ASCE strongly supports the Partnership to Build America Act as one way to deal with the nation’s ever growing infrastructure challenges.  By creating an infrastructure fund using repatriated corporate earnings, as well as through the use of public-private partnerships, the legislation is creating another innovative financing source for our nation’s infrastructure. It will take innovative financing, to work in partnership with more traditional funding mechanisms in order to raise the grades for our nation’s infrastructure.

Furthermore, improving the condition of our nation’s aging roads, bridges, power lines, sewer systems, ports and waterways is critical to protecting 3.5 million jobs according to ASCE’s report, Failure to Act: The Impact of Current Infrastructure Investment on America’s Economic Future. If investments in infrastructure aren’t made at this time, families will have a lower standard of living, businesses will be paying more and producing less and our nation will lose ground in a global economy. The nation’s deteriorating infrastructure will cost the American families $3,100 annually in lost income and suppress the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $3.1 trillion by 2020. Therefore, it is critical for Congress to continue to find new, and innovative ways, to invest in infrastructure programs.

ASCE looks forward to working with Congress on the passage of the Partnership to Build America Act and applauds Congressman Delaney for continuing the conversation on how we invest in the nation’s infrastructure.

Tom Jacobs, P.E., Report Card Committee Co-Chair for Kansas, accompanied the news by impressing upon elected officials the need to do better. “To our elected officials I only ask this question: is a C- good enough? I certainly hope not. We did not elect you to build a C- state. Our roads, levees, bridges and dams need long-term investment in order to have long-term success.”

“Our state’s future is dependent upon whether we can attract businesses and allow them to thrive” said Steve Randolph, P.E., President of the ASCE St. Louis Section. “A C- means that businesses cannot reliably and effectively move goods in an ever-changing global marketplace. If we are serious about creating jobs and building a strong economy, then we must also be serious about investing in our infrastructure.”

Each state’s grade was the aggregate of various individual sectors, ranging from Aviation and Energy, to Levees and Wastewater. The grades for each state are broken down as follows:

KANSAS

• Aviation earned a C. Twenty-five percent of Kansas’ airports with paved runways need improvement. System-wide, only 36 percent of Kansas airports meet the benchmark for clear approaches to the primary runway.
• Bridges were awarded a D+, in part due to Kansas’s nearly 3,000 structurally deficient bridges. Only five states have more structurally deficient bridges than Kansas.
• Dams earned the lowest grade of a D-. Of the state’s 6,087 dams, 230 are classified as high hazard, meaning failure would likely lead to loss of life and significant property damage.
• Drinking Water earned a C. Presently, there are no dedicated revenue streams to support the necessary funding to support the Kansas’ Water Plan initiatives.
• Energy was awarded a C-. Kansas ranks in the top ten for crude oil production and has one of the richest natural gas fields in the United States.
• Levees earned a C-, in part due to the fact that there are no consistent standards or regulations governing the maintenance and ongoing inspection of levees in the State.
• Railroads earned a C. Kansas has the sixth largest rail system in the United States. Funding sources for the long-term investments have not been identified yet.
• Roads earned the highest grade of a C+.  A decrease in federal and state funding levels has a direct impact on the quality of roads in Kansas, from safety to pavement condition.
• Schools earned a C+. There was a huge expansion in the 1950s where the amount of schools in Kansas more than doubled. These building are now 60 years old and many are in need of major repair or replacement.

MISSOURI

• Aviation earned a C grade, in part due to the fact that over the next five years, a shortfall of slightly more than $81 million is anticipated for MO’s aviation sector.
• Bridges was awarded a C-.Missouri has 339 functionally obsolete bridges (12 percent of Missouri’s bridge inventory). Missouri has the 19th lowest percentage in the country.
• Dams received the lowest grade of D-. Missouri has 1,588 high hazard dams (meaning failure would likely lead to loss of life and significant property damage), and 3,511 significant or low hazard dams.
• Drinking Water earned a C-. Even though Missouri has an abundance of water for serving its communities, its aging water treatment and distribution systems are struggling to keep up with current demand.
• Energy earned a D+. Missouri’s shift away from coal and toward more sustainable energy systems, is requiring increased investment in generation facilities, transmission and distribution networks.
• Inland Waterways was awarded a D. Each year the Missouri River carries 8 million tons of cargo, throughout its navigable length. The Mississippi River carries 58 million tons to the mouth of the Missouri River, and 189 million tons to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Levees were awarded a C-. It is estimated that 85 percent of Missouri’s levees are not a part of the National Levee Database.
• Railroads received a C. In order to meet future travel demands, greater funding and much greater support from the State will be necessary.
• Roads earned a C. The last time the state of Missouri passed a piece of transportation funding-related legislation was in 2004. The funding generated by the bill allowed for 2,200 miles of the state’s busiest highways to be smoother and safer, sped up 55 critical highway projects and allowed $1.6 billion in new construction.
• Schools earned a C, in part due to education budget cuts and a lack of long-term funding.
• Wastewater earned a C-. The state of Missouri has a network of established wastewater systems that have been functionally serving citizens for over 50 years in some locations.

