 Access all areas Disability evacuation planning is a key infrastruc-

NEXT BIG THING 46 Michael Ostrom, Mygistics

Access all areas

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Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey • California

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The advertising and articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinions and attitudes of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. We are not to be held accountable for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or photographs. All material within this magazine is ©2009 US Infrastructure.

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GROUNDED ZERO

THE BRIEF

Work to rebuild the site of the World Trade Center has been plagued with controversy for the last eight years.

AT THE END OF MAY, the New solve the disagreement causing York Times reported of a further delays in rebuilding at Ground impasse between the deZero. According to reveloper and the owner ports, developer The authority’s of the World Trade Larry Silverstein board has already Center site. The arand top officials authorized ticle stated that of the Port New York Mayor Authority of New to help with Michael Bloomberg York and New Silverstein’s financing had invited the ‘big Jersey, who own the players’ to Gracie site’s land, are barely Mansion, where complicated talking to one another. Reports negations were to be held to realso suggest that the reason

$800 million

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Frontline THE BRIEF

13 maintain and manage the Port Authority now cannot keep bridges, tunnels, ports, termithose payments. The Port nals and airports in the metroAuthority is also refusing to use politan area; the main argument ‘public money’ to ensure a combeing that while everyone pleted rebuild. wants the Ground Zero memoriFinally, the letter argues al (and other structures) comthat Silverstein is not asking the pleted, they should not come at Port Authority for money, but inthe expense of the authority’s stead is asking the agency to primary mission. guarantee its financing. This will However, just over a week help Silverstein Properties to after this story ran, the New obtain construction loans that York Times published a letter the firm will then be obligated to addressed to the editor, signed repay, all at the risk of losing inby Janno Lieber, President of the vested interest in the buildWorld Trade Center Properties. ings. Meanwhile, says the Lieber is responsible for letter, the Port Authority will managing the be allowed to keep the Silverstein organibillions it has alThe Port zation’s efforts to authority has ready received recieved rebuild the site. from Silverstein In his letter he arand collect bilgues that, conlions more in rent out of Silverstein’s trary to the for the coming rebuild fund article’s assertion, decades. Lieber also the Port Authority’s abilinotes that this strategy alty to complete the memorial is lows the Port Authority to not in any way dependent on honor its commitment — made Silverstein Properties. “There is many times since 9/11 — to rezero physical connectivity bebuild Lower Manhattan. tween Silverstein’s towers, to be Nonetheless, whichever relocated on the east side of port is more accurate, the truth Greenwich Street, and the remains that almost eight years memorial, which the Port since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Authority is building entirely to Ground Zero is still little more the west of the street,” the letthan a construction site. For the ter read. large part, rebuilding work only Secondly, argued Lieber, it began throughout 2008 and – was the Port Authority – not aside from the already completSilverstein – who initiated a ed 7 World Trade Center tower renegotiation of the 2006 – completion for much of the agreement, after admitting that site isn’t expected until 2013, it is years behind on its commitmeaning much of it is likely to ments to complete critical site miss the 10 year anniversary of infrastructure. In fact, according the attacks. to Lieber, since 9/11, the Port It is curious to consider Authority has received $2.75 then, that while in 1880 it only billion out of Silverstein’s retook two years to build the Eiffel building fund, based on assurTower by hand, America’s modances it would deliver its ern infrastructure seems incarebuilding projects on time, pable of rebuilding Ground Zero and, having failed to do so, the either on time or on budget.

WORK IN PROGRESS

RENDER of the rebuilt World Trade Center

$2.75 billion

behind the latest fall-out is due to Silverstein’s desire to reopen a 2006 building agreement with the authority, citing delays and the weakness in the economy.

The New York Times went on to argue that as the authority’s board has already authorized over $800 million to help with Silverstein’s financing, the Mayor and his dealmakers should not drain any more of the funds the authority needs to

CONSTRUCTION continues at the site

THE COMPLETED 7WorldTrade CenterTower

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BUILDING LESSONS

TUNNELLING DOWN

AROUND THE BLOC

Colleges in England with building projects on hold because of a funding fiasco will have to wait even longer than anticipated for a decision on when they will be funded. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) had been due to announce which projects were being made a priority this week, but the funding body has written to college leaders saying they will now hear ‘later this month’ [June] if their bids for funds have been successful.

In Canada, it has been 72 years since the concept of an underwater tunnel connecting the mainland to the Toronto Islands was unceremoniously sunk, but a new proposal from the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) could see the tunnel finally happen.

The countries of the former Soviet Bloc face huge challenges in the next 10 years if they are to avoid the worst ravages of climate change, the World Bank warned back in May. According to the World Bank, nations from Poland to Kazakhstan, from the Arctic Circle to the Caucasus, face the likelihood of more frequent floods, droughts, heat waves, storms and forest fires.

College leaders described the further delay as ‘unhelpful’, as projects at 144 colleges were put on hold after the LSC ran out of money. Many colleges complain they have been left ‘in limbo’, having invested time and money in getting their schemes ready, some institutions already moving students to temporary buildings in readiness for work to begin, but the scheme was frozen around Christmastime.

The LSC was criticized heavily at the time, and its head, Mark Haysom, resigned after it became clear the body had approved more building projects than it had money for.

In June, the TPA asked for millions of the federal government’s stimulus money to build a 120-metre pedestrian tunnel from the base of Bathurst Street to the Toronto City Centre Airport terminal, whisking people on moving walkways 27 meters underground.

However, at this time, the current proposal is no more or less than an idea. It is not currently part of the Port Authority's capital works plan, and was only added belatedly to a wish list for stimulus money.

What’s more, decrepit infrastructure and the legacies of Soviet mismanagement have left them massively under-equipped for coping with the threat.

Responding to climate change means being able to draw on a plethora of resources, including economic, human and environmental issues. But the former Eastern Bloc countries are poor, have low awareness of climate change and suffer from poor housing and other infrastructural issues that will be badly exposed to extreme weather conditions.

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EXCUSE MY FRENCH REPORTS ARE SHOWING that France is capitalizing on contracts to rebuild Iraq's battered infrastructure. According to Newsweek magazine, the French, who refused to join the United States and other allies in overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s government, are now about to cash in on the rebuilds.

The magazine reports that the French have more history and experience than the Americans in Iraq, thanks to prior political and business links dating to the Saddam era when France built much of the infrastructure that now needs replacing.

The article says that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing every advantage his country has. Among those doing big business in Iraq are French construction giant Lafarge, which Newsweek says already accounts for one in four tons of the concrete poured in the war-torn country.

15

HOME SWEET HOME

LAW AND DISORDER

In Abu Dhabi it has been reported that there are plans to develop another offshore island for housing. Hudayriat Island, off the south west coast of Abu Dhabi Island, has been designated for housing for Emiratis, according to the Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.

In Australia, unions have called on the federal government to take immediate action to reduce the deaths in the construction industry and reverse laws that, according to the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), discriminate against building workers.

According to Jeff Lawrence, secretary of the ACTU, in the four years since the Howard government established the office of the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner (ABCC), it has failed to adequately deal with employers who break the law or cut corners on safety.

In addition, Aurecon, an infrastructure consultancy group, is conducting a study into transport possibilities for the southern part of the island, the report said. One option being considered is a bridge and a tunnel to connect the southern side of Hudayriat to the main island. According to the master plan the island will be “significantly expanded to the south and cut through by canals, with a transition to mangroves along its outer edges.”

The northern part of Hudayriat Island will be developed by the Department of Presidential Affairs, but at the time of going to press no details of its plans were available.

Unions have now vowed to support a South Australian construction worker, rigger Ark Tribe, who has been charged for failing to attend an ABCC interview and refused to tell investigators about a union meeting held over safety breaches at an Adelaide construction site. Lawrence said it is important that the federal government deliver on Australian Labor Party policies to abolish what he refers to as “discriminatory laws” and abandon plans to retain a separate inspectorate for building workers.

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TECHNOLOGY’S TOUCH

COMPANY NEWS

THE NATION’S Chief Technology Officer warned this month that the technology backbone of the United States needs a major overhaul and the government can’t do it alone.

Aneesh Chopra recently delivered a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Association’s Digital Downtown event in NewYork City. In it he said that while the US is ‘dead last’on the global stage when it comes to the technology infrastructure, bandwidth usage is expected to increase five-fold by 2013.

“We’ve stood still while the rest of the world has caught up or exceeded us,” he said.

“We want equity, growth, application value, we have multiple public priorities, and the bulk of capital investment will be a private sector endeavor.”

As a way of holding himself publicly accountable, Chopra said he plans to keep a report card that peers at the White House will sign off on.

He said that the results will be posted regularly on a blog.

“It’s my responsibility to ensure we deliver,” Chopra said.

DID YOU KNOW With

10,091 roads classed as being in a poor condition, California is the worst state to drive in Source: www.statemaster.com

RECOGNITION FOR LEADING SECURITY FIRM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE awarded Stabiloc, LLC Export Achievement Certificate for recent accomplishments in the Global Market. Stabiloc LLC is a Michigan based company, designer and manufacturer of 911SYS – a manhole cover security device.

While most people would never consider the crucial role of underground infrastructure, it is actually this infrastructure that is vital to the smooth operations of modern society and it is extremely important to recognize that security in this area is paramount. As recent as April 2009, a prominent Californian city and surrounding area fell victim to a cyber-attack that dis-

abled some of the city's critical infrastructure, including local telecommunication, emergency and financial services. It is apparent, now more than ever, that not enough attention is given to security of US infrastructure.

Stabiloc’s 911SYS is a permanent solution for critical underground infrastructure security; it combines stabilization with a powerful, unique locking method. The system is user friendly, affordable, and,

ers of the infrastructure to keep their existing covers thus making the solution very inexpensive. 911SYS is sized properly to span the enormous diversity of available infrastructure configurations – one size fits all.

Stabiloc, which has its presence on five continents, is proud to serve government and private agencies all over the world. Every year Senator Carl Levin recognizes Michigan businesses for exports of domesti-

with proper tooling, allows fast and easy access to an underground network. It requires minimal time for removal or installation. The product is retrofit and will work virtually with any manhole cover and frame configurations. This allows own-

cally manufactured goods and opening doors to new foreign markets with Export Achievement Certificates.

Stabiloc was selected as one of many companies in Michigan and is very honored to receive this award.

NO ‘I’ IN TEAMWORK IN MIAMI, construction company KM/Plaza says that teamwork is the key to success. In a recent report, company president Brad Meltzer likened a construction project to an organism, saying that while it may start out small it continues to grow and expand: “In order to cultivate the project, it takes a full team effort and it takes consistency.

We’ve learned to always maintain our focus and consistency,” he said.

This is certainly the case for one of KM/Plaza’s most recent projects, The Marquis, a 1.2 million-square-foot luxury condominium and hospitality tower in Miami. The project, which is now completed, stands a staggering

708 feet – making it the second-tallest structure in the South of Florida.

Originally the completion date for The Marquis was set for May 2009, but, as Meltzer notes, the company’s greatest success is its ability to stay ahead of schedule. With project stakeholders getting together for weekly faceto-face meetings, ensuring all team members are on the same page, the building, which now stands where a Howard Johnson restaurant and hotel once did, was actually completed a massive three months early.

Project Manager Pierre Desmarais added that the project has been a huge success. “And I know it’s because we understand each other – we’re all on the same page.

We’re a team – we’re Team Marquis.”

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Frontline COMPANY NEWS

THE POWER OF TWO

1969 and has been in the railroad construction business since 1970. HTSI was founded in 1993 to THE NORTH TEXAS RAIL GROUP (NTRG) was operate and maintain passenger rail systems. selected as construction manager/general While both companies have been very successful contractor for a new commuter rail project in their respective lines of business, the being built by the Denton County Transit Denton county project is really what Authority (DCTA). The NTRG is a the founders of HTSI, Bill and Stan team that is led by the joint venCMGC and Herzog, envisioned when they ture of Herzog Contracting DBOM projects are were established – the two Corp (HCC) and Archer growing as the companies working together to Western Contractors. The build, operate and maintain group also includes an HCC delivery method of transportation new passenger rail systems. subsidiary, Herzog Transit projects During the design and conServices, Inc. (HTSI). The struction phases of the project, HTSI, RailDCTA Project, to be known as the as a subcontractor to NTRG, will advise on the op‘A-Train’, is a passenger rail service between erability and maintainability of Denton and Carrollton in north central Texas. the system. HTSI will also asThis segment is the first phase of a project sist in the systems integrathat will eventually provide a single seat sertion, testing and acceptance vice from Denton to downtown Dallas. and will ultimately manNotably for the two Herzog companies, age the start-up of they are working together on a new project the new system. The from the beginning. HCC was established in

most efficient

17

involvement of the operator and maintainer in the early stages of design and construction will ensure a well-designed system that works from the outset without costly redesigns and retrofits.

As CMGC and DBOM projects are growing as the most efficient delivery method for transportation projects, so too is the Herzogs’ vision of HCC and HTSI working together to create efficiently delivered passenger rail systems.

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RAIL SAFETY IN 2006, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reported that broken joint bars are a significant cause of main line derailments in North America. To decrease the number of derailments due to broken joint bars, ENSCO worked in partnership with the FRA Office of Research and Development to develop the Joint Bar Inspection Systems (JBIS), a machine vision joint bar inspection system.

Utilized by commercial railroads and the FRA, ENSCO’s systems locate and identify hairline cracks in joint bars at speeds up to 65MPH. This is a significant improvement in efficiency over traditional walking inspections and more accurate than visual inspection of bars from a hi-rail vehicle.

The JBIS automated machine vision technology for inspecting rail joint bars can be installed on a hirailer or a track inspection car where it captures high-resolution

COMPANY NEWS

images of the joint bars and uses advanced processing algorithms on the images to detect cracks.

The JBIS provides real time reporting of detected cracks during the inspection, allowing the maintenance crews to perform the track maintenance more efficiently.

ENSCO is the only company to offer a high-speed optical joint bar inspection system and has seen the demand for this technology quickly increase. Six of the Class 1 railroads use this technology to augment their joint inspection processes and the system has been used by these railroads to repair sections of track that have had high rates of defective joint bars for an extended period of time. The technology is also being used quarterly to ensure new cracks in bars are identified and removed immediately.

ENSCO, Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for the defense, security, transportation, environment, and aerospace industries. For more information please visit www.ensco.com/rail

DID YOU KNOW There are a total of

30 toll bridges bridges in the state of New York, that’s compared to just one in states including Georgia, North Dakota and Massachusetts Source: www.statemaster.com

A WAY TO GO IN FARGO JUNE SAW construction start on a nine million dollar project on the I-29, just north of Fargo. At the site, crews are building four and a half miles of road, bridges and ramps. According to reports, the DOT is bringing the elevation of the area up to the 50-year flood level. This will keep water

off this part of interstate, which often floods because of the Sheyenne breakout and drain water. In addition to this news, further changes on Main Avenue in West Fargo also started this month, with crews working on a temporary bridge and culvert project.

BRACE FOR IMPACT Billy Campbell, a passenger IN A HEARING held by the on the flight, testified that after National Transportation Safety Board about the US Airways emer- the plane landed in the Hudson, water began pouring through the gency landing, large concerns re‘seams’ of his window. He evengarding safety procedures and tually found an exit near the protocol has come to light. cockpit. But, when he boarded According to reports, moments the raft – the last passenger to do before steering US Airways Flight so – it was still tethered to the 1549 into the Hudson River, sinking plane. The pouch that Captain Chesley B. “Sully” held the cutting device Sullenberger III warned was never located the cabin to ‘Brace because the raft for impact’.

Further reports show that was so crowded However, it apand it wasn't pears that there until a ferryboat are large educawas lucky to have rescuer tossed tional gaps rerafts and life vests on board Sullenberger a garding what knife that the raft exactly ‘brace for imlines were cut free. pact’ means, as some pasMany passengers, the testisengers admit to ‘sort-of bracing’ mony also showed, did not take and simply trying to stay calm. flotation devices with them when The three-day public hearing they left the plane, although crew on the Hudson incident, held in members and some passengers June, revealed some problems gathered life vests and tossed with safety equipment and procethem out to the evacuees. dures, including this confusion In fact, further reports show over how passengers should prethat Flight 1549 was lucky to pare for impact. have rafts and life vests on The jetliner was equipped board, because federal regulawith flotation vests, slides next tions require such equipment to its wings and four life rafts, only on scheduled extended two of which became unusable over-water flights – which the after the plane’s fuselage fracroute from New York to Charlotte, tured on impact, allowing water NC, was not. to cover the rear exits.

Flight 1549

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Frontline COMPANY NEWS

GOING DIGITAL GOVERNMENTAGENCIES migrating to digital technology for their radio communications have found that achieving a smooth and economically responsible transition can be challenging.

Agencies often wish to retain their current analog equipment while introducing digital equipment, often to certain departments or user groups.That way, mission critical users can gain the additional coverage, audio quality and features of digital technology while others continue to operate on the analog system.

This allows for a migration path that meets the agency’s need for new technology at a pace that also meets their budget.

Kenwood designed the NEXEDGE full line of mobiles, portables and infrastructure so organizations can chart their own transition to digital – at their own pace. NEXEDGE makes the transition both affordable and versatile, so analog technology can continue to be deployed and the

move to digital requires only minimal changes in the agency radio system – in some instances only programming is required. The NEXEDGE product line includes the NX-300/300 portables, the NX700/800 mobiles and the NXR700/800 base units, all incorporating advanced technology specifically designed for the requirements of critical infrastructure. Most crucially for the mandated transition to narrowband by 2013, NEXEDGE systems are capable of 25 and 12kHz analog operation, and can also operate in 12.5 and 6.25kHz NXDN digital modes.

NEXEDGE offers digital trunking for faster and more efficient calling capabilities, another requirement of critical infrastructure use, and enhanced capacity allowing for user expansion plus higher levels of security than analog systems. Potential compatibility issues are solved because NEXEDGE works with both FM conventional and LTR trunking for existing analog fleets and NXDN digital for new advanced fleets.

SAFETY ISSUES THE THREE MEN who were killed in Austin, Texas, this month when part of a scaffold collapsed and plunged them several stories, have been revealed as immigrant construction workers with friends and families in Latin America. The incident has since raised safety concerns for immigrant workers. Construction on the building has now been scaled back. Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, along with the Austin police department are investigating the deaths.

While the project developer said the collapse was nothing more than an “unfortunate accident,” it remains unclear whether the collapse was as a result of faulty equipment.

19

ITmanagementhasenthusiasticallyadoptedNEXEDGEbecausethedigitaltrunkedsystems arecapableofmulti-siteIPnetworkingtolinkupto16trunked sitesforwideareacallingandautoroamingcapabilities.NEXEDGEincorporatesamulti-siteflash option,enablingthecreationofaffordablyscalablenetworksoverexistingITassets,privatemicrowave, spread-spectrumlinksorcarrier bandwidthusingoff-the-shelf 10/100Base-TEthernetswitches androuters.

The NEXEDGE unique Overthe-Air Alias provides Caller ID without subscriber pre-programming. NEXEDGE offers Group Call, Individual private call, four priority monitor IDs, emergency, encryption, status/text messaging and GPS location with voice.

NEXEDGE includes premium operations such as choice of transmission/message trunking per site, group/unit/ESN validation, late entry and prioritized call queuing with pre-emption.

For more information please visit www.kenwoodusa.com

HEAVY TRAFFIC

AMERICA’S Most Congested Cities CITY

1 2 3 4 5

6

7 8 9 10

% CONGESTION*

Los Angeles 100%

New York

87%

Chicago

48%

Dallas

39%

Washington

36%

Houston

34%

San Francisco 33%

Boston

27%

Seattle

24%

Minneapolis

22%

* COMPAREDTOWORST(LA)

Source: Inrix

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COMPANY NEWS IMPROVING STRUCTURAL MEASUREMENTS

PAYING THE PRICE For months, railroad customers literally shocked by their suchave been arguing that big rail cess. companies have been unjustly What’s more, despite the raising prices, and are pushing economy lagging in the past year for the new Congress to reinstior so and freight volumes declintute tighter regulations on the ing, most railroads have been industry. able to keep making money and The accusation is that rail- the results have been fueled by roads have been spiking prices industry consolidation, improved for almost as long as operating performance and trains have operatthe greater fuel effied; however, ciency of trains over Over the the debate intrucks. first three quarters of tensified in However, 2008, the biggest rail the past few higher rates also companies raised prices a total of years as rail have played

6%

companies their role. In fact, finally started over the first three on average posting big profquarters of 2008, the its after decades of biggest rail companies declining volumes and flat or raised prices a total of six perfalling rates. cent on average, not including It was back in 2004 when fuel surcharges. That rise comrailroad companies first gained pares with a drop in the cost of a measure of pricing power, sending goods by truck and ship, when the economy rebounded and some rail customers have and demand for rail services seen their rates increase by exceeded capacity. In remuch steeper levels, leading to sponse, railroads began raising much annoyance and continued prices and in many ways were frustration.

CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC has developed a new data acquisition module, the AVW200 that is significantly improving vibratingwire measurements in the field.

Vibrating-wire technology is used in many sensors, including strain gauges, pressure transducers, piezometers, tiltmeters, crack meters, and load cells.

These sensors benefit a wide variety of structural applications, such as bridge monitoring and testing because of their stability,

AC excitation, the new method takes advantage of a built-in spectrum analyzer that uses spectral interpolation instead of the traditional pulse-timing approach. It samples the returned signal, performs an FFT (fast Fourier transform) to discriminate between spectral components, and then identifies and measures the resonant frequency of the sensor. This means that even in noisy environments the sensor’s resonant accuracy and durability. frequency can be identified and While vibrating-wire senaccurately measured. sors have their benefits, they Along with improved noise suffer from one major problem – immunity, the new method proexternal noise. Because measur- vides other important benefits. It ing these sensors involves lowprovides better measurement level, audio-band signals, resolution (improving from 0.01 external electromagnetic noise Hz to 0.001 Hz) as well as diagcan interfere and make it diffinostic information about the cult to determine the resonant measured frequency. This diagfrequency of the sensor. If the nostic information includes the external noise is bad enough, it signal-to-noise ratio, amplitude can render data useless. The of the dominant frequency, and new module applies a new an optional spectrum showing all method for measuring the senof the frequency components. sor’s frequency. The traditional The AVW200 was designed method uses a time-domain ap- for use with Campbell Scientific proach. The natural or resonant dataloggers. Its low power confrequency at which the wire is sumption and rugged design oscillating is determined by exmatch the durability and longciting the wire with an AC excita- term stability of vibrating-wire tion, stopping the excitation, sensors. Wireless versions are and then measuring time bealso available, allowing for retween response pulses. mote deployment separate from In addition to refining the the datalogger.

DID YOU KNOW?

Texas has the most public and private use airports in America, with a total of

1415 Source: www.statemaster.com

The new data acquisition module, AVW200

CAMPBELL SCI AD P21.indd 21

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COMPANY NEWS

BY THE BOOK

REVOLUTIONARY DUTCH TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL ALGAE WITH ULTRASOUND CONTROLLING ALGAE and biofilm is now possible without chemicals or harming the environment with the use of the LG Sonic technology.

These highly reliable, efficient and safe systems have been found and developed by the Dutch company LG Sound after two years of cooperation with several European universities in a $2.1 million project.

The LG Sonic technology controls algae, biofilm and some types of bacteria by sending ultrasonic sound waves of several specific frequencies into the water, which control the algae by resonance and sound pressure.

More then 8000 LG Sonic devices have been installed in 48 countries worldwide.

Furthermore, the LG Sonic technology has proven its effectiveness in many different applications and has installa-

tions in cooling towers, wastewater treatment plants, fish farms, water storage, drinking water, natural lakes and ponds, rivers, harbours, marinas, koi ponds and natural swimming pools.

The LG Sonic products are available in different ranges, all with a low power consumption between seven and 16W and are capable to operate on solar power, 220 and 110 Volts. One unit can treat water reservoirs up to 600 feet (186m) in length. Multiple units for any size you require.

The certified scientists working for LG Sound can advise on the ideal water treatment for every application.

Thanks to constant innovation, broad scientific knowledge and high quality products LG Sound remains the number one company in providing quality ultrasonic products.

For more information please visit www.lgsonic.com

facing today – where he reluctantly instructed Congress to create Investment banker Felix Rohatyn, an emergency fund to make loans known for his role in preventing available to private businesses the bankruptcy of New York City such as farms, railroads and in the 1970s, has just published a banks. new book entitled Bold Sound familiar? The Endeavors: How Our Reconstruction Finance Corp., Government Built America and Rohatyn writes, “was the unWhy It Must Rebuild Now. In it, precedented economic tool that Rohatyn details how the US gov- guided America through the rocky ernment once spent its way out economic times.” Unfortunately, of the Great Depression, solidify- not everything in the book feels ing the country with massive inrelevant to the current crisis and vestments in interstate highways while Rohatyn’s most compelling and modernizing the land by material comes in the epilogue bringing electricity to even the and author’s note, the book is unmost rural of American homes. likely to sway opinion on the curNow, says Rohatyn, the governrent economic debate. ment must do the same thing That said, the book does again if they are to outpace the highlight the old adage of learncurrent economic recession. ing from history’s mistakes, and In the book’s most relevant with the American economy chapter, Rohatyn tells the story now firmly in a recession, where of the Reconstruction Finance Democrats are saying spend Corp., a precursor of the New and Republicans are saying cut Deal agencies. The chapter detaxes, the book (and history) at tails how, in 1931, President least tells us that the Democrats Hoover was confronted with might just be thinking along the something akin to what we're right lines.

DAY TRIPPER Given the tight economy and the flurried interest in the idea of the ‘staycation’– a vacation, only at home – a new advertising campaign is causing a storm in New York City. The NYDOT are pushing the idea of hopping on public transport with a MetroCard, encouraging New Yorkers (and visitors) the chance escape for just a $5 round trip.

Among those locations being touted as this year’s hotspots include: City Island, a New England fishing village hidden in the Bronx; Sunset Park, Brooklyn’s

own Crossroads of the World; Conference House Park and Raritan Bay, a day-trip ideal for history buffs located at the southernmost point of Staten Island; and Orchard Beach, a mile-long sandy crescent on the eastern edge of the Bronx.

What’s even better is the fact that the New York Metro also offers reduced-fare MetroCards for riders over 65 and for those with a qualifying disability, and kids under 44 inches tall ride free on subways and local buses when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

LG AD P23.indd 23

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COMPANY NEWS

DESERT BLOOM Chicago based architects AS+GG grated solar energy arrays.

Compared with typical mixedare behind the MASDAR use buildings of the same size, HEADQUARTERS, currently Masdar HQ will consume 70 under construction in the sands outside Abu Dhabi, which will be percent less water.

“The Masdar Headquarters the world’s first mixed-use, will set a new paradigm for the large-scale positive energy way buildings are designed, building. And it will utilize pioconstructed and inhabited,” neering, never-before-seen techsays Gordon Gill, partner at the nology to get there. firm.

“The project repreThe design takes it sents the perfect intecue from centuries The project gration of of indigenous arrepresents the architecture and chitecture, marengineering, rerying sulting in a dyhistorically sucintegration of architecture and namic, inviting cessful building engineering building that outstrategies for the performs any other climate with the latest structure of its type in the technology and innovative buildworld.” ing systems – including some “As a positive energy comdeveloped especially for the proplex, the project will have a farject. The design includes numerreaching influence on the ous systems that will generate a buildings of tomorrow,” adds surplus of the building’s energy, AS+GG’s Adrian Smith. eliminate carbon emissions and Masdar City will be conreduce liquid and solid waste. structed over seven phases and The complex will utilize sustainis due to be completed by 2016. able materials and feature inteThe headquarters building is grated wind turbines, outdoor part of phase one and will be air quality monitors and one of the world’s largest building-inte- completed by the end of 2010.

perfect

The personal rapid transit system, consisting of 3000 electric cars operating on a recyclable lithiumcadmium battery, will transport people around the car-free city.

Most of the roadways are housed in underground tunnels.

The layer of glass that covers the building’s exterior reflects the heat of the sun whilst allowing for natural light. The north-south orientation of the structure also helps protect inhabitants from the glare of the sun.

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Frontline COMPANY NEWS

The building will use its own wastewater to irrigate several lush gardens situated throughout the complex. In turn, the plants and trees help provide shade, keep the building cool and absorb carbon dioxide.

Wind towers – one of the building’s references to traditional Islamic architecture – exhaust warm air, help naturally ventilate the building, and bring cool air up through the subterranean levels of the city below.

25

At 75,000 square feet, the onepiece roof – made up of a steel trellis covered with photovoltaic cells – represents one of the largest solar arrays in the world and will provide enough power to build the rest of the building.

Narrow, canopied streets provide shade and funnel cooling breezes, reducing the temperature to a manageable 20˚C (68˚F). Meanwhile, the network of subterranean tunnels serve as passenger walkways to the underground transit system.

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IN MY VIEW

JOHN STANION, The Chairman and Chief Executive of VINCI PLC, the world’s largest construction firm, offers insight to the key principles behind the company success.

Major construction projects are exciting if you like construction, but when you see some of the projects that we undertake – the Vasco de Gama bridge, for example, or the bridge we built recently in Normandy – there is a certain thrill in doing them. In terms of the backlog, it’s the highest it’s ever been. The reason for that I suppose is that we are a business of choice for customers. They’ll come to us because we are a benchmark for major project capabilities across the world.

Some of the most recent developments that we’ve been selected to design and construct include the world’s longest causeway between Qatar and Bahrain, which represents 27 miles of road over water, the longest stretch in the world. Elsewhere in the Middle East, we’re also involved in the building of dams – the Naga Hammadi dam in Egypt and the Wadi Dayqah dam in the Sultanate of Oman. In Russia we’re working on the containment structure at Chernobyl; we have carried out some of the original building of the sarcophagus, and now we’re building the complete shelter that will contain the damaged reactor over the long-term. We’re also laying the foundations for the Russia Tower in Moscow, planned to be the third-tallest building in the world.

We als0 take the whole issue of sharing best practices, sharing information and net-

working very seriously. We are a diversified group that carves out its business through a huge range of subsidiaries. It’s obviously important that you can pass information around and innovate effectively, and also that you communicate those ideas internally. We recently set up an innovation program where the best ideas are brought forward every two years and highlighted at a big public ceremony and put forward for an innovation prize, to help encourage this kind of knowledge transfer.

The construction industry is all about human resources and it’s the most important component of the business. VINCI consists of 158,000 employees, and in 2008 we recruited 17,000 new ones. We’re one of the largest employers in the world, so you can imagine the HR challenges that come with recruiting 17,000 new employees in a year.

Nonetheless, human resources and developing people is the key to our success.

We’ve always been a construction firm, and ‘construction’ is a term that covers numerous different areas – it can mean engineering, it can mean building, it can mean civil engineering. We’re involved in everything. We put up buildings, we construct bridges, we lay out transmission systems, we build utilities, pipelines, and so on.

We do it all.

This is taken from an article in US Infrastructure’s sister publication, EU Infrastructure. To see a full version, please visit the website www.euinfrastructure.com

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Frontline COMPANY NEWS

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THE NAME OF THE GAME Yankee Stadium has been home to the most successful franchise in baseball history since 1923.

With 26 World Series victories under their belt, the New York Yankees have called The Bronx home for some 86 years, but in April of this year, after three years under construction, the Yankees began their inaugural season in their new stadium.

According to Turner Construction Company, the construction manager on the project, the 1.5-million-square-foot stadium will hold more than 50,000 seats and will retain many of the same iconic features the original Yankee Stadium made famous.

The roof’s canopy will be ringed with the familiar copper frieze similar to that of the original, and the limestone exterior of the building also harks back to pre-renovation days.

Other features that remain as part of the new Yankee Stadium are the field dimensions; soil from the original park that will be used on the playing surface of the new field; and Monument Park — the Yankees’ collection of monuments and plaques that honor the franchise’s best players and personnel — which will have a permanent place in center field.

Reports also show that the $1.3 billion stadium will have a number of amenities that sports fans have come to expect from new stadiums.

For instance, the Yankees and Cisco Systems have partnered to set up a wiring infrastructure system called TelePresence. This system, apparently costing the Yankees more than $15 million, will be used for instant replays and concessions. Roughly 1100 flat-panel, high-definition video monitors will give fans access to interactive video replays and the ability to order concessions from their seats.

Other technologically advanced amenities at Yankee Stadium include a 16-millimeterthick, 59-foot-tall, 101-foot-wide HD video screen; a full-color LED ribbon board spanning the length of the terrace level; and distributed sound system optimizing speaker placement.

DON’T MISS...

66 SPEND AND RECIEVE Leslie Blakey on the need for tactical investment

COMPANY INDEX Q3 2009 Companies in this issue are indexed to the first page of the article in which each is mentioned.

AASHTO 50 ABCC 12 ACSM 132 ACTU 12 AFSI 100, 101 Airstar 82 Alpha Technologies Ltd. 42, 43 American Institute of Architects 86 American Institute of Contractors 86 APCO 110 APTA 78 ARTBA 74 ASCE 28, 96 Association of American Railroads 34, 70 Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies 126 Aurecon 12 AWEA 120 BASF Corporation 84, 85 Bentley Systems 9, 56, 57 BikeLid Systems 7 Bureau of Labor Statistics 34 CAGTC 66 California Energy Commission 42 Campbell Scientific 20, 21, 98 Chesterfield County Utilities Department 126

Chicago Sun Times 90 Cisco Systems 12 City of Norfolk Department of Utilities 126 City of Salem Public Works Department 126 Columbus Water Works 126 Contra Costa Water District 126 Department of Homeland Security 104 Emerald Insight 69 ENSCO, Inc. 11, 18 Fairfax Water 126 Federal Highways Commission 50 FHWA 76 Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority 126 Frost & Sullivan 142 General Motors 28 Google 134 Green Bay Water Utility 126 Green Building Council 86 Grundfos 122, 123 Harken-Reidar, Inc. 132 Herzog 17 House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 48 Hubner Manufacturing 75 Hyundai 87 Intergraph Corporation 5, 144, IBC

IST America 62 Jeff Warner Land Surveying 132 Kenwood 19, 112 LG Sound 22, 23 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 126 LSC 12 Maccaferri 77 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority 126 McQuay International 89 Michigan DOT 40 Mygistics 46, 47 Nakheel 138 NAPA 80 New York Times 12 New York Yankees 12 Newport News Waterworks 126 NFPA 102 NJ TRANSIT 54 Northern Kentucky Water District 126 NSPS 132 NYCDOT 58 Office of Emergency Communications 104 OTN Systems 52, 53 PlantCML 118, 119, OBC Plasser American Corporation 72, 73

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 12 Prince William County Service Authority 126 Quixote Transportation Technologies 64, 65 Siemens Building Technologies 2, 117 Silverstein Properties 12 Spartanburg Water 126 Sprint IFC, 106, 108 Stabiloc 16, 115 Sundt Corporation 86 Surface Transportation Board 34, 44 Swedish Road Administration 60 The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority 126 Timmons Group 130, 131 TISP 114 Toronto Port Authority 12 Tualatin Valley Water District 126 Turner Construction Company 12 ULI Worldwide 90 Union Pacific 34 USACE 66 UTA 136 World Bank 12 WWEMA 124

96 EMERGENCY CARE Wayne Klotz on why urgent action is needed

134

CERF’S UP Vint Cerf on why information infrastructure reform is critical

OBAMA INFRA PLAN:may09 15/06/2009 14:06 Page 28

COVER STORY

HISTORY lessons

OBAMA INFRA PLAN:may09 15/06/2009 14:02 Page 29

President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act promises a major boost for infrastructure funding.

