The American Society of Civil Engineers has released a report describing new trends in energy, water, freight and transportation that are modernizing U.S. infrastructure.
The Infrastructure Game Changers report, available at ascegamechangers.org, allows readers to search for innovations by region — via a clickable map — and by topic. Also, On the Horizon, describes innovations that are not fully in practice in the United States but show promise for the future.
“Headlines about our nation’s infrastructure are rarely positive — and given our deteriorating system, the critique is often deserved,” Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said. “However, thanks to America’s innovating engineers, new technology is changing almost everything about important areas of transportation, energy, water delivery and infrastructure.”
One of the transportation trends the report encourages is the use of ride-sharing and transit apps, such as Uber and Lyft, which help reduce congestion on the roads and enable better data by using vehicles as sensors.
Another innovation is accelerated bridge construction, a method that uses prefabricated materials and other strategies to minimize traffic disruptions and reduce on-site construction time. It involves creating as many components of the bridge as possible ahead of time so that road closures are only required when moving the elements into place.
Other upcoming trends to address congestion include a bus-only lane, specifically timed traffic lights and smart parking systems that provide real-time information on available spaces.
The release of Infrastructure Game Changers signifies an effort to make a change after the report card ASCE released on America’s infrastructure in 2013. The report card gave transit, rail, roads and aviation D's (for “poor”).
“Although investment in transit has also increased, deficient and deteriorating transit systems cost the U.S. economy $90 billion in 2010, as many transit agencies are struggling to maintain aging and obsolete fleets and facilities amid an economic downturn that has reduced their funding, forcing service cuts and fare increases,” the report card read. The overall GPA assigned to America’s infrastructure was a D+.