Follow the links to read more about the 2013 Report Card for Missouri’s Infrastructure or the 2013 Report Card for Kansas’s Infrastructure.

“We cannot hope to have an A+ economy, with a C level infrastructure,” said James Chae, P.E., M.ASCE, president of the Seattle Section. “Washingtonians need to realize that our ailing infrastructure hurts our wallets and our livelihoods. In fact, travel delays cost Washington State drivers and businesses more than 32 million hours a year, valued at over $1.1 billion annually.”

According to the Report Card, Washington’s roads and transit systems performed the worst of all evaluated sectors, both returning scores of D+.

Nine different categories were graded:

• Aviation earned a C grade as aging facilities, cumbersome land-use policies, and a lack of available funds have detrimental impacts on Washington’s aviation system.
• Bridges were awarded a C-, in part due to the nearly 400 structurally deficient bridges in Washington State. 36 percent of Washington’s bridges are past their design life of 50 years.
• Dams earned the highest grade in the Report Card: a B. However, close to 40 percent of Washington’s dams are categorized as significant or high hazard dams. A large proportion of dams in Washington are over 50 years old, and development downstream of many dams has significantly increased since the dams were built.
• Drinking Water earned a C-. While only a small percentage of the state’s population is served by smaller water systems serving 25 people or less, they account for 85 percent of the state’s water systems and are only regulated at the county level.
• Rail was awarded a C-, due to the concerning condition of some congested corridors and short line rails. By 2030, $2 billion worth of improvements are needed and 90 percent of these projects are unfunded.
• Roads earned one of the lowest grades in the Report Card: a D+. The system, much of which was built 50 to 60 years ago, is struggling under increasing traffic and financial pressure. Reduced maintenance has caused an 11 percent increase in state highway paving backlog and a 32 percent decrease in county road paving.
• Schools were awarded a mediocre grade of C, in part due to the fact that by 2018, 56 districts are anticipated to be under capacity by about 50,000 students. During the last decade, districts who attempt to raise capital for school facilities locally have faced a 50% failure rate with voters.
• Solid Waste/Hazardous Waste earned a C. Over 16 million tons of waste was generated in Washington by citizens, industry, and manufacturing in 2010.
• Transit earned a D+ grade, in part due to the pace of transit maintenance and expansion not keeping up as transit competes for scarce transportation dollars at the state and federal level.

To learn more, please visit www.infrastructurereportcard.org/washington/washington-overview/

Yesterday, the Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601). The final $12 billion package includes several of ASCE top priorities for WRDA such as the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program, the creation of a National Levee Safety Program, the eventual move toward trust in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, and reforms to accelerate project review and delivery.

The next step in the process is passage of the bill by the House of Representatives. This is where you come in. Reaching out to your legislator is important. Members of the House and Senate often tell us that they are influenced by their constituents and in particular, those whose voices are loudest. Make your voice heard and help represent our profession as experts on infrastructure.

The best way to demonstrate your support for WRDA and other legislation important to civil engineering is to visit with your lawmaker face-to-face.  You can do this by making an appointment to meet in their local district office, or by attending a Town Hall Meeting, fundraiser, or other local event – check your local news source or the lawmaker’s website for upcoming appearances.  ASCE has resources available to help you do this through the Key Contact Program.

If you can’t meet with your lawmaker, you can send an email voicing your support directly to your Representative. Don’t forget to point out why the Water Resources Development Act benefits not only your community, but strengthens the nation’s water infrastructure as a whole.  You can write an email to your Representative in a matter of minutes using ASCE’s “Click and Connect” Internet Advocacy Website. Just a few clicks of your mouse and your message will be on its way.