But does it go far enough and what can the response to an earlier crisis tell us about the likely outcome?

Huw Thomas investigates. www.americainfra.com

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“When you’re in a hole, stop digging.”

both modernize the country and reduce unemployment. Using deficit It’s a piece of advice as old as the hills, and one that will be familiar to anyspending, the New Deal saw the creation of institutions such as the Public one who has had to manage a crisis. However, the events of recent years Works Administration and the Civilian Construction Corps, which tackled have seriously devalued the currency of received wisdom, just as they have the numerous building projects. The New Deal’s lifetime saw the creation so many other formerly precious assets. In response to the worst economic of roads, bridges, dams and other items of infrastructure that remain in use conditions the US has witnessed in a generation, President Obama’s new today. Though exact figures are hard to come by, it is thought that initiaadministration announced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. tive’s programs accounted for about 2.5 percent of GDP for around a Providing a huge chunk of government money, a portion of which will be decade. going to infrastructure, the administration aims to tackle unemployment and stimulate the economy. Faced with a huge hole in the nation’s finances, 21st century breakdown the government is planning to spend its way out of trouble. Splashing the Today, the ARRA offers a total of $787 billion to be spent cash in a period of record deficits might seem counterintuitive at first, but on everything from tax relief to healthcare to education. It’s there are notable precedents. a headline-grabbing figure, particularly in the wake of the The last time America faced such grave economic challenges was during the Great Depression, when unemployment hit a quarter of all workers and the stock market dropped by 90 percent. Though we have yet to plumb such depths in the current crisis, there remain a New Deal’s number of parallels between the thirties and Delano Roosevelt outlines the lin nk Fra the noughties. Both situations were precipitatation on 24 July 1933

Then…

National Recovery Administr

“If the figures are anywhere near accurate, then the ARRA is little more than a band-aid on a wound that requires surgery, at least from an infrastructure perspective” ed by colossal failings in the financial sector, with banks collapsing and personal fortunes being wiped out. Both had a catastrophic impact on industry, the administration’s bailout of the ailing General Motors just the latest example of today’s troubles. Though unemployment levels have yet to hit Depression-era lows, the current rate of 9.4 percent is the worst in a quarter of a century.

Given the superficial similarities, it is unsurprising that comparisons are being made between now and 70-odd years ago. It’s also no shock that Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is being depicted as a 21st century version of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, both by its supporters and its detractors.

FDR’s New Deal contained a vast package of programs and initiatives intended to stimulate a failing economy, from reforms of banking and farming to massive public works projects designed to

30

www.americainfra.com

g the ore purchasing power by reducin “It was a vital necessity to rest ing help e wer we le our people, but whi debt and interest charges upon ntial to do at the same time absolutely esse was it it people to save their cred were in who ds san thou ds of hundreds of something about the physical nee g bein e wer aid e Municipal and Stat dire straits at that very moment. ent plem sup to ars doll riated half a billion stretched to the limit. We approp men ng you ,000 300 put you know, we have their efforts and in addition, as d and soil our forests and to prevent floo in k wor into practical and useful port of sup the to t going in greater par erosion. The wages they earn are . ilies constitute their fam the nearly one million people who works properly place the great public In this same classification we can for used be to – lars r Three Billion Dol program running to a total of ove and ion igat nav vention and inland highways and ships and flood pre Two points and municipal improvements. e stat ing thousands of self-sustain projects e thes of ion tting and administrat should be made clear in the allo k-acting, quic ting crea r care to choose labo – first, we are using the utmost , we are ndly seco and rel; ll of the pork bar useful projects, avoiding the sme t men ern gov the to k money will come bac hoping that at least half of the rs. yea of iod per themselves over a from projects which will pay for people of of this nationwide plan, but the I cannot guarantee the success but I ls’ e-al ‘cur in ess. I have no faith this country can guarantee its succ pathy sym no e hav I es. ence economic forc believe that we can greatly influ r course thei run t mus gs who insist that thin with the professional economists reason One ills. c omi econ e no influence on and that human agencies can hav r thei nged cha e hav sts fessional economi is that I happen to know that pro I but , time long very a y five or 10 years for definition of economic laws ever in and , pose pur mon in the strength of com do have faith, and retain faith, n by the American people.” take on acti the strength of unified

OBAMA INFRA PLAN:may09 15/06/2009 14:03 Page 31

billions of dollars that have been pumped into the shattered financial system over recent years.

Barack Obama announ Infrastructure will get something in the region of ces the American $100 billion of this money, which will be doled out Recovery and Reinvestm ent Act on 8 January 20 only to projects that are ‘shovel-ready’ and able to 09 get moving without delay. This speed of action is “Throughout America’s history, there have been some years that key to providing the immediate stimulus the US so simply rolled into the nex t without much notice or fanfare. Then there are desperately requires. the years that come along once in a generation – the kind that mark a clean There are those who argue that the amount break from a troubled pas t, and set a new course for our nation. This is of money earmarked for infrastructure projects is one of those years. insufficient, given the nation’s pressing needs. In its 2009 Report Card for American Infrastructure, We start 2009 in the mid st of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our the American Society of Civil Engineers was lifetime – a crisis that has only deepened over the last few weeks. scathing in its assessment. The US, it contends, Manufacturing has hit a 28 year low. Many busin esses cannot borrow or is a D student when it comes to the state of its make payroll. Many fam ilies cannot pay their bil ls or their mortgage. Ma infrastructure. According to the ASCE, $2.2 trilworkers are watching the ny ir life savings disappear . And many, many lion dollars needs to be spent over the next five Americans are both anx ious and uncertain of wh at the future will hold. years to remedy this situation. Even allowing for the fact that the ASCE would be one of the main That is why I have moved quickly to work with my economic team and beneficiaries of all this funding, the amount of leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan clear air between what it says we need and that will immediately jum pstart job creation and long-term growth. what the government is proposing to spend is striking. Taking ARRA money and regular It is not just another pu blic works program. It’s a plan that recognizes spending into account, the shortfall is someboth the paradox and the promise of this moment – the fact that there are where in the region of $1.1 trillion over the next millions of Americans try ing to find work, even as, all around the country, half decade. If this is figure is anywhere near there is so much work to be done. That’s why we ’ll invest in priorities lik accurate, then the ARRA is little more than a energy and education; hea e lth care and a new infras tructure that are band-aid on a wound that requires surgery, at necessary to keep us str ong and competitive in the 21st century. That’s wh least from an infrastructure perspective. the overwhelming major y ity of the jobs created wil l be in the private sector In addition, the way the money is being while our plan will save , the public sector jobs of teachers, cops, firefighter made available has also come in for some and others who provide s vital services. criticism. Dr. Peter Morici, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, beTo build an economy tha t can lead this future, we will begin to rebuild lieves the program could have been far more America. Yes, we’ll put people to work repairing crumbling roads, bridge effective. “I would have spent less than $787 and schools by eliminatin s, g the backlog of well-plan ned, worthy and needed billion, but I would have spent more than infrastructure projects. $100 billion on infrastructure,” he says. “I would have spent something like a couple If we are able to look out for one another, and list en to one another, of hundred billion a year for four years.” and do our part for our nation and for posterity, then I have no doubt tha years from now, we will Morici envisages a system of staggered t look back on 2009 as one of those years that marked another new and payments with strict deadlines; if the hopeful beginning for the United States of America.” money isn’t spent, it is lost. The pressure to make use of funds would give local and state legislatures all the motivation they would need to get projects moving quickly, Morici contends. In addition, the way the payments would be structured would have a far greater long-term impact, both from an economic and inBut this need for speed brings problems of its own. A key concern for frastructure perspective. “If you sent the money down to the mayors and critics of the ARRA has been its focus on projects that are shovel-ready. told them they had until 1 January to spend it, they would spend the While getting work under way quickly is vital from the perspective of tackmoney,” Morici continues. “But you don’t send them $300 billion that way. ling unemployment and stimulating the economy, for those tasked with acYou send them $100 billion the first year, $200 billion the second year, and tually carrying out these projects it can present major challenges. With the say this money is use or lose. People will get it done. They’ll learn how to stipulation that work be able to get under way within 120 days, there is prestreamline processes.” cious little time for states to come up with truly ambitious plans. Therefore

…and now

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much of the ARRA funding will go to projects that were previously overlooked due to either a lack of cash or a lack of interest. While FDR’s New Deal money went into remaking America with dams, highways and airports, Obama’s equivalent could end up paying for works that won’t really create a huge change in this country. This is not to say that today’s projects are not necessary. It’s just that repairing roads and patching up crumbling bridges seems somewhat at odds with the administration’s claims that the Recovery Act can revolutionize the country in the long term. No innovative energy project or paradigm-shifting piece of construction is going to be able to get moving in the narrow window allowed, rendering the ARRA something of a missed opportunity.

Despite the strict time limits placed upon ARRA infrastructure funding, fears remain that the wheels of government will grind too slowly for the act to be truly effective. Ron Utt, Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, certainly believes that this system is too cumbersome to provide quick results. “The money is going to be spent extremely slowly,” he says. “The new program requires somebody to sit down and write the regulations as to who’s eligible. How you submit a bid,

“As a result of the huge bank losses and previous government bailouts, we have become increasingly blasé about figures that seemed almost too big to comprehend just a few years ago”

what sorts of things are acceptable, what we’re looking for, how will rewards be granted, and then give everybody a chance to response to these. So, three months later the regulations for that program have finally been written. I’m assuming that state DOTs and cities will have – let’s say 60 days, to submit their proposals.

Then it’ll probably take another 60 or 90 days to evaluate the proposals and award money.”

Looking back Perhaps efforts to paint President Obama’s Recovery Act as a modern day equivalent of Roosevelt’s New Deal gloss over the faults of FDR’s efforts. Many people feel curiously nostalgic about this period, when government and population pulled together to struggle through a time of great hardship. Consequently, there is a danger that the New Deal’s success can be overstated. True, it left America with billions of dollars worth of glittering new infrastructure, but its impact on the economy and the people it was designed to help are less certain. “The New Deal and the Great Depression have been actively and avidly debated,” says Utt. “Many skeptics of the program note that by 1938, 10 years after the beginning of the recession, the economy was still in terrible shape. This suggests that while the New Deal became a charming and interesting social and historic event, in terms of providing meaningful relief to people who were desperate for

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it, it didn’t have much kick. Also, if you look at the Civilian Conservation Corps, it was mostly young men from all over, living in tents, eating in cafeterias or open-air pavilions and doing fairly hard manual labor for a relatively tiny amount of money,” Utt continues. “Essentially, what they did get was room and board and some change to take back. A lot of jobs only lasted three or four months and then they were back to where they came from.”

In the end, it isn’t so much government action that caused the economy to rebound, but rather the coming of World War II. As mixed blessings go, it’s pretty huge, but the move to a wartime footing had a dramatic effect on levels of both employment and economic activity. When the government began spending heavily on the military and drafting young men in anticipation of the coming conflict, millions of the previously unemployed found themselves very much in demand. The sheer number of people required to drive the war effort went some way towards alleviating the problems of the

Making the grade neers’ The American Society of Civil Engi ucture Report Card for American Infrastr 2009 makes for some grim reading.

Aviation

D

Bridges

C D

Dams Drinking Water

D-

Energy

D+

Hazardous Waste

D

Inland Waterways

D-

Levees

D-

Public Parks and Recreation

CC-

Rail Roads

D-

Schools

D

Solid Waste

C+

Transit

D

Wastewater

D-

GPA

D ory, A_Excellent, B_Good, C_Satisfact D_Poor, F_Failure

A QUICK FIX?

OBAMA INFRA PLAN:may09 15/06/2009 14:03 Page 33

Composition of state and local recovery act funding Despite the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s aims of providing a quick stimulus, certain areas will be receiving their cash much sooner than others. 2009 will see the lion’s share of the funds going into healthcare and it will be 2012 before the pendulum swings more towards transportation and infrastructure projects.

1%

3% 1% 6% 8%

17%

64%

18%

19%

16% 30% 17%

Fiscal year 2009 Health

Education and training

Fiscal year 2012

Transportation

Income security

Community development

Energy and environment

Source: US Government Accountablility Office (GAO)

Depression, though the war naturally brought plenty of fresh challenges of it own. It is to be hoped that we won’t require a global conflagration to dig us out of our current hole.

Regardless of the strengths and weaknesses of the administration’s response to the economic crisis, the stimulus funds do represent a considerable opportunity to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure.

As a result of the huge bank losses and previous government bailouts, we have become increasingly blasé about figures that seemed almost too big to comprehend just a few years ago. However you slice it, $100 billion is a fair chunk of change. Even if it only allows us to clear the overdue backlog of projects already on the books, it should help to put us in a position to invest in truly innovative ideas once the economic dust has settled. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may not leave a legacy quite as impressive as that of the New Deal, but perhaps we should stop worrying about ancient history and start making our own. n

The Hoover Dam, one of the New Deal’s biggest projects.

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FEATURE

FREIGHT TRAIN BLUES The freight rail industry has long played a crucial role in supporting the US economy. But in today’s tight markets the that relationship is hanging in the balance, as Union Pacific CEO, James Young, explains.

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I

t cannot be argued that the American freight rail system provides Freight railroads also directly employ approximately 187,000 people, nothing short of the most efficient, cost-effective freight rail netand the vast majority of these are union jobs. These are good US jobs, work in the world. Not only is it vital to the economic health of US where the average total compensation is roughly $95,000, marking freight industry, but it also keeps American companies competitive in the railroads as one of America’s highest-paying industries. Employees also pay world market. America’s freight rail network is also the safest, for, and are covered by, the Railroad Retirement System, which provides most environmentally friendly and energy efficient mode of surbenefits considerably more generous than those associated with Social face transportation. And freight railroads have long been considered Security. In fact, roughly 550,000 retired railroad workers and family memthe backbone of the US’s transportation network, moving more than 41 bers currently receive more than $8 billion in retirement and survivor benpercent of the freight ton miles, which is more than any other mode of efits each year. transportation.

In addition, all of the large, along with the vast majority of smaller But what does 41 percent of the freight ton miles mean? Looking freight railroads, are privately owned, which means they must build and behind the number reveals that US railroads actually move 70 percent maintain their own tracks and rights-of-way. Not only do they own the of all automobiles produced in the US; 30 percent of the entire nation’s tracks, but freight railroads also have to purchase the equipment that opgrain harvest – enough wheat to erates on these tracks, and they provide every man, woman and do this with virtually no governchild with a fresh loaf of bread mental assistance. In fact, in CLASS I RAILROADS six days a week; and 70 percent 2007, freight railroads paid alIn the US, The Surface Transportation Board (STB) defines of the coal in the US, which promost $600 million in state and a Class I railroad as ‘having annual carrier operating revenues vides half the nation’s electricity local property taxes on this same of $250 million or more’, after adjustments for inflation, which needs. infrastructure and equipment, and are calculated using the Railroad Freight Price Index In fact, everything that we between 1980 and 2007 freight developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). According touch in our daily lives – from orrailroads invested approximately to data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR), in ange juice, to the clothes we $420 billion in both operating ex2006, Class I railroads had minimum carrier operating wear, to toys, bicycles, computpense and capital investment – revenues of $346.8 million. ers, DVDs – all have had some more than 40 cents out of every part of their journey on a train. revenue dollar – to maintain, Over the past 25 years, the renew and expand track and American freight rail system has gone from moving three million trailequipment. This investment generates billions of dollars in economic acers and containers a year to more than 12 million a year. It also carries tivity to the rail supplier community and estimations show that for every bilsteel, the wind turbines that create renewable electricity, and chemical lion dollars in increased rail investment, 20,000 jobs are created. products that are used to make the medicines we take, protect the But while during normal economic conditions the freight railroad water we drink, help grow the food we eat, and produce the products network moves enough lumber to build almost three houses every that make our lives more comfortable. In short, 41 percent of the freight minute of every day, and enough cement to build 45 ton miles means just about anything that touches our lives. miles of new highway every day, these are not nor-

FEELING THE BENEFIT A closer look at some of the other ways freight railroads impact the infrastructure industry as a whole

• ALL FREIGHT IS MOVED SAFELY. Nothing is more important to railroads than the safety of its employees, its customers, and the communities it serves, and its safety record is unmatched. Between 1980 and 2007, the last full year for which data is available, railroads have

BENEFIT

1

reduced the overall train accident rate by 71 percent and employee casualties are down by 80 percent. Today, railroads have lower employee injury rates than other mode of transportation and most other major industry groups – including agriculture, construction, manufacturing and even some types of retail activity.

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BENEFIT

2

• The two largest railroads in the US each spent more to operate, maintain and expand their infrastructure than the State of New York did on its entire highway system.

As the nation’s only privately funded transportation system operating a 140,000mile network, railroads require vast amounts of private investment to meet the large capital demands necessary to support their infrastructure. While other modes of transportation rely on government funding to support their infrastructure, the railroads ability to facilitate this private investment is a tremendous asset and benefit to the country.

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mal economic conditions and this is unquestionably affecting how our railroad companies are operating.

Downturn In January 2009, Union Pacific reported earnings for both the fourth quarter and the full year of 2008. Frankly, it was a good year for the company, with the firm reporting record returns as well as record investments. However, Union Pacific did begin to see the impact of the weakening economy in the second half of the year as rail traffic dropped sharply in the fall. In fact, in the fourth quarter of 2008, Union Pacific car loadings dropped by 12 percent and have continued to drop further in 2009.

This year will clearly be a year that challenges the company, its customers, and its employees. During peak periods, Union Pacific has handled up to 205,000 car loads a week, and in 2006 and 2007 the company averaged over 190,000 car loads per week for the entire year. But in January 2009, car loads were below 150,000, and in prior weeks, the number was much lower. These are numbers that the company has not seen since the 1990s, and the reduction in car loadings cuts across every commodity group Union Pacific carries.

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• If just 10 percent of the freight that moves by highway moved by rail instead, the US’s annual fuel savings would exceed one billion gallons.

BENEFIT

3

Freight that moves by rail instead of truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds per ton mile. The EPA estimates that for every ton-mile, the typical truck emits roughly three times more nitrogen oxides and particulates than a locomotive.

As a result of such reductions, Union Pacific has also had to face the arduous task of having to reduce their number of active employees, and over the last five years, the company has hired over 27,000 people to accommodate growth and replace retired workers.

Today, Union Pacific has roughly 3150 employees out on furlough or in a part-time work program. However, the majority of those furloughed are in a program called Alternative Work and Training Service (AWTS), which was started as a mechanism to keep otherwise furloughed, well-trained employees available to return to service when the company sees an uptick in demand.

Under the direction of AWTS, employees are guaranteed eight days of paid service every month, which can be in the form of work or training.

Usually weekends are designated as the paid service days so that both weekend vacancies are covered and so that those employees in the program are able to get another job during the week. Union Pacific also continues to provide healthcare coverage and pay railroad retirement taxes for the employees in this program.

Ensuring there is a readily available pool of trained employees – while expensive – is a deliberate strategy that Union Pacific has undertaken to ensure the long-term health and responsiveness of the company. We want to be ready to meet increased demand for rail transportation should the economy respond to the current stimulus.

While it isn’t clear what will happen throughout the remainder of 2009, one thing is certain – Union Pacific will be required to take the cost containment steps necessary to reflect economic reality. If the economy grows, the company will make the much-needed investments for the future; if not, it will contain spending, reduce costs and reduce capital to reflect the weaker economy.

“Over the past 25 years, the American freight rail system has gone from moving three million trailers and containers a year to more than 12 million a year” Supply and demand To capture all the benefits that rail can provide to our economy and society, the industry must continue to invest for the future. A recent Department of Transportation (DOT) study projects total freight transportation demand will increase by 92 percent from 2002 to 2035, with an 88 percent increase in demand for rail service during that same period. Other studies conclude much of the same. Moreover, a September 2007 study (The National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study) found that, by 2035, Class I railroads need $135 billion in investment to expand their network capacity if they are to keep pace with DOT’s forecasted demand.

This figure equates to over $4.5 billion annually for capacity expansion for the next 27 years, meaning that that amount will be needed several times to maintain and renew existing infrastructure. However, today, on an Continued on page 39

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public safety, limiting noise due to slow-moving and idling trains and creating jobs.

What’s at stake?

The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program is a first-of-its-kind partnership between US DOT, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, Metra, Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads. A project of national significance, CREATE will invest billions in critically needed rail infrastructure improvements. CREATE will improve the quality of life for Chicago-area residents and increase the efficiency of freight and passenger rail service throughout the region.

CREATE represents the first time state and local governments have partnered with the railroad industry to solve the problem of auto and rail congestion on such a large scale.

CREATE is also the first project on which so many competing railroads have come together as partners to increase the efficiency of an urban rail network. Six of the seven major railroads operating in North America pass through Chicago and all six of those railroads are partnered with the CREATE Program.

If rail capacity and infrastructure issues are not addressed, studies show the Chicago region will not sustain 17,000 jobs and $2 billion in annual economic production within two decades. CREATE will protect Illinois jobs, improve quality of life and ensure businesses in the state and throughout the nation continue to have access to efficient, affordable rail shipping services.

But by recognizing the growing urgency of the region's rail capacity needs, Mayor Richard M. Daley called on the federal Surface Transportation Board to convene a task force to tackle the problem. The resulting task force then drafted the plan now called CREATE. CREATE will reduce train delays and congestion throughout the Chicago area by increasing the efficiency of rail traffic on five rail corridors. The work includes: 25 new roadway overpasses or underpasses at locations where auto and pedestrian traffic currently crosses railroad tracks at grade level; six new rail overpasses or underpasses to separate passenger and freight train tracks; viaduct improvements; grade crossing safety enhancements; and extensive upgrades of tracks, switches and signal systems.

The selection of these improvements was a collaborative process between the freight railroads, State of Illinois DOT, City of Chicago Department of Transportation, Metra and Amtrak. Recommendations were developed for three types of projects through different processes, and the Illinois Commerce Commission and Chicago Area Transportation Study helped to identify the most congested railroad grade crossings, where trains cross the roads and traffic must periodically wait for trains to pass.

The process of identifying railroad infastructure projects started with the creation of computer models to measure existing rail bottlenecks in the region. Each railroad then submitted recommendations for improvements. Additional recommendations came from the State and City. A working group made up of representatives of all the CREATE partners refined the recommendations into the CREATE Program, ensuring that the concerns of all parties were taken into consideration.

Why is it needed?

For the people

Over the next 20 years, demand for freight rail service in Chicago is expected to nearly double. Railroad infrastructure in the Chicago area needs updating to meet that demand efficiently and allow Illinois businesses to take advantage of the resulting economic opportunities. In meeting new demand for freight rail services, CREATE will enhance the overall quality of life in Chicago-area communities by reducing congestion on area roadways, improving air quality, increasing

The public are to be strongly encouraged to participate in the CREATE process. As individual projects enter the design and approval phase, public hearings and meetings will be scheduled to gather input from residents, businesses and neighborhood groups in the various communities. It is believed that public input will be critical to the success of individual projects and the CREATE program as a whole.

IN FOCUS: CHICAGO’S CREATE PROJECT

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source: www.createprogram.org

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BENEFIT

4

• Freight reduces highway gridlock.

A typical train takes the equivalent of several hundred trucks off the highways. Overcrowded highways act as an inefficiency tax that seriously constrain economic growth and costs commuters days in lost time every year. Freight railroads help relieve this tax by reducing congestion, enhancing personal mobility, reducing the cost of maintaining existing roads and reducing the pressure to build costly new ones.

From page 37

annual basis, the industry is spending less than 40 percent of this amount on new infrastructure capacity, and while studies that project growth this far into the future may not be 100 percent accurate, even if these studies are off by as much as 50 percent we will still not be able to invest in infrastructure to the level the nation needs us to.

Another area that continues to bring huge costs to the rail industry is replacing existing assets that have either come to the end of their useful life and need because of damage caused by natural events such as fire, floods and earthquakes.

Union Pacific, for example, owns a bridge over the Mississippi River that is nearing the end of its useful life and this single bridge alone will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to replace, and last year construction was started to replace another bridge in Boone, Iowa, that will ultimately cost over $50 million.

While these are big numbers associated with big projects, equally staggering are the day-to-day numbers. For example, Union Pacific currently wears out two miles of track every day, and at a cost of between $450,000 and $600,000 for replacement rail per mile, this adds up very quickly. While estimations show that it costs on average $2.5 million per mile to build new track, this figure does not include the additional cost of acquiring land or environmental issues that may need to be addressed before a new track can be built.

Moving forward These are the challenges we have before us. Our government must embrace policies that enhance the ability of the freight railroads to attract private investment dollars. Our ability to attract private investment in rail infrastructure literally frees up billions of dollars in public money that can be used to support other modes of transportation in this country. In fact, one could argue that the less we utilize rail in this country, the more the taxpayer must pay to subsidize other modes of transportation. We must be able to earn an adequate rate of return to attract private dollars. As returns improve to market levels, additional investment will follow.

Congress must enact an investment tax credit for new rail capacity. We have endorsed a proposal that has been introduced in this Congress that would provide for a 25 percent investment tax credit for new rail construction that expands freight capacity. This credit will allow us to increase our return and make additional investments in rail – investments that are critical if we are going to meet the future, projected demands for rail transportation. In today’s economic environment, where we must conserve our cash, this would enable us to spend more than we could otherwise. In fact, according to US Department of Commerce data, for every dollar of rail investment that would be stimulated by the tax incentive, $3 in total economic output would be generated.

Lastly, Congress should enact and fund programs that allow states to partner with freight railroads to move forward with projects that benefit both the freight railroad and the public.

The best example of this type of project is the CREATE project in Chicago. This project will improve the fluidity of the freight railroads, enhance passenger rail service in the city, and reduce congestion on the highways. The freight railroads are willing to put up money consistent with the benefits we would receive, while the local, state and federal governments put up the resources commensurate with the public benefits. These types of projects allow both sides – private and public – to develop and implement projects that would not otherwise move forward.

• Virtually all passenger rail operations outside the Northeast Corridor (including Amtrak) run on track owned by the freight railroads.

BENEFIT

5

There is currently a very healthy and robust relationship between passenger rail operators and freight railroads, and both often partner together to take thousands of commuters out of their cars and onto the trains. However, to take rail capacity from freight to provide rail capacity for passengers is not the answer to America’s urban congestion problems, as it will only shift thousands of trucks onto the highways.

The real answer is to grow capacity for both freight and passenger and this concept was recognized in the recently passed Amtrak Reauthorization legislation, which provides additional funds for new capacity.

This article is based on a testimony given before the United States House of Representatives in January 2009

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Report

card

In light of the ASCE’s particularly damning assessment of its infrastructure, we speak to the Director of Michigan’s Department of Transportation, Kirk Steudle, to find out what the state is now doing to make good.

So what are the key transport priorities for Michigan going to be over the next few years? Are there any major projects that you are currently working on?

Kirk Steudle. In Michigan we are working in a very multimodal sense.

One of the biggest things for us at the moment is the high-speed rail initiative that the President has laid out. We think we are very well positioned for this and have actually been doing quite a bit in high-speed rail for the last 10 or 15 years, and so, incrementally, have been making that easier. We think there are some great opportunities there, and we believe we can cut our transit times from Detroit to Chicago by a

“People want to move around a little differently, so we’re going to be able to get to some of the transit initiatives that have been put on the back burner” couple of hours compared to what they are now.

A lot of what we are doing at the moment is focused on our light rail system. Detroit remains the largest urban area in the world that doesn’t have some form of a light or commuter rail system, so we’re working quite diligently on that. From there we’re looking into stretch-

40

ing that system into the suburbs, before having a commuter rail that runs as far as Ann Arbor. Essentially, our biggest priority is to give people different options on how they move around.

The signature of Michigan’s Governor was among those on a recent letter praising President Obama for ARRA. But because people want to see fast results from the injections of this cash, infrastructure projects need to be shovel-ready. Has that been a difficult for you, or did you have something of a backlog ready to go?

KS. I don’t know if I'd say it was difficult, but it was certainly a challenge. Unlike some states that may have had three or four really big projects sitting on their shelf, in Michigan, we have been in this economic crisis for about nine years and so we’ve already been to the shelf quite a lot already. Last year, for instance, Governor Granholm did her own economic stimulus plan that provided transportation with about $150 million, and we reached back onto our shelf and grabbed projects and pulled them forward then: we were just replacing those when this call came in.

While we didn’t have anything ready to go, because we have been focusing so much on preserving what we had, we did have some big capacity projects that were already designed but just didn’t have any money behind them. Because of this, all we had to do was pull them out, refresh them, make sure they were up to current standards and then push them out the door. So what we have ended up with is about

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t Card ucture Repor r st a fr In n a ig ASCE’s Mich Aviation

gan's llion for Michi bi 3 4. $ te Grade C ra ne ir, 0+ airports ge tructure repa Michigan's 20 current infras , er er ov ev on ow lli H bi .

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dges Roads and Bri

$1 BILLION

condiGrade D s are in poor ad ro s n’ ga hi Mic ally de38 percent of s are structur ge id br e th kers rate ent of tion, 28 perc , and US truc te le so ob ly al tion the country. ficient or func third worst in as s ad ro n Michiga

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will reach or Grade D s 2581 dams n' ga hi ic M of ent ms are abanOver 90 perc 020. Many da 2 s. by e lif gn desi eam resident exceed their rds to downstr za ha ty e. fe bl sa se rrently availa doned and po ovements is cu pr im r fo g in No fund

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three or four big projects that range larger than $40 million – but it was a challenge to get them there.

Nonetheless, we have now obligated half of the money the stimulus plan has given us, which was the target for the end of June. We reached that target three weeks early, and now, by the end of June can expect to have $400 million obligated.

And how is the money breaking down in terms of where it is actually being spent. You spoke about working in a multimodal sense, but are you finding that the spending is going more towards road and private transport, or does there seem to be a greater focus on trains and the public transport?

KS. Actually, a lot of that was already spelled out for us. If you look at the dollars, the bulk is going towards roads and bridges. There’s just under $1 billion coming to Michigan and $847 million is going to roads and bridges, and $135 million are going to transit.

On top of that is the $8 billion initiative that the President put out there for his vision for high-speed rail, and that’s an important priority for us. We are working very diligently to get into that mix and make sure that we have a share of the pot.

The one piece of investment that we got left out

was the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) money, which was money geared towards new starts. Unfortunately for us, as the FTA goes through that ‘new starts’ process, we often get left out because we can’t prove the ridership. Of course, the reason we can’t prove the ridership is because there’s nothing here to compare it to – so we are complaining about that fiercely.

Obviously you’re achieving things and getting projects moving, but do you think that, in the long-term, this money is going to have a big effect on Michigan?

KS. There’s two pieces to that. Clearly the long-term depends on a lot of other economic factors outside of here, but frankly, I think we’re going to see brighter skies in Michigan. We’re going to see Chrysler and General Motors emerge from the bankruptcy pieces as better companies, and this whole thing that we’re going through is a well-needed restructuring within the state and in our thoughts about how we think about the economy.

In the long term, it’s going to be good for us because we’re going to be able to get to priorities that the people have told us they require.

People want to move around a little differently, so we’re going to be able to get to some of the transit initiatives that, in the past, have been put on the back burner; but at the same time, this short-term shot-in-the-arm is going to help us from a different perspective. Still, though, we have to remember that it’s still just a short-term answer: we still have to deal with the long-term funding issue and the fact that this summer the Highway Trust Fund is projected to go broke again.

There are still some challenges coming, but we think once we get through them we’ll be all right. 

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ASK THE EXPERT

DISSECTING THE INTERSECTION According to a study by the California Energy Commission, traffic lights experience eight to 10 power outages during one year. With each one, intersections are left uncontrolled, posing real risks to the public. Dennis Bennett explains how UPS systems can improve safety.

A

temporary solution to losses of power to traffic lights has been to rely on drivers to use a four-way stop procedure. This helps to a degree, but drivers can become irritated and aggressive, which can lead to incidents and accidents. Another solution is to have a traffic control officer on-site to direct traffic at the intersection but this solution only works based on the availability of resources and the time and distance required for a person to reach the intersection. Some jurisdictions have used generators to temporarily supply power to intersection controls, however, this can be costly because both fuel and manpower need to be supplied.

Changes in traffic light technology from incandescent lamps to LED lamps has reduced power consumption, making it possible for intersections to include battery backup power solutions to keep lights operating during outages and disruptions. Still, this inclusion is often overlooked because of the challenging installation environments, lack of understanding of the solutions available and the incremental cost of adding battery backup to a system.

Dennis Bennett is the National Sales Manager for Traffic Solutions at Alpha Technologies and has focused exclusively on the traffic market for the past five years. As a graduate of Ohio Institute of Technology (Devry), Dennis has worked in the Power Protection and Battery Backup industry for over 30 years.

able the graceful shut-down of servers and other electronic devices and were not designed to work in outdoor environments that saw extreme temperatures, dust, or road vibration, nor did they provide run times necessary to sustain services in the event of lengthy outages.

