16 minute read
Rebuilding American Infrastructure
The state of public infrastructure in superpower USA has become decrepit over time due to neglect, disrepair, and inadequate funding. There’s an urgent need for sustained investments, futuristic roadmap, concerted action, and re-engineering new infrastructure using cutting-edge technology to ensure socio-economic transformation, seamless connectivity, and citizen welfare.
By Rituparna Sengupta
There is a water main break every 2 minutes and 6 billion gallons of treated water is lost daily in the US. Growing wear and tear on our nation's roads have left 43% of our public roadways in poor or mediocre condition. There are 10,000 miles of levees in the US whose location and condition are unknown. 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, American Society Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has given United States a score of C minus in its 2021 report card. Once the pre-eminent nation in robust infrastructure globally, the present-day creaking infrastructure calls for critical attention, and the need to strengthen and build back better.
The ASCE Report Card is not alone in its dire assessment. The same has been highlighted in an earlier report from the World Economic Forum — the 2019 Global Competitive Index — which ranked the American infrastructure quality at 13 among 141 countries.
Ageing Infrastructure and Funding Woes In November 2021, a White House statement at the launch of the US Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill shared examples of the nation’s ageing infrastructure. More than 45,000 US bridges and one in five miles of roads are in poor condition. Millionsof Americans still get water from lead pipes, even though exposure to lead hasirreversible health effects. The list goes on.
The 2021 ASCE infrastructure quality score highlights noteworthy infrastructure gaps, especially in technology integration. One of the most significant reasons for this steep decline in infrastructure quality has been the low levels of public investment over the years, which has fallen by more than40% since the 1960s.
The need to adopt smart, digital and innovative strategies to refur-
Three Pillars of National Plan to Transform American Infrastructure
opportunities, and enable a strong safety network for the citizens.
FEDERAL FUNDING
DIGITAL INNOVATIONS DECARBONIZATION STRATEGIES
The perfect combination of federal funding, digital innovations and bold decarbonization strategieswithin the spectrum of an overall National Planare perhaps the formula to achieve the muchneeded transformation to rebuild the American infrastructure.
bish the crumbling infrastructure cannot proceed without the availability of adequate funding.
The United States invests less in infrastructure than its peers and substantially less than it used to, Congressman Don Beyer, Chairman, US Joint Economic Committee (JEC), noted in the JEC report ‘Infrastructure and its Impact on the US Economy’ released in May, 2021.
“The US economy, which in 2020 produced USD 21 trillion worth of goods and services, is powered by the interconnected web of roads, waterways, electrical grids, and communications, education, healthcare and childcare systems that make up its infrastructure. This infrastructure is in a state of disrepair, and ‘dangerously overstretched’, with a funding gap valued in the trillions.
To compete in the 21st century, we must learn from our own past success and replicate the bold public investments that have supported each transformation of our economy in the past,” he added. Agreed Tim McManus, Chair - Board of Advisors, Smart City Works Venture Studio.“If you look at the global construction industry it represents about 13% of global GDP. So it’s one of the largest ecosystems in the world. However our industry has had one of the lowest level of investment in research and development in technology than any other industry,” he said while speaking at a recent discussion on ‘The Digital Transformation of American Infrastructure’ organized by CityAge.
Three Pillars of American Infrastructure Rejuvenation The correlation between a thriving economy and well-maintained infrastructure networks is indisputable, so all efforts, discussions, action plans in this direction will boost the country’s economy, create new job Federal Funding – theBipartisan Infrastructure Law TheInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act(IIJA), also known as theBipartisan Infrastructure Law, was enacted by US President Joe Biden in November 2021. In its amended version, it earmarked funding of USD 1.2 trillion for American infrastructure.
“The US is currently in a once in a generation moment with regards to infrastructure, due to the passage of the USD 1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, USD 437 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the more flexible USD 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stimulus package,” Leanne Kaplan, Alliance and Policy Manager, New Urban
“When we invest in infrastructure, we’re really investing in opportunity. These are investments that will build a better America. It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s real."