Another option is to write an opinion piece for your local newspaper. Don’t be intimidated – we have Op-ed samples and more information on the process to guide you. And a final option is to talk about the WRDA legislation with your colleagues, family and friends both in-person and online.  Encourage them to spread the word and reach out to their legislators. Together we can create a grassroots effort to make a difference on this issue.

For more information on this bill’s progress and why we consider it important, follow along on ASCE’s Save America’s Infrastructure blog. Our Government Relations staff is glad to help if you have any questions.

What other ways have you been involved in supporting legislative initiatives?

Audrey Caldwell

Senior Manager, Corporate Communications

The final $12 billion package includes several of ASCE top priorities for WRDA such as the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program, the creation of a National Levee Safety Program, the eventual move toward trust in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, and reforms to accelerate project review and delivery.

With Senate passage, attention now turns to the House, where things are moving at a slower pace. Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) has said his committee hopes to produce a bill by “summer-ish”, while some Republican aides have said that the committee hopes to take action in June on a WRDA package.

For now ASCE is pleased to see that WRDA is out of the Senate and urges the House to not be too far behind.

House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The draft legislation has drawn a vigorous response from the scientific committee.  A letter to Smith from six former NSF Directors stated, “ We believe that this draft legislation would replace the current merit-based system used to evaluate research and education proposals with a cumbersome and unrealistic certification process that rather than improving the quality of research would do just the opposite. The history of science and technology has shown that truly basic research often yields breakthroughs – including new technologies, markets and jobs – but that it is impossible to predict which projects (and which fields) will do that. Progress in science requires freedom to explore important questions regardless of where the answers may lead. Over the years, federal funding of basic research, using peer review evaluation, has led to vast improvements in health care, national security, and economic development.”

The draft also drew a sharp response from Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) the top Democrat on the Committee.  In a letter to Smith, Johnson called the draft legislation “the first step on a path that would destroy the merit-based review process at NSF and intrudes political pressure into what is widely viewed as the most effective and creative process for awarding research funds in the world.  It is this process that has supported the growth of the American research university system, and it is this process that has established the American research enterprise as innovation of our age.”

ASCE has joined with other scientific and engineering organizations in a letter to Smith urging him to withdraw the proposed legislation.   A copy of the current draft of the legislation is here.

The first hurdle for the bill, a vote on cloture, proved moot when Senators were able to provide unanimous consent to see the legislation move forward for debate Monday night. The reason for agreement was a manager’s amendment that Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member David Vitter (R-LA) put out, resolving some areas of concern that Senators had already voiced.

One of the biggest changes in the manger’s amendment ensures revenues collected into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) are used for intended purposes by gradually increasing the authorization level for the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) spending until an authorization level equivalent to full use is achieved in 2020.  The guarantee for full HMT revenue use, included in the Committee-passed bill, was removed due to the Appropriations Committee’s objection.  The manager’s amendment continues to cite that the increased appropriations cannot be achieved if funding is reduced in other areas of the Corps budget, but the point of order related to this provision was also removed.    For FY 2014, the appropriation would be $1 billion, with an additional $100,000 provided each fiscal year thereafter.  If this agreement is included in the final bill, it would result in a 14-15% increase in funds for FY 2014.

At this time ASCE asks Key Contacts to call their Senators and urge them to support WRDA. ASCE has been an advocate of the legislation and is pleased with several aspects of the bill including: the creation of a National Levee Safety Program, the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program, the restoration of trust in the the HMTF, and efforts to streamline the project delivery process. Currently it looks like the bill will come up for a final vote next week, so Senators need to hear from their constituents NOW.

Civil engineer and inventor John Hillman named by White House as Transportation Champion of Change

Imagine holding four U.S. patents for a landmark and unique bridge technology, more than a dozen foreign or pending patents and winning every major design and construction award available in the nation.  Now imagine all of this being accomplished by one individual – civil engineer John Hillman.

In a White House ceremony today, Hillman and 10 other notable individuals were recognized as Transportation Champions of Change for their exemplary work and leadership in developing and implementing transportation technology solutions to enhance performance, reduce congestion, improve safety and facilitate communication across the transportation industry at the local, state and national levels.