The ideal solution now is a ruggedized outdoor UPS. This offers long run times and is designed to withstand extreme temperatures and environments where the shaking caused by cars, trains, trucks, buses or planes can not interfere with its operation. Often these solu-

“Changes in traffic light technology from incandescent lamps to LED lamps has reduced power consumption”

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) differs from a battery backup system as it offers more sophisticated power filtering and control, faster transfer times and advanced monitoring and communication capabilities. In the past, the only UPS solutions available were standard, off–theshelf solutions used in offices and data centers.

Typically they only offered enough run times to en-

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tions include ruggedized UPS control modules that manage and filter the electricity, specialized batteries that provide dependable service regardless of environmental conditions (with optional heater mats to keep batteries warm in colder environments) and outdoor rated enclosures (NEMA 3R rating) protecting the UPS system.

Yet integrating a UPS into every traffic system is not recognized as a standard requirement in many areas, and during the initial installation of an application, the need for protecting critical loads is often forgotten until a power disturbance occurs. Then the impact can be catastrophic: systems stop, traffic flow is impacted, revenue is lost and accidents can occur. However, many systems owners don’t realize retrofitting a UPS into existing traffic systems can be easy and cost effective even though designing, installing and maintaining transportation systems is costly.

Cities, counties and states are constantly challenged to reduce costs as traffic systems are publicly funded and under strict budgets. Many planners consider a UPS as a costly option, but when they realize the direct and indirect costs that result from a failed traffic signal, the cost of including a UPS is easily rationalized.

Traffic systems can operate flawlessly when good, clean, uninterrupted power is available.

When power fluctuations, brownouts and complete power outages occur, and systems come to a quick halt. There is an urgent need for servicing, resources may be needed to direct traffic, there are economic and environmental impacts, commuters are left to manage through the disruption, accidents can occur, and safety can be at risk. UPS systems designed for traffic applications should therefore be the first consideration in improving intersection safety.

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RAIL REGULATION

tion of National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) on-time performance metrics; examination of the general purpose rail costing system used by the Board in a wide variety of cases; adjudication of a number of large and small railroad-shipper rate disputes; and determination of the rail industry’s cost of capital, a measure vital to industry decision making on infrastructure investment.

The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) gave the Board several new responsibilities in the passenger rail area, including the measurement of Amtrak’s on-time performance. Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in consultation with the Board and others, were directed by Congress to develop a system of standards for measuring on-time performance and other service metrics.

Amtrak and FRA have since developed proposed standards and metrics that were subject to public comment. If final standards cannot be agreed upon by Amtrak and FRA, the Board will, upon request by a party, appoint an arbitrator to assist the parties in resolving the areas of disagreement through binding arbitration.

Under PRIIA, if Amtrak’s on-time performance should fail to meet the statutorily prescribed 80 percent level for two consecutive calendar quarters, or should other, agreed-upon measures not be met, the Board can be called upon to investigate the causes of performance failure. The Board can also prescribe remedies, including damages, if it determines that freight railroads are the cause of delays.

PRIIA also gives the Board certain responsibilities related to commuter rail access to Amtrak’s dedicated track on the Northeast Rail Corridor. Amtrak, the northeastern states, or the commuter railroads may petition the Board to establish a system for setting charges for commuter access to Amtrak’s facilities if the parties are unable to reach agreement themselves. Congress also gave the Board authority to provide non-binding mediation when a commuter railroad seeks access to either the trackage or right-of-way of any other rail operator.

In another area, the Board is examining its Uniform Railroad Costing System (URCS). URCS is used to determine Board jurisdiction over rates charged by railroads, to adjudicate rail line abandonments and “feeder line” applications, and to regulate other matters where rail movement costs must be estimated.

This review is much needed, as URCS was adopted 20 years ago.

The Board must determine whether, or what, modifications to URCS are required to reflect changes in railroad operations over the intervening

ON TRACK Fostering communication to address the key challenges of railroad infrastructure.

By Dr. Francis Mulvey

T

he Surface Transportation Board is an independent economic regulatory agency charged with adjudicating railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed rail industry financial transactions, among other areas of surface transportation jurisdiction. The Board was created by the ICC Termination Act of 1995 and is the successor to the former Interstate Commerce Commission.

Several current matters on the Board’s agenda could have an impact on rail infrastructure issues. These range from the agency’s new responsibility to participate in the determination and adjudica-

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years. The goal of reform would be to ensure that the costing relationships employed by the URCS are as accurate, current, and effective as possible to enable the agency to perform its statutory duties fairly and expeditiously. It is particularly important to review URCS because of the key role it plays in the Board’s adjudication of rail rate cases.

This past April, the Board held a public hearing on URCS to explore means and areas of possible reform. The Board received testimony on the inherent difficulties – for both the agency and its stakeholders – in bringing URCS up-to-date, a project that would take years and require supplemental funding from the Congress. I believe, however, that building a better regulatory costing system is a sound investment of taxpayer dollars.

One of the Board’s most important responsibilities is the adjudication of railroad-shipper disputes about freight rail rates. When a rail shipper lacks the benefit of competition between freight railroads or from other transportation modes, the agency will establish a maximum reasonable rate upon a complaint by a rail shipper.

Bringing a rail rate complaint has traditionally been a complicated and expensive process. But recent years have seen major improvements to the Board’s procedures for handling rate complaints. The Board revamped its process for smaller rail rate disputes, resulting in greater accessibility for shippers and more expeditious disposition of their complaints. The Board also has significantly revised its large rate case process to make it more efficient and accurate.

“Several current matters on the Board’s agenda could have an impact on rail infrastructure issues” I am very pleased by the Board’s recent success, this past May, in mediating a large rail rate dispute to settlement by the parties.

Non-binding mediation is an integral part of the agency’s revised rate complaint process, and I firmly believe that with assistance from Board mediators, parties can achieve acceptable outcomes and avoid millions of dollars in litigation costs.

The railroad industry is capital-intensive. Congress directed the Board to regulate in such a way that considers the railroads’ need to earn revenues sufficient to maintain the national rail system and to attract new investment capital. The accurate estimation of an appropriate return on capital is a crucial regulatory function performed by the Board.

The cost of capital includes the cost of both debt and equity capital. The agency recently revised the procedures it uses to estimate the industry’s cost of equity capital.

The cost of common equity component is unique, in the sense that it exists, but one can’t observe it directly. Rather, one must use a financial model to develop an estimate and, to do that, the Board formerly

One of the Board’s most important responsibilities is the adjudication of railroadshipper disputes about freight rail rates. employed a “single-stage discounted cash flow” (DCF) model relating dividends to stock price. Simple as that approach was, for many years it produced remarkably stable and plausible results.

However, in 2006, after the Board’s reliance on the DCF model was questioned by a group of coal shippers, the agency reviewed the model and its bases. Part of this process involved the Board’s request for input from all industry stakeholders, as well as from other US governmental agencies, and even the Board’s Canadian counterparts, before we concluded that the dividend-based model could and should be improved.

To accomplish this, the Board turned to two broadly accepted approaches, one a multi-stage DCF and the other a capital-asset pricing model, which divide investment returns into two portions: a risk-free rate and a premium an investor would need to hold railroad shares.

We are currently conducting our annual review of the industry’s cost of capital (for 2008) and soon will issue a decision employing the agency’s newly developed procedures.

In April of this year, a respected economic consulting firm produced an independent study, on behalf of the Board, examining rail capacity issues. That study addressed an estimate of infrastructure investments needed over the next two decades. In particular, the study questions the accuracy of prior forecasts of rail traffic growth, finding that a detailed sector-by-sector analysis showed the aggregate forecasts to be overstated. So, whether the industry is capable of self-financing needed capacity improvements in the mid- to long-run remains an open question.

In summary, the Board currently has before it a full agenda of matters that could affect rail infrastructure issues. From Amtrak’s on-time performance metrics and commuter rail access issues; to costing, rate, and cost-of-capital proceedings; to concerns over current and future freight-rail capacity, the Board invites members of the US infrastructure field to take part in our proceedings, monitor the progress of our work, and study the findings of, and reasoning behind, our official decisions. 

Dr. Francis Mulvey is Acting Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board. For further information see www.stb.dot.gov

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NEXT BIG THING

The FUTURE of traffic data Michael Ostrom, CEO of Mygistics, Inc., reveals how advancements in traffic modeling will improve personal and commercial travel.

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s if life isn’t stressful enough, the simple task of efficiently getting to work, home and recreation has become equally problematic.

Greater traffic volumes, deteriorating infrastructure, overburdened mass transit and volatile energy costs conspire against us.

Longer rush hours, more time spent in traffic and more disposable income spent on fuel affect our quality of life. Building our way out of these problems is not the answer. According to TRIP, a Washington, DC non-profit research group that evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on highway transportation issues, “The current level of national transportation investment needs to double in order to significantly improve the country’s highway, transit, passenger rail and freight systems.”

Given the current economic climate, relief may not come soon to all the places that need it. Transportation officials understand their users need better ways to deal with the system as it currently exists.

Guessing the present Today’s traffic information providers rely almost exclusively on real-time data and historic information. Little or no information is given on arterial and secondary roadways.

No adjustments are easily made for wild-card factors — crashes, construction zones, special events, adverse weather — that account for over half of congestion problems.

The best data can be of little use to the average motorist embarking on a local trip.

The usual twenty-minute drive may take thirty, or turn into a one-hour nightmare.

Freight shippers feel the pinch more keenly.

A study by HLB Decision-Economics indicates that, on average, freight carriers lose about $200 per hour in traffic; this loss almost doubles if the delay is unexpected.

The answer lies in predictive traffic information, a system that considers future traffic conditions along the route, allowing for much

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more precise calculations of arrival times and providing much better tools for managing travel.

A crystal ball on your dashboard?

Early efforts at creating predictive models were based on a statistical approach using Bayesian analytic techniques. Though these models gave some good short-term information, their predictive limitations could not process those unexpected delays or react to changes in traffic management strategies. Most crucially, they could not propagate these effects throughout a travel network. Bayesian models really only provide extrapolations of historical conduct, and do not model or understand human behavior —more Farmer’s Almanac than a National Weather Service forecast model.

Mygistics’ methodology is based on travel demand models that explain volumes and travel times by simulating all travelers on a network. Demand is generated using socioeconomic data such as household size, automobile availability and employment data, the root of why people travel from A to B. This knowledge applied to a network model can simulate how traffic conditions propagate throughout all roadways in a network, not just freeways, and how vehicles react to impedances such as accidents or road closures.

The Mygistics model requires only the application of limited, live traffic sensor data, which serves to constantly calibrate system calculations.

Because this approach has its origin in both traffic engineering and transportation planning, it’s also useful for improving utilization of existing and planned infrastructure, predicting vehicle emissions, assessing environmental impacts and investigating topics in transportation safety and market research. Our partner, PTV AG, has applied this methodology in several European metropolitan areas and on a national scale in both Germany and the UK with great success.

Mygistics is working to deliver data across the US with the Chicago metro as our first covered region.

With advances in the science of traffic engineering and increases in computing power, we can truly begin to get a handle on network complexity and solve transportation issues on a system wide level.

As Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Technology is moving in a direction that could afford this luxury to all of us. 

Michael Ostrom was an early pioneer in the use of 3D visualization for transportation engineering and served as a technology director at two top AEC firms. As CEO of Mygistics he is working to leverage Web 2.0 technologies with Traffic Engineering and ITS to improve mobility on a national scale.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

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ontrary to just a decade ago, there is virtually unanimous agreement in the scientific community that human activities are a primary cause of climate change. Manmade causes, such as operating power plants and motor vehicles, have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming. 11 of the past 12 years have been the hottest since 1850 and 2006 was the warmest on record. Sea levels are rising, and Category 4 and 5 hurricanes are becoming more frequent around the globe.

Mitigating the negative effects of climate change will require comprehensive plan-

ning and aggressive, cooperative action worldwide.

Although this is a global problem, the United States must take the lead in remedying a wide range of adverse climate impacts, because our nation is the largest consumer of energy in the world. In 2020, US energy consumption is projected to grow by 23 percent, and in 2025, the Energy Information Administration projects that worldwide energy use will grow by 57 percent. There is no way to avoid it, the Federal government must harness its energy use to reverse the global warming trend, before it is too late.

We should take the view that the challenge before us is an opportunity for positive change. By taking meaningful steps to address climate change, we can simultane-

Red, white and green The federal government has a major role to play in making America more energy efficient and environmentally responsible, says Rep. James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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ously tackle our nation’s increasing energy needs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. New laws and regulations promoting increased energy efficiency and alternative energy sources across various sectors will result in lower carbon emissions and reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels.

It is logical that Federal government buildings are a good place to start when implementing alternative sources of energy, because the Federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the world. In fact, the Federal government owns 333,000 buildings worldwide, comprising just over 2.5 billion square feet. In the United States, the asset count is 293,651 buildings comprising approximately 2.4 billion square feet of space. Worldwide, the Federal government leases approximately 57,000 buildings, comprising 557 million square feet of space.

In the US, the Federal government leases 23,000 buildings, just under 291.2 million square feet of space.

A systematic policy of ‘greening’ Federal buildings, or integrating construction practices that significantly reduce the environmental footprint of a building in comparison to standard practices, will result in a reduction of our net environmental impact. However, without significant transformation of building construction and operations, adverse impacts on the environment will increase with population growth and changes in other demographic and economic factors.

I have advocated that the Federal government play a central role in supporting and stimulating applied research in alternative energy systems for nearly 30 years. In fact, in 1977, I introduced legislation calling for accelerated procurement of photovoltaic solar electric systems (PV), which convert solar energy into electricity, in new and existing Federal facilities. That provision was incorporated into a comprehensive national energy bill, the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (PL 95-619). Unfortunately, the PV provision in the law was not funded, so we have no way of knowing how effective it would have been and how much progress our nation could have made in reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.

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James Oberstar

When I became Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in 2007, one of the first pieces of legislation that my Committee passed directed the General Services Administration (GSA) to install a PV system at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) headquarters. The DOE’s overarching mission is to advance the country’s national, economic and energy security, and to promote scientific and technological innovation. Consequently, it is only appropriate that DOE headquarters serve as a model for the entire nation to save energy by utilizing cutting-edge photovoltaic technology.

The photovoltaic system is an important energy technology that is environmentally sensitive and contributes to the nation’s energy security. Because it generates electricity from sunlight, PV produces no air pollution or hazardous waste. It doesn’t require liquid or gaseous fuels to be transported or combusted. Because its energy source, sunlight, is free and abundant, PV systems can guarantee access to electric power all year round, and they are virtually maintenance free. This is just one opportunity where the Federal Government can make a dent in global warming.

In addition to installing and implementing alternative energy sources, we can curtail energy use through such means as energy-efficient appliances, lighting and weatherization. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140), set the bar higher by requiring that each Federal

agency reduce energy consumption from 20 percent (relative to 2003 levels) to 30 percent by 2015. The requirements are more stringent for new construction and major alterations by requiring them to reach a 65 percent reduction of energy usage by 2015, and zero-net energy use by 2030. Agencies will be evaluated twice a year on performance of their energy and water management.

The law also accelerates the use of energy efficient lighting in buildings leased by the GSA and reduces negative impacts on the environment throughout the lifecycle of the building, including air and water pollution.

“It is logical that Federal government buildings are a good place to start when implementing alternative sources of energy, because the Federal government is the largest consumer of energy in the world” The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5), which was signed into law on February 17, makes an historic investment in promoting energy efficiency. The law provides $6 billion to upgrade and improve energy efficiency in

GSA’s inventory of Federal buildings, including the construction of border stations on the northern and southern borders of the US. The goal is to save taxpayers $2 billion every year by modernizing more than 75 percent of Federal building space. The Recovery Act also invests $4.2 billion in energy efficiency and modernizing projects at Department of Defense facilities, including military medical facilities and army barracks.

Although some features of ‘greening,’ such as high-efficiency appliances and lighting, can be more expensive and design costs may be higher, the operational cost savings will eventually recoup any initially higher investment. Green initiatives and energy efficient repair and alteration projects for Federal buildings will save money on energy costs long term. However, making Federal buildings more energy efficient not only saves taxpayer money in lower energy bills, it also creates jobs and increases the value of the Federal inventory. The Associated General Contractors of American testified before the T&I Committee that $1 billion in nonresidential construction creates or sustains 28,500 jobs. Further, deteriorating conditions of Federal buildings have caused the GSA, which provides facilities for approximately 60 Federal agencies, to abandon Federally-owned facilities for leased space. GSA’s annual lease bill, which is paid

by American taxpayers, is approximately $4 billion every year. Repairing, altering and upgrading Federally-owned facilities makes good fiscal sense all around.

The Federal government is also studying the installation of plantings on rooftops, called ‘green roofs,’ on new Federally constructed buildings. Although this practice is more common in Europe than in the United States, it has several benefits, including increasing roof longevity and reducing the need for heating and cooling by acting as an insulating barrier.

The scientific evidence is crystal clear – Planet Earth is warming. But climate change, as well as America’s corollary need for greater energy independence, is not just an environmental issue – it’s a national security issue, an economic issue, an humanitarian issue. It’s an issue we cannot afford to ignore any longer. n

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BRIDGE SAFETY

Mind the gap There is widespread concern that the country’s bridges are on their last legs. US Infrastructure assesses the situation and looks to the future.

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ugust 1, 2007, Minneapolis, Minnesota. As rush hour traffic crawled across the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, it ceased to be just another summer’s evening and became one of the biggest infrastructure disasters in US history. Without warning, a span of the sixties-built bridge collapsed, plunging vehicles and their occupants up to 35 meters into the valley below. When the dust had settled, 13 people were dead and a further 145 had been injured. That a major piece of infrastructure could fail so dramatically and so suddenly caused widespread shock around the nation and left many looking uneasily at bridges in their own neighborhoods. However, if Federal Highway Administration statistics are to be believed, perEach green dot represents a singular structurally deficient bridge on the nations highway system haps the most shocking thing about this tragedy is that it has not been repeated in the intervening years. ture, used by millions of people every day, is troubling to say the least. An adAccording to the most recent figures from the Administration, 6051 ditional cause for concern is that, while rural bridges have shown improvement bridges on national highways are considered structurally deficient while a furover recent years, the same cannot be said for their urban counterparts. ther 65,418 non-highway bridges also received the troubling designation. A Through the course of 2008, the number of deficient urban bridges increased further 89,024 are categorized as functionally obsolete. This means that fully by 2817, meaning that one-third of them now fall into the category.

26 percent of America’s road bridges are not up to standard. In the wake of the According to figures from the American Association of State Highway Minneapolis collapse, the poor quality of so many pieces of critical infrastrucand Transportation Officials (AASHTO), simply maintaining the status quo

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GET SMART The new St Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis is laden with sensors keeping watch for a wide range of potential hazards

Ice When the atmospheric conditions pose a risk of ice, embedded sprinklers spray anti-freeze onto the road surface

Strain Devices measure any stretching or compression in the bridge’s concrete

Vibration Sensors flag up any changes that could indicate damage

Corrosion Metal parts in the roadway give a heads up before rust can affect the reinforcing steel

Temperature Gauges measure concrete temperature, allowing it to be correlated with changes in bridge curvature

Movement Expansion joints are monitored for movement that can be caused by temperature changes

and preventing more bridges from becoming classified as deficient will require an annual investment of $13 billion for the next 50 years. To actually eliminate these faults, an investment of $850 billion, or $17 billion a year, will need to be made over the next half a century.

The announcement of President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which pledged around $90 billion to infrastructure, is a big boost. But as that figure needs to be shared among roads, power, dams and water, it isn’t going to fill the big hole required for bridge funding.

But there is a risk that this blizzard of statistics and billion dollar figures could obscure the issue. Terms like ‘structurally deficient’ and ‘functionally obsolete’ can provoke some very strong emotions, particularly when applied to bridges that many of us must cross every day. But a closer look at the facts serves to alter the picture somewhat.

According to the Federal Highways Commission “Structural deficiencies are characterized by deteriorated conditions of significant bridge elements and reduced load carrying capacity. Functional obsolescence is a function of the geometrics of the bridge not meeting current design stan-

dards. Neither type of deficiency indicates that the bridge is unsafe.”

Provided weight limits are observed and it undergoes regular inspection and testing, a ‘deficient’ bridge can remain in normal service for years.

Clearly, this is a debate where a degree of moderation is called for. But even if we aren’t taking our lives in our hands every time we set foot on a bridge, there are other reasons why we should be concerned that so many of them are deemed deficient.

Functional obsolescence is one such area that merits further attention.

As many of America’s bridges were built in the 1930s and 1940s, they were simply not designed to cope with the types of traffic on our roads today.

Freight traffic may find these bridges uncomfortably narrow, or even impassable in extreme cases. While this may not seem a particularly big problem at first glance, the economic and environmental implications can be significant. If traffic cannot pass easily along a certain route, it will be forced to find an alternative. This results in more fuel being bought and burned, an unwelcome situation for business, private motorists and the environment alike. Furthermore, bridges that fail to meet the standards demanded by modern traffic flows can become a magnet for accidents.

But even if there aren’t countless other I-35Ws on the verge of collapse out there, what has sprung up in the wake of the Minneapolis catastrophe offers a blueprint for the future of bridges in the US. The new St. Anthony Falls bridge opened in September 2008 and is one of the most innovative and technologically advanced of its kind anywhere in the world.

Though it’s not going to win any prizes for its looks, the span has been constructed with smart technology built into its very fabric. Packed with an array of sensors that measure everything from metal corrosion to vibration to temperature, it is America’s first truly smart bridge.

Constructed in less than a year, using new planning and efficiency techniques, the bridge generates huge amounts of data warning of any potential problem with the structure long before it becomes a major issue.

A repeat of its predecessor’s fate is unthinkable.

At $234 million, St Anthony Falls didn’t come cheap. Innovation rarely does, so it’s likely to be some time before the smart bridge becomes a commonplace feature on our transport network. Given the state of so many of the country’s bridges, exactly where to spend limited funds will require

“6051 bridges on national highways are considered structurally deficient while a further 65,418 non-highway bridges also received the troubling designation” some tough decisions. Perhaps the alarmist headlines that flooded out in the wake of the I-35W’s collapse have served only to muddy the waters. We should focus less on the one in a million cataclysms and instead recognize the less newsworthy reality that it is the little things that matter. Bridges are a vital component of the country’s transport infrastructure. If they are not up to the task of keeping the traffic moving as freely as possible, then our economic lifeblood will be restricted. While widespread structural deficiency is unlikely to lead to attention-grabbing disasters on a regular basis, failure to address the very real challenges it poses could be every bit as damaging to the country

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EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Full of fiber Wim D’Hooghe explains the need for communication solutions and the push for fiber optics in today’s transportation industry.

What different uses, and in which environments, can a communication network be utilized?

Wim D’Hooghe. The most important telecom subsystem for metro organizations, intelligent motorways, bridges or tunnels is the fiber optic backbone. It carries all information needed to run the daily operations. Needless to say that the network should be extremely reliable and provide maximum resilience to cope with the inevitable faults that will occur, for example cable breaks. Another important requirement to the network is that it should be easy to manage – actually it should be child’s play. And unlike enterprise equipment, network (software) upgrades should be avoided. In most cases there’s simply not enough time to switch back to the ‘old’ configuration, so why take the risk? Also, make sure the backbone has a guaranteed life span of at least 10 years, preferably 15.

How important is it that a transport communication solution is able to handle differing data types and a wide diversity of applications?

WD’H. The last thing you want to do is install multiple networks for the different applications.

It would not only cost an arm and a leg, but it would also become very hard to manage and lead to high OPEX (Operational Expenditures).

Keeping things simple by choosing a network

more complicated you don’t want any of these applications to interfere with one another.

Imagine a surveillance system bringing your SCADA down due to unforeseen high traffic?

That’s completely unacceptable. Hence, choose a system that can guarantee 100 percent separation between every single application.

Wim D’Hooghe is co-founder and CEO of OTN Systems. Prior to that he was in charge for all indirect business and the industrial market at Nokia Siemens Networks and, at Siemens, was in charge of the OTN Business Unit.

station management, etc. Moreover, each of these applications has their own specific requirements towards the transmission network: the CCTV application can only tolerate a maximum delay of 150 milliseconds (from camera to control room display – for pan-tilt-zoom

“The transport network is the heart of your operations. It should operate round-theclock and be impossible to break into” that can combine all the applications without jeopardizing the performance of any of them. A metro environment is probably one of the most complex ones because of the wide variety of applications encountered – safety applications, security, train control, passenger information,

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purposes); the radio network might require synchronous links; and the SCADA system might need a process control type of connection. Not to mention the legacy equipment that still might be out there with its traditional (analog) interfaces. To make things even

What role do fiber optics play in modern communication networks? Why are they superior to more traditional copper cabling?

WD’H. Installing fiber has become nearly as easy as pulling a copper cable. The connectors available on the market today make a fiber installation as easy as ‘plug and play’ and the benefits are numerous. The bandwidth provided is virtually unlimited, as well as the distances that can be spanned. We are no longer talking about Gbps (Gigabits per second) but Tbps (Terrabits per second), far beyond the bandwidth that is currently needed to run the daily operations.

Also, fiber cable is immune to electromagnetic interference, which is often a nightmare for equipment manufacturers and for end users.

So, today, fiber cable has become a no-brainer in the industry.

How important is it that transport communication networks are robust and secure? What are the potential risks if such networks are not protected from interference and intrusion?

WD’H. Again, the transport network is the heart of your operations. It should operate round-theclock and be impossible to break into. The latter is easier said than done. Open standards have brought us interoperability over the internet but with it hackers and firewalls. The train operator’s worst nightmare is that someone breaks into the network and accesses the train signaling or safety applications. Not only could it stop the system from operating but it could also put lives in danger. It is my recommendation to take all possible precautions and select a system that is designed for the worst case.

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How the ARC Mass Transit Tunnel will shake things up in New York and New Jersey.

UNDERGROUND SUCCESS

By Stephen Dilts, New Jersey Commissioner of Transportation and Chairman of the Board, NJ TRANSIT.

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ast, frequent commuter rail service to Midtown Manhattan is a vital link in the regional transportation system that serves as an engine for prosperity in New Jersey.

New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine and NJ TRANSIT are poised to ensure that we can meet future demands for rail service by starting construction this spring on the most ambitious rail infrastructure improvement for the region in generations: The Access to the region’s Core Mass Transit Tunnel Project.

The $8.7 billion project will meet the challenge of surging ridership by creating two new, state-of-the-art rail tunnels under the Hudson River, as well as a much-needed expansion of New York’s congested Pennsylvania Station. The project will relieve chronic peak-hour congestion at the two 99-year-old rail tunnels that currently provide the commuter rail connection between New Jersey and Manhattan. NJ TRANSIT is partnering with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to build this important advancement in mobility.

The new two-track rail link will more than double the number of peak-hour trains that can travel under the Hudson River, to 48 from the current 23. That added capacity will provide more trains and more express service for riders. The new tubes and related work will also allow NJ TRANSIT to provide one-seat rides for all of its rail lines, including, for the first time, the Raritan Valley, Pascack Valley, Main and Bergen lines.

Increasing capacity along the Northeast Corridor, the rail network’s ‘spine,’ will provide NJ TRANSIT room to extend passenger train service to new areas, including the Jersey Shore. The additional capacity will also allow increased service frequency, thus providing more and improved service for customers traveling within New Jersey.

The Mass Transit Tunnel’s benefits extend beyond more and better rail service. The tunnel will be a powerful economic engine for New Jersey and the region, providing much-needed stimulus now and laying the foundation for a better economic future for generations to come.

The project will create 6000 construction and related jobs each year for nearly a decade. Another 44,000 permanent jobs will be generated once the tunnel opens for passengers. Those jobs will produce $4 billion in new personal income and $10 billion in additional gross regional product. As impressive as these figures are, they are conservative. Experts say the economic payoff could be much higher.

Income from infrastructure employment generates spending at local restaurants, barbershops, and the range of other merchants who comprise the fabric of every community. In fact, the American Public Transit Association calculates that every dollar spent on public transportation generates about $6 in economic returns.

Because The Mass Transit Tunnel is ready to begin construction this spring it is ideal for Governor Corzine’s initiative to use infrastructure projects to jump-start the economy. Earlier this year the project completed all of its environmental reviews, and received Federal Transit Administration approval to enter final design, which is ongoing.

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NJ TRANSIT and other transportation leaders began a concerted planning effort some 15 years ago for the new MTT to prepare the commuter rail system for the growing ridership demands of the 21st century. The need is obvious. NJ TRANSIT ridership to New York increased by more than 400 percent in the past 20 years, from 10 million annual trips to more than 46 million. Today, passengers make more than 500,000 trips through Penn Station New York every day.

Meanwhile, in the peak hours, NJ TRANSIT operates 20 of the 23 trains heading into Manhattan under the Hudson. The Mass Transit Tunnel will accommodate those ridership needs.

The tunnel project’s engineering is as impressive as its impacts on regional mobility and the economic activity.

The project’s construction will be contracted in about 25 defined-scope contracts, each of which will have a relatively short duration. This process will match specialized contractors with specifi c work scopes. The major tunnel segments are being constructed on a design-build basis, which capitalizes on contractor innovation while reducing construction time. Upon completion, dual-mode locomotives will provide transfer free service on fi ve existing NJ TRANSIT passenger rail lines that currently operate only diesel services to Newark or Hoboken, NJ. NJ TRANSIT determined that the most feasible route for the new tunnel project parallels Amtrak’s existing Northeast Corridor rail line.

It travels above ground eastward from the vicinity of the Frank R. Lautenberg Station in Secaucus, NJ, and then swings east and goes underground in two, single-track tunnels at North Bergen, NJ. The two tunnels will proceed under the New Jersey Palisades at a depth averaging more than 200 feet and continue under the Hudson River at about 50 feet below the riverbed. The tunnels will continue under Manhattan at a depth of 100 to 145 feet below street level, following a course beneath 34th Street to Sixth Avenue. The total length of the tunnels will be approximately 3.4 miles.

The tunnels will connect with a new, state-of-the-art underground extension of Penn Station, adjacent to the existing station.

The station will include a three-over-three track/platform arrangement between Eighth and Sixth avenues, with the mezzanine in the middle level. The station will be within the public right of way of West 34th Street.

The new, expanded station will feature three high-rise escalator banks at Sixth Avenue, Broadway, and Seventh and Eighth avenues. Pedestrians will be able to connect directly with the New York subway system, and they will be able to use fi ve station entrances to the street at key locations near the Eighth Avenue/Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue/Broadway intersections. Three ADA-compliant separate elevator station entrances will also be provided on Eighth and Seventh avenues and Sixth Avenue/Broadway.

The new Penn Station expansion will, for the first time, provide direct access to key New York subway lines including the Sixth Avenue and Broadway lines. The project design will allow for future expansion to the east.

Preliminary engineering was completed at the beginning of 2009, putting the project on track to enter final design and construction. Bids were received for the first construction contract, an

underpass for the new tracks at a major highway in North Bergen, NJ, in April, and work will begin shortly. Meanwhile, the procurement process for the tunnel segments is well underway; contractor qualifi cations are under review for construction of the tunnels under Manhattan.

Boring will be done using a rock tunnel boring machine (TBM) in each section under the New Jersey Palisades, under Manhattan and in the Hudson River segment. The TBM for the Palisades tunnel work will be started after construction of an access shaft in North Bergen, NJ. The TBMs for Manhattan will be lowered and removed through access shafts in Manhattan, and the TBMs for the Hudson River work will be lowered through an access shaft in Hoboken, NJ and removed in Manhattan.

Work will proceed on the new, 96-foot wide Penn Station Expansion using conventional mining methods after the completion of the Manhattan tunneling work. Five fan plants and three new traction power facilities will also be built in New Jersey and at the new Penn Station Expansion in New York.

Altogether, approximately 1.6 million cubic yards of rock and 330,000 cubic yards of soil will be hauled away by truck to close a landfill and to cap a property in Kearny that will become a mid-day train storage yard. The MTT project will help ensure the quality of life and competitiveness of the New Jersey-New York metropolitan region in the 21st Century and beyond.

NUMBER CRUNCHING: THE ARC MASS TRANSIT TUNNEL Creates

construction and related jobs for 10 years

permanent jobs will be generated once the tunnel opens

will be spent on construction T here a re cubic yards of rock and cubic yards of soil will be hauled away

a n n u a l t r ip s b et we e n NJ TRANSIT and NY

Passengers make more than through Penn Station daily

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EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

TRANSPORTING TECHNOLOGY The US transportation system is forever grateful to the Eisenhower Interstate System and transportation advances made throughout the 20th century. If the 21st century is to carry a similar legacy, it must sustain that system for today and future generations, says Ron Gant.

What is technology’s role for transportation infrastructure?

Ron Gant. Technology improves the work we do on a day-to-day basis. It affects productivity, quality of deliverables andtheprojectcontinuum.Technology is not new to the transportation industry. Early on, the civil engineering industry readily adopted IT; however, much of this knowledge is now taken for granted. Departments of transportation (DOTs) and organizations such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Highway Engineering Exchange Program (HEEP), were forerunners in the willingness to share technology, ideas and promote software development of tools not yet commercially available. These industry leaders envisioned the ways in which technology could bring about productivity gains, improved design capability and workflows, and process enhancements — better sustaining the transportation life cycle through conception, preliminary design, final design, construction, maintenance, operations and back to conception.

g eer

What is the biggest deterrent to adopting new technology and seeing the benefits thereof?

RG. The first primary deterrent is the failure to repurpose information. Information created in one partofthelifecycleoftenendsratherthanbeingcarried forward. For instance, roadway designs createdinpreliminary and final design are often archived and are not carried forward into maintenance and operations.We recreate information that should already be in an existing data stream.

Secondly, lack of industry standards make it difficult for us to move through the transportation lifecycle. Most agencies have their own standards.

In the US alone we have 50 DOTs, which means there are at least 50 design standards. Time and money could be saved if agencies shared CAD and design standards for final contract deliverables.We need to optimize our data for design, maintenance and operations.

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How can we best eliminate such deterrents?

RG. A good start is to look at the efforts of building and plant industry leaders regarding building information modeling (BIM). The civil transportation industry has lagged behind other industries in 3D modeling, as well as creating information around those models.

Bentley has been doing 3D modeling for over 20 years, which is essential for civil engineering. Our work must be cognizant of buildings, utilities and other features around us. We construct in 3D, we model in 3D, but what happens to the data? We must combine 3D modeling with information modeling to create the civil information model (CIM). If data flow issues are resolved, the need to recreate data will be eliminated, vastly improving our workflows.

