Editorial

Conference halls from coast to coast were teeming with talk of transportation last week, with no shortage of prognostications from industry leaders about what the future holds.

In business or in battle, it is often critical to consider the adage, “he who hesitates is lost,” as the window for taking advantage of an opportunity is often distressingly brief. Spend too much time pondering a situation and the landscape has changed, your chance has vanished.

Coming soon to a theater near you: How to build roads and bridges. The American Society of Civil Engineers last week screened a documentary titled, “Dream Big: Engineering Our World,” which spotlights efforts to encourage young people to pursue careers in engineering. Included in that mix are bridge and road design, fields that — if recent data are any indication — will require expertise for years to come.

We’ve all heard the saying, “You have to spend money to make money.” A recent announcement from Amazon.com indicates that it is willing to invest heavily to expand its in-house delivery capabilities and boost its e-commerce business.

While Republican leaders in Congress seem to be in no hurry to address the country’s infrastructure, there’s an entirely different feeling surrounding President Trump’s pick to be transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, who was confirmed easily last week.

President Trump is charting a new course for the nation. We don’t know where it will ultimately lead us, but during his short tenure the business community has been served notice that things are changing.

The departure of the old administration and confirmation hearings for the new one have generated an avalanche of conversation about infrastructure. It’s a desirable occurrence, but there needs to be more of it, especially specifics rather than broad but fuzzy support.

Please take a moment to note and appreciate something that doesn’t happen nearly often enough. Twenty of our fellow citizens are being lauded with national attention for devotion to their industry, working hard and carefully on a consistent basis over time, in a way that helps to make for a smoothly running society.

Twelve thousand people from around the world are so devoted to transportation, in all of its many forms, that they are traveling to Washington, D.C., this week to participate in the 96th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board.

How could someone not have a lot of questions about the year just starting? We are very happy our job is to report the news and not predict it. Not to wish away a year of life, but we can’t wait to read our “year in review” story in 11½ months.