A structural engineer with more than 27 years of experience, Hillman’s more noteworthy achievements include managing the construction of a 1,263-foot incrementally launched bridge in Puerto Rico and the design and management of the award-winning 35th Street pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Ill.  He has also been the engineer of record for almost every type of bridge structure imaginable, including a cable-stay, an arch, a truss and a suspension bridge, as well as numerous conventional structures.

Despite an impressive array of world-class bridge designs, Hillman’s crowning achievement is the invention of the Hybrid-Composite Beam (HCB^®), a new type of structural beam developed for use in bridges and other structures.  This unique technology is a tied arch of concrete and steel contained in a composite shell that optimizes the structural performance of each material in the composition.  What results is an economical structural beam for railroads, highways and marine structures that offers a service life of more than 100 years.

The HCB provides for an economical application of advanced composites in infrastructure bridge technology, resulting in bridges that are stronger, safer, lighter, faster to install and much more sustainable than conventional bridge technologies.  To date, 24 HCB bridges have been constructed in seven different states, with many more in various stages of planning, design and construction.

According to Hillman, he became a civil engineer because he loves building things.  He said he gravitated towards bridges because literally and figuratively he gets to help people stay connected.

Hillman’s goal with the invention and development of the HCB is to provide a revolutionary bridge technology that not only remedies the state of the nation’s decaying bridges, but also provides a solution to the problem that will reduce the burden of infrastructure rehabilitation costs for future generations.

Here’s a video about other Champions of Change featuring an ASCE Past President, Kathy Caldwell.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Senate is expected to take up the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) when Senators return to Washington today. At this time, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said that he will hold a cloture vote on the legislation Monday evening. Cloture requires 60 votes and limits debate in order to block an attempt at a filibuster.

ASCE strongly urges the Senate to take up and pass S.601, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2013.  ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the nation’s ports a “C”, inland waterways a “D-”, dams a “D”, and levees a “D-”. Our nation’s water resources infrastructure is critical to our economy, public safety, and the preservation and enhancement of our environmental resources. In fact, ASCE’s Failure to Act economic study on the nation’s marine ports and inland waterways shows that underinvesting in just these two sectors threatens more than 1 million U.S. jobs and $270 billion in U.S. exports by 2020.

The current Senate bill makes a strong commitment to our nation’s critical water resources infrastructure and ASCE strongly supports language that:

• Creates a National Levee Safety Program;
• Reauthorizes the National Dam Safety Program;
• Restores trust to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund;
• Creates a new Water Infrastructure Finance Innovations Authority (WIFIA); and
• Streamlines the project approval process for water resources projects.

During debate ASCE urges the Senate to consider a nine cent increase in the user fee for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). The IWTF, which was created in 1978, now funds half the cost of new construction and major rehabilitation of the inland waterway infrastructure. Increasing the user fee on the inland waterways system from 20 cents per gallon to 29 cents is long overdue and will allow for an increase in overall spending on the system.

ASCE Key Contacts should reach out to their Senators and urge them to support WRDA when it reaches the Senate floor.

What advice would these former DOT heads have for the nominee who comes behind them?

“Perhaps start with ‘Our Father who art in heaven,’” joked Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation from 2001- 2006 under Bush. All six former Secretaries reiterated the same theme – take the lessons you learned from the outside but come to D.C. knowing that the USDOT staff are ready and able to advise on a successful path. Andrew Card, former Secretary of Transportation under President Bush mentioned that keeping peripheral vision as a leader can be challenging but important to achieving the goals you set out. Former Secretary Mary Peters, also under Bush, spoke to the need to set a “north star” for the staff in order to achieve what’s needed in the short timeframe before the next transportation bill.

What conversations did former Secretaries have with their President to set the agenda?

Former Secretary Rodney Slater who lead the USDOT during President Clinton’s mantra of “It’s the economy stupid” said that aligning their agenda to the President’s began with shifting how they even talked about transportation.  During a time of reinventing government, the USDOT agenda was about what connected us and what moves us forward as a country emphasizing how we use transportation to connect people to opportunities and how transportation  gives us an easy reach to markets, both globally and locally. However, not every Secretary had a direct conversation with the President to set their agenda. After working for President Reagan for years, former Secretary James Burnley knew exactly what the priorities were.  However, they worked closely on some interesting discussions that are still relevant today including where the air traffic control division would be spun off of FAA similar to Canada.

Want to find out more?

Read the President’s Announcement of Foxx

Read the Miller Center’s Reports on Transportation Policy