What progress is being made at this time?

RG.Efforts should not be directed towards simply constructing a single model that incorporates all data into one massive, unmanageable database.

Rather, models are being constructed that are data aware of one another and each object within each individual model. A cohesive civil information model, similar to BIM, is required to

Preliminary design

provide the relationships and repurposing of data to support the needs of transportation. CIM should not be misconstrued as just a project model, but instead a systematic association of data that reaches across multiple models, fully aware of their dependencies on one another to serve the entire transportation lifecycle.

What trends support sustaining transportation infrastructure?

RG.Civil engineers, construction professionals and technologyproviders are becominginvolvedin BIM and BrIM.These concepts are good, but need to be expanded for road, drainage and wastewater – all aspects that make it civil. Bentley and Autodesk have agreed to share data and work toward interoperability, taking the first steps toward integrating data across vendors.Today we stand on the threshold of CIM; however, by being attentive and taking advantage of the groundwork laid by BIM and BrIM leaders, the civil industry should be able to move forward more quickly to facilitate the life cycles of transportation projects.

Ron Gant has been involved with Bentley Civil products for 19 years and currently serves as Global Marketing Director for Civil Engineering at Bentley Systems.

Site and road design

Planning

Roads

Design to construction

Rehabilitation Construction Operations and maintenance

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TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Goflow

with the

As one of America’s busiest cities, New York is engaged in a constant struggle with traffic. US Infra examines its current plans and how congestion charging schemes from around the world might point the way to its future.

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raffic congestion is the blight of the modern urban environment. The age of the automobile has put an incredible strain on cities around the world. As traffic volumes have grown, the arteries of the average city have become increasingly clogged. Long a potent symbol of personal freedom, the car has become a prison for many commuters. Numerous attempts have been made to ameliorate the situation, from improved traffic control

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systems to the promotion of public transport. But the allure of the private vehicle is such that these efforts have failed to stem their flow into city centers.

This is particularly true of New York City, recently named the second most congested city in the US, after Los Angeles. Jams are a regular occurrence, causing drivers to waste hours of their lives stuck in traffic.

For Gerard Soffian, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Operations

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london

IN THE ZONE

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pon its introduction in 2003, London’s congestion charging system was the largest ever implemented by a capital city. To say that it was welcomed by all inhabitants would not be true, but few could argue with its immediate results; on its first day traffic levels decreased by an impressive 25 percent. Critics argue that the scheme’s launch during the school holidays accounts for a great deal of this success, and debates about the scheme persist to this day.

Critics of the charge argue that it has harmed businesses and unfairly penalizes those residents that live at the boundaries of the congestion charge zone. Nonetheless, a Transport for London report on the first six months of the charge stated that the number of vehicles entering the congestion zone was 60,000 less than the previous year and the zone was extended west in 2007. However, the new mayor of London Boris Johnson has promised to scrap the western extension by 2010, after 67 percent of respondents to a public consultation voted against it. In London at least, congestion charging seems to have a way to go before it achieves total public acceptance.

for NYCDOT, keeping people and vehicles moving is a daily challenge.

Achieving this requires a combination of the latest technology and traffic management techniques. “We have a pretty ambitious program to use technology to manage and to better understand how traffic operates here in the city,” says Soffian. “We have over 450 cameras on street within the city limits that keep us in close touch with what’s happening on our roadways. If there’s an incident, we can report that to motorists

so they’ll be aware either that there could be or delays ahead, or that there are alternate routes that maybe they should be considering in their driving. We have a large number of variable message boards where we can alert motorists to future problems and issues.” All these activities are directed from a command center where NYCDOT works with sister agencies like the New York Police Department and the state Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over some of the city’s roads.

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In addition to providing intel for the three agencies tasked with controlling the roads, NYC’s network of traffic cameras are also a source of useful real-time information for motorists. “Many of our cameras available on our website are so people can look firsthand and get a sense of what the conditions are, what are roadways that they might be interested in,” Soffian continues. “The media utilizes these cameras as well to provide travel information on news programs.”

But if the busy and slow moving thorough forces of the modern city have taught us anything, it is that the only way to dramatically improve things is to have fewer vehicles on the road. All the high-tech traffic systems in the world won’t help if every NYC resident decides to drive into city on a daily basis. For Soffian, key to ensuring NYC’s continuing success is encouraging people out of their private vehicles and onto other forms of transport. It is an area where New York is experiencing some success. “The traffic levels have stabilized in many parts of our city and we’re not seeing the growth that we have in recent decades,” says Soffian. “By contrast, we’re seeing a dramatic increase in transit usage and bicycle usage is up over 30 percent during the past year.”

It certainly helps that the areas of New York City that are experiencing the strongest population growths are also those that afford residents some of the widest transport choices. It seems that if people are

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hough Dubai’s Salik project became operational a month before its Swedish counterpart, it remains a work in progress. Beginning with tollgates on Al Garhoud Bridge and at Barsha on Shaikh Zayed Road, further gates were added in 2008 on Al Maktoum Bridge and Shaikh Zayed Road between the First and Second Interchanges. Though this implementation is dwarfed by those in Stockholm and London, the conditions it seeks to address are every bit as pressing to the Emirate’s road users. Dubai’s infrastructure has struggled to keep up with its rapid expansion, turning the daily rush hour into a virtual gridlock. The Salik tollgates only form part of Dubai’s overall strategy to ease traffic congestion. A new metro system, more public buses and marine transport aims to change Dubai’s reputation as a place where public transport is the poor relation to the private car. Current usage rates for public transportation sit at around six percent. A massive media campaign is planned to encourage its use by visitors and residents, with a target to increase this rate to 30 percent once the new metro and buses are launched in September 2009.

DUBAI

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The proposed cost per car for new York City’s abortive congestion scheme given the opportunity to get out of their cars, they seem happy to take it. However, there is another factor that could account for New York’s success in coping with traffic: the state of the economy. Across the US, urban congestion levels fell significantly over the course of last year.

Even Los Angeles experienced a drop of around a quarter from 2007.

High fuel prices, rising unemployment and the necessity to make every penny count all contribute to the number of vehicles on the road. If this is the case, we could only be experiencing a temporary dip, which will rebound once the nation’s fortunes change.

It is the universal truth that an economically healthy city is a busy one which has led to a mounting interest in congestion charging. The thinking goes that if drivers are forced to pay every time they enter a city, they will do so less. In addition, money raised by the schemes can be funnelled into improvements in traffi c systems and better public transport, further easing the burden on urban roads. It was this reasoning that saw New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveil plans for a charging system back in 2007. The move, which would charge cars $8 and trucks $21 to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan, was ultimately defeated by the state’s Assembly. However, elsewhere in the world, congestion charging is an idea that is slowly catching on.

Stockholm represents one of the most recent implementations and is probably the city able to demonstrate the most compelling positive effects of the congestion charging system. The success was so notable that in a referendum following six months of trial operation, the citizens of Stockholm voted in favour of keeping the congestion tax system – probably the first time in history a population has voted in favour of a tax. Ingemar Skogö, Director General of the Swedish Road Administration, is clear that any controversy over the move has been well worth it. “We have a positive experience from our road charging experiment in Stockholm City, where we have undertaken a fully automatic congestion tax in the city center,” he says. “Our experience is that the congestion has decreased by approximately 10 percent, and acceptance from the public is, overall, positive.”

In London, a congestion charging scheme has been

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had is we’ve actually seen a 66 percent increase in the number of people cycling into London, which obviously is a good news story.”

Given its well publicized traffic issues, it isn’t surprising that Dubai is now pursuing its own congestion charge scheme. The Salik project has introduced tollgates at some of the Emirate’s worst traffic blackspots and is the first such system in the region. According to Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the board and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority hile some congestion charging schemes have been the system is already proving to be a success. “Our criticized as a form of stealth tax, the Swedish project studies before and after introducing the Salik have has been confident enough to label itself as a tax from revealed that it has been a success and helped a the outset. Following a seven month trial period, the charge was great deal in easing traffic congestion on the Salik implemented on a permanent basis in August 2007 and covers routes,” he says. Backing this statement up with Stockholm city centre, virtually in its entirety. Drivers passing personal experience, he adds that his journey from through the automatic tollbooths are logged on their way into and home to office, previously a 75 minute trip, has now out of the city. Rather than pay on a daily basis, motorists are shrunk to just a quarter of an hour. issued with a monthly bill for their trips into the city, which costs Steinar Furan, of traffic system provider between the equivalent of one and three dollars, depending on Q-Free ,lauds Dubai’s move in adopting a road the time of the journey. What is particularly interesting about the pricing strategy, but adds that it is only part of a Swedish project is that when Stockholm’s residents were given total solution to tackle traffic congestion. “The a referendum on it, they voted to make it permanent. Sweden’s Dubai RTA has been very brave and foresighted population is used to shouldering a fairly hefty tax burden, which when deciding to implement the first tolling goes some way to accounting for this acceptance. It is hard to system in the region,” he says. “It is important imagine a similar outcome if the process were to be repeated in to understand that RTA’s intentions with SALIK many American cities. has always been to use it as a part of a broad plan within ITS and traffic management in the Emirate. We are now seeing public transport coming into effect like the high-speed train and buses. Where there are alternatives to the private vehicle, the Salik system can prove itself invaluable.”

As populations increase and the number of vehicles on the roads continues to grow, we can expect to see in operation since 2003. Though there have been some predictable more and more congestion charge implementations. They may not teething problems, the scheme is now demonstrating a reasonable always be popular with the drivers who have to foot the bill, but it level of maturity. “We’ve made hundreds of changes to the way is increasingly clear that they are a necessary evil. If the economic that the scheme works since it was first introduced,” says Graeme heartbeat of cities like Dubai is to remain strong, it is essential that Craig, Director of Congestion Charging and Traffic Enforcement at their circulatory systems can flow freely.

Transport for London. “There was and still is no automated payment While a form of congestion charging has already been rejected system, so drivers have to remember to pay when they drive in the in New York City, the idea hasn’t been completely forgotten. “It’s zone. Sometimes they forget and end up getting a fine. So back in something that we will always be thinking of,” Soffian confirms.

2006 we gave drivers an extra day to pay the charge.” Next on the “Right now though we have to respect the will of the state legismenu is a fully automated payment system that should eliminate the lature and put that on hold.” Until such a time as paying to drive risks of driver forgetfulness. into the city becomes more palatable, NYCDOT is working to find Central to the London plans has been the fact that all money other ways to ease congestion. “We provide priority treatments raised by charges and fines for non-payment is pumped back into on many of the roads coming into Manhattan for buses and high improving the city’s transport infrastructure. As the scheme raised occupancy vehicles,” Soffian continues. “We’re continuing to go a net figure of $217 million last year, Craig believes the benefits go in that way, where people share the ride with others. We’re also well beyond simply reducing the number of vehicles on the roads. promoting buses and other forms of public transport. It’s a way “Particularly we’ve improved the bus network,” he says. “We’ve of using a carrot rather than a stick to encourage more efficient also made it easier and safer to walk around and cycle around travel.” n London. One of the impacts the congestion charging scheme has

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Stockholm

Taxing times

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POLICY FOCUS

investigations and stop all other business until the problem was solved. The same urgency and commitment is needed to stop these preventable tragedies on our nation’s roads.

The average rush-hour commuter in the US spends nearly a full workweek stuck in traffic each year. Traffic congestion costs our economy billions of dollars in lost productivity, wastes precious time and fuel, generates needless emissions, creates safety hazards and driver frustration and harms our quality of life. Allowing congestion to grind our cities to a halt every day is unacceptable, especially when we have the tools available to manage and reduce this gridlock.

What’s more, the transportation sector is responsible for over a quarter of all US CO2 emissions, in addition to other environmental and energy challenges. Technologies are now available that can improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles, reduce inefficient traffic patterns and unnecessary fuel consumption, facilitate shifts to transit and other non-motorized transportation, and help sustain our environment for future generations.

Add to these challenges the fact that the Interstate Highway System, while highly successful and a great enabler for America’s industrial and commercial success, has celebrated its 50 year anniversary and is very much in need of a 21st century upgrade. The estimated annual cost to fix and maintain our transportation infrastructure ranges from $225 billion to $340 billion – far more than can be generated by the current public funding system, which is based on fuel tax. New, innovative financScott Belcher tells US Infrastructure why the new ing mechanisms including increased private sector administration needs to invest in technology if it is to truly investment are needed to fix our infrastructure and bolster America’s transportation infrastructure system. build a safe, smart and energy efficient transportation system for the future.

ITS solutions are now working to reduce traffic s the new Obama Administration works with Congress to congestion and its economic and environmental consequences, help preput in place new policy agendas to repair our ailing infravent accidents and improve emergency response, give drivers and transstructure system, pass transportation reforms as part of a portation managers real-time information to deal with roadway conditions new surface transportation authorization bill and advance and enable innovative financing methods to pay for our nation’s translegislative solutions to other critical issues like energy, cliportation system. The message is simple: we must make better use of mate change and homeland security, 2009 looks set to be today’s technologies and innovations to solve our transportation infraa challenging yet exciting year. An aggressive agenda provides an unparalstructure challenges. leled opportunity to advance the deployment of intelligent transportation It is critical that state and local transportation agencies pursue ITS solusystems (ITS) and related technological innovations that must play a key tions that will create jobs across numerous industries including the high-tech, role in solving our infrastructure, economic and environmental challenges. automotive, engineering, IT, manufacturing and environmental sectors.

Each year, more than 40,000 people die on America’s roads and 2.7 milAccording to the Department of Transportation, an average of 50 perlion are injured. That cost to America’s economy totals at least $230 billion cent of ITS project spending is for direct labor as compared with 20 percent – while the human pain and suffering is beyond measure. Imagine a fullyfor new highway construction, making ITS an attractive investment from a loaded 737 airliner falling out of the sky every day. Lawmakers would hold purely job creation standpoint. And, integrating ITS into transportation pro-

Time for change

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jects can significantly improve economic productivity by reducing congestion, which is critical for businesses, truckers, shippers and consumers whose jobs and livelihood depend on an efficient and reliable transportation network.

Tools like traffic light synchronization, incident detection and management systems, traveler information, electronic tolling, ramp signaling, dynamic message signs, weigh-in-motion truck inspections and smart transit systems can all be deployed quickly to put people to work while also providing long-term benefits in terms of less congestion, fewer accidents and a healthier environment.

It is encouraging that the US DOT has also recognized this critical opportunity and has provided guidance through the Federal Highway Administration recommendation that transportation agencies include ITS and other operational elements in their transportation projects as they work to effectively invest monies received through the economic stimulus.

We must also not lose focus on the critical need for reform in the next surface transportation authorization bill and the September 30 expiration of the current legislation provides an opportunity to pursue new, innovative solutions and build a smarter transportation infrastructure.

Many transportation agencies and businesses are incorporating the latest technologies into passenger and commercial vehicles, highways, transit systems and traffic operations centers. However, in order to accelerate the widespread deployment and effective use of ITS solutions, fundamental changes are needed in the nation’s approach to transportation policy.

What is needed The current SAFETEA-LU legislation eliminated dedicated funding for deployment of ITS, and provides only $110 million per year for ITS research and development. These funding levels are grossly insufficient to support the critical role that ITS must play in modernizing our transportation infrastructure. The current law lacks proper incentives for transportation agencies to use all of the tools at their disposal to improve system performance. Dedicated funding for deployment and operation ITS, combined with meaningful policy reforms, will result in

significant improvements in the transportation system while also providing tremendous opportunities for the ITS industry.

ITS America has been working with its members to develop legislative priorities for the next surface transportation bill.

Funding should be linked to aggressive performance goals to ensure that the public investment results in measurable improvements in safety, mobility and the environment. To improve the performance of our transportation system, the next authorization bill should provide dedicated funding and incentives for public agencies and private sector partners to deploy and operate ITS solutions that will prevent traffic accidents and fatalities, reduce gridlock, improve the environment and build a smarter multimodal transportation network.

While we are making better use of today’s technology, the next authorization bill should at least double funding for research, development and demonstration programs that will advance the next generation of ITS solutions, including vehicle collision avoidance technologies, advanced congestion management systems and new approaches for collecting and disseminating realtime traffic, transit and multimodal traveler information.

A significant investment should be made in the initial deployment of a nationwide communications network between vehicles and with the roadway, known as vehicle infrastructure integration (VII) or IntelliDrive, that will enable the next generation of critical safety, mobility, commercial and consumer applications.

The next transportation bill should also include major real-world demonstrations of ITS-enabled financing alternatives for supplementing and ultimately replacing the current gas tax, including a mileage-based user fee and variably priced tolling systems.

While the ITS community is better positioned than ever before to make a difference in the next transportation bill and other upcoming legislative battles, it is critical that the transportation community continues to send the message to Congress and the new administration that the federal government needs to begin investing seriously in the deployment and integration of currently-available technologies into our transportation infrastructure system.

Scott Belcher is President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America)

ANNUAL HOURS LOST TO CONGESTION PER PEAK HOUR DRIVER Very large metro areas, 1983 vs 2003 1983 2003

100 80 60 40 20

Average

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Houston

Phoenix

New York

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Miami

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Chicago

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Dallas

Washington

Atlanta

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THE NEXT BIG THING

The synergy of road weather information and traffic data

By Jon Tarleton

O

ver the past two decades, government agencies have come to realize the major impact weather has on our roadway system. Recognizing this impact, they have increased their resources and tools to prevent or avoid major delays and congestion caused by weather. One of the biggest tools used to monitor weather conditions on the road system, especially during the winter, is Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS). RWIS stations were first installed and used in the 1970s and now most US States have an extensive RWIS network. RWIS stations gather both traditional atmospheric conditions and road surface conditions to accurately provide information to an agency’s maintenance and operation divisions. The data assists them in maintaining road conditions and minimizing the impact to the traveling public. On a near parallel path, traffic systems and sensors were developed and deployed to monitor the flow of vehicles and these sensors detect vehicle count, speed and classification and have been mainly used for monitoring traffic flow in urban areas. Today there is a growing trend in the US to bring these two technologies together since they have a direct and significant impact on each other.

The main challenge has been finding an economical way to combine RWIS and traffic sensing technologies into a single, usable system. Once combined, agencies could better track the impact weather has on traffic, and even use traffic flow data to determine when the influence began and ended. Another challenge is that traffic and weather sensing networks are not dense enough to provide uniform and effective data across the country, or even a region.

This is a result of traffic sensors mainly being deployed in urban areas, and RWIS placement being driven by areas of the country that see significant winter driving conditions. Finding rural applications for traffic sensors and year round applications for RWIS is one way to gain additional funding for creating denser networks. In addition, government agencies are looking for

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RWIS stations gather both traditional atmospheric conditions and road surface conditions to accurately provide information to an agency’s maintenance divisions. The data assists them in maintaining road conditions and minimizing the impact to the traveling public.

solutions that allow them to stretch their spending dollar by using existing infrastructure to add features and capabilities. This approach will help them reduce deployment costs and recurring communication costs to collect the sensor data.

To solve these challenges state agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT), Iowa DOT, and Alaska DOT, deployed, or are deploying, traffic sensors as part of their RWIS stations. Each of these states has an extensive network of RWIS stations, which provide a perfect platform to add traffic sensing capabilities without additional infrastructure spending or communication costs. The Ohio DOT chose a wireless, intrusive pavement sensor that detects both surface weather and traffic conditions in a single sensor. The sensor uses magnetic imaging to count traffic, measure speed and length of the vehicles and measures pavement temperature, wet or dry road conditions, and provides a chemical index for the detection of winter snow removal chemicals. The RWIS and traffic data are sent to Ohio DOT’s server, approximately every six minutes. And in Iowa and Alaska they have chosen a non-intrusive radar sensor for monitoring traffic conditions, which are mounted and connected directly to the RWIS to measure traf-

fic data across four lanes of traffic – all from a single sensor.

As this trend continues to grow among transportation agencies, systems will need to be designed and deployed to allow for multiple uses and purposes. The solutions described here produced a cost savings of installation, communications and maintenance of the systems and increasing this sensor deployment strategy can provide additional funding and resources for increasing the network of data collection sites. In addition, the value of the network increases as more sites are added and the systems configured and used by these DOTs are the future of ITS sensor deployment.

Jon Tarleton is Marketing Manager at Quixote Transportation Technologies, Inc. (QTT) and has nearly 14 years experience in the transportation industry. His background includes operational weather forecasting for RWIS clients, RWIS user training and weather training, product development and marketing.

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SPEND AND RECEIVE Leslie Blakey explains the need for tactical investment in the transportation system.

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United States; and sending 2000 aircraft, 367 million books, $29 billion in integrated circuits and 26 million tons of wheat abroad.

The supply chain that carries all these products usually involves travel over several different modes: water, rail, highway and air. There are complex connections and infrastructure may be either public or privately owned and operated. Just-in-time manufacturing and constantly moving inventories depend on these parts working at top efficiency and reliability.

It is a testament to American ingenuity that for most of the last century our supply chain and freight capabilities were the envy of the world.

However, for a variety of reasons, even though population and demand for goods was growing dramatically, investment in the system was not keeping up. Now we are faced with a backlog of projects and no funds set aside to pay for them. What’s more, estimates of these needs ranges in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

IN FOCUS: PORT OF CLEVELAND

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or the third time in as many years, a major high-level transportation analysis has documented the deterioration of the transportation system and the crisis our nation faces due to its current funding structure.The report, released in February 2009, was entitled Paying Our Way, A Framework for Transportation Finance and was conducted by the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, and puts the crisis bluntly: “Our surface transportation system has deteriorated to such a degree that our safety, economic competitiveness and quality of life are at risk,” it says.

Nowhere is this threat more real than within America’s freight transportation network. The rapid and cost efficient movement of goods throughout the US supply chain – and particularly through our trade gateways and corridors – is vital to securing America’s economic future and maintaining our competitiveness in world markets. Yet, the observable chokepoints along the nation’s highways and in metropolitan areas only tell a fraction of the story.

For example, traffic congestion costs the US economy $78 billion each year in lost time, wasted fuel and vehicle wear and tear, but we are investing much less than that across our transportation systems to improve them.

Furthermore, congestion is not only an environmental disaster, it serves as a trade barrier as well. Manufacturers and farmers depend on our multimodal system to get their products to international markets and American businesses and families rely on the goods movement network to bring products to their shelves and homes.

Trade in US goods totals about $1.8 trillion per year. In practical terms this means, among other things, bringing seven million cars, 15,000 live rabbits, 1.1 million tons of coffee and two billion ballpoint pens into the

For a century, the Port of Cleveland has handled bulk and break-bulk cargos, with an emphasis on products related to steel production and finished steel. These products move into the Great Lakes to Canadian and US destinations, and out of the St Lawrence Seaway to European markets. Exciting plans are underway to relocate the port’s operations to a new, 200-acre facility on Cleveland’s east side. The move will place the Port Authority directly at the heart of an inter-modal hub. It will be connected to ports in Nova Scotia, where partner ports will connect Cleveland to European and Asian markets. The proposed new site brings together water, road and rail access to provide companies in Ohio and the Midwest industrial heartland with direct access to international markets. In addition, the site is adjacent to an underutilized industrial area that will be transformed into a 1000-acre maritime/international trade district.

The move will accomplish Port of Cleveland several other key objectives. It will free up land at the Port Authority’s current site to provide greater lakefront access to Clevelanders for mixed use recreational, entertainment and business opportunities, and the proposed new site will provide the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) with a dredge disposal site. Adam Wasserman, President and CEO of Cleveland County Port Authority explained that USACE has a responsibility to maintain shipping channels to a required depth. This dredge material will create land that will become port property, making it a win-win situation for the Port Authority and USACE.

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Without a campaign of strategic investment to expand capacity and increase efficiency, US productivity and global competitiveness will suffer, costs will increase and growth will lag. A new federal program should be established to address freight mobility, on all modes, by adding capacity and improving efficiency. In 2009, Congress will take up multi-year legislation to fund the federal surface transportation program, offering a chance to address this long-neglected national asset.

“We are faced with a backlog of projects and no funds set aside to pay for them. What’s more, estimates of these needs ranges in the hundreds of billions of dollars” The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) has proposed the creation of a Federal Freight Trust Fund (FTF) to facilitate implementation of a new, strategic freight mobility program that incorporates a national strategy for long term planning, as most states do not have state freight plans and there has been no guiding policy at the federal level; a way to focus funds on highpriority projects that will return national and regional benefits; a fair and balanced userpay funding source with revenues dedicated to freight projects only; and a partnership with the private sector to leverage non-government funds and provide transportation planners with the largest toolbox of financing options possible.

The impact of freight improvements Columbia River Crossing is substantial and widely felt. Sustainable goods movement lies at the center of our productivity and quality of life, not only for the availability of consumer products, but because of transportation’s impact on land use, energy consumption and environmental quality. Improvements to freight infrastructure, through a combination of conventional infrastructure and advancement in intelligent transportation systems, can result in reduced congestion, better air quality and less time and fuel wasted.

Leslie Blakey is Executive Director of The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC).

ABOUT THE COALITION The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) is a diverse coalition of more than 50 public and private organizations dedicated to increasing federal investment in America’s inter-modal freight infrastructure. In contrast to single mode interests, CAGTC’s main mission is to promote a seamless goods movement transportation system across all modes to enhance capacity and economic growth.

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IN FOCUS: COLUMBIA RIVER CROSSING The I-5 Columbia River Crossing is a long-term, comprehensive and sustainable multi-modal solution to the economic, safety and environmental challenges caused by the Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River.

The bridge and its approaches in Oregon and Washington cause the worst traffic congestion in the Portland/Vancouver metro region and the area is recognized as one of the biggest bottlenecks on the I-5 trade corridor, one of the nation’s top freight routes.

The bridge is planned to provide congestion relief, freight mobility, an expanded transit service and greater access to ports and industrial lands.

It will also offer new bicycle and pedestrian access between Portland and Vancouver. The bridge, highway, transit and cycle/pedestrian project is set to cost between $3.13.9 billon.

It is the last significant lift bridge on the interstate system and includes the only stoplight on I-5 between Canada and Mexico. Each year the interstate bridge carries about $40 billion in freight, and this is projected to increase to $70 billion annually by 2030. With just three lanes in each direction, the bridges strain to carry 135,000 vehicles each weekday. Congestion on this crucial corridor already lasts four to six hours a day, stranding motorists in their cars, stalling buses in gridlock, and delaying freight moving up the freeway by truck. By 2030, stop and go traffic is projected to increase to 15 hours a day.

In July 2008, to address these issues, local agencies endorsed replacing the interstate bridge with a new structure, extending light rail across the Columbia into downtown Vancouver, improving interchanges and creating a world-class bicycle/pedestrian facility over the river, thereby offering a long-term comprehensive solution to the challenges on this section of freeway.

The project will significantly reduce congestion and safety problems while improving mobility, reliability and accessibility for all users of this section of freeway, whether they’re traveling by automobile, truck, transit, bicycle or on foot.

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RAIL FOCUS

Freight lifting Investing in rail infrastructure is vital for the continued health of the nation. By Edward Hamberger, President and CEO, Association of American Railroads.

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merica’s freight rail system provides the world’s most efficient, Today’s transportation infrastructure is not adequate to meet tocost-effective freight rail network. It is vital to the economic morrow’s needs, and that is true across all modes of transportation. health of the American economy and keeps US companies Before the onslaught of the recession, congestion was becoming a competitive in world markets, progrowing concern on the railroads, on the highways, viding some 43 percent of the nain ports and in aviation. Economic growth is expectBOXCAR BENEFITS tion’s freight transportation, based on ed to double the demand for freight transportation There is a strong public interest ton-miles, more than any other mode. by 2035. But that growth could be stunted unless we in expanding the capacity of the The US rail freight network is almost enexpand our transportation network to handle it. rail network so that more trains – tirely privately-owned. This means that rail For railroads, the need to expand is acute. A 2007 both freight and passenger – can companies must build and maintain tracks, study by Cambridge Systematics concluded that to operate throughout the country. rights-of-way and signal control systems themmeet the nation’s projected need for freight rail capacThe rail advantage includes: selves. They also pay state and local property ity over the next 25 years, a $148 billion investment is taxes on their infrastructure, some $600 milneeded to expand capacity. Even more must be invest• More fuel efficiency (a freight lion in 2007 alone. From 1980 through 2007, ed if the growing demand for rail passenger services is train can move a ton of freight freight railroads invested approximately $420 to be met because outside of the Northeast Corridor, an average of 436 miles per billion – more than 40 cents out of every revmost Amtrak and commuter passenger trains run on gallon of diesel fuel, three enue dollar – to maintain, renew and expand tracks owned by freight railroads. times as far as a truck) track and equipment.

Railroads have been investing heavily in their in• A cleaner environment (freight Freight railroads play a vital role in the US frastructure. Over the past two years, freight railroads trains pollute one-third as economy and they do it safely. From 1980 to invested more than $18 billion in capital improvements, much as trucks) 2007, the last full year for which data is availthe most in history. It’s expected that railroads on their • Less traffic on our nation’s able, railroads have reduced the overall train own should be able to invest about 70 percent of the highways (a single intermodal accident rate by 71 percent and the employee money needed to expand the freight rail network. Yet train can remove up to 280 casualty rate by 80 percent, with 2007 being a there remains a gap of about $1.4 billion annually betrucks from the highways) record year in terms of overall safety. Today, tween what railroads can invest on their own and what • Similar advantages flow from railroads have lower employee injury rates needs to be invested to handle growth. The gap grows increased passenger rail than most other modes of transportation and even larger when plans for expanded rail passenger investment most other major industry groups – including service are taken into consideration.

• Beyond this, each billion agriculture, construction, manufacturing and If that gap is not closed, about 30 percent of the dollars in capital investment in even some types of retail activity. nation’s primary rail corridors will be approaching cathe rail industry creates 20,000 Freight railroads provide the nation’s only pacity by 2035. That would cause freight to shift from new jobs privately funded transportation system, operrail onto highways, increasing fuel consumption, air ating a 140,000-mile network. This requires pollution and highway congestion. vast amounts of private investment. To operMoreover, railroads are also a cost-effective mode ate, maintain and expand their infrastructure, the two largest railroads of transportation. Based on revenue per ton mile, on average it cost 54 perspend more than the State of New York and almost as much as cent less (in inflation adjusted terms) to move freight by rail in 2007 than it California do on their highway systems. Other modes of transportation did in 1981. rely on government funding to support their infrastructure. The ability Rail passenger and freight interests recognize the need to work toof railroads to fund this private investment is a tremendous asset and gether to increase total rail capacity and recently formed OneRail, a benefit to our country. coalition that brings together a diverse group of freight rail, passenger If railroads couldn’t do this, the government might have to find the bilrail and environmental advocates, united in the belief that public polilions of dollars necessary to fund the rail network, much as it already funds cies that support both freight and passenger rail objectives are needed highways and inland waterways. Otherwise it would have to spend vastly to maximize transportation options that enhance mobility, achieve enmore on highways to handle the business railroads carry, thereby forcing ergy efficiency, address climate change, boost economic growth and iman even heavier burden on taxpayers. prove quality of life for all Americans.

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The gap between what should be invested in rail expansion and what currently can be invested is significant. But that gap can be narrowed and closed through adoption of public policies that foster investment in the rail network. One way to close that gap is through development of public-private partnerships in which the public pays for the public benefits it receives while the railroads pay for the benefits they receive. The best known example of this is the Alameda Corridor in Southern California which connects the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with inland intermodal rail facilities. It separated the rail lines from highways, improving the fluidity of both the highway and rail networks. More than 100,000 trains have crossed the corridor since it opened in 2002, reducing air pollution by close to 10,000 tons.

Other successful public-private partnerships include ones in Northern California and in North Carolina where capacity was added to accommodate additional passenger service; the Heartland Corridor from the Atlantic to the Midwest where clearances are being increased to handle energy-efficient double-stack intermodal trains; the Gateway Corridor in the East and the CREATE project in Chicago. Additional opportunities exist throughout the country for cooperation between public agencies and freight railroads.

An infrastructure tax incentive such as the bi-partisan Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act would also help revitalize and expand

the rail network. That legislation would provide a 25 percent tax incentive for investments in new tracks and other projects that expand rail capacity.

This legislation would make the tax incentive available not just to railroads but to any entity that invested in projects that expand the capacity of the rail network. For example, a shipper that invested in a spur to connect to the rail network would be eligible to receive the credit.

Finally, the nation has been well served by the balanced rail regulatory system implemented by the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. That regulatory system protected the rights of shippers from rail market power while at the same time providing railroads with new ability to react to changes in the market place. The result has been an unqualified success. US freight railroads are recognized as the international standard, providing the world’s most affordable freight service.

As a result of the Staggers Act, a railroad industry that was on the brink of collapse and faced with billions of dollars of deferred maintenance has been able to invest some $420 billion to maintain, renew and upgrade facilities and equipment, providing the nation with billions of dollars in annual benefits. Efforts by some special interests to reverse the Staggers Act and return railroads to a regulatory system in which government bureaucrats make all of the decisions must be rejected or else capital for expansion of the rail industry will dry up.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Keeping America’s railways

moving

By Patrick Hofstadler caused by increased rail traffic, is limited track time to perform maintenance. Recognizing the demands for increased performance early on, Plasser has continuously improved on its machines and by using the assembly line approach, Plasser also began to design multiple maintenance systems installed on one machine. These systems quickly became the industry standard for many railways.

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oday’s railway industry has come a long way from the days of steam locomotives, cabooses and hordes of track workers performing manual labor. Increased supply and demand for goods has increased freight rail traffic and economic changes and popularity of public transportation have resulted in increased ridership on transit and commuter rail systems.

Today, some of the heaviest freight trains in the world, high-speed passenger trains and sophisticated, purpose-built maintenance machinery, keep America’s railways moving.

Plasser American Corporation provides technology and know-how. Working in partnership with our customers we address the industry’s most pressing Maintenance of Way Challenges. From a small operation with five employees in 1960, Plasser American now

Some examples of technological improvements to maximize maintenance work during limited track time are:

Tamping machines The first tamping machines were small, simple machines capable of tamping one tie at a time at a production rate of up to 1500 ft/hr. Today the fastest, continuous action tamping machines are equipped with multiple computers and a plethora of electronics such as GPS and automatic tie detection. Some of these machines are capable of tamping two, three and even four ties at a time with production rates as high as 7400 ft/hr.

