President’s Message

Flexibility Will Be Key in the Coming Months

There is good reason for optimism this spring. The nice weather is finally here, plants and flowers are starting to bloom, the Red Sox are underway, and the Bruins and Celtics look good heading into the playoffs. And for UCANE members, this is the first construction season where we will begin to see the impact of the long-sought after increase in funding for our crumbling infrastructure.

We have highlighted the Federal Infrastructure Bill in our magazine before, but it is worth repeating. Over the next five years, $55 billion will be spent to upgrade water and wastewater systems. According to the EPA, Massachusetts will receive at least $1.1 billion of that funding over the next five years, $199 million alone in 2022, to improve water infrastructure in municipalities across the Commonwealth. There is also $1.4 billion in grants included to specifically address Combined Sewer Overflows and PFAS contaminations. This increase in funding is reflected in the demand. This year’s (2022) MassDEP Draft Intended Use Plan, which is the list of approved water infrastructure projects financed through the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, contains $1.2 billion for 108 new construction projects. That is compared to $697 million for 67 new projects in 2021.

At our recent Forecast Dinner, MassDEP Deputy Assistant Commissioner Kathy Baskin, MWRA Executive Director Fred Laskey, and Boston Water & Sewer Commission Chief Engineer John Sullivan presented some of these projects, as well as many other aspects of their upcoming Capital Plans. You can read more about the dinner and view the presentations beginning on page 58.

For UCANE members who do other types of infrastructure work in Massachusetts, there is also plenty of good news, as the bill contains $4.2 billion for road improvements, $1.1 billion for bridge replacements and repairs in the State, $2.5 billion for public transportation, and $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the State. In addition, several hundred million dollars will be made available to upgrade our airports and ports.

While UCANE members are ready to perform the work, we know that there are supply chain challenges ahead of us in the immediate future. Supply chain and price escalation issues threaten to stall critical projects that are otherwise ready to begin. Since there is no way of knowing when these issues may stabilize, flexibility and acknowledgment of these uncertainties will be vital. Project owners, design engineers, contractors, suppliers, and all other stakeholders must be flexible and realistic regarding project timelines, specs, and cost adjustments. State agencies that provide funding for these projects must also be cognizant of these issues and provide regulatory relief, timeline flexibility, and other incentives where they can.

Many of these much needed projects have been delayed far too long, but if we all continue to work together we will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to finally upgrade our underground infrastructure. Flexibility will be key in the

coming months! n

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