Joe Biden
President of the United States
Mobility alliance (NUMO), World Resources Institute, told Geospatial World in an interview.
“This presents an opportunity to embed community-led solutions, equity, and climate priorities in our nation's infrastructure,” she added.
The key areas of focus of this historic funding includes improvement and rebuilding of roads, bridges, public transit, rail, ports, and airports. Ensuring safe, leadfree drinking water for everyone, supporting climate friendly car and bus transport, transitioning to clean energy and providing access to high-speed internet were all identified as focus areas for the dissemination of this funding.
Actual release of the funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law planned for key infrastructure components have now begun. Most recently on October 11, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced that it has released USD 59.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2023 apportionments for 12 formula programs to support investment in critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges and tunnels, carbon emission reduction, and safety improvements. The funds are being directly disseminated to all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
“America’s roads and bridges are the vital arteries of our transportation system, connecting people and goods across the country,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegsaid while making the announcement.
Grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program hav-e been initiated for 23 projects in 23 states.
Digital Innovation – Accelerating the Process Even with the right funding, meaningful progress cannot be achieved in building tomorrow’s infrastructure with yesterday’s technology. American Infrastructure remains one of the least digitalized sectors of the economy in the US.
For instance, nearly 7 in 10 construction firms contracted to carry out projects for state and local departments of transportation still rely exclusively or primarily on pen-and-paper systems throughout their projects, according to the Coalition for Smarter Infrastructure Investments (CSII).
CSII, the “first-of-its-kind” industry body calling for smarter investment in infrastructure in the USA, came up in March 2021 and has organizations such as Mott MacDonald, Bentley Systems, Greenroads International, HaulHub and HeadLight as founding members. Its primary mission is to look at effective promotion of federal policies to modernize the
Economic Impact
Poor infrastructure is not only an inconvenience for citizens but directly hurts the economy. Delays caused by traffic congestion alone cost the economy over USD 120 billion per year, or delayed and cancelled trips due to the poor state of the nation’s airports cost the economy over USD 35 billion per year, according to the book ‘The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure’, by eminent Historian Henry Petroski.
On the other hand, public infrastructure investment boosts the economy. “An increase in public infrastructure by itself raises the productivity of private capital, as public capital is a complement to private capital. Higher private capital increases the productivity of labor and leads to higher wages and lower interest rates (borrowing costs), encouraging additional work and incentivizing higher investment in private capital. More work and private capital lead to higher GDP,” according to ‘Penn-Wharton Budget Model’ from University of Pennsylvania.
ageing US infrastructure by advocating the beneficial incorporation of proven technologies to build and maintain infrastructure in a transparent and efficient manner.
“Digital infrastructure and technology have different needs and that needs to be addressed in the funding,” Laura Chace, President and CEO, Intelligent Transportation Society of America said at the City Age discussion.
Building it back smarter and better will need the bold adoption of digital practices such as Building Information Management (BIM), digital engineering, digital asset management, Digital Twins, and smart infrastructure.
The United Kingdom has mandated BIM in every government construction project. This means that only companies that are BIM level 2 compliant are able to take on government projects.In fact, all of Europe is a key player in BIM adoption, with a consistent drive for its implementation seen across the region. Countries including Singapore, UAE, China and Australia have also made considerable progress in the implementation of BIM.
In a Nutshell
Some key elements of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocations areas:
Better Roads and Bridges
USD 110 billion has been announced for new funds for repair and rebuilding the country’s roads and bridges.
Historic Investments in Public Transit
The legislation includes USD 39 billion of new investment to modernize transit.
A large number of additional job opportunities are being created.
The Law is looking at creating 700,000 new jobs a year.
No More Lead Pipes
Investments of USD 55 billion has been committed to expand access to clean drinking water across the country.
Ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet.
A historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment with investment of USD 65 billion has been announced to ensure that every American has access to reliable high-speed internet.
On the contrary,in the United States, the implementation process has been slow due to the lack of a government mandate.