Ballast management Conventional Ballast Regulators move the ballast back-and-forth along the track.

With today’s high production tamping ma-

“One of the biggest challenges today, caused by increased rail traffic, is limited track time to perform maintenance” has more than 200 employees headquartered in a modern 170,000+ square foot facility in Chesapeake, Virginia and our expertise lies in high capacity and customized equipment in all areas of track maintenance. Together with our affiliates we have manufactured more than 13,800 machines in 104 countries worldwide over the past 50 years.

One of the biggest challenges today,

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chines, these ballast regulators cannot keep pace. Plasser’s Ballast Distribution System is designed with the capacity to easily keep pace with the high production tampers as the ballast is profiled to the railroad’s desired specification in one single pass. Its unique design and proper use can reduce the need for new ballast by up to 70 percent, paying for itself within two years. With an average of

2800 tons of crushed-rock per mile, the Ballast Distribution System helps control cost by spreading and profiling the optimal amount, or reclaiming excess ballast and redistributing it somewhere else.

Ballast undercutting/cleaning The purpose of undercutting and cleaning the ballast is to improve drainage of the track. Lack of drainage leads to fouled ballast and deterioration of track conditions, Plasser’s ballast undercutting/cleaning machines excavate the entire ballast section and clean the excavated material by separating waste material from the reusable ballast which is put back into the track directly behind the excavating chain. The design of these machines has evolved from simple undercutting/cleaning machines working at rates of 700 ft/hr excavating eight to 10 inches of material to complete subgrade rehabilitation machines that lift the track, remove up to three feet of ballast and subgrade, insert geotextiles, reapply new subgrade and new ballast, replace old ties with new concrete ties and exchange the old worn rail with new rail, all in one pass.

Dynamic track stabilization One of Plasser’s most innovative machines is the Dynamic Track Stabilizer. This machine is used directly behind a tamping machine. It settles the disturbed track bed in a controlled environment, thus reducing the need for slow orders and allowing trains to run across maintained track at scheduled speeds.

Innovations like these increase productivity and track quality, allowing goods and the every day commuter to be transported safely and making sure they arrive on time. A well-maintained track is a cost effective way to keep America’s railways moving. n Patrick Hofstadler is Sales Administrator for Plasser American Corporation

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COMMENT

COMMENT

A new focus: The road to 2009 surface transportation authorization

By Dave Bauer

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new President – one who made transportation infrastructure a key campaign and ‘first 100 days’ issue – joins six new senators, 45 new members of the House of Representatives, and a slew of new faces in the US Department of Transportation and White House domestic policy roles. Add in economic issues and other pressing international and budget challenges and many are left wondering: what does it all mean for the next multi-year highway/transit investment bill and for our industry?

We have a great deal of work to do in educating these new policymakers about making transportation investment a national priority.

And there’s no getting away from the fact that growing the highway, transit and aviation programs is going to require the Congress and President to boost revenues – no doubt a heavy political ‘lift.’

As we progress through this ‘mega-authorization’ year, one thing is clear: the transportation design and construction industry faces significant headwinds. Despite these challenges, the American Road & Transportation Builder’s Association (ARTBA) remains bullish – not bearish – about the out-

look for increasing federal transportation infrastructure investment.

In recent years, when push has come to shove, and in the face of heated rhetoric from all sides, Congress has stepped up and approved increases in federal highway and transit investment. Last year, many believed a solution to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenue shortfall for FY 2009 was out of reach.

Yet, the Congress and President Bush got the job done, even if it was only a one-year fix.

Our first test case will be the new economic recovery package, which includes significant new investments in transportation infrastructure. ARTBA is continuing to work to secure the maximum level of transportation investment possible as an installment on the long term investment commitments needed over the next decade.

As Congress moves further into the reauthorization process, it will face a difficult decision among these choices: cutting investment as the HTF shortfall faces an even larger $20 billion shortfall, deficit spending, or generating new transportation investment revenue.

When the dust finally settles, ARTBA believes Congress and President Obama will agree on a solution that is both sustainable and robust.

The 2009 bill also offers a unique opportunity to establish a new transportation paradigm. ARTBA believes the federal surface transportation program should be reformed, refocused, refinanced and restructured for the future. The ARTBA plan has two distinct, but complementary parts.

First, the current highway and transit programs must be significantly better funded to preserve past infrastructure investments, and address future safety and mobility priorities.

This will require a minimum 13-cents-pergallon increase in the federal motor fuels tax to recoup lost purchasing power since 1993 and generate the revenue necessary to maintain current highway and bridge conditions.

The fuel tax should also be indexed to prevent future dilution of these revenues. Public-private partnerships, innovative financing and tolling should also be part of the solution.

And second, part of ARTBA’s plan calls for creation of a ‘Critical Commerce Corridors’ (3C) program – financed with fire-walled freight-related user fees – that would focus on improving goods movement throughout the US. With freight traffic expected to double in the next 25 years, it is critically important to fill the federal policy vacuum in this area.

The 3C proposal calls on the Secretary of Transportation to initiate a process involving relevant public and private sector stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategic business plan. We suggest starting with the 200 freight bottlenecks already identified by US DOT. What will these proposals mean for highway, transit and bridge users? Reduced congestion, a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions, increased mobility and a renewed focus on multi-modal, system-wide efficiency.

While the road to reauthorization may have bumps and curves, now is not the time avoid the legislative playing field. For the transportation design and construction industry, this can be a time of great opportunities.

Our industry and our workers can help put America back on track to economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity. n

Dave Bauer is SVP of Government Relations for the ARTBA. More information on ARTBA’s proposals can be found at www.artba.org or www.criticalcommercecorridors.com.

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HIGHWAYS

The road ahead Working toward economic recovery with speed and watchfulness. By King Gee, Associate Administrator for Infrastructure, Federal Highway Administration.

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he Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is playing a pivotal role in the nation’s economic recovery and in laying the groundwork for tomorrow’s transportation system. Over the past several months, FHWA has taken center stage as a lead agency in the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enacted by President Obama on February 17, 2009.

Creating and saving jobs ARRA focuses on job preservation and creation through infrastructure investment by providing $27.5 billion for highways and bridges. Through investment in highway and bridge projects alone, ARRA is expected to create or save hundreds of thousands of jobs, through direct and indirect sources. First, there is the direct impact of building new roads and fixing old ones, leading to employment for people who would otherwise be out of work.

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The ARRA projects will lead to the hiring of new workers and the prevention of layoffs at firms that would otherwise not have enough work to keep good workers on.

Infrastructure investments FHWA began preparing for this rapid infusion of federal dollars in our nation’s roads and bridges as early as December 2008, when news of the President-elect’s intentions became clear. The agency assisted in drafting legislation, prepared guidance and tools to support implementation, and helped states prepare their program of projects for advancement – even advising states to take preparatory steps before the legislation was passed.

Priority goes to projects that can be completed within three years and are physically located in the most economically distressed parts of the country. The resurfacing and reconstruction of roads, repair and replacement of bridges, and other projects that have been ready for months or years but have been deferred due to

insufficient funds will be able to move forward now. Matching funds are optional and therefore projects can be fully funded with ARRA resources.

The funds were made available to states on March 3, 2009, well ahead of the 21-day deadline specified in the law. In the weeks since, states have moved at a swift and steady pace to move transportation projects forward.

In just 48 days after the ARRA was passed, nearly 2200 projects had been approved and nearly a dozen states had obligated more than 50 percent of their ARRA funds for highways and bridges – well ahead of the 120-day deadline. Many projects have been let or started.

Construction on others will start soon.

Accountability and transparency While it is highly anticipated that ARRA funding will be spent quickly for projects to bring people back to work – the expectation that every dollar will be accounted for is equally pressing. ARRA is not only about the size and

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“ARRA projects will lead to the hiring of new workers and the prevention of layoffs”

information. FHWA is undertaking extra efforts to increase the oversight of ARRA funds and is prepared for increased scrutiny on the part of federal government oversight agencies to ensure that funds are spent properly.

The future of transportation

number of projects and how fast investments are made, but how effectively and responsibly investments are made. While the FHWA is committed to providing maximum flexibility under the regulations to advance projects, the agency is fully committed to providing accountability and transparency as directed by the President.

ARRA is accompanied by stringent reporting requirements for states on how their selection of road and bridge projects contribute to

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economic recovery. Governors must first certify that the projects selected in their states will create or save jobs. States must report to FHWA on the progress of their projects and on how the money is being spent.

Accountability and transparency are both key tenets of ARRA, and are satisfied through our agency’s website, which features daily updates to state-by-state obligations and offers links to state websites with project-specific

The transportation community must move quickly and effectively, and certainly it will because of the great need that exists for highway and bridge improvements. The health of the economy and transportation system is too important. Moreover, the work being done now is not just for jobs today but also for transportation’s future. ARRA is being implemented with speed, transparency, and accountability – but it is no less essential that the nation’s transportation infrastructure is being renewed.

The reinvestment in American infrastructure made possible by ARRA will make America’s highways and bridges – and transit, rail and aviation operations – better able to deliver the mobility on which the nation and our economy depend. n For more information please go to www.fhwa.dot.gov/ economicrecovery

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I

An incr eased fo wins ac cus on publi c ross th e board transpor t can , says W pr illiam M ovide big illar.

nvestment in public transportation must be a significant and integral part of any plan designed to put our country back on track. The Obama administration and Congress have wisely chosen to focus on repairing, improving and advancing various infrastructures nationwide in an effort to move America out of the economic turmoil in which we find ourselves. With that in mind, it’s important to point out that public transportation is unique in its ability to be part of the solution to so many of the challenges we face as a nation today. By investing now in public transportation infrastructure, we can create jobs and stimulate growth, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, protect the environment and improve our overall quality of life.

Demand in this country for public transportation is at historic levels.

We need to improve and expand public transportation’s reach to provide services and offer the transportation choices Americans want. This fall, the federal surface transportation authorization legislation will be up for consideration – something that happens only once every six years.

Simply put, it’s the single biggest investment that the federal government makes in public transportation. The importance of this piece of legislation cannot be overstated. It’s the chance that cities and towns across our country will have to improve and expand public transit service to meet the needs of all Americans. The American Public Transportation Association and our members are calling on Congress to provide at least

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TRANSPORT FOCUS

$123 billion (more than double what the current legislation provides) for our country’s investment in public transportation. Public transportation represents the future of public infrastructure in America, and it needs to be funded to meet future needs.

By definition, public transportation includes vehicle services designed to transport customers on local and regional routes. These services include public and private buses, trolley buses, vanpools, demand response services, heavy and light rail, commuter rail, automated guideway transit, cable cars, monorails and ferryboats. Each one of these modes is designed to take us to our destinations. But together, public transportation can take us all where America needs to go.

The economy Public transportation can take us to a better economy. Investment in public transit helps create and support jobs and engages other industries to maintain and improve the transit infrastructure. But transit investment doesn’t simply create jobs; it creates jobs for American

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workers who need them most. Two-thirds of the jobs created and supported by capital investment in the public transit industry replace lost blue-collar jobs with ‘green’ jobs.

Every one billion dollars invested in public transportation supports 30,000 of these jobs in a variety of sectors. For every dollar invested in public transportation, six dollars are generated in economic returns. As is clear, perhaps no other infrastructure investment has the ability to stimulate the economy and put people back to work in good, green jobs.

When it comes to an individual’s personal economy, riding public transportation can save an average of more than $8600 a year when compared to driving. And that’s just an average. In a large metropolitan area such as Boston or New York, an individual’s savings can be more than $12,000 each year. No matter how you slice it, public transportation is the smart choice for saving money.

Energy Public transportation can take us to energy independence. Current public transportation use in America allows us to eliminate 900,000 automobile fill-ups each day.

That equates to 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually that we are not buying from overseas.

What’s more, by providing affordable, energyefficient choices, public transportation allows those who live near transit to drive as much as 4400 fewer miles in total each year. This means that the average household residents in proximity to a public transit system are able to drive 16 fewer miles per day compared to those in households that don’t use public transit. That’s significantly fewer miles driven and much less gasoline consumed. And all of this is given the current levels of transit use. With more investment and more transit choices, each of these numbers will grow. Public transportation truly is helping to put us on a path toward energy independence.

convinced? Think of it this way: that’s the emissions created to generate power for every household in Washington, New York City, Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles combined. Unfortunately, the truth is that without proper and adequate transit investment, future growth in vehicle travel will negate much of the emissions savings derived from advances in better fuels and technology. With that in mind, APTA strongly supports the inclusion of emissions reduction goals for the transportation sector as a whole. But we strongly urge significant federal investment in public transit and other climate-healthy transportation to enable communities and states to meet those goals.

Even the individual transit systems themselves are becoming greener. Consider alone the number of hybrid and alternative fuel buses that are currently being used and are being ordered today. Right now, these types of buses make up about 30 percent of all transit buses – vehicles that are up to 40 percent more fuel efficient than conventional diesel buses. Transit systems also have made innovative investments to install solar technology and to construct facilities that meet new energy efficient standards. Taken together, it’s all more proof points that public transportation is and can be the wise environmental and conservation choice.

“American public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually”

The environment Public transportation can take us to a world with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Individually, there may be no better or more meaningful choice we can make each day to help the environment than deciding to use public transit. If a person switches from driving to riding public transportation for a 20 mile round-trip commute, he or she can reduce his or her personal carbon footprint by 20 pounds per commute. That’s significant, and adds up to 4800 pounds of carbon emissions per year.

In fact, these savings are more than the combined carbon emissions reduction that comes from using energy-efficient light bulbs, adjusting thermostats, weatherizing a home, and replacing an old refrigerator with a new high efficiency one.

Overall, American public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. If that doesn’t seem like a huge number, consider this: it’s the equivalent of the emissions put into the air from the electricity generated to power 4.9 million households. Still not

A better quality of life

Public transportation can take us to a better quality of life. In many ways, transit use can add to our daily lives by reducing stress, increasing exercise and providing increased opportunities.

Americans currently living in areas served by public transportation save 541 million hours of travel time each year. That’s a lot of time not spent sitting in the car, stuck in traffic. What’s more, that’s a lot of time spent with family and loved ones rather than in the driving seat. Not only does public transportation lessen road congestion, it also expands opportunities and transportation choices. Transit provides access to job opportunities for millions of Americans as well as a transportation option to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or see a doctor. More than 80 percent of older Americans say that public transportation provides easy access to the things the need in everyday life. And it is a vital link for the more than 51 million Americans with disabilities.

As if that weren’t enough, consider this: when Americans use public transportation, they walk more. Public transportation users are more likely to get increased exercise that can lead to healthier citizens. Combined with the reduced congestion and reduced levels of stress, it’s easy to see how public transportation improves our quality of life. Because public transportation is able to directly impact numerous challenges facing our country today, it should be funded fully and adequately this year and beyond. No matter the issue, whether it is the economy or the environment – energy independence or quality of life, public transportation takes us there.  William Millar is President of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

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ROAD SURFACES

Paving the way How asphalt breakthrough technologies can lower greenhouse gas emissions.

By Mike Acott, President of the National Asphalt Pavement Association.

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sphalt pavement infrastructure is vast in scale. Of the 2.6 million miles of paved roads in the United States, over 94 percent are surfaced with asphalt. Approximately 85 percent of the nation’s airfield pavements and parking lots are also surfaced with this material. Because of its extensive use, small changes in technology can make a big difference in greenhouse gas emissions.

If you look at a cross section of asphalt pavement, you can see crushed stone particles of various sizes. These particles are held together by a mortar of asphalt cement (glue) and fine particles. These materials are combined in a manufacturing facility. The aggregate is dried and mixed with the asphalt cement binder. Typically, the composition of the mix is about five percent asphalt cement and 95 percent stone, sand, and gravel by weight.

How the material is manufactured and the ingredients used in the mix are key to understanding the opportunities for reducing greenhouse gases.

The asphalt pavement industry is on the verge of several major advances in asphalt pavement technology that have the potential to transform the environmental impact of the paving industry. The breakthrough

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technologies are warm-mix asphalt, reuse/recycling, Perpetual Pavement, and porous asphalt.

Warm-mix asphalt Warm-mix technologies allow for production and placement of asphalt pavement material at lower temperatures than conventional technologies.

Running warm-mix can reduce energy consumption during the manufacturing of the asphalt pavement mixture by an average of 20 percent. This equates to a one million ton reduction in greenhouse gases. Since 2004, implementation has proceeded with virtually no complications.The state departments of transportation (DOTs) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have been very receptive to the use of warm-mix. Agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the labor unions are fully engaged with us.

Warm-mix also makes it possible to increase the rates of reuse/recycling even further. Research on this topic could be helpful in speeding the rate of acceptance. Research funding will also be needed both for emissions studies and for monitoring of long-term pavement performance.

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Mike Acott

For asphalt pavement, it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions simply by incorporating recycled asphalt in new pavements. Currently, the percentage of recycled material in a ton of mix is 12 percent nationally.

Doubling that to about 25 percent recycled asphalt pavement reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 2 million tons annually.

We estimate that we have 18 billion tons of asphalt pavement already in place on America’s roads and highways. Because of the ability to reuse and recycle this material indefinitely, our existing highways are a resource for future generations.

Reuse and recycling

Perpetual Pavement

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been widespread for about 30 years, and today asphalt pavement is America’s most reused/recycled material. Every year, more than 100 million tons of asphalt pavement material is reclaimed. Virtually all of it is reused or recycled into new pavements. A singular quality of asphalt cement in old pavement is that it can be completely rejuvenated in the recycling process. It becomes an integral part of the binder. This is referred to as the highest and best use. No other pavement material has this unique quality.

In view of the high reuse/recycling rate in many states and evidence that the quality of asphalt pavements incorporating RAP is equal to or better than pavements using all virgin materials, there is a great opportunity to double the quantity of recycled asphalt pavement used within five years.

Perpetual Pavement is the name given to an asphalt pavement that is designed not to fail. Construction is in layers whose properties serve a combination of different functions; they all add up to an extraordinarily longlasting pavement. Surface distresses may occur eventually, but they do not penetrate deep into the pavement’s structure. Routine maintenance involves infrequent milling of the top layer for recycling, then placing a smooth, quiet, durable, safe new overlay. A Perpetual Pavement never needs to be completely removed and replaced. In the world of pavements, this is the ultimate in economic and environmental sustainability.

Perpetual Pavements can mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, both now and for generations to come. Perpetual Pavements reduce greenhouse gas production several ways. Since only the

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surface is renewed, the base structure stays in place, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gases associated with acquisition of virgin raw materials, production of pavement material, and placement of the pavement on the road or highway. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with complete removal and replacement of pavements that have reached the end of their useful life is avoided. Taking a long view – 100 years or more – building Perpetual Pavements is a highly sustainable practice.

Porous and open-graded asphalt pavements Porous and open-graded asphalt pavements have been shown to have a dramatic beneficial effect on water quality. These pavements have been used widely for over 30 years with an excellent record of success. Opengraded pavement is made with same-size rocks, creating a web of interlocking pores that allow water to flow through the surface.

Open-graded pavements are used mainly in two types of applications.

First, open-graded friction courses are widely used for surfacing roads and highways. The pavement layer directly beneath this is impermeable. During a rainstorm, instead of pooling on the surface or bouncing off it, rain drains through the surface and out to the sides. Splash and spray are greatly reduced, enhancing safety. Second, porous pavement systems are stormwater management tools with an open-graded surface over a stone recharge bed. The system is designed and constructed to collect stormwater, which then infiltrates into the ground. Porous pavement systems are used Asphalt recycling and mostly for parking lots, but they have also been used warm-mix paving successfully for roads in communities like Pringle Creek operations in action in Salem, Oregon.

Both applications can be used to improve water quality. Porous asphalt surfaces allow roads and highways to function as linear stormwater management systems. Porous parking lots store stormwater, reduce runoff, promote infiltration and groundwater recharge, allow evaporative cooling of the atmosphere, diminish erosion on stream banks, reduce particulates in stream water after storms, and improve water quality.

Asphalt for sustainability The asphalt pavement industry has worked for the past three decades to create and deploy these sustainable technologies. Three major environmental goals – conservation of natural resources, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and improvements in water quality – are not only achievable, they are already being achieved by the thousands of asphalt companies across the country. Many, if not most, of the 300,000 workers in the industry may be called green workers.

The potential benefits to the environment and the economy are clear, and the challenge to the industry and its customers now is to ramp up the implementation of these green pavement technologies. NAPA is not only working actively with its partners in government agencies and academia to advance asphalt’s green agenda, we recently testified before Congress to ask for a major research program to help push deployment out onto our streets, roads, highways, runways and parking lots. With or without the funding from Congress, the industry will continue to pave the way to a sustainable future.

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ASK THE EXPERT

Pavement preservation James Andrews on cost effective ways to extend the surface life of a road.

James Andrews

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ew of the public may know this, but 94 percent of the paved roads and highways in the US are constructed of asphalt. Over the last two decades, a new approach to preserving one of our nation’s most vital assets has been evolving. Federal and State agencies have now learned that proactive pavement preservation programs are the best means to optimize transportation funding and ensure that tax payer’s dollars are spent in the most cost effective manner.

Roads can be made to last longer when the right preventive maintenance treatment is used for the conditions to which that road is exposed. Historically, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) focused on new construction and reconstruction and did not consider maintenance to be a federal responsibility. However, studies by the FHWA examined a number of surface treatments – including microsurfacing, chip seals, slurry seals and ultra-thin hot mix overlays, as well as not applying maintenance treatments at all – and found that preventive maintenance extends the surface life of a road in a cost effective way, and therefore could be eligible for federal aid funding.

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Since pavement preservation maintenance offers the States a way to increase the return on infrastructure investment, the FHWA field offices encourage its use and work closely with State agencies on these technologies. In addition, there is general industry agreement that for every US dollar spent on pavement preservation there is a six-dollar return in extended service life.

An effective pavement preservation system addresses pavements while they are still in good condition, before the onset of serious wear or weather damage. If agencies

“In 2008, asphalt escalated to well over $800 per ton in some regions, doubling the raw material cost for the most expensive cost component” changed their maintenance strategy from fixing the worst pavement first, to proactively resurfacing their roads before significant wear on the surface can be detected, their overall efforts could be much more cost effective. Common techniques such as chip seals, microsurfacing, slurry seals or thinlift overlays are the technologies used most frequently, and by adopting the right maintenance treatment for the right pavement at the right time, the pavement can be restored to almost the original condition.

The National Center for Pavement Preservation (NCPP) at Michigan State University works with government agencies and industry to advance and improve best practices through research, education and training. As part of its activities the NCPP has recognized that use of polymer modification in surface treatments further extends their cost benefit ratio. It is currently conducting a study for FHWA and it’s Federal Lands Highway Division on polymer modified asphalt emulsions. This study is expected to help officials decide what types of modifiers and additives to blend with the asphalt binders used in surface treatments. FHWA also recommends that all pavement preservation applications be polymer modified because of the substantial performance improvement and road life extension.

Pavement preservation also reduces the length of time roads are under construction. Often a resurfacing treatment can be completed in as little as 24-48 hours, a significant reduction compared to complete structural reconstruction. This faster resurfacing time means fewer traffic delays and less traffic congestion, which translates into fewer emissions, less waste and less motorist frustration.

Rising costs of asphalt and raw materials over the last few years – and increasing demand for limited capital – warrants a more cost effective approach to managing our roadways. In 2008, asphalt escalated to well over $800 per ton in some regions, doubling the raw material cost for the most expensive cost component. Agencies are now finding that budget dollars can go further by using these cost effective strategies to increase overall infrastructure and contribute to a healthier environment.

BASF Corporation is the global leader of styrene butadiene rubber latex polymers (SBR) used in all types of asphalt applications.

For decades BASF has been helping road engineers around the world improve performance of their asphalt roads and highways. BASF’s Butonal latex polymers increase the strength and resiliency of asphalt roads under all climate conditions and thereby extend the performance and longevity of the road. n For more information about techniques to improve asphalt roads, please visit www.basf.com/asphalt

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Helping make asphalt roads better Butonal速 styrene butadiene polymer dispersions increase the strength and resiliency of asphalt roads, especially at extreme temperatures. This helps your asphalt roads perform better and last longer under all climate conditions. So whether you are making hot-mix overlays, using pavement preservation techniques, or utilizing warm-mix asphalt technology to get more road life for the dollar, BASF can help.

For more information visit http://www.basf.com/asphalt Call 1-800-395-5152 and ask for James Andrews, or send an email to james.andrews@basf.com or peter.montenegro@basf.com.

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TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Skills matter

Why the American Institute of Contractors Certification Program is good for business. By David Crawford of Sundt Construction.

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he current focus on sustainable design and green building has changed the way our industry markets its services. Successful contractors are judged on their qualifications to provide quality and value in their services, not on their ability to provide a low bid. As construction professionals, we are now expected to provide superior services through alternate delivery methods such as construction manager at risk or design-build on all types of projects. With this new responsibility to our clients growing each year, we should be enhancing our skills and our credentials to be better able to meet these needs.

Discussions on sustainable development were a key focus of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) David Crawford in 2004 and the Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) approach, which created a new set of construction standards for public buildings. The Portland Cement Association announced a sustainability program for cement makers, including a key element focused on education, making architects and designers more aware of the benefits of concrete from a sustainability perspective. Conference participants were committed to mov-

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ing beyond the general goal of green building to specific ways to achieve sustainability in their various projects.

While the AIA conference emphasis was on design, it was their desire to progress from a discussion of sustainability’s general principles to detailed practical applications that struck me as very familiar. Within the design-build community, many practitioners have often been exposed to basic principles of green design and construction. It is easy for virtually anyone to tout the advantages of sustainability and claim that they use the design-build delivery method to achieve sustainable results, but how do we know their true level of competency?

Training is fundamental and credentialing is critical. The biggest challenge for an owner is to determine whether the skills and capabilities of a proposed project team will be adequate for the required tasks. At Sundt, we have learned that there is no substitute for rigorous training, continuing education and experience. Sundt has 34 employees who have earned Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) certification by the American Institute of Constructors, as well as 154 employees who have earned LEED

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certifications. In addition we have 17 individuals with Professional Engineer (PE) registrations and six employees who are Designated Design-Build Professionals by The Design Build Institute of America (DBIA).

These employees are not just gathering titles and degrees. They are gaining specific expertise that they will directly apply to future projects. We mirror the belief of our design partners and key competitors that the commitment to regular and continuing education is essential in gaining and retaining a competitive edge. Teams offering professional services are providing quality and value alternatives to owners. Designers and builders are working together as equals to achieve the owner’s objectives.

Procurement strategies are key. These enhanced capabilities mean little if they are not recognized as skills that are essential to the job. Why should a design firm or a contractor commit significant resources for staff training if prospective owners do not state that they consider these capabilities critical and worthy of additional value during the selection process?

If we want to ensure that prospective owners receive the highest quality services on their projects, the increased use of qualifications-based selection methods, including construction manager at risk and design-build, is essential. We undervalue and subvert the importance of the AIC certification program, LEED certification, DBIA designation and other specialized degrees when these competencies are not explicitly accorded value in the procurement process. A reliance on low-bid serves as a disincentive to acquire and use these specialized knowledge areas that are requisite for the design and construction of efficient and sustainable facilities and infrastructure. Owners need the best team at a competitive price – not the lowest bid. But we won’t get there if we remain straightjacketed by a low-bid mentality that puts little premium on education, skill and experience. A highly educated, credentialed work force with cutting edge skills is essential for team success.

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We encourage all of our people to engage in training for these certifications. Incentives have been created to encourage employees to achieve these individual recognitions. Our clients and our industry will be better served. I encourage each of you to find a way to engage your employees in the AIC Certification process as well as the other certifications available to contractors. It will only enhance your place at the negotiation table as you work with fellow AIA and PE professionals to provide your clients with the best solutions to their project challenges. Design and construction is intended to be a team process celebrating quality and value. Enhanced qualifications are essential to be a successful service provider in a team approach to alternate delivery systems. ■

THE HISTORY OF AIA On February 23, 1857, 13 architects met in Richard Upjohn’s office to form what would become the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The group sought to create an architecture organization that would ‘promote the scientific and practical perfection of its members’ and ‘elevate the standing of the profession.’ Upjohn became AIA’s first president, serving from 1857 to 1876.

In 2007, the AIA celebrated the 100th anniversary of its Gold Medal awards program. First issued in 1907 to Sir Aston Webb, R.A., Hon. FAIA, the Gold Medal is the highest honor that The American Institute of Architects can bestow on an individual. It is conferred by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.

With any individual (not necessarily an American or an architect), living or dead, whom the Board believes to be qualified eligible to receive the Gold Medal, the archival records of the AIA’s national awards programs document the recipients and reflect how architects looked at themselves and their practice across different eras.

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FEATURE

: N O I T L A A U C I T I S RIT C

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From collapsed bridges to leaking dams, American infrastructure is facing real decline. US Infrastructure’s Matt Buttell investigates real life problems for America’s roads, bridges and transit lines, and asks, “What’s next?”

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elcome to the Circle Interchange near downtown Chicago, Illinois. Also known as the Spaghetti Bowl, this express interchange sits between the Dan Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways, its name referring to the curving ramps that appear to form concentric rings when viewed from above. It is an intricate design, logically defined as a stack interchange, allowing turning off in all directions, with each of the four main lines having a single entrance and exit to serve both directions of the crossing highway.

Following its construction at the same time as the Kennedy expressway, the Circle Interchange went on to make history when, in 1965, the University of Illinois opened a new campus to the southwest of the junction. Calling this new site the Chicago Circle, the freeway interchange became the only one in the world to have a university named after it.

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Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle There’s still no decision as to whether replacing the roadway with a tunnel or improved surface roads is the best option, despite the earthquake that damaged the structure happening eight years ago. Meanwhile, every day, as many as 110,000 vehicles are travelling on the compromised structure, a traffic artery in downtown Seattle whose supports subsided by five inches after the earthquake weakened the structure.

However, the Circle Interchange is also notoriously known for its lengthy traffic jams. Local reports often reference miles of gridlock populating the junction, and, on the day of writing this very article, a police squad car was reported to have “hydroplaned into a wall” by the Chicago Sun Times, where, despite no injuries, hours of delays occurred. Since 2004 the interchange has also been rated as the country’s third-worst traffic bottleneck. Approximately 300,000 vehicles use the junction every day, losing a combined 25 million hours stuck in its jams each year.

It’s a pretty harsh reality, but the Circle Interchange is just one example of the state of US infrastructure and its extreme need of a radical overhaul. But now, even as stimulus money and the forthcoming federal transportation bill promises to provide big injections for roads, bridges and transit lines, experts warn that looming budget deficits could still make it difficult to deliver the long-term investment that most people believe is necessary.

“Usually, until there’s a disaster, you don’t see this kind of political will, this push to make something happen,” said Ramzi Mahmood, chair of the civil engineering department at California State University, in a statement he made in January. And even then the impact can be short-lived. Take when the levees in New Orleans failed in 2005, for example. While at the time this led to widespread outrage, many of the nation’s levees still remain unaccounted for, without an index of stability, let alone an inspection. And look at the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis two years ago, following which, there has been little attempt to increase the rate of repair or replacement for the thousands of these structurally deficient roadways.

However, this year, the implosion of the US economy seems to be compelling infrastructure reform, and the timing, experts say, is perfect. “Any expenditure into infrastructure today is an investment in and of itself,” details Mahmood. “Infrastructure investment is also an investment in our quality of life, as at the same time it creates a lot of opportunities and jobs that are needed to really prime this economy.”

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Brooklyn Bridge, New York As one of the oldest suspension bridges still being used in the United States, the Brooklyn Bridge is considered as ‘structurally deficient’ under the federal rating systems. But, while officials do not fear a collapse of the bridge – the main span appears to be sound – some of the approaches to the structure have been marred with rusting steel and deteriorating road decks. However, repairs are due in 2010, symbolising that a country serious about its infrastructure is prepared to take care of its national icons.

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Sustainability While it remains the case that no one can predict which bridge, levee or water main will fail next, many problems are widely known, and work is long overdue. After all, we need to begin rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure somewhere.

Much of the modern day infrastructure in American was actually built at the start of the twentieth century, during the greatest age of construction the world has ever seen. Iconic landmarks such as the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge, along with the interstate highway systems were all completed during this investment-crazy, prolific era; and all of this was closely matched by the development of thousands of smaller bridges, water tunnels and roadways across the nation. The truth, however, is that these investments were made too long ago, and the reality that Americans now need to face up to is that their infrastructure is in real trouble.

America has been living off an inheritance of steel-and-concrete marvels for too long, and fresh investment by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers an opportunity for redress. But while more funds are definitely needed, how that money is going to be spent is actually proving to be equally (if not more) important than getting those funds secured in the first place. Furthermore, experts argue that while new information technology, fresh engineering and advanced materials can help the US not just restore but improve its infrastructure, America must first gather the drive to get there.

“Many problems are widely known, and work is long overdue. We need to begin rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure somewhere” Back in February of this year, for example, at the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting, Bruce Katz, Vice President and Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, discussed with fellow governors the need for a stronger infrastructure across the US – and, more importantly, the reason why this must result in a sustainable future for the nation. “Put simply, our infrastructure is in bad shape,” he said in his opening speech. “From nearly 2000 ‘high hazard potential’ dams, to the 60 percent of urban roadways that are in a ‘less than fair’ condition, to the 72,000 bridges that are considered ‘structurally deficient’, it is not hyperbole to say that our infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes.”

Also noted by Katz is the fact that in addition to its condition, the very design of America’s infrastructure is quickly becoming obsolete. The nation’s air traffic control system, for example, is so outdated that it is considered one of the primary reasons why the US has been unable to make a dent in its airport congestion problems. Further issues relating to current transit systems continue to lay off hundreds of workers every year because they neither have the ability to cope with skyrocketing demand nor the resources to operate the existing system.

Then there are the American water systems, currently in such bad condition that leaking pipes lose seven billion gallons of clean drinking water every day, and, further to this, today’s average American driver is wasting

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O’Hare International Airport, Chicago Between 2001 and 2006, O’Hare International Airport saw 68 runway incursions, with three close calls in March 2006 alone. A year later, the airport had the country’s worst record of on-time departures with fewer than 65 percent of flights leaving on time. While reconfiguring the multiple crossing runways could help, it would cost millions.

26 gallons of fuel each year due to traffic congestion. This adds up to three billion gallons every year, which is the equivalent of one-fifth of a year’s imported oil from the Persian Gulf. In fact, infrastructure-related expenditures continue to cost American households over a trillion dollars annually, mostly in categories such as utilities and transportation. After housing, transportation is the second-largest component of the average family’s household budget, with 18 cents out of every dollar spent here.

But just how is the country going to take advantage of the promise for a new commitment to infrastructure? How is America going to repair what is broken and set the nation on a new path of a cleaner, greener future? The answer isn’t a simple one. Despite the recent commitment to infrastructure as part of the recovery package, the federal government is struggling to respond to these major challenges. At the precise time when the nation desperately needs to prioritize its limited investments and resources, the response has been to keep throwing money at the problem without any real purpose, targeting or accountability.

The biggest issue for Katz is that the federal government is absent where it should be present, and is failing to lead on infrastructure issues of national significance. As he explains: “We are simply incapable of focusing on infrastructure issues that transcend state borders and therefore we’re not experiencing the same kinds of economic impacts from transformational programs like the interstates […] the social impacts from iconic pro-

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grams like rural electrification […] or the sustainability benefits from air and water pollution control programs in the 1970s and 1980s.”

Katz also details the ongoing problem of compartmentalizing policies on all levels. He argues that while families understand that issues related to transportation, housing and education are all intrinsically linked, policymakers continue to keep these issues separated by placing them in specialized agencies. “In stark contrast to this,” says Katz, “our global counterparts are beginning to provide the kind of leadership on infrastructure that many are now calling on the US government to demonstrate. And we need to learn from our global competitors in order to get more strategic, integrated and disciplined.”

In Canada, India, South Africa and Italy, for instance, governments have introduced specialist units throughout various agencies to assist with the expanding opportunities for public/private partnerships. Elsewhere, in

Lake Okeechobee, Florida Three years ago, experts announced that in any given year there is a one in six chance that the Herbert Hoover Dike will fail, releasing waters from Lake Okeechobee.

Such an event would result in South Florida’s water supply becoming contaminated and would leave over 40,000 waterside residents flooded. In 2008, a 1000foot long stretch of treacherously eroded land was found near state-owned floodgates north of Okeechobee. Nonetheless, for the 2009 budget year, the government only allotted half of the requested money needed for improvements.

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France, they have recently merged their Ministry of Transport with the Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development; in Australia there is now an overarching Department of Infrastructure; Japan links infrastructure with land development and tourism, all in one agency; and other countries, including the UK and Germany are already establishing intricate networks of data, metrics, tools and techniques so that they can make educated infrastructural investment decisions based on clear priorities. “In America, change needs to come,” says Katz.

Legacy Until the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) collapsed on 1 August 2007, it had served as a transportation lifeline for the growing Twin Cities population, carrying across many of the SUVs, cars and trucks that accounted for the 42 percent rise in Minnesota’s vehicle traffic between 1990 and 2003. The bridge, an eight-lane steel construction, was exactly 40 years old when it plunged into the Mississippi River two years ago.

Much has been documented about the collapse over the last two years: 13 people were killed, 145 injured; and within a few days of the collapse the Minnesota DOT had announced plans for a replacement bridge, the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge, which opened on September 18, 2008.

However, Bridge 9340’s age and heavy use are by no means isolated conditions, nor is it just America’s roads and bridges that are being pushed

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to breaking point. Just weeks before the collapse of Bridge 9340, underground in Manhattan, a steam pipe which had been installed to heat nearby offices back in 1924 exploded beneath Grand Central Terminal propelling a giant jet of scalding brownish steam toward the sky. One person died, 30 were injured and New Yorkers were left scrambling for cover. Then, in April of this year, governors in Illinois announced that they would consider a bill that would require community notification when drinking water is suspected of contamination after it was discovered that for more than 20 years residents may have been exposed to contaminated well water due to neglect and bad management.

The issues surrounding the critical state of America’s infrastructure are multilayered and complex. One argument is that the country’s infrastructure has not expanded with its population, and that it was never designed to handle such a high density of people. In fact, reports show that the growth of the US’s population far outpaces growth in infrastructure, while other densely populated countries such as Japan don’t seem to have this problem because they were highly-populated countries long before modern technology was available. Therefore, as technology became available (like subways and the engineering capability to dig huge water management systems) these countries already had the knowledge of what would be put on the infrastructure and built it accordingly. In the US, however, it was never intended that current infrastructure should need to support such a large population.

What’s more, according to a new report co-published by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Ernst & Young, the US truly needs to rethink its outdated regional infrastructure planning process and create a viable framework, or face compromising its ability to compete in a global marketplace.

The findings echo those sentiments made by both Mahmood and Katz and the report, entitled Infrastructure 2008: A Competitive Advantage, which touches on the infrastructure needs in several of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, highlights the consequences of inadequate federal policy and guidelines that have resulted in “a mish-mash of disconnected regional management approaches.”

The pulls-no-punches report says the US is headed downward and needs to wake up to the dire state of its infrastructure, cautioning that,

In 2008, a 30 by 30 inch piece of the Dover Bridge’s deck was found hanging by its rebar, and in the National Bridge Inventory the bridge scored an appallingly low sufficiency rating of two of out 100. 5000 vehicles continue to use the bridge everyday, putting drivers at risk. To replace the bridge would cost $25 million, but such funding is yet to materialize.

“political will may only emerge when people face imminent reward or immediate risk.” It also estimates that the US has at least a $170 billion annual funding gap in addition to its outmoded land use and infrastructure models. “America heads for a crisis in the next 10 years if nothing is done,” the report warns.

“It is increasingly clear that the infrastructure funding gap will need to be addressed with public/private partnerships,” says Dale Reiss, Global Director of Real Estate at Ernst & Young in NYC. “If the US fails to embrace this model, it could lead to our economy falling behind more of our global competitors.”

“Infrastructure investment and development are having stronger-thanever implications for urban growth patterns,” adds Richard Rosan, President ULI Worldwide. “If we continue to minimize transportation infrastructure as a federal priority, we are setting our urban areas up for decline, rather than prosperity. This country simply cannot afford to keep treating infrastructure as an afterthought.”

And therein lies the biggest issue of all. America once had a transportation system that was the envy of the world. Now it is more likely that America is better known for its congested highways, second-rate ports, third-rate passenger trains and a rather archaic air traffic control system.

The majority of America’s greatest projects of the 20th century – dams and canal locks, bridges and tunnels, aquifers and aqueducts – are either at or are beyond their designated life span. The haunting images of contorted pavements, stranded vehicles, twisted girders and heroic rescues which continue to punctuate our news reports stand as a harsh reminder that our country’s infrastructure cannot be taken for granted.

The fact is that America can afford to have world-class infrastructure, but first it needs to publicly acknowledge the responsibility of neglecting the bridges, roads and other essential hardware that have for too long gone unloved. Then, and only then, can the country hold its leaders accountable for setting priorities and for policing what is required to repair its already fragile infrastructure.

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EMERGENCY CARE Urgent action is needed if the crisis in US infrastructure is not to infect the entire nation, says Wayne Klotz.

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nfrastructure in the US is in critical condition, and the signs are everywhere. One-third of America’s major roads are not in good condition and 45 percent of major urban highways are congested. Leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean, treated drinking water daily. More than 25 percent of the nation’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, and the number of deficient dams has risen to over 4000. The increasing volume of electronic equipment and lack of uniform regulations for disposal is creating the potential for high levels of hazardous materials and heavy metals in the nation’s landfills. Further, despite lessons learned from widely publicized disasters, many of the nation’s levees are on the verge of failure, placing businesses, homes and lives at risk.

Substandard roads, water pipes, dams, and other infrastructure systems drain resources, inhibit commerce, and threaten public safety, welfare and the environment. Americans everywhere are feeling the impact of a failing infrastructure. Even more distressing, we were warned. For a decade, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), a longtime watchdog of the nation’s infrastructure, has been issuing a Report Card for America’s Infrastructure that assesses the state of the infrastructure in the US and as-

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signs grades to 15 critical areas, including roads, bridges, drinking and waste water, and schools. Each category is evaluated on the basis of capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety and resilience.

Decreased federal leadership, aging systems, explosive population growth, public and political opposition to development of effective solutions, a ‘patch-and-pray’ mentality, and funding issues have caused a dangerous decline in our infrastructure. Despite warnings raised by ASCE in 1998, 2001 and 2005, no significant progress has been made in improving either the condition or performance of the nation’s infrastructure. Now, decades of inattention and underfunding have left the US in a state of crisis, where many of the systems are unable to consistently provide the level of service and safety the population demands.

By the numbers The 2005 Report Card assigned a D to the overall condition of the nation’s infrastructure and recommended spending $1.6 trillion over five years to improve conditions. Federal funding, however, has not met the recommended level. When the most recent Report Card was issued in January

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2009, the overall grade was again a D, and the needed five-year investment had risen to $2.2 trillion. In area after area, costs continue to outpace available funds. It is estimated that across all categories, the deficit between funding and investment needs over five years is $1.1 trillion.

The numbers are staggering, and represent a real and dangerous threat to the nation’s economy and the public’s health.

Americans. For example, spend 4.2 billion hours a year in traffic at a cost to the economy of $78.2 billion – that’s $710 per motorist. Poor conditions cost motorists another $67 billion a year in repairs and operating costs. Current spending of $70.3 billion per year for highway capital improvements is well below the estimated $186 billion needed annually to substantially improve conditions. The rail system is no better, as the Federal Transit Administration estimates $15.8 billion is needed annually to maintain current conditions and $21.6 billion is needed to improve to good conditions.

The cost to replace the present system of locks in inland waterways is estimated at more than $125 billion, and estimates put the cost at more than $100 billion to repair and rehabilitate the nation’s levees. A $17 billion annual investment is needed to substantially improve current bridge conditions – currently, only $10.5 billion is spent annually on the construction and maintenance of bridges.

America’s drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life, and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the nation must invest $290 billion to update or replace existing wastewater systems and build new ones to meet growing demand.

“The deficit between funding and investment needs over five years is $1.1 trillion”

The current recession has put hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work and left critical infrastructure projects across the country incomplete. With unemployment figures rising, Americans are looking to President Obama to not only revitalize the economy, but to create and keep more jobs in the United States. Obama’s $850 billion Economic Stimulus Plan is intended to address the nation’s needs and fuel the economy. While the $100 billion stimulus funding allocated to infrastructure is an important

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first step, given the estimated $1.1 trillion finding gap, the plan isn’t a cureall for the employment and infrastructure crisis and must not be treated as such. At best, it’s a down payment.

Nonetheless, the nation’s infrastructure has not seen this level of leadership and support in decades. But it is only one piece of the complex puzzle that must include continued focus on the infrastructure crisis long after the stimulus package is invested. As an important step to bolstering the nation’s economic stability, this stimulus package must supplement, rather than replace, long-term solutions such as regular appropriations and scheduled reauthorizations that will ultimately rebuild America’s worldclass infrastructure.

The path to restoration Federal funding alone won’t fix the failing systems – it is only the beginning. Restoring America’s infrastructure to the level needed to support economic prosperity, health and safety, and quality of life will require a compelling national vision that is based in bold federal leadership and that is shared by all levels of government and the private sector. It will require a range of solutions, including advances in technology, regulatory changes, wise community planning, cooperation of state and local governments, and involved citizens willing to partner with the government to make real changes.

The stimulus investments can begin to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure and provide significant and lasting benefits for both business and the public, but only if projects are selected wisely and applied to areas that most require federal support. In setting the investment priorities, projects must be selected on the basis of their ability to create and retain jobs; solve the most pressing problems; and deliver measurable improvements in public health, safety and quality of life.

Investments must provide long-term benefits to the public and can be steered in the right direction by focusing on rehabilitating worn-out infrastructure to increase safety and building new infrastructure to keep the nation competitive in the global economy. Further, projects should provide substantial, broad-based economic benefit; be designed and built in a sustainable and cost-effective manner; reflect life-cycle costs; and have significant environmental benefits such as area restoration, improved air quality through reduced congestion, and better watershed management.

structure crisis is endangering America’s future prosperity. Given the limited funding, rising expenses and ever-increasing backlog, attention must be turned toward finding ways to reduce overall costs. Innovative construction methods and materials are key to the health of our nation’s infrastructure.Investing in research now will drive the development of cost-effective solutions in the future.

Federal investment must be used to complement, encourage and leverage investment from state and local governments as well as from the private sector, and users of the infrastructure must be willing to pay the appropriate price. Further, all levels of government, owners and users must renew their commitment to infrastructure investments in all categories. This includes developing and authorizing innovative financing programs that not only make resources available, but also encourage the most effective and efficient use of those resources.

The nation’s once great infrastructure is failing. If investments are not made now, the consequences and the cost to the American people will be exponentially higher in the long run. However, with the right kind of vision and leadership, the challenges facing US infrastructure are solvable.

A healthier future Infrastructure has a direct impact on personal and economic health. An unhealthy infrastructure cannot support a healthy economy, and the infra-

Wayne Klotz, began his tenure as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers in November 2008. Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 146,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. Klotz has served as president of Klotz Associates Inc. since 1985, when he founded the company.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Protection

built-in Michael Troiano discusses the need for innovative solutions for fire systems and mass notification.

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orrectly installing a fire system and ensuring that it is properly maintained has never been a simple task – even for the most experienced fire specialist. This problem has slowly evolved over the years. As technology advanced and features expanded, the time to install, test, troubleshoot and maintain fire systems has increased dramatically. Advanced Fire Systems Inc. (AFSI) has recently introduced the AX series of fire controls and accessories and the technology built into this new line of products has taken great strides in reducing the time required to design, install and test systems. AFSI has also introduced innovative tools to aid in routine system maintenance and service.

When installing a fire system, it is critical to prevent overloading of a circuit – especially those circuits that power smoke detectors, pull stations, annunciators,

“Fire detection systems are a vital element in providing life safety protection and solutions” elevator controls, air handlers, sounders, bells, sprinkler sensors and speakers. AFSI fire panels contain built-in intelligent voltage and ammeters that monitor circuits 24/7, even during alarm condition; they insure that the mission-critical circuits and devices are operating within functionally

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safe parameters; and can be easily accessed by service technicians at any time on-site or from remote locations.

With the advancement of fire system technology, circuits support intelligent smoke detectors and I/O modules as well as utilizing alternating voltages and currents during communications. This type of circuitry has made the diagnosis of circuit problems extremely difficult.

However, AFSI’s built-in intelligent meters compensate for the alternating voltages and currents to provide technicians with highly accurate readings. These intelligent meters also monitor and properly adjust the charging current to the system battery, which is dependent upon temperature readings and helps prolong battery life. In addition, the battery cells are supervised to determine if they can sustain system operation during an AC power failure.

If they cannot, a service alert message to replace the batteries is generated.

One more feature supported by these intelligent meters is the triggering of a system ‘booster’ circuit during the loss of AC power.

This ensures that power to the smoke detectors and other critical devices is sustained at the appropriate levels and helps to prevent false alarms as battery voltage decreases.

The AX series of panels also provide an IP interface along with powerful tools that allow instant system status review, remote diagnostic interrogation and programma-

Michael Troiano is a 32-year veteran of the fire and security industries.

He has held leadership positions in technology, operations and business management for premier companies in the US and Europe.

He has received awards for product innovation, manufacturing operations and business growth while serving on industry advisory councils. ble email alerts when the system requires service or there is a trouble or an alarm condition. Today’s fire systems require customized cause and effect programming for each application. Advanced tools are provided to perform design checks on these programs and to flag any errors that would be time consuming and costly to find manually on the job site.

Fire detection systems are a vital element in providing life safety protection and solutions. The increasing demand to provide mass notification systems presents yet another critical element. Here at AFSI, we see the two working hand in hand and following successful product trials, AFSI will soon announce the introduction of IPX, an innovative mass notification solution. IPX will interact with IP infrastructure and take full advantage of internet communications as a solution to this complex life safety challenge. n AFSI is a member of the Advanced Group of companies with offices in the UK and UAE. AFSI products meet both the NFPA/ UL864 and EN54 Standards and are currently sold in over 40 countries.

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BUILDING SAFETY

ACCESS

ALL AREAS

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t NFPA, we have a compendium of codes and standards as well as various public education resources available that address any number of infrastructure concerns – regardless of your perspective or your particular interest. One area of interest to NFPA relates to the availability and use of resources in the personnel category. NFPA standards provide a series of personal protective equipment criteria for the nation’s first responders – those very individuals that we expect and rely on to come to our aid and support during any number of emergences. Whether it is a fire, a hazardous material incident or an anthrax attack, our requirements set the bar for protecting those who put themselves in harm’s way in order to help the rest of us.

Safety and resiliency of building systems and features is another critical area of interest to NFPA. Many of our codes and standards establish the requirements and protection measures for everything from building exits, electrical systems and components, fire alarm systems and automatic sprinkler systems. This collection of requirements makes the stock of buildings in the US as well as in many other countries where NFPA codes are used, safe, secure and functional on a day in and day out basis.

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Disability evacuation planning is a key infrastructure component, says James Shannon, President of the National Fire Protection Association.

A third area of concern at NFPA relates to the disability community. In the last 18 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, tremendous progress has been made at increasing and improving upon the accessibility to, and barrier free use within, the nation’s stock of buildings. NFPA codes have worked to integrate the federal accessibility criteria as promulgated under the Americans with Disabilities Act/Architectural Barriers Act (ADA/ABA) Guidelines that were published in 2004. These guidelines, which are at this moment being updated, establish the level and criteria for accessible use in buildings. Although not perfect, the ADA/ABA Guidelines are a dynamic set of rules that are subject to interpretation and change.

While providing access to a building is important, the critical need to provide a means of egress for persons with disabilities (PWD) is a responsibility that cannot be overlooked by those entities which own, operate and manage the buildings that we all live and work in. Evacuation and relocation of occupants during a building emergency is a fundamental action and any emergency planning component should account for that eventuality. In very recent years, we have also been paying more attention to the need not only to evacuate buildings, but

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also in extreme cases to evacuate localized and to await rescue and assistance. All of THE BIG QUESTIONS even wide spread geographic regions during the actors are responsible for planKey factors in disability evacuation planning large scale events such as the September 11th ning. Lack of planning and awareterrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. ness will easily make a bad situation Individual with disability That planning component must also account worse and can be catastrophic and for individuals with a disability and it is imporpossibly deadly.

What is the nature of the disability; tant to remember that disabilities come in a At present, many federal governwhat are the limitations of variety of forms. Mobility, sight and hearing are ment organizations including the evacuation; what special equipment the ones we think of most often. Cognitive and Department of Homeland Security is needed? speech impairments can also present special (DHS), the US Access Board and the challenges and will require that measures be Federal Emergency Management Building owner or manager taken to address those needs as well. Since the Agency (FEMA) as well as private Who and where are the PWD in my historic legislation that promulgated the ADA in sector organizations including NFPA building; what is the nature of their 1991 was signed into law, we have seen an ever are working to formalize and standdisability; what special equipment increasing level of change to codes, standards ardize the need to include the populaand planning procedures do I have and other regulations that make buildings easier tion of PWD in their planning strategy. in place? to use. Detectable warnings at edges of subway In 2007, NFPA published and issued and train station platforms, level floor surfaces the Emergency Evacuation Planning and use of ramps to transition between elevaGuide for People with Disabilities.

First responders tion differences are the types of architectural This guide, available as a free downWho is the contact at the building features that help to provide a more independload from the NFPA website, provides for any special assistance or ent living approach for PWD. information on the five general catevacuation procedures; who The use of a visible signaling component egories of disabilities and the four are the team members that will (strobe) that is activated when the building fire elements of evacuation information be assigned to this task; what alarm is triggered is another safety feature that that occupants need. The guide also equipment or systems are available is of benefit to those individuals who are hearincludes a checklist that building for this task? ing impaired. Modern era buildings are also services managers and people with designed with features that we all use or pass disabilities can use to design a perby but that we seldom notice. In some buildings, sonalized evacuation plan. stairway landings at exit doors from each floor may be slightly wider.

This past November, the US Access Board heard a report from a This is done in order to allow two wheel chairs to be staged side by federal advisory committee dealing with Emergency Transportable side until the occupants can be safely brought down in the elevator or Housing issues for the disability community. It is anticipated that with a stair descent device. these recommendations will be put forth into the federal rule making In most countries, the elevators in a building are not kept in service process and allow for changes to the ADA/ABA Guidelines. This will help to insure that temporary housing arrangements for those individuals with disabilities who have to be evacuated and relocated as the result of a natural or manmade disaster will be provided with useable living accommodations.

In February of 2009, the ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel-HSSP-hosted a workshop to review the current needs of the disability community with regard to evacuation planning. Themes of the workshop addressed what standards are already in place, what standards need to be updated and what standards need to be during a fire event. While that restriction is being reconsidered in the developed in order to codify the planning and preparation needs of US, these same elevators that all of us rely on day in and day out have the PWD population. The scope of the workshop objectives discussed been a key component in the evacuation strategy for individuals with the evacuation of buildings, campus environments, large geographic mobility impairments. These elevators can be used by first responders spans and everything in between. to evacuate individuals who otherwise could not negotiate the stairs.

Infrastructure cannot always be limited to bricks and mortar, Such features and procedures broadly fall under what in code parlance steel and concrete, or roads and bridges. Proper and adequate evacuis referred to as the accessible means of egress. The disadvantage assoation planning for those with a disability or special need must be part ciated with this approach is the reliance on assistance that is necessary of the infrastructure planning process, and if we all do our job, it will when a building emergency occurs. While other occupants can freely be much easier to manage those unlikely but foreseeable events that move down stairs, those occupants with mobility impairment are forced we all may face. 

“Evacuation and relocation of occupants during a building emergency is a fundamental action and any emergency planning component should account for that eventuality”

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peaking the same language A strategic plan for interoperable emergency communications.

By Chris Essid, Director, Office of Emergency Communications, Department of Homeland Security

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ollowing the attacks of September 11.2001, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (9-11 Commission) underscored the importance of interoperable communications during response activities. “High-risk urban areas such as New York City and Washington, D.C. should ensure communications connectivity between and among civilian authorities, local first responders, and the National Guard. Federal funding of such units should be given high priority by Congress.”

The August 29, 2005 landfall of Hurricane Katrina along the Louisiana coast made clear that interoperable communications were needed well beyond the confines of “high-risk urban areas.” Consequently, to address these issues, Congress established the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) within the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress created the OEC to be the federal focal point for improving emergency communications operability and interoperability across the nation.

OEC’s charge is both vital and complex. Estimates are that over 50,000 emergency response agencies exist across the nation, working in diverse disciplines, geographical locations and under various jurisdictions.

To complicate matters further, 90 percent of the emergency communications infrastructure is owned at the state and local level with the

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vast majority of emergency responders being state and local employees. This means that improving communications interoperability is impossible absent the cooperation and consent of local first responders.

As a result, OEC takes a ‘stakeholder-driven’ approach to its mission.

Rather than issuing mandates, OEC supports states and localities by providing the tools, guidance and coordination necessary for them to enhance emergency communications.

The cornerstone of OEC’s efforts is the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP), issued in July 2008. The NECP is the first-ever national roadmap for improving emergency communications. The NECP provides a comprehensive strategic plan for emergency responders and government officials at all levels, and is designed to guide them in making measurable improvements in emergency communications.

Developed with input from more than 150 emergency response experts and government officials, the NECP truly is a national plan.

OEC created the NECP using information gleaned from the statewide communication interoperability plans of all 56 states and territories, national-level disaster after-action reports, and feedback from stakeholders from numerous disciplines and jurisdictions.

The plan outlines three goals (see Key Objectives), supported by seven objectives that are further broken down into related initiatives and milestones. Together, the goals and objectives comprehensively

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KEY OBJECTIVES address the primary issues affecting communications governance. CoordiThe National Emergency Communications emergency communications operability nators act as point people and chamPlan outlines three goals: and interoperability. pions for emergency communications OEC developed the NECP with the interoperability efforts in their state or By 2010,, 90 percent of all high-risk urban awareness that communications gaps territory. To support the coordinators areas designated within the Urban Areas can exist for a wide variety of reasons. in their work and share best practices, Security Initiative (UASI) can demonstrate Sometimes the issue is technology-related OEC created the Statewide Interoperresponse-level emergency communications – agencies use different radio frequencies, ability Coordinators Council (SICC) as within one hour for routine events involving or have incompatible proprietary coma forum for information exchange and multiple jurisdictions and agencies. munication systems and infrastructure. collaboration.

But just as often, the roadblock is a lack To help fund state and local efBy 2011,, 75 percent of non-UASI jurisdictions of coordination and peer-level working forts, OEC also provided grants cocan demonstrate response-level emergency relationships that prevent the developordination through the Interoperable communications within one hour for routine ment of standard operating procedures Emergency Communications Grant events involving multiple jurisdictions and and cross-jurisdictional, cross-disciplinary Program (IECGP). The IECGP provides agencies. collaboration. funding to states for implementing Recognizing this, the NECP addresses key activities in the NECP including By 2013,, 75 percent of all jurisdictions can the full range of emergency communicagovernance, common operational demonstrate response-level emergency tions capabilities needed by emergency protocols, standard operating procecommunications within three hours of responders and maps those to the SAFEdures, training and exercises. Also, a significant event, as outlined in the COM Interoperability Continuum. NECP OEC helped develop the SAFECOM department’s national planning scenarios. milestones range from the development grant guidance that provides the of technology standards, to developing a guidelines necessary to align federal catalog of federal level technical assistance and establishing best pracgrant programs with NECP initiatives. tices for emergency communications coordination with international The NECP also calls for cross-border emergency response collabopartners. ration. To accomplish milestones in this area, OEC is working closely Over the past year, OEC has worked diligently, along with its partwith Mexico and Canada to improve cross-border communications and ners at all levels of government and the private sector, to complete the interoperability through a variety of initiatives, including workshops NECP milestones in several areas. One key initiative is the establishand working groups. ment of governance structures that provide the necessary leadership, For example, in May 2009, OEC partnered with Public Safety coordination and accountability for emergency communications efforts.

Canada to co-host the inaugural US-Canada Cross Border InteropOEC accomplished this milestone by sponsoring workshops, workerable Communications Workshop in Niagara Falls, New York. The ing groups, technical assistance and grant funding. As a result, more workshop is part of OEC’s ongoing efforts to assist law enforcement, states now have a comprehensive statewide interoperability governing border protection, customs enforcement and emergency management body that brings together officials and emergency responders across agencies along the northern border to more effectively share informaall levels of government to collaboratively enhance interoperability tion and coordinate. OEC also co-chairs the Security Communications throughout a state or territory.

Task Group (SCTG), part of the US and Mexico High Level Consultative OEC also has supported the establishment of statewide interoperCommission on Telecommunications (HLCC) that works to improve ability coordinators as an important element of effective emergency cross-border communications to combat border violence and improve border security.

By supporting state and local efforts Chris Essid was appointed in December and enhancing federal coordination, OEC is 2007 as the first Director of the Office of working hard to ensure that the NECP is a Emergency Communications, within the living document that can periodically be upDepartment of Homeland Security. In dated and revised. Moreover, in these chalhis position, Essid guides OEC policies, lenging economic times, it is more important programs and activities promoting emergency than ever that emergency communications response communications for federal, state, efforts are focused, unified and coordinated. local, and tribal governments, including the The NECP provides the framework so that, implementation of the National Emergency working together with a shared vision, fedCommunications Plan. He previously served eral, state, local and international partners as the first Interoperability Coordinator for the can move emergency communications to the Virginia Governor’s Office of Commonwealth next level of interoperability.  Preparedness. www.americainfra.com

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EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Crisis talks When disaster strikes, the ability to communicate can mean the difference between life and death. US Infrastructure speaks to Sprint’s Tanya Lin about the role private companies have to play in public safety.

How can public private partnerships assist in the development of effective emergency communication systems? What are the benefits that these partnerships can bring?

Tanya Lin. Public and private partnerships are extremely important and it’s vital for private industry and public sector agencies to partner up before an actual disaster event. This way you know what your additional communications resources are, know how to contact your vendors when you need them, and that we’re here to help in these times of crisis as well. Understanding all the assets that you have and creating those partnerships before the actual disaster emergency is critical.

A tremendous amount of the infrastructure of the United States is owned by the private sector; to truly be able to efficiently and effectively communicate at critical times it is important for industry and public sector to work together.

really in the understanding of all the tools and resources that are out there and available for communication, and the role that the private sector plays in that. Sometimes parochialism gets in the way. It’s also important that there is an understanding of the technology and the role that the technology can play on a daily basis. Then, when an event occurs it’s not a new problem.

How important is it that emergency communications be standardized and interoperable?

TL. Standardization is very important. The P-25 initiative is actually going to bring a lot of benefit to the public sector community. It means that you’re not going to have all of these disparate radio and communication systems trying to talk to one another in a large, regionalizedtype event like a Hurricane Katrina, where you saw multiple agencies traveling in from multiple different states to assist in the response and recovery effort. So these standardization initiatives are extremely important in order for us to move forward and improve communications during incidents.

“Understanding all the assets that you have and creating those partnerships before the actual disaster emergency is critical”

How do you go about building these relationships? What are the challenges for a company like Sprint in working with the public sector?

TL. It is important to always stay in the forefront of the technology, and at Sprint we rely heavily on our front line sales and solutions engineering teams to showcase our capabilities to our customers and to gather the customers’ needs and communication gaps so we can find solution sets to fill those needs. I think one of the challenges is

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What are the technical challenges for you in terms of making these things work and be interoperable?

TL. Technically we already have products that are interoperable,

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and that we are using, such as audio cross-connect devices and ACU devices, which allow our Nextel Direct Connect product to be P-25 compliant. From a Sprint standpoint we are able to interoperate with multiple disparate radio systems and P-25 compliant radio systems to bring interoperable communications to the field for everyday use and during disasters or times of crisis.

What are the technologies that are currently driving the communication space, and do you see any major game-changing innovations coming along in the near future?

TL. The technologies are constantly evolving and changing. There are multiple different technologies out there that use both the existing infrastructure and new infrastructure. Right now a lot of technologies are utilizing voice-over IP, operating over satellite systems and SMS technologies for mass public notifications. There are a lot of different technologies out there, so it’s all about lessons learned. You have a disaster, you go back and look at what worked, and what didn’t. The Santa Barbara wildfires are just now wrapping up in California, and they are providing us with a lot of real-world experience. It’s about communicating with the community itself, with emergency services and between first responders so that they can work to resolve the crisis quickly with minimal loss of life and property. At Sprint, it is important for us to complete our own internal after-action reviews. We ask ourselves what worked, what didn’t, and how can we make our program better? The public sector agencies do the exact same thing as well. So you’ll find after each emergency or disaster that technology will evolve to fill in the gaps.

Technology plays a big part in these communications, but what role does the human side of the equation play in building these reliable and secure systems?

TL. I think the human factor plays a big role in it because what we’re talking about is leadership. Look at what George Foresman would say when he was with the Department of Homeland Security. He would tell you the technology existed; it was the human factor that really played a big role in terms of making the decisions and ensuring that there was that effort there to really look to bring the different disciplines together. It was down to people to ensure that they could talk to each other and that they would get out of their own way and really focus on the task at hand.

You mentioned the California wildfires as a situation where these communications have been successfully deployed. Are there any other examples you could give me where your technology has been successfully deployed?

TL. From a Sprint perspective we have multiple assets that we can deploy to augment our current existing coverage, or to supplement a tower that may have gone down due to disaster or emergency.

We have what are called SatCOLTS, which are satellite cell and light trucks which utilize a satellite backhaul capability, microwave and terrestrial T-1 to connect back to our network. The SatCOLTs are fully self-contained, with mounted generators for power, and they’re built on an F-650 chassis. So really you get in, you drive it to where you need it to go, and then you set it up. You can use the satellite T-1 in order to download the site load so that that truck actually knows what cell site it is, and it can operate as an existing cell site. We also have what are called flyaway kits. These flyaway kits are portable satellite dishes and equipment that we can connect to an existing cell site. So when a local telco cannot either provide a T-1 out there or the T-1 connection has been severed, these satellite flyaway kits provide the T-1s that will operate that cell site and allow that cell site to connect back to our national network. We have used these flyaway kits for multiple response events including Hurricane Ike. In fact, nearly a year later, on

Tanya Lin is the Manager of Operations for the Sprint Emergency Response Team (ERT).

In this role, she has national responsibility for the operations and direction of Sprint ERT, a one-of-a-kind elite rapid response communications organization that provides interoperability and communication augmentation for Federal, State and Local Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Military agencies and Enterprise clients.

Galveston Island we still have a satellite flyaway kit attached to one of our cell sites because they still cannot run the telco out to that site. So it’s very important to be able to have these types of assets to restore communications quickly.

Also, at Sprint, we have what’s called an Emergency Response Team (ERT), of which I’m the manager. We assist and partner up with first responders. We actually have an emergency operations center reservist program. So when there’s a large-scale type disaster – wildfires or Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike – and they open those emergency operations centers, we have bodies available to staff those EOCs so that we can act as liaisons for those public sector agencies.

If they need any information on Sprint towers or we need to pass any information from our network people to these public sector agencies, such as to help facilitate access so they can get a site on air, that’s what we do. We provide personnel, equipment and infrastructure assets. We work with our network teams to ensure that we can put up coverage in a certain location. We work with our sales teams to talk to those customers, so we know where we need that augmented communication. We also have over 25,000 handsets in inventory that we loan to state and local agencies during times of crisis and disasters so that they have those extra communication devices when needed.  For further information, please go to www.sprint.com/ert

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The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials’ Bob Smith explains the technological and human challenges facing emergency responders.

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hese are interesting times in the emergency response space. Some of the current computer aided dispatch systems are starting to add things that in the past were optional bells and whistles into their base models. We’re seeing computer aided dispatch systems that are coming standard with AVL systems with mapping and GIS components, even with some level of records management, whether it’s a typical law enforcement records management or a jail or corrections records management system.

We’re seeing more case systems now that are all encompassing.

Things that have been done in the past as bits and pieces are now becoming part of the basic package. It’s a good thing because it’s more cost effective for the Public Safety Answering Point, but more importantly, it streamlines the operations.