The US National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) have developed a plan for the launch of the US National Building Information Management (BIM) Program fordigital transformation of the nation’s built environment, Johnny Fortune, US National BIM Program Director of NIBS, told Geospatial World.
NIBS serves as a convener between government and the private sector to bring relevant issues and stakeholders to support advances in building science and technology to improve America’s built environment.
“There are many initiatives and activities aimed at improving digitalization of infrastructure. We see the need for common practice standards and processes across the built environment. Infrastructure is a key focus area of the US National BIM Program,” Fortune added.
Singapore has been a trendsetter in Industry 4.0 Innovations with its flagship project Virtual Singapore, which employs a digital twin for city planning and commu-
Photo courtesy: www.infrastructurereportcard.org nications. Virtual Singapore taps into static and real-time sources for information on demographics, movement, and climate to create an accurate 3D model which further helps in visualizing the entire city, from common town areas to building interiors.
In the UK, the National Digital Twin programme (NDTP), launched in July 2018, aims tocreate an ecosystem of connected digital twins.
Recognition of the industrial advantage of digital twin is now gaining momentum in the US as well. According to a new global report from Guidehouse Insights, annual revenue from municipal digital twins is projected to grow to USD 2.5 billion by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25%..
NIBS will soon launch a committee that involves participants from the Digital Twin Consortium and US National BIM Program. “This group will collaborate amongst a wide array of industry stakeholders and seek to drive integration of BIM and digital twins,” explained Fortune.
A McKinsey study called ‘Reinventing Construction’ notes that the greatest opportunityfor improving performance in the American construction industry is through infusion of technology and innovation.
The pandemic necessitated a shift to digitized processes and workflows in the construction sector. With federal funding for the infrastructure sector, there is a great opportunity to digitally
transform and streamline projects to improve efficiency and foster project sustainability. It is time for stakeholders to prioritize digitalization
“We need to figure out how we get digital solutions to be part of the conversation, so that it's planned for not just from a onetime solution, but a continual stream of funding to address these issues,” said Egan Smith,Acting Director, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, US Department of Transportation, while speaking at the City Age discussion.
Decarbonizing Environment Decarbonization of the transport sector as well as the built environment would be a critical way to ensure refurbishment of the nation’s infrastructure.
‘’This transformation imperative is driven by the need to rectify the harm left by legacy infrastructure to people to pivot towards zero emission travel for our environment and to deliver a future where freedom of movement is accessible to all,” noted Ximon Zhu, Senior Manager, Accenture.
Bolstered by the federal funds, several initiatives are being witnessed in different parts of the country
Last month, the Department of Transportation announced Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure deployment plans for all 50 States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, whichgives access of USD 1.5 billion to all states to build EV chargers covering approximately 75,000 miles of highway across the country.
“America led the original automotive revolution in the last century. And today, thanks to the historic resources in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re poised to lead in the 21st century with electric vehicles,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegsaid while announcing the plans.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has recently approved a rule requiring 100 percent of new car sales in California to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035.
Kaplan of NUMO had another important issue to highlight: “Many cities, particularly in the US, have been designed for cars, not for people. Besides worsening the climate crisis and air pollution, not everyone is able to, can afford to, or wants to drive.”
Access to safe and reliable public transportation increases access to jobs, education, eases the burden of existing transport infrastructure, and gives people more mobility alternatives.
Active actions are being taken to reshape the built environment and increase building efficiency to keep up pace with green adoption. The US General Service Administration (GSA) has incorporated initiatives to lead the way in green building design, construction, retrofit and sustainable operations and maintenance.
Globally, the decarbonization of the building sector is being recognized as a critical component in the overall decarbonization goals along with allied transport sector goals. In this, the United States. will do well to take lessons from Canada, which announced its‘Green Building Strategy’in August 2022, which envisions nationwide net-zero emissions Innovative Examples
Several digital initiatives are slowly coming up in different parts of the US.