You have fewer worries about interfaces and making one system communicate with the other. One of the biggest hurdles that we’re challenging right now is interoperability when it comes to computer aided dispatch systems and data overall. We’ve had people beating the drum for radio interoperability for years, but people are just starting to realize that data interoperability is just as important as radio interoperability. If a CAD system can’t talk

to a CAD system in another PSAP, then they’re potentially not as effective as they could be, so we’re seeing some CAD systems that are starting to tackle this simply by incorporating other components into a basic CAD system.

We are making progress in this area. We’ve just had a standard published through, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that deals with CAD systems communicating with external systems, primarily alarm monitoring companies. To put it as simply as possible, when the alarm company gets an alarm activated at a business or a residence, they can push the data out through the system into a PSAP without actually ever having to pick up the telephone and call the PSAP. On the PSAP end, it will actually display on the dispatcher’s screen as a call already input into their system, which eliminates a lot of the processing errors that could take place, such people being unfamiliar with a particular area, certain colloquialisms or how street names are pronounced. It also speeds the process up because you aren’t wasting time looking for a number, trying to dial it and calling the PSAP. There are more standards being proposed and developed to deal with CAD systems doing the same thing. Once the technol-

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ogy is in place it would enable a of improvement. An example would be, you are in PSAP A and you take a wireless call from someone on the interstate who actually happens to be in the next county, but because of the technology of cellular telephones, the call bounced into you. Rather than taking their information and calling the other PSAP or transferring that caller, you can actually enter the data into your CAD system and push it out to the correct PSAP. It would immediately display as a call already logged into the system.

Another example would be if you are in PSAP A and you have an incident where you need mutual aid from a neighboring PSAP, whether it’s another law enforcement agency, or another fire agency, or another ambulance.

Rather than taking the time to call that other PSAP and say, “We need this fire truck or this ambulance or this many police officers to go here and this is what we’ve got going on,” they can push that data out to the other PSAP, straight into their CAD system. Again this populates the field on the dispatcher’s end as a call already in their system and then they just dispatch it, just as they would if a call taker took the call on their end. With that standard out there, and other standards being developed, I think it’s just a matter of time.

I think we’re looking at no more than a couple of years before we achieve this because as CAD vendors improve their systems and put their new products and newer versions and additions on the market, they’ll start to incorporate these things that the public safety side at least has determined that we need. It’s a proactive approach versus reactive, where we’re pushing out to them saying, “This is the kind of thing we need you guys to develop and work on,” rather than them coming to us and saying, “Here’s what we’ve built and we will sell it to you.”

This change is really important. For years it’s always been the commercial side of the industry, the CAD vendors who have been pushing things. They had a baseline concept of what PSAP’s needed and they had historical data they’d collected and put into a system. Now the roles have shifted. There are more CAD vendors on the market now and everyone is striving to come to the top. In order to do that, they’re getting much more intimate with the PSAP’s and learning more about what we need and what we are doing. The result of that is the PSAP’s are starting to dictate what CAD systems should and shouldn’t be able to do. The roles have reversed because now we’re saying, “I need a CAD system that can do X, Y and Z. Yours can do X and Y, but you can’t do Z, so I’m going to the next guy.”

In truth, some of the most significant challenges we’re currently facing aren’t technological, but human. The biggest thing right now is bodies in seats. We have a tremendous staffing and reten-

tion crisis in public safety communications. In the United States, the shortage of nurses and teachers is fairly well known. Ironically enough, this shortage is factoring in about 15 to 17 percent turnover rate. By contrast, the public safety communications industry is experiencing a 19 percent turnover rate. We are in an even greater crisis, but fewer people know about it. The problem with that is that there are PSAP’s across the country and around the world training people that may not stay with them more than a year or two. A tremendous amount of time and money can be invested in this person just to see them turn around and leave. But more importantly, the greater impact, is you’ll have PSAP’s that have an entire staff with less than two to three years’ experience in their position.

There are many reasons why these staffing problems are happening. Obviously you have the typical shift work issues, working midnight shifts, weekends, holidays, being away from your family, all of the things that come with shift work. But the situation of understaffing makes these problems even worse. You have a tremendous amount of overtime because the fewer people on staff, the greater the need for it. You have people that are working a tremendous amount of overtime to compensate for the fact that they are so shorthanded, so it’s a pretty vicious cycle. Everyone is short staffed, so the people they do have start to burn out faster. And then they leave.

There’s also the inherent nature of the job, and there is a huge amount of stress that comes with dealing with people for up to 12 hours a day, who are in life or death situations and knowing that a single number key pushed wrong could potentially be an error that could cost someone their life. There’s a high amount of stress involved

“In truth, some of the most significant challenges we’re currently facing aren’t technological, but human”

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STANDARD ISSUE

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bout a year ago, APCO International partnered with IJIS Institute, which is a nonprofi t organization for commercial information technology corporations. We received a grant from the Department of Justice and launched something called the Public Safety Data Interoperability Initiative. The concept is to bring the commercial providers together with the public safety professionals.

This allows them to be more proactive so that, as they’re developing the systems of tomorrow, they’re incorporating our needs.

It’s a large project and we’ve put out 11 standards already that deal with data interoperability between basic CAD systems, records management systems, databases and GIS systems. Everything data interoperability-wise is being looked at by this project. It includes public safety personnel, fire service personnel, EMS, law enforcement personnel. We brought everybody that could be potentially affected by data interoperability together. The IJIS Institute brings the value of having the Microsofts, the Ciscos, the Sun Microsystems and all the big IT providers out there to the table with them as part of their membership. We bring the public safety side of things to the table with our membership.

We’ve been in it for almost two years now, so we’re starting to see the results of some of the work being done by this group. The CAD vendors are opening their arms and embracing a lot of these standards that we’re developing, so it may even speed up the process of having a higher level of data interoperability on the public safety side.

“Nobody ever calls 911 because they’re having a good day”

in that, and there’s stress just from answering the phone. Nobody ever calls 911 because they’re having a good day.

There are also issues with the industry overall. Public safety communications personnel are typically very low paid. The salaries are not commensurate with the workload. They are not very well respected in the public safety industry because for years the telecommunicators were simply secretaries, answering the phone, taking messages and passing it on.

We’re starting to overcome that prejudice with certain levels of certifications and standards and professionalism within the industry, but there’s still a hint of that around, Beyond that, 911, 999, 112, wherever you are in the world, the problem behind it is that the communications component of public safety is transparent to the end user.

We don’t have the big red fire trucks and the flashing blue lights. We don’t have the medical bags and the kits. You never see us. You talk to us, but the people that actually come out help you are the people you identify with. We’re completely transparent, so there’s obviously a public education campaign there as well. All of that factors into a high turnover rate, the inability to get those highly effective people and to keep those people once you have them.

There are a few things that we can do to improve the situation.

The easiest is just raising salary levels, but that’s not always feasible,

especially in the current economic climate. But there are a lot of things that are much simpler and some that are relatively cost effective and some that are even free. For example, little things like employee recognition. Every year in April, we run National Public Safety Telecommunications Week. This event is recognized by most states and has received presidential and congressional declarations. It’s just about taking time to appreciate public safety telecommunicators. As well as making people in the job feel respected, it publicizes that there this entire industry of highly dedicated, professional public safety communications personnel who are there day in, day out, to protect you whether you’re calling them with an emergency or you’re a police officer making a traffic stop. Things like that cost next to nothing but they can have a big impact on morale.

Beyond that, it’s reaching out and explaining to people exactly what the 911 telecommunicator does so that it becomes a more attractive career option. You would be hard pressed to find a kid anywhere in the country that says, “When I grow up I want to be a 911 dispatcher.” Educating them to what we do and how we do it is really important. Then we get more qualified candidates applying for these positions so that we can rely on them to make it through training, become an effective part of the staff and ultimately stay with us for a decent amount of time. 

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SECURITY

Tough talk How The Infrastructure Security Partnership is driving the move from protection to resilience.

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esilience is more than a buzzword used to describe the strength of community. When considering the subject of infrastructure protection, we ignore many other crucial aspects of securing the nation and its critical infrastructure.

Infrastructure resilience addresses the development and implementation of exercised measures and policies to reduce the disaster and devastation impacts of all types of hazards to manageable effects.

The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) is working with all levels of government to make infrastructure resilience a long-term priority. “Our next step is to also work with the private sector owners and operators of the 85 percent of our nation’s critical infrastructure to educate them on importance and practicality of resilience,” says Bill Anderson, TISP’s new Director.

According to Donald Bliss, a member of the TISP Committee on Critical Infrastructure and Regional Resilience and President and Chief Operating Officer of NI2 Center for Infrastructure Expertise, “The security and resiliency of the nation’s infrastructure is fragile at best. While some sectors have made measurable progress toward improving their resiliency and security, the overall deterioration and poor condition of our infrastructure means that it is particularly susceptible to natural disasters and terrorist attacks.”

TISP agrees that of particular concern are those very important

and investment strategies is essential to the TISP mission to lead collaborative effort that advances the practice and policies of infrastructure security and resiliency. We established three new committees to support our events, and have scheduled the Summer Forum to address Enhancing Infrastructure Resiliency through a Planned Investment Strategy to be held on July 29, in Washington, DC,” says Anderson. Investment strategies that take into consideration the reduction of risk, stabilization of the workforce, improved efficiencies (such as improvements to the road and rail transportation system that result in faster cargo supply chains), redundancy, business continuity and quick recovery from a catastrophic event will realize significant returns to stakeholders and investors. Infrastructure operations, safety, “The next step is to work with the private sector owners and maintenance, protection and resiliency are operators of the 85 percent of our nation’s critical infrastructure so closely intertwined in today’s world that to educate them on importance and practicality of resilience” they must all be part of any investment strategy if it is to be cost-effective and longcritical infrastructure assets and key resources whose loss would lasting. have a devastating impact on our nation’s economy or our way of The TISP strategy utilizes public- and private-sector collife. laboration to address broad issues including: creating institutional There are two fields that touch all 18 Critical Infrastructure/Key agreements to achieve safety, security and operational benefits; Resources sectors where the industry and government need to place modernizing aging infrastructure; ensuring security is considered more emphasis. One is research in resilience policies and practices and built into the design of new infrastructure; working to create a and development of technologies support redundancy and resilienNational Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank; and facilitating coordicy. The other is cooperative investment strategies. Bliss sees TISP nation among state, local and federal governments and the private as “a unique private-public consortium that can provide an impartial sector to improve emergency response, advance evacuation plan forum for developing ideas and strategies to strengthen the security guidelines, ensure prompt federal assistance to emergency zones and resiliency of our nation’s critical infrastructure. TISP has the and increase medical surge capacity. demonstrated experience to provide thoughtful, effective solutions The 2009-2014 Strategic Plan outlines thematic goals and to the complex challenges that our nation faces as it tries to improve prominent objectives the TISP Board of Director and staff will pursue infrastructure protection. to execute our responsibilities regulated by our mission and vision.

“Facilitating public and private sector discourse regarding R&D The TISP Strategic Plan will be reviewed annually by the Board of

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Directors to ensure that it remains relevant to TISP members and industry. Strategies have been developed to ensure progress toward achieving goals and objectives.

Provide leadership in infrastructure resilience

Contribute to benchmarking and development of performance measures TISP will develop partnerships with standard-setting organizations to support the setting of performance measures, the development of industry standards and benchmarks for homeland security, the promotion of guidelines and the implementation of training programs. TISP will work within its partnerships to develop a performance assessment network for sharing information on tools and practices.

Resiliency, as it relates to community expectations of the nation’s infrastructure and resources, is confidence in availability, continuous operations and efficient restoration of operations when disrupted.

TISP formed an action team of not-for-profit organizations, contractors and government UNITED WE STAND agencies to begin drafting a working definition of “infrastructure resilience” and related Fostering public and private sector coordination and collaboration terms. This project will help create a common TISP pledges to lead collaboration that advances the practice and policies set of terms applicable to all sectors and supof infrastructure security and resiliency to sustain the nation’s resources. portive of cross-sector collaboration.

Through the dedication and focus of TISP members, the partnership will remain TISP will improve its unique position as the responsive to the safety and security needs of the nation. The TISP Steering national leader in infrastructure resiliency and Committee is responsible for the planning and coordination of various mission disaster recovery by facilitating dialogue on subcommittees. infrastructure security and resiliency, including offering technical support and resources The Critical Infrastructure Resilience Committee is a forum for interested public, for education on public policy related to the private, non-profit and other organizations to focus on critical infrastructure resilience security and resiliency of the nation’s built and related organizational and regional risk mitigation and management challenges and environment. It will also develop programs cost-effective solutions to address them. and resources to sustain TISP as an authority for infrastructure resilience; assisting federal, State and Local Security and Emergency Management Agencies Committee promotes state, regional and local agencies and owners and enhances nation-wide collaboration on strategies, policies, exercises and interagency and operators of private-sector infrastructure programs addressing private and public sector infrastructure security and resilience at the in carrying out their missions in support of the state and local levels.

National Security Strategy and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. Finally, it will Certification, Academic, Research and Education Programs Committee brings launch a collaborative communication and together academic and research institutions to collaborate and share information on marketing network to raise awareness of the reach, technology development, and education and training programs related to making importance of and efforts aimed at achieving infrastructure and resources more secure and resilient. The group helps to identify and national and regional disaster resilience for fill gaps in education, training, and technology transfer programs, inform members of critical infrastructure. professional development and certification programs, promote research and development activities and serve as a resource and advisor to homeland security agencies.

Serve as a clearinghouse for knowledge, skills and education

Working with stakeholders, TISP will create a knowledge management center to collect, share, organize and promote knowledge on critical infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness. Additionally, TISP will develop a peer-mentoring and resource database. Experts needing information about specific policies, technical devises, research results, or program activities may use the peer-mentoring program to achieve their needs and grow as knowledgeable experts. A resource database will include profiles, lists of available services and resources and 24hour points of contracts for homeland security and emergency response practitioners.

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Engineering, Construction and Architecture Committee brings together leaders in the design, construction and management of commercial, federal and military facilities to collaborate on the implementation of safety and security measures, to facilitate discussion of safety and security standards harmonization and collaborate on security design criteria for new construction and modernization projects.

Communications and Networking Partnerships Committee serves to expand the knowledge base of critical infrastructure resilience through cultivating information-sharing relationships between our partner associations, agencies and companies tasked with providing support to the homeland security initiative.

TISP Membership and Awards Committee greets new members and sponsors with valuable information as to how to earn full benefit of membership and administers the presentations of the annual TISP Public and Private Sector Awards for Service.

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EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

Honoring the commitment Tim Fuller tells us why public safety needs to be at the forefront of all industry players’ plans.

Is the economic environment affecting public safety communications?

Tim Fuller. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. During these difficult economic times, we are all living out that old adage. The public safety market is certainly not immune from the continuous challenge of funding resources, nor the operational need to stretch the value of a dollar. Yet we must all still provide the highest level of service possible to the public, whether as an emergency service agency or a vendor participating in the industry.

Everyone at PlantCMLand EADS understands the severity of these hard times, as well as the economic impact. But, at the end of the day, our collective commitment to our customers is to deliver operational benefit to their agency. This is the value we bring with our E9-1-1, emergency notification and professional mobile radio solutions.

“Advancements in technology are coming at a rapid pace, and budgets are tighter than ever” How is technology evolving in public safety?

TF. Advancements in technology are coming at a rapid pace, and budgets are tighter than ever.

How do you move your call center into the next generation of public safety communications both affordably and assuredly? You trust the knowledge, expertise and experience of an industry leader, PlantCML, whose solutions are deployed in two out of three Public Safety Access Points (PSAP’s) in North America.

The PlantCML team is continually researching and developing new technologies. We are also actively participating in key organizations like NENA, APCO and the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA) to design and implement new crisis communications standards. We are listening to our

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Tim Fuller is CEO of PlantCML, an EADS North America company, where he oversees all aspects of the business and maintains professional relationships with public safety industry associations, channel partners, customers and key suppliers. He, in concert with the Executive Management Team, sets the long-term vision of the entire organization, providing strategic direction, issue resolution and familiarity to PlantCML’s 600+ North American employees.

customers as they offer invaluable insight into the real-life demands, both economic and operational, of public safety.

We understand the need to make purchasing decisions wisely. We also know the world of technology is a complex and ever-changing one and our suite of solutions is uniquely designed to provide a full-and open-migration path, helping every Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) achieve the highest level of efficiency possible.

What is Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1)?

TF. As we all know, technology is evolving and is now more mobile than ever. First cell phones, and now Voice Over IP (VoIP), text messaging, imagery and video have changed everything, from how the general public makes an emergency call, to the way in which PSAPs field the calls and respond. NG9-1-1 addresses the evolution of emergency call taking in a technologysaturated world centered on Internet Protocol (IP). IP will be the staple of NG9-1-1 for years to come, however, we must not lose sight of the present. Every PSAP has unique needs and some are able to transition to full IP solutions now, while others will start this new chapter at their own pace.

How is the promise of improved public safety realized in the NG9-1-1 PSAP environment?

TF. NG9-1-1 will provide the foundation for the evolutionary improvement of public safety. PlantCML solutions meet the needs of today and tomorrow through a common IP infrastructure promoting interoperability; Next Gen modules facilitating nontraditional communications handling; the advantage of open standards and most importantly, flexible solution design architecture We know technology, in and of itself, does little to augment public safety. Yet other elements considered key to improvement, such as operations and ergonomics, are not receiving sufficient attention. Little consideration is being given to vital subjects such as avoiding sensory overload (intelligent data display), Standard operating Procedure (SoP) modification, telecommunicator training (technology/data utilization) and operational collaboration (true interoperability).

The answer is that NG 9-1-1 is only achieved through a balanced marriage of technology and operation, and next-generation solutions must be selected and implemented in such a way as to enhance the public safety agency’s overall operational effectiveness.

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ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

ment of Energy (DOE) has identified transmission limitations as the greatest obstacle to realizing the enormous economic, environmental and energy security benefits of obtaining at least 20 percent of our electricity from the wind.

Currently, almost 300,000 megawatts (MW) of wind projects, more than enough to meet 20 percent of our electricity needs, are waiting in line to connect to the grid because there is not enough transmission capacity to carry the electricity they would produce.

To promote the expansion of renewable energy, the transmission grid should be built to link areas with vast potential to generate clean electricity to the areas

Transmission

proposition American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode offers the case for new transmission infrastructure.

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he United States is home to vast quantities of clean energy resources – wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower. Yet it lacks a modern interstate transmission grid to deliver carbon-free electricity to customers in highly populated areas of the country. The Obama Administration has called for a national energy policy that calls for the United States to double the production of renewable energy in three years and to obtain 25 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025. Achieving this objective will require a cohesive effort from local, state and federal officials – including Congress – and significant new investment in our transmission infrastructure. But it is necessary.

The massive deployment of renewable generation envisioned by the Obama Administration cannot occur without a renewed investment in our country’s transmission infrastructure. The US Depart-

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that have significant demand for electric power. ‘Green power superhighways’ is a term used to describe the power lines that would be carrying electricity from remote to populated areas. While different build-out plans can be envisioned for green power superhighways, the key to any cost-effective plan is the use of highvoltage transmission lines in place of the low-voltage lines common in the US today.

Efficiency Outdated policies – not technical or economic barriers – are the chief factors impeding the construction of green power superhighways.

However, some grid operational reforms could make better use of our infrastructure. The present patchwork transmission system makes it very difficult to move large amounts of renewable power around the country. A solution is to use the existing grid more efficiently through technology and new operating protocols. This is not a replacement for green power superhighways, but undertaking a set of reforms would allow more wind and solar energy to be integrated with the grid at lower cost. Increased efficiency would provide greater flexibility for changes in electricity supply and demand and would improve economic performance of the grid even without renewable energy.

Building a new transmission infrastructure will save consumers money. A robust transmission grid will give consumers access to lower-cost electricity. On a severely constrained transmission grid, as now exists in many parts of the United States, consumers are forced to rely on local power plants even though plants in other regions can produce power more efficiently and at lower cost. The effect of this squeeze goes beyond financial hardship for residential consumers: businesses pass higher electricity costs on to their customers, and electricity-intensive industries have a strong incentive to relocate to regions with lower electricity costs, taking jobs with them. New transmission infrastructure would increase competition in wholesale power markets. Just as consumers in a region with a single retailer and with-

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out high-quality roads to other regions would be at the mercy of the prices charged by that retailer, a weak grid makes it possible for power generation owners in constrained sections of the grid to raise prices beyond what they would be in a competitive market.

Recovering the costs Studies have consistently found that the costs of transmission investments needed to integrate wind power and other renewables are significantly outweighed by these consumer savings.

For example, according to a recent study, a $50-60 billion investment to significantly reduce congestion and integrate 240 gigawatts (GW) of wind in the eastern US would reduce electricity costs by enough to fully offset the cost of the investment. Meanwhile, according to studies by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the benefits of an investment in new transmission infrastructure for renewables in Texas would grow to be larger than the costs of the investment in less than three years. According to a recent analysis by Charles River Associates International, an investment in a high-voltage transmission overlay to access wind resources in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas would provide economic savings of around $1 billion per year, more than twice the $400-500 million annual cost of the transmission investment, Although the benefits of transmission easily exceed its costs, few private firms have stepped forward to invest in transmission infrastructure. Why? Because the benefits are not adequately reflected in the incentive structure offered to transmission investors. In other words, the existing regulatory structure often gives companies little or no economic incentive to invest in transmission that will make consumers and society as a whole better off. State regulators, who in many areas have primary jurisdiction over what transmission gets built and who pays for it, are often required to weigh only the benefits that will accrue to residents of that state, thus ignoring a major portion of the benefits of a new system that also serves other states.

Most state regulators have little authority or incentive to require ratepayers to help pay for an interstate network. Another major obstacle is that regulators in a single state can effectively veto a multi-state transmission network by refusing to grant the permits needed if they feel that their state would not receive an adequate share of the benefits.

These regulatory barriers to new transmission can and must be overcome if we are to undertake a major investment in new transmis-

sion infrastructure. Federal legislation is needed to provide new mission statements, adequate resources and specific timelines for action for federal agencies, such as DOE, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and federal lands agencies. In particular, reform is needed in three broad areas.

The first step in building green power superhighways is to develop a comprehensive plan. This requires both the Western Interconnection and the Eastern Interconnection to develop regional transmission plans that identify where new or expanded transmission capacity is necessary to connect renewable energy resources to the grid and, ultimately, to load centers.

Facilities identified in the interconnection-wide plan as necessary for the development of green power superhighways should be eligible for broad, regional cost allocation. Specifically, FERC should allocate, based on electricity usage, the capital and operating costs of these transmission lines across all load-serving entities on an interconnection-wide basis. In regulatory terms, the ‘determination of need’ would be made in the regional plan, approved by FERC. In addition to regional planning and cost allocation, substantial reform of the transmission-siting process is required to meet national renewable energy goals. The most effective model is the siting authority that was given to FERC over interstate natural gas pipelines. For green power superhighways, the extra-high-voltage facilities defined in the regional plans would be subject to FERC approval and permitting. Separate siting approval at the state level would not be required. FERC would act as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all applicable federal authorizations and environmental reviews with other affected agencies.

“Regulatory barriers to new transmission can and must be overcome if we are to undertake a major investment in new transmission infrastructure”

The road forward Modernizing America’s outdated transmission infrastructure will not be easy. It will require bold, forwardlooking action from leaders who recognize that addressing America’s economic, energy and climate challenges must be a top priority in the coming years. All three require new, innovative ways of thinking about energy policy at the local, state and federal level. And all three will require a modern transmission system that is able to deliver clean, abundant renewable energy to homes and businesses efficiently and reliably.

These are challenges that we can and must address now. n

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Pump it up Klaus Müller explains the history behind metering pumps and details how digital dosing enables their full potential.

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rom rudimentary machines relying on crude mechanical adjustments for controlling pump capacity in the 1940s to the vast improvements of handling difficult liquids and reduced operational costs of today, the evolution of technologies used in metering pumps demonstrates how changes have driven the industry to better control functions.

Applications where precise metering of liquids is important include the dosing of chemicals into water for pH adjustment or disinfection; addition of chemicals in process applications; and the metering of colors, flavors, or vitamins into foods, drugs or personal care products.

Klaus Müller is a mechanical engineer with Grundfos Alldos Pumps and has worked with the company’s research and development of metering pumps from 2001 to present. Prior to this, he had worked with Alldos Pumps since in 1983, until Grundfos acquired the company in 2005.

The first commercial metering pump, developed in the late 1930s by Milton Sheen and son Robert used a packed plunger, driven through a gearbox by a foot mounted motor and a slider crank mechanism. The Sheens added a method of changing the plunger’s stroke length by adjusting the crank arm to vary the pump’s capacity. Later, Sheen added check valves to fit onto the pump head, and the first dosing pump was born.

Packed plungers used on all metering

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pumps typically leaked around the packing, reducing the pump’s accuracy so in the 1960s diaphragms were introduced. To actuate the diaphragm, designers applied a closed volume of hydraulic oil between the plunger and the diaphragm. PTFE diaphragms made the pumps leak proof and chemical resistant.

A variation of this metering pump permitted control of capacity by adjusting the amount of hydraulic fluid activating the diaphragm, and eliminated mechanical linkages associated with stroke length adjustment, thus reducing metering pump cost.

A less costly alternative to the hydraulic system, mechanically actuated diaphragm pumps were developed which mechanically attached the reciprocating plunger to the diaphragm. This reduced the complexity and cost, especially for relatively low-pressure applications.

The 1970s introduced solenoid drive technology. The diaphragm was actuated by energizing and de-energizing a solenoid, and with only a few moving parts and an electronic signal, accurate dosing of chemicals was achieved at a much lower cost. Despite shortcomings of the solenoid pumps – reduced life caused by diaphragm stress and increased intensity of pressure pulsations – the simplicity and lower cost resulted in exponential increases of the number of applications of diaphragm metering pumps.

In the 1980s, another low cost alternative to the solenoid metering pump employed a constant speed synchronous AC motor and a mechanically actuated design.

Throughout the 1990s, variable frequency drives, stepper motors and servo motors were incorporated, permitting the pump’s capacity to be controlled by varying the stroke length and pump speed. This provided increased capacity range for a metering pump which broadened a pump’s application capabilities.

Introduced next were automatic stroke length adjustment mechanisms, but due to the absence of software controls, switching back and forth between stroke length and speed adjustment was cumbersome. Also, confirming the capacity setting of the pump being achieved was still elusive.

“Flow monitoring allows pump speed adjustment as system conditions change” In recent years, a new generation of diaphragm metering pumps, incorporating digital technology to improve accuracy and process control, saves users money by lowering the amount of chemicals used, and reduces the number of pump sizes required.

Using stepper or brushless DC motors and software for improved electronic control, achieves consistent full stroke length, allowing for huge turndown ratios (such as 1000:1), easier priming and more accurate handling of difficult liquids.

Key innovations incorporated into digital dosing pumps include precise and continuous monitoring of pressure, flow and amp draw on the motor. If the pump’s accuracy is being compromised due to air or gas bubbles, cavitations or leaking check valves, the pump can be set to self-adjust to compensate for these effects. Flow monitoring allows pump speed adjustment as system conditions change. By combining dosing, measuring and regulating into the pump means that the user doesn’t have to calculate to determine the flow setting, but merely inputs the desired flow rate.

New generation metering pumps allow for more concentrated chemicals to be used, eliminate the need for other accessories and significantly reduce costs. 

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FREE TRADE

S “Where goods cross borders, armies don’t” Frederic Bastiat, The Law (1850)

Frederic Bastiat came of age during the Napoleonic wars, during a time of extensive government intervention in economic affairs. The central theme of his ideology was that all economic decisions should be made with the consumer in mind, and that tariffs serve no purpose but to negate the gains provided to society by technology, labor, ingenuity, determination and progress.

By Dawn Christof Champney

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o what does Bastiat’s thinking have to do with today’s US water and wastewater infrastructure and, more specifically, the stimulus plan put into place to jump start the economy?

Well, everything!

When President Obama signed in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), there was renewed expectation that the US would finally take serious steps to reinvest in its water and wastewater infrastructure and re-energize its manufacturing base, which has been the engine that has driven the US economy while giving its citizens access to the world’s safest water supplies and most effective wastewater treatment systems. What wasn’t understood by most when this legislation was enacted was that it contained two words, which while on face value sounded reasonable, in fact could ultimately undermine the gains to be achieved by this historic $787 billion plan. Those being, ‘Buy American’.

Before waving your American fl ag in patriotic protest, as is the typical reaction when one suggests that ‘Buy American’ is anything short of motherhood and apple pie, take a moment to reflect on its implications – not only to our industry sector, but to America’s standing as a world leader. No one would argue that creating American jobs is not an imperative during these times of rising unemployment, but in the haste to speedily enact legislation to stop the hemorrhaging of an economy in free fall, we have chosen a short-sighted path of protectionism that could actually cost more US jobs in the long run and put our nation’s infrastructure at further risk.

Let’s first look at the current situation. ARRA provided $6 billion to the US Environmental Protection Agency for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs to finance municipal water supply and wastewater treatment projects. Another $1.38 billion was given to the US Department of Agriculture for its rural development water, waste loan and grant program. Projects receiving stimulus funds through these programs must comply with ‘Buy American’ requirements, meaning that all steel, iron and manufactured goods used for these projects must be produced in the US, the exception being if the item can’t be found in the US or if it is inconsistent with the ‘public interest’ (as in the case of national security).

A common misconception is that the international trade agreement provision contained in the ARRA will allow municipalities to continue doing business with suppliers based in countries that are signatories to our international trade agreements, such as Canada and Mexico in the case of the NAFTA. That is not the case. Since municipalities are not party to these agreements, they are not bound by their terms. Therefore, they can only buy US-produced manufactured goods for projects receiving stimulus funds through the above-mentioned programs. Though the components and subcomponents of these US-produced manufactured goods can come from any country (China, for example), the final product must be ‘produced in the US’.

Here is the rub. First, the definition of ‘produced in the US’ remains extremely vague. The Office of Management and Budget defines it as having been ‘processed into a specific form or shape; or combined with other raw material to create a material that has differ-

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ent properties than the properties of the individual raw materials’.

But exactly what does that mean?

Secondly, US companies are being shut out of their own domestic market, unable to bid on US municipal water and wastewater projects if they own companies located outside the US that sell and ship directly to municipalities. A majority of US companies that sell products to municipal water and wastewater utilities have some degree of offshore sourcing in keeping with providing its customers with the best products that improve performance and reduce lifecycle costs. It’s a global economy, and their municipal customers have benefited from the global supply chain that has brought both innovation and savings to their facilities. Now these companies are being asked to sign certificates when bidding on stimulus-funded projects stating that their products are ‘produced in the US’, even though they don’t know for certain what that means. They bear enormous liability if found to be in non-compliance due to a misinterpretation of these vague rules.

Do they take the risk or remove themselves from this market? After all, we are talking about some of the most well known and respected US suppliers in the business.

Finally, municipalities have the option of seeking waivers from this requirement in hopes of getting the products best suited for the job, but the test for getting a waiver is rigorous, time-consuming and potentially costly if rejected, not to mention subject to public scrutiny when published in the Federal Register, as is required by this new law. Municipalities face a small window of opportunity to use or lose their funding, thus limiting their options and reducing their access to preferred suppliers. This provision has had a stifling – not stimulating – affect on the US municipal water and wastewater market as the lawyers work through the interpretation of this complex rule.

Some would argue this is a short-term fix for the US economy and will work itself out in time. It brings to mind a quote by the 17th century English poet Robert Herrick: “None pities him in the snare, who warned before, would not beware.”

The ‘Buy American’ rule is starting to appear in a number of legislative proposals on Capitol Hill. One of particular concern is the Water Quality Investment Act of 2009, recently passed by the US House of Representatives that would impose ‘Buy American’ on all future water and wastewater projects receiving assistance through the SRF programs. This is not a short-term fix. It is intended to be a standing practice on all future projects receiving assistance from the federal government.

This is bad public policy. Our nation has worked too hard and too long to break down barriers to trade and open new markets for US goods and services to resort now to such protectionist practices.

Instead of protecting domestic jobs or industries, it destroys them by eliminating export potential to other geographic markets and cutting off imports of products our municipalities have come to rely upon.

Exports of US water and wastewater equipment have grown dramatically during the past two decades as a result of fair trade policies, with 30 percent of US production be exported. US worldwide exports of water and wastewater equipment almost doubled from $13.26 billion in 1998 to $24.85 billion in 2008. This tremendous accomplishment, which has contributed to a positive US trade balance in this sector and increased US employment significantly, may be short lived when retaliatory forces come into play.

In fact, it has already begun. The Region of Halton in Ontario, Canada, encompassing the towns of Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills – total population 470,000 – passed a ‘fair trade’ resolution stating it will trade with any country that does not discriminate against Canada (namely, ‘Don’t Buy American’). This same resolution is going before the Canadian Federation of Municipalities this month. If passed, it will cut off export trade access for US companies to 1700 municipalities across Canada covering 90 percent of its total population.

But why is this important to US jobs? Well, because Canada is our largest trading partner, with the US having exported $6.18 billion in water and wastewater equipment to Canada in 2008 alone. What little one-time gain in US jobs may occur from the $6 billion injection in stimulus funds for water and wastewater projects could be lost yearafter-year from retaliatory measures taken by our most favorable trading partners.

The European Union may not be far behind in taking similar action. John Bruton, European Union’s Ambassador to the US, wrote a scathing editorial in Politico titled ‘Protectionism Doesn’t Protect Anyone’ where he noted that “this Buy American provision is considerably more severe than previous versions” and that “the US stands to lose 6500 jobs for every percentage of exports decreased.”

Let us hope sounder minds prevail before this train to protectionism derails the US water and wastewater equipment industry. Or we could follow the advice of Frederic Bastiat, that society would be best served if it were to regress to a cave-man state where supply of goods was at a maximum scarcity. Then people would have to work as hard as possible for as little as possible and never have to fear outside competition. The choice is ours.n

“What little one-time gain in US jobs may occur from the $6 billion injection in stimulus funds could be lost yearafter-year from retaliatory measures taken by our most favorable trading partners”

Dawn Christof Champney is President of the Waste Water Equipment Manufacturer’s Association

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The

hit list

How water utilities are applying a top 10 of effective utility management ‘Attributes’.