Boston
One US city that's ahead of the curve in embracing digital transformation and paving the way to make itself sustainable and resilient is Boston. This forward-looking city has successfully deployed a number of smart technologies, and steadily collaborated with businesses, universities, and the public to lay the groundwork for its digital transformation plans. The Boston Planning and Development Agency had approved the Smart Utilities Program in 2018 and its goal aimed at coordination of the adoption of technology to ensure Boston's utility infrastructure is prepared for the effects of climate change.
Los Angeles
Forbes has recently identified The Los Angeles Department of Transport’s (DoT) implementations as one of the best Digital Twin adoptions in the country. The Los Angeles DoT has partnered with the Open Mobility Foundation to create a data-driven digital twin of the city’s transport infrastructure. They have begun the initiative to use this technology to model the movement and activity of micro-mobility solutions such as the city’s network of shareduse bicycles and e-scooters. Then they plan to expand to cover ride-sharing services, carpools, and new mobility solutions that will appear, such as autonomous taxi drones.
Michigan state
The Michigan Department of Transportation reached a net benefit of over 6% in cost savings by reducing construction bids and change orders after implementing 3D modeling technology.
The perfect combination of federal funding, digital innovations and bold decarbonization strategies within the spectrum of an overall National Plan are perhaps the formula to achieve the muchneeded transformation to rebuild the American infrastructure.
and climate-resilient buildings sector by 2050, with an interim goal of 37% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.
‘’Reducing embodied carbon in construction materials such as steel and concrete is a key opportunity to further lower emissions in the buildings sector,” said Michael MacDonald, Spokesperson, Natural Resources Canada, Government of Canada.
Today’s world is witnessing the dawn of resilient cities, stemming from the need to tide through unanticipated disruptions and future shocks caused by climate risks, ecological degradation, and other uncertainties and volatilities
For instance, Laura Chace shared that the Los Angeles DoT is using open APIs to create a zero-emission delivery zone in certain areas of the city. “They are using these tools to manage their infrastructure in a more dynamic and a nimble way that allows them to deliver the benefits that they are seeking to communities,” she added.
Need for a National Road Map Several interesting initiatives towards digitalization of urban infrastructure are being witnessed in different states. However, a common National Policy binding all such initiatives together is missing. Perhaps the evolution of such an umbrella nationwide policy may integrate all such efforts more effectively and efficiently.
“We don't have a national strategy for a phased national approach to digital infrastructure,” emphasized Chace. “I think there's a great desire to collectively develop a common directive, so that we don’t just have these pockets of innovation in certain areas.”
“We have an interstate highway system today because someone at some point of time in the 1950s took a map and drew some lines. We had a a national plan back then, but today we don’t have it connected vehicles ,” concurred Blaine Leonard, Transportation Technology Engineer, Utah Department of Transportation.
Citing the examples of the states of Ohio and Georgia, Leonard said there was an urgent need to collaborate and talk. “Federal government can now give us a plan and give us a road map on how we can deploy,”
Community Involvement The overall success of all smart, green and digital innovations and strategies to rebuild the American infrastructure hinges on the active support and acceptance of the people at the community level – the real users of the nation’s infrastructure.
“It is critical to include communities in the decision-making process for infrastructure investments and to start first with identifying a community’s needs and potential solutions that can improve sustainability and equity. Past infrastructure investments in the US have often harmed communities and extracted wealth,” said Kaplan of New Urban Mobility alliance (NUMO).
The World Resources Report, Towards a More Equal City, includes seven transformations needed for more equitable and sustainable cities and is based on five years of research. The key is to provide all residents access to services (daily needs such as healthcare, education, housing, food, etc.) and access to economic opportunity.
“It’s also important to look at infrastructure holistically – it is not just roads and bridges, but social and digital as well,” said Kaplan. Bringing people from the community at the decision-making table is a critical element, as they would be the strongest advocates in all infrastructure transformations
According to Chace, “The digital tools are essential to create the type of communities that we all want to live in, but people don't understand it so they don't ask for it.”
Urban planning and development pathways in the US are now being designed to incorporate data and digital technologies to provide better public services and tackle citizen-centric challenges.
Rituparna Sengupta
Associate Editor Americas
Rituparna@geospatialworld.net