By Brian Ramaley, President of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies & Director of Newport News Waterworks.

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ommon challenges facing water utilities include rising costs, aging infrastructure, increasingly stringent regulatory requirements and a rapidly changing workforce. Systematically applied effective utility management programs can help water systems successfully address these challenges. A new framework – the Attributes of Effective Utility Management (Attributes) – has become a powerful tool for utilities across the country.

The 10 Attributes were identified in 2007 by a blue-ribbon panel of water and wastewater executives commissioned by six major water and wastewater associations and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Since introducing the Attributes, EPA and the six collaborating groups have been active in promoting them among the nation’s water and wastewater utilities. The AMWA aligned its annual performance awards criteria to the Attributes, and winners of its most recent Gold Awards for Exceptional Utility Management and Platinum Awards for Utility Excellence reflected high performance on all these key reference points. A look at how the Attributes are being supported by the some of these organizations puts them into a utility management perspective.

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PRODUCT QUALITY

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) voluntarily established an internal arsenic standard of 5ppb (half the federally allowed level) in its Los Angeles Aqueduct supply, which has high levels of naturally occurring arsenic. LADWP also established a conservative disinfection byproducts (DBP) compliance monitoring plan involving all maximum locations throughout its water distribution system to assure that its water will be well below regulated limits for DBPs. At the City of Norfolk (Virginia) Department of Utilities several initiated enhancements to product quality were made, including a change in coagulants at its largest water treatment plant that resulted in reduced turbidity and a 20 percent reduction in disinfection byproducts.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority’s water usage tracking and alert system integrates its automated meter reading technology with a web-based program that lets customers track their water use and even alerts them of water usage spikes.

The High Use Notification Alert technology notifies customers about unusually high water use by email or telephone. The technology also helps customer service representatives assist customers in diagnosing causes for higher than average bills.

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EMPLOYEE LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

Columbus Water Works in Georgia targets workplace learning through its Personal Opportunity Program, fosters in-service training and offers a tuition assistance plan to employees for continuing education. Succession and supervisory programs include 18 months of classroom instruction and extracurricular activities. A cross-section of staff members participate in six strategy teams, and all employees have incentives directly linked to both individual and agency performance.

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OPERATIONAL OPTIMIZATION

Northern Kentucky Water District employees are actively involved in operational optimizations including chemical savings by plant operators, increasing inventory accuracy by customer service field workers and increasing energy efficiencies with a team from accounting and pump maintenance. A plant operator team worked together to test different coagulants and mixtures of coagulants, changed and added chemical application points and successfully optimized the chemical feed to save significantly on chemical costs.

The Prince William County (Virginia) Service Authority regularly performs leak detection surveys using correlators and acoustic diagnostics to locate underground leaks before they present problems. The Authority surveys its entire system every two to three years and acts on the findings to pinpoint and repair leaks. The process has also provided trend information about leaks that is used in performing predictive maintenance.

The Prince William County Service Authority uses electronic correlation equipment and acoustic diagnostics to detect leaks in underground infrastructure as part of its Predictive Maintenance Program.

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FINANCIAL VIABILITY The Contra Costa Water District’s rate policy requires that rate increases be held to levels at or below the rate of inflation, a constraint that provides incentive to aggressively pursue outside funding opportunities and pursue partnership arrangements in order to maximize benefits to customers at the lowest possible cost. In 2007, for example, 30 percent of the District’s annual expenditures were funded by non-rate payer revenues.

Fairfax Water in Virginia is one of only a handful of water utilities in the country to have received a AAA rating from the three top financial bond rating services. The utility’s strategic financial model uses historical trending as well as current inflation assumptions to project its operating requirements. In addition, annual internal cost of service studies are performed to ensure customers are paying appropriate fees for services and an external evaluation is performed every three to five years to validate its rate methodology.

INFRASTRUCTURE STABILITY

The City of Salem (Oregon) Public Works Department is developing databases necessary to support its ongoing asset management program, including financial, GIS and CMMS. Various performance measures related to its assets are tracked to assess system reliability and stability. In addition, planned maintenance events are being expanded from traditional assets (such as pumps, valves, etc.) to incorporate all components in the system, and the results can be seen directly in the planned maintenance ratio performance measure. Currently, 90.4 percent of maintenance performed is planned rather than corrective.

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OPERATIONAL RESILIENCY

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority began in the early 1990s to develop a culture of preparedness and skills of coordinated response, identifying points of failure and training on response plans for critical events. Over time, all hazards plans were developed, and supplemented with Incident Command System (now NIMS) training for line and management staff. A key element of capital planning over the past decades has been improving redundancy, including a $728 million new parallel transmission tunnel.

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COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY

As part of a recently completed project to increase reservoir storage volume, Spartanburg Water installed a 108-inch cone valve which serves multiple purposes: allowing precise control of downstream water releases to reduce the probability of flooding; serving as an aeration device to help maintain downstream aquatic life; and assuring minimum downstream flows to meet the needs of downstream uses.

The utility also participates in a Powershare program to generate its own power during periods of peak electrical demand using on-site hydroelectric or diesel generators.

Green Bay Water Utility’s 10 major water users (who use more than 40 percent of its water) are a key component of the city’s economy. The utility regularly interviews these largest customers in an effort to help them stay healthy and competitive. By providing a high quality product and stabilized rates, the water system contributes to the sustainability of the community.

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WATER RESOURCE ADEQUACY

Proactive long-term water supply initiatives for Chesterfield County (Virginia) Utilities Department included completion of a water audit that found its distribution system sound; adoption of building codes requiring the installation of low flow fixtures; and adoption of an ordinance for voluntary, mandatory and emergency water restrictions during drought and/or emergency conditions. The department has been innovative in preserving water supplies through its water reuse agreement with Dominion Virginia Power, the largest reuse project in the commonwealth.

STAKEHOLDER UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT

To align and balance the interest of key constituents, Tualatin Valley Water District in Oregon uses methods such as making all Board meetings ‘public meetings’ including time for public comment; conducting open houses and stakeholder meetings; including five members of the public on the budget committee in addition to five commissioners; soliciting feedback through regular customer attitude surveys, focus groups, the utility’s website and customer services calls; and participating in the Tualatin River Watershed Council, which brings together the interests of land, water and people in the local watershed.

Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority also works closely with all its stakeholder groups. It is a founding member of Florida Keys Green Living and Environmental Education, an organization bringing government, business and individuals to create solutions to sustainability challenges, and participates in the Keyswide Sustainability Project, presenting new initiatives in sustainability, conservation and operations efficiencies to stakeholders throughout the Keys.

Utility management serves on the South Florida Water Management District Water Resource Advisory Council, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Water Quality Improvement Steering Committee and the New Water Supply Coalition, among many other key community roles.

Tualatin Valley Water District was awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification for the remodel and expansion of its headquarters.

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ASK THE EXPERT

REUSE:

where is it headed?

By Jim Christian

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hroughout the years, I have been asked where our nation is headed in regards to replenishing our water supply, especially given our seemingly shifting weather patterns leading to isolated drought situations. Having only been in this business a relatively brief period of time (over 30 years) compared to our climate changes, I have seen a major shift in how we view this most precious commodity, our potable water supply. Now more than ever the old saying of “whoever has the water rules” could not be more accurate.

Having started my career in the Southwestern United States, I saw first hand the struggles over water. When our water supplies were stretched to their limits the almost unspeakable topic of recycling our wastewater was born out of the necessity. Reuse emerged in several geographical areas but it seemed most predominate in more arid regions: Southwestern and Southeastern United States. Until recently, the rest of

“Recharge is the process of taking highly treated reclaimed water and allowing it to percolate into our depleting groundwater supplies, thereby replenishing dwindling groundwater”

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our nation seemed to have plentiful water supplies and the need to recycle our water seemed unnecessary.

Today, we would be hard pressed to not read or hear about something regarding our dwindling fresh water supplies. Even areas of the country that typically have high levels of precipitation and are lushly vegetated are now turning to recycling our most precious commodity.

In many places throughout the country there has been a movement to develop reuse regulations. Such is the case in Virginia, with the adoption of reuse regulations in the last year. While this concept is not new to Virginia, it was not fully accepted until the normally drought resistant area was struck by such conditions. Hence, local leaders came to the rescue with new regulations.

One such farsighted leader is Southampton County, Virginia. Several months ago the County commissioned Timmons Group and Mid-Eastern Builders (MEB) to use a design-build approach to construct a 1.25 million gallon per day (mgd) (ultimate 3.75 mgd) Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) in preparation for their growing demand for water. This approach is founded on the principle of utilizing potable well water supply for drinking, and exploring the use of reuse water for such things as greenbelt irrigation.

For decades reuse has been used in many locations throughout the country and is now being used in Virginia.

With more than 30 years experience, Jim Christian brings a wide range of reuse projects to his clients including crop and golf course irrigation, aquifer recharge and industrial applications such as tower water cooling. His experience spans the entire US, ranging from less than one MGD to 1000 MGD and comprises engineering, permitting and public relations aspects of reuse.

As effective a solution reuse is to offset our potable water supplies, as our population grows, so will our demand for potable water.

In several progressive areas throughout our nation reuse recharge is becoming more prevalent. Recharge is the process of taking highly treated reclaimed water and allowing it to percolate into our depleting groundwater supplies, thereby replenishing dwindling groundwater.

In some of our country’s most stressed areas, decades of ongoing work to monitor groundwater supplies has been done through Active Management Areas (AMA). Water supplies have been monitored to ensure that potable water does not run out. Many AMA’s require major cities to update their plans on an on-going basis to assure a rolling 100-year water supply.

While reuse water offers some unique challenges, such as the acceptance of such water by the general population and the need for additional energy consumption to create safe potable water, the future is clear. Reuse water is becoming a greater necessity in our country due to changes in weather patterns, population growth and the depletion of natural water sources. We must promote reuse whenever we can. Like many ‘green’ concepts today, reuse is here to stay. Education will be the key to its acceptance. 

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SPATIAL INFORMATION

Tackling the geomatics/surveying gap

By Curt Sumner

I

recently read an article entitled, Bridging the gap between geomatics and surveying, and my inference from this was that there must be those who perceive geomatics and surveying to be two completely separate endeavors that somehow must be unified.

Perhaps a good place to begin is by exploring definitions.

One of the more precise definitions of geomatics comes from the Department of Surveying and Spatial Information Science at the University of Tasmania. It states, “The science of Geomatics is concerned with the measurement, representation, analysis, management, retrieval and display of spatial information describing both the Earth’s physical features and the built environment. Geomatics includes disciplines such as: surveying, geodesy, remote sensing & photogrammetry, cartography, geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS).”

In addition to including the word ‘surveying’, this definition encompasses several disciplines, the activities of which have been carried out by surveyors since long before the tools of new technologies made it possible. In fact, surveyors have been using geodesy for centuries to determine position, only the remote elements for GPS that these surveyors employed were celestial

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bodies such as the sun and the stars, whereas today the celestial bodies that make up the GPS constellation are those of man-made satellites. And before remote sensing and photogrammetry as we define them today were the processes used for mapping, surveyors were creating maps and charts (cartography) using ground-located data. In fact, they still do that today when appropriate. Further, the geographic information systems (GIS) of the surveyor have for centuries been the collection of deed records, field notes, maps and plats stored in file cabinets or on digital media, and while the comparisons noted herein are somewhat simplistic, they do illustrate the fact that surveying and geomatics are undeniably linked.

Other evidence of the links between surveying and geomatics lie in the fact that many of the college and university educational programs that are intended to prepare graduates for careers have the word ‘geomatics’ in their name, and a primary reason for this is to demonstrate that graduates should be prepared to pursue a career in all aspects of the profession, from traditional land boundary surveying to those activities included in the definition of geomatics.

But if the perceived gap cannot be determined by definition, where would one look to find it, and what does it have to do with infrastructure? In my experience as a professionally licensed surveyor

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for almost 30 years, and as the executive director for ACSM, I believe sell the surveyor as a geomatics expert and he consequently offers any gap between geomatics and surveying is one of perception. that the ‘construction site data manager’ will be a more marketable I posed the question to a couple of friends with diverse expericommodity, with the surveyor being perceived to be out of step ences in the infrastructure field: Harry Ward heads up Harken-Reiwith the new technology, and on the wrong side of the gap. dar, Inc., a recently formed company that provides infrastructure Warner agrees that data preparation is a critical element in and land development solutions in civil design, surveying and construction, but contends that this has always been true. Even in construction, comprising implementation, training and education; the days of the hand-drafted plan, someone had to check the plan Jeff Warner owns Jeff Warner Land Surveying, a small business as data was being extracted from it for construction. This skill, he with extensive experience in says, is not one gained from sitting in a class for transforming the data prea few hours or days, nor is it inherent. It is only Curt Sumner is a licensed surveyor in sented on approvable but not achieved through the knowledge and experience the states of Virginia and Maryland. He is buildable design plans into that develop expertise. Even surveyors, with their a Past-President of the National Society data from which construction grasp of geometry, may not make good data prep of Professional Surveyor (NSPS) and a can be accurately and corproviders if they haven’t prepared themselves to member organization of the American rectly performed. understand the intricacies of the data, and the Congress on Surveying and Mapping Acknowledging that the computerized equipment used for both survey (ACSM), for which he has served as design goals of plan approval control and earth movement in today’s construcExecutive Director since 1998. are different from the goals of tion environment. construction, Ward notes that An example of the types of issues involved is the data models created for one’s understanding of the difference between the machine control (without the preparer having the proper understandgrid coordinates utilized to construct the plan (digital design file) ing of those diverse goals and the requisite skills to address them) and the ground coordinates that must be used in the construction can result in ‘building an incorrect model very accurately’. What he process. If this difference is not considered, Ward’s assertion of means by this is that machine control (or traditional stake-out pro“building an incorrect model very accurately” will certainly take cedures for that matter) has the capability to build infrastructure in place, and result in some feature being built in the wrong place. a very precise location, but if that location is not the intended one, My conclusion is that there really isn’t a gap between surveying there is a problem. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the and geomatics, but rather there is a lack of understanding for how attention once given to ensuring that design plans incorporated the the two are intertwined. Clearly, one cannot always simply accept the required 3D geometric accuracy is rare in today’s world of digital plan data that is included in a digital design file, and expect that convertpreparation. Among the many issues raised by this circumstance is ing it directly into a data prep model for GPS units mounted onboard the one of liability. If a data model for machine control grading equipment will is created from a digital design plan that has 3D geresult in a correctly conometry flaws, but the data prep practitioner does not structed site. Likewise, have the ability to identify the flaws, who is liable for one cannot expect that any damages resulting from construction? anyone (including some Ward realizes that the surveyor has traditionally surveyors), without been the ‘buffer’ between design plans and correctly knowledge of the issues constructing what is intended by the plan. During the associated with such annual meeting of the National Council of Examiners situations, will be able to for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) last summer, identify where the planWard stated that the ‘new buffer’ will be the ‘conrelated problems lie. struction site data manager’, and in reply to his defiWith regard to the nition of the expertise required, I retorted that the matter of whether or person he described already has a name: Surveyor. not surveyors are recOf course, the challenge for the surveyor in maintaining that ognized only as field personnel versus being recognized as data role is one of perception, which Ward believes, consequently reanalysis professionals, there certainly is some truth to such persulting in his perception of the gap. He concludes that the percepceptions by the general public. However, the creation of new titles tion of the surveyor is one of a field person, not of a professional will not necessarily create a more marketable profile. The solution data analyst. Truly, he argues, the only frame of reference related I have always espoused for surveyors who wish to be recognized as to surveying for many people is, ‘those guys standing on the side the true professionals they claim to be lies with the behavior of the of the road looking through something that looks like a telescope, surveyor, regardless of whether they are referred to as surveyor or and blocking traffic.’ Therefore, Ward concludes, it is difficult to geomatics expert. n

“There really isn’t a gap between surveying and geomatics, but rather there is a lack of understanding for how the two are intertwined”

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INNOVATION

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idely thought of as the father of the internet, Vint whether that’s R&D tax credits or credits related to revenue gained on new Cerf’s contributions to the world wide web have investment. If there are ways of providing incentives to businesses for crebeen recognized repeatedly, with honorary deating openly sharable infrastructures, then that’s a hint of the direction in grees and awards that include the National Medal which one might go in this current climate where at least the present legisof Technology and the Turing Award. But his most nolation is intending to provide a substantial amount of government support table recognition came in 2005, when, alongside refor investment in infrastructure of all kinds. search partner Robert Kahn, Cerf received the highest civilian honor that can “Creating incentives for industry and the private sector to build both the be bestowed in the US, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To put Cerf’s (and underlying infrastructure and then participate in inventing new ways to use it Kahn’s) achievements in perspective, they are not only responsible for the is the direction that we want to be heading in.” design of the TCP/IP protocol that governs data transfer across the net, but But given the current state of the markets, are companies really in the also much of the internet’s fundamental architecture. Becoming recipients mood for investment in internet infrastructure? “We have a situation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom marked both Cerf and Kahn “at the where the incentives for companies providing internet access are disforefront of a digital revolution that has transformed global commerce, comtorted by a natural desire to maximise their investment to the detriment munication and entertainment.” In other words, Vint Cerf is as close as you of innovation,” concedes Cerf. “I think we need to provide adequate incan get to internet royalty. centives for all parties, those providing underlying facilities and those “I’m not the only father of the internet,” he says, reluctant to accept such providing value-added services, to have fair and nondiscriminatory acan eponymous title. “There are lots of people who’ve contributed. This is very cess to the underlying bit-carrying capacity of the internet. much a collaborative effort, and if Monopolizing provision of service you look at the history of the interdoes not produce innovation; in net, you’ll find that literally thoufact, it sometimes inhibits it. sands of people have contributed People want to know why they over the years: tens of thousands – should invent a new, less expenmaybe by this time hundreds of sive solution when they are able thousands. This is one of those to charge more money for their wonderful ideas where everyone service by sticking with the old In an exclusive interview, has an opportunity to contribute, way of doing it.”

Vint Cerf explains why and they do. And that’s the real Cerf instead sees innovation as magic and power of the internet. It’s being paramount to any country’s information infrastructure an open environment that everylong-term prospects: “The next quesreform is just as important one has an opportunity to share in tion then is, ‘What kind of incentive as physical gains. and to contribute to, and that’s exwill be there for creating the approactly what’s happening.” priate infrastructure?’ And not to Indeed, the idea of openness over-argue the point here, but as we and collaboration – and of sustaining the internet as an open network for conlook at the American situation today, perhaps there is an opportunity because sumer choice and innovation – is a subject close to Cerf’s heart. “We believe in of this financial crisis and resurgence of interest in infrastructure reform to find a very open internet environment,” he explains. “One where everyone has the new ways to invest in internet infrastructure. opportunity to try out new products and services without discrimination. We “I believe that we need to find ways – through consultations with the regalso believe that you have a right to know exactly what you are getting. ulators, with economists and with business leaders, and maybe even with Suppliers of internet service need to be clear about expected performance and technologists – of providing the incentives that will cause this infrastrucwhat you are paying them for.” ture to be created and invested in.”

In Cerf’s view, the internet should be an egalitarian entity used by anyone As an example he eludes back to the Depression years in the United States, and everyone, one where suppliers of the service are unable to discriminate when Roosevelt deliberately created a massive investment in physical faagainst a user merely because of who or where that user is. “We are arguing cilities and infrastructure across the US. “We have a reasonable need that the internet should be nondiscriminatory in terms of its access, although and opportunity to do something like that in this twenty-first century,” we accept the argument that for larger capacity you may have to pay more,” he argues Cerf. However, he also argues that it is very important that we says. “What we are after is an open environment where both consumers and invest in the twenty-first century versions of those infrastructures. “We suppliers of applications are treated fairly.” don’t want to build the 1950’s versions of infrastructure. We want to He likens the shared asset of the internet to a road system – everyone dribuild the 2010 versions. We have to go back and ask ourselves, techving on it with the roads being used simultaneously by lots of different users. nologically, ‘What kinds of infrastructure could we build? What kind of This is exactly, he explains by example, how packet switching works. “Packet infrastructure would create more opportunities for businesses to inswitching may be a way, like the road system, to allow people to share comvent new products and services?’ Here we are on the edge of a very mon infrastructure,” says Cerf. “From my point of view, in order to create chaotic environment and there are a lot opportunities that we could broadband access there needs to be a financial or other business incentive, take advantage of.”

CERF’S

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PROJECT FOCUS: AT HOME

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Linked in Just a decade ago, Salt Lake City had no public rail. Since then, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has built a system that covers 150 miles, and now the Airport TRAX line, a six-mile downtown-to-airport connection, is under construction.

WHY is it needed?

ABOUT the Airport TRAX line

CONSTRUCTION progess

While airport rail links have long been popular in Europe and Asia, only eight of the 20 largest US airports currently offer rail services that drop passengers within walking distance of their terminals. However, all that is set to change. As a result of their jammed roadways, a growing number of domestic airports are in the process of building rail links that will connect passengers from the terminals to regional metro-rail systems.

In 1999, a 10-mile West-East Light Rail Corridor was approved in Salt Lake City; however, funding was only available to build the easternmost 3.75-mile portion. Now a re-evaluation of the transit corridor between downtown Salt Lake City and the city’s International Airport is underway. The study area includes the western side of the city, North Temple Street and then the access road to the airport’s Terminal One.

To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, the project has been separated into seven construction ‘reaches’ or segments, starting with Reach 1 by the airport and ending with Reach 7 on the eastern end. While construction is currently not taking place in either Reaches 1, 2, 4 or 7, preliminary utility work is scheduled to begin this month in Reach 3, and in Reaches 5 and 6 crews have already completed the first phase of work.

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BUILDING bridges

RIDERS

ENVIRONMENTAL issues

The rail line will now connect to North Temple via 400 West Street – instead of 600 West. UTA had considered building the airport line on both streets, and though the transit company wanted to go with 600 West – because it would have cost less – residents did not want trains running near their homes. Ultimately UTA went with the other route, but in doing so will now have to build a bridge to take TRAX over a railyard where it will connect with North Temple.

Expected users of the line include business and leisure travelers, airportarea employees, park-and-ride commuters and area residents. Salt Lake City estimates there are nearly 75,000 workers in the western part of the city, compared with about 60,000 workers in the downtown business district. In addition, the residential growth rate has been much higher in western Salt Lake City than in the city as a whole.

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker has also announced plans to recreate North Temple as a ‘grand boulevard,’ a makeover that will feature four lanes with the TRAX line running down the center, a ‘refinished’ viaduct, the addition of two bicycle lanes in each direction and new landscaping features. He said, “I think it will be a real boon in economic development opportunities along North Temple and through the west side of Salt Lake City.”

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PROJECT FOCUS: AWAY

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Eastern grip Earlier this year, Dubai’s real estate master developer, Nakheel, made 15 percent of its workforce redundant as the market slump bit into the emirate’s real estate market. What will this mean for its landmark projects?

WATERFRONT

PALM JEBEL ALI

ARABIAN CANAL

Twice the size of Hong Kong, Dubai’s Waterfront development will transform 1.4 billion square feet of empty desert and sea into an international community for an estimated population of 1.5 million.

The second island in The Palm trilogy, Palm Jebel Ali is located in Waterfront and will feature an array of luxury hotels, beachside villas, shoreline apartments, dive sites and leisure activities.

The $11 billion project will create a 47-mile waterway that will flow inland from Dubai Waterfront, pass the new Dubai World Central International Airport before turning back towards Palm Jumeirah.

Status? Major civil works and infrastructure for the first phase is already underway, but while work on Madinat Al Arab, Venetto, Badra and Canal District is ongoing as planned, other phases may be delayed.

Status? With property prices having fallen by as much as 40 percent in recent months, infrastructural work on parts of Palm Jebel Ali not due to be populated until 2011 and 2012 are now being scaled back.

Status? Phase one involves excavating 200 million m3 of earth for the canal; phase two involves a $50bn city covering 20,000 hectares. Developer Limitless is reviewing the pace of development in response to market conditions.

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PALM JUMEIRAH

THE WORLD

PALM DEIRA

Launched in 2001, the man-made island increased Dubai’s shoreline by 100 percent and created a destination of world-class hotels, retail, homes, leisure and entertainment.

300 islands in the shape of the world’s continents, offering a range of leisure, residential and tourist developments, it will add over 144 miles of new beachfront to Dubai’s coastline.

The final chapter in The Palm trilogy, Palm Deira is the biggest of the palm-shaped artificial islands in Dubai, a 16-square-mile project located between the mouth of Dubai Creek and Port Hamriya.

Status? The first phase – land reclamation requiring 320 million m3 of sand dredged from the sea and the creation of a breakwater surrounding the island group – was completed last year and current projects are going ahead.

Status? Completion of a detailed master plan was pushed back from late-2008 to spring 2009, but it has now been confirmed that developer Nakheel has started receiving funds from the Dubai Government. It is also talking to its contractors and renegotiating payments plans and contracts.

Status? Palm Jumeirah’s flagship Atlantis resort opened in September, but projects that will now be delayed include Frond N villas, Gateway Towers and the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

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IN REVIEW

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Hot off the press From megaprojects to transportation, to waste management and sustainability, the written word of our industry has it covered. we take a quick look at what some of the current books on climate change have to offer.

The Green Guide For Businesses The Ultimate Environment Handbook for Businesses of All Sizes, by Chris Goodall A whole heap of businesses claim to be ‘green’, but how much of this is true is anyone’s guess.

Slashing carbon footprint is about more than just switching to a few low-energy light bulbs – it’s about changing your whole mindset. Author Chris Goodall, an expert on climate change solutions, guides you through cutting carbon and costs, with advice on everything from ‘green’ computing and data centres, to recycling and reducing office travel. It also features scores of case studies to help you learn from other people’s successes and mistakes.

US Infrastructure says: An informative book that illustrates how making a few simple changes can have a massive impact on your carbon output. A good read.

Fixing Climate

The Story of Climate Science – And How to Stop Global Warming, by Robert Kunzig and Wallace Broecker With Broecker as his guide, award-winning science writer Robert Kunzig looks back at Earth’s volatile climate history so as to shed light on the challenges ahead. Ice ages, planetary orbits, a giant ‘conveyor belt’ in the ocean, it’s a riveting story full of maverick thinkers, extraordinary discoveries and an urgent blueprint for action. Fixing Climate explains why we need not just to reduce emissions but to start removing our carbon waste from our atmosphere. And in a thrilling last section of the book, we learn how this could become reality, using ‘artificial trees’ and underground storage.

US Infrastructure says: A fascinating account of how we have arrived at a point where climate change is no longer preventable. A compelling read for anyone wishing to understand the unique challenge of climate change.

Hot, Flat and Crowded

Why the World Needs a Green Revolution by

Thomas L. Friedman Thomas Friedman’s bestseller The World Is Flat has helped millions of readers to see globalization in a new way. Now Friedman brings a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy – both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. Friedman proposes that an ambitious strategy (which he calls Geo-Greenism) is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make us all healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive and more secure.

US Infrastructure says: Hot, Flat and Crowded is classic Friedman – fearless, incisive, forwardthinking and rich in surprising common sense about the world we live in today. Here, Friedman assesses the state of the world environment and what we should be doing to stop it getting much, much worse.

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CATALOGUE PAGE USINFRA1:june09 15/06/2009 13:12 Page 141

Your World. Covered

Europe Edition

US Edition

MENA Edition

From the people you hire to the products you sell, if you’re in business, we’ve got it covered...

Infrastructure Infrastructure provides insight on how developers can achieve critical objectives by integrating leading-edge solutions across their operations – helping them to make informed decisions about technology and operations solutions for all of their areas of responsibility.

Also available for:

MENA Europe

Find out more: www.americainfra.com

Oil & Gas Collaboration between Government and multinationals to ensure the energy supply is developing on two fronts.

O&G is the definitive publication for stakeholders and service companies to read about the regional projects, technologies and strategies affecting their group.

Available for: MENA, US, Russia Find out more: www.ngoilgasmena.com

NextGen Power & Energy A poll of 4000 utility executives posed the simple question: what keeps you up at night? The answers were costs, new technologies, ageing infrastructure, congested transmission and distribution, viable renewables and inadequate generation capacity.

NextGen P&E covers them all.

Available for: US Find out more: www.nextgenpe.com

Next Generation Pharmaceutical Approximately 50% of new drug development fails in the late stages of phase 3 – while the cost of getting a drug to market continues to rise.

NGP is written by pharmaceutical experts from the discovery, technology, business, outsourcing, and manufacturing sectors. It is committed to providing information for every step of the pharmaceutical development path.

Available for: US, Europe

Oil & Gas Collaboration between Government and multinationals to ensure the energy supply is developing on two fronts.

O&G is the definitive publication for stakeholders and service companies to read about the regional projects, technologies and strategies affecting their group.

Available for: US, MENA, Russia Find out more: www.ngoilgas.com

Find out more: www.ngpharma.com

gdsinternational

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REBECCA GOOZEE

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Crisis or opportunity?

US Infrastructure’s Middle Eastern correspondent, explains how, despite business conditions being very different to what they were just a few months ago, there might be a silver lining after all.

he arrival of the global economic crisis in the Gulf proved more brutal than anyone could have expected, with the infrastructure industry taking the full brunt of the impact. As projects were put on hold or even cancelled, the days of fast growth and unparalleled expenditure were placed firmly behind us. But with that comes the opportunity for intelligent and considered investment, as well as cheaper materials and available contractors.

Indeed, as the economic storm continues to batter the region, the unexpected slowdown can be viewed as a time to stop and take stock of the current situation. Now is the time to look for new markets and opportunities that arise and take them, no matter how small. Despite the slowdown, the GCC and wider MENA region are still growing and, as such, companies in the region are better placed than most to help continue that growth. Now is the perfect time to step back from the pace and intensity of the boom and look at areas to improve.

Firstly, evaluate the changes that have happened in the industry and work out the lay of the land. Priorities will have changed, and in order to fit in with changing specifications,

companies will need to adapt in order to retain their current customers and also emerge from the other side in a stronger position. Secondly, with intense competition and tight liquidity, service is next in line for improvement. While training, human development and marketing are often the first budget casualties in a cash-strapped situation, this is an opportunity to upgrade both the skills and capability of an organisation and make processes more efficient.

Finally, with a fewer number of projects on board, it becomes easier to focus on quality and execution as opposed to speed.

Focusing on the customer and their exact needs, as opposed to working to get as much done as possible in a shorter time as possible, is the order of the day. And those companies that survive the meltdown will be those that look to improve their customer service to the highest possible degree.

Combined with improved operations, cheaper materials and the increasing availability of contractors mean that costs are (finally) coming down. With the dramatic drop of raw materials, fuel and contractor costs, it is possible to renegotiate old contracts with the current market value in mind. It is key to make an alliance with contractors and consultants and get them involved in every step of the process.

While the storm of the recession rumbles on there are undoubtedly still challenges that have to be faced in the region’s infrastructure industry, particularly around projects that are on hold or even cancelled. However, there are also opportunities to be had by concentrating on being in the right place when the inevitable upturn arrives – by improving operations and focusing on customer service, the region will be heading in the right direction. 

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Final word

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Ready to Report?

Jay Stinson explains how ARRA is putting the spotlight on asset management accountability.

W

hen President Eisenhower championed the Federal can help transportation agencies efficiently manage volumes Aid Highway Act of 1956, it resulted in a network of of roadway data, respond quickly to questions, and make nearly 47,000 miles of limited-access interstate highbetter, more informed decisions. Intergraph has more than 40 ways. When you figure in the thousands of miles of city and years’ experience solving complex government and transporcounty roads, our nation’s transportation network is a complex tation asset data management challenges through geospatial operation vital to most every facet of our daily lives. technologies and data integration best practices, regardless of However, highways and bridges wear out. Today, there are your existing geographic information system (GIS) or database multiple examples of roadway infrastructure problems across technologies in use today. Our solution enables the the country. Thousands of miles of aging and deficient roads integration of multiple systems so you can create and bridges need major overhauls and the National Surface the reports needed to prove your accountabilTransportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, ity to the Federal Highway Administration created by Congress, last year recommended spending (FHWA). These reports can bring you an between $225 billion and $340 billion annually on the immediate ROI as they are crucial to mainnation’s transportation system. taining federal funding, the largest source Consequently, President Obama and Congress of revenue for transportation agencies. have made public works central to their $787 bilAs transportation agencies prepare lion economic stimulus plan. During the next for the one-time infusion of cash through 18 months, the government expects to spend the economic stimulus package, it’s imnearly $30 billion to overhaul the nation’s portant for you to determine the best way highway infrastructure. The aim is to your agency can spend that money for put Americans back to work, while also short- and long-term benefits. Regardrebuilding our highway infrastructure. less of how you plan to use the funds, Approved in February 2009, the Ameraccountability at the local, state and ican Recovery and Reinvestment Act federal levels will require accurate, (ARRA) will have an immediate effect transparent reporting.

Jay Stinson is the Vice President and General Manager of Intergraph’s utilities on transportation agencies across the Intergraph can help agencies make and communications and local government country. According to the American the most efficient use of stimulus fundand transportation divisions, responsible Association of State Highway and ing. Intergraph’s Roadway Information for driving the application of Intergraph’s Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Management Solution for the transporcomprehensive suite of geospatial more than 3000 highway and bridge tation industry ensures dissemination solutions to these specific markets. projects – worth $18 billion – could of accurate and timely information. begin within the next three months.

The company delivers products, servAs an executive, you must deices, and consulting from experienced termine the best way for your transportation agency to spend transportation professionals to help its customers understand stimulus money. States must make spending obligations by and implement the best solutions for every aspect of data collecMarch 2010, or the money will be redistributed to other states. tion, management, analysis and reporting. From collecting inforSome agencies may choose to spend their funds on many small mation in the field to visualizing roadway assets and congestion projects that are important; others may focus on one or two on a screen, map, or via the web, Intergraph’s solutions help primary highway issues. But no matter how the money is spent, hundreds of state, provincial and national governments solve planning is a crucial step to maximize job creation and ecotheir asset visualization, management and reporting problems. nomic growth. In addition, the federal government will require Intergraph is dedicated to helping keep people and products agencies to be accountable for how they use stimulus funds. moving safely and efficiently and leading the way in helping Intergraph’s Roadway Information Management Solution transportation agencies gain the most from ARRA. n

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