Our Failing Infrastructure

The news this morning wasn’t good: unemployment in October climbed to a twenty-five year high of 10.2 percent and is expected to grow. More troubling for those of us in the infrastructure field, last month the economy also lost about 62,000 construction jobs. While the Obama administration estimates on recovery.gov that as of October 30, 640,329 jobs have either been created or saved by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, clearly more must be done to stem the tide of continuing job losses.

You know another thing that’s still not getting any better? Yep, that’s right, you guessed it- the nation’s failing infrastructure! It’s been almost 10 months since ASCE graded the nation’s infrastructure at a D and estimated that it would cost $2.2 trillion over five years to bring it up to a good condition – and so far not much has changed.

So bad news all around, right? Well, if you don’t want to be too depressed on a Friday afternoon, why not take this opportunity to help put some of this right. We need engineers and anyone who cares about infrastructure to contact their legislators in support of these crucial issues that will improve infrastructure and put people to work:

1.                  Surface Transportation System Authorization – the nation’s transportation system has been operating on short-term extensions since SAFETEA-LU expired in September. This lack of action on new policy is keeping states from making long-term transportation plans or hiring new workers. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) this week called waiting on an authorization “wrong-headed” when so many people are out of work. Click here to send a message to your legislators instantly.

2.                  Clean Water Trust Fund – the nation’s water infrastructure system faces hundreds of billions of dollars worth of repairs, and yet no sustainable federal revenue source exists to pay for those needs. The Trust Fund would collect money from polluters and those who use water systems for product disposal and distribute it in a consistent manner to states for repair and rehabilitation of essential drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities.  The Fund would raise an estimated $11 billion per year through 2015. Click here to send a message to your legislators instantly.

3.                  Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act – across the country, thousands of dams are aging. Most of these dams were built prior to development down stream, and now, should they fail, could cause major loss of life and property. The Dam Rehab bill would create a grant program to help states repair and modernize threatened dams. Click here to send a message to your legislators instantly.

The speedier travel time, more reliable water systems, and protection from unsafe dams should be reason enough to support any of these above issues. But think about the job someone would get designing, building, or maintaining any of this infrastructure and these pieces of legislation take on even more importance. So ask your elected officials for support today and let people in your community know how important a safe and efficient infrastructure is to our economy. 

Could you be the next infrastructure TV star? A nationwide search is underway to find a host for a new major cable network series that will focus on exposing the nation’s failing infrastructure and advocating for restoration and repair.

ASCE is sending out a casting call for potential hosts because who better to teach the public about infrastructure than civil engineers who design it, build it, and maintain it.

The show’s host will have a dogged dedication to exposing neglected infrastructure, and the fearlessness it takes to stand face-to-face with the powers-that-be and demand change.

If you have good communication skills, a wide array of engineering experiences and are committed to improving the nation’s infrastructure, this could be the opportunity for you! Previous on-camera experience is not required. All candidates must submit a bio/resume, recent headshot and candid photo(s), and a statement explaining what makes you a good candidate. Video statements are a plus.

Nominations are due no later than October 30.

For more information or to submit your nomination, send an email to castingcall@asce.org.

The contributors on the National Journal’s Transportation Experts Blog this week are debating how transportation improvements and transformations can make communities more livable. As one of the key goals of the Obama administration, livability is sure to be a hot topic for the next few years. Already, the administration has announced a partnership between the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and the Envrionmental Protection Agency to start developing a game plan.

ASCE is pleased to see this shift in thinking and has long advocated for more coordination between infrastructure plans. These livability goals, however, will not be acheived overnight. ASCE’s Executive Director says on the blog that we need to start these plans, but in the short run encourage people to change some of their transportation habits by doing things such as telecommuting or working flexible schedules.

Most everyone agrees that the nation’s transportation infrastructure is in serious condition and that we have to take dramatic action to repair and improve it so we can continue to enjoy its benefits and grow as a nation. Some of the changes we need to make are structural, but many will involve changing our behavior. As we look to plan and design our transportation system of the future, community livability and sustainability will have to be priorities.

Civil engineers have long advocated for mode-neutral planning and increased intermodalism. As we plan the communities of tomorrow, we need to do a better job pairing needs with transportation plans. We also have to give people better alternatives to driving than the ones that already exist. ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure found that only half of Americans have access to public transportation and that only about a quarter of those people consider it a “good” option.

 

To read the rest of the response and see what other contributors are saying, click here.

This week’s topic on the National Journal’s Tranportation Expert’s Blog wonders about the ability to increase the federal gas tax when anti-tax sentiment can be so passionate.

ASCE’s Executive Director, Pat Natale says:

The “Tea Party” protest that descended on the National Mall this month reminds us that any mention of a tax increase galvanizes a loud and passionate opposition. The anti-tax sentiment is a strong force, but advocates for a safe and efficient transportation system are capable of meeting the challenge as long as we are as willing as the other side to stand up for our principles.

The message may not fit on a bumper sticker as easily as an anti-tax sound bite, but we should still endeavor to inform the public about the benefits of increasing the gas tax. ASCE estimates that almost $740 billion is needed over the next 5 years to bring the road and transit systems up to a “good” level – and that doesn’t take into account the fact that by 2010 the gas tax will have lost half of its purchasing power since it was last raised in 1993. The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission and the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission agree that we must raise the gas tax and the federal government needs to take an increased role in surface transportation…

To read the rest of his response and to learn what other contributors on the blog think, go to National Journal.

***** ALSO: Don’t forget!!!**** SAFETEA-LU expires tomorrow (September 30, 2009) take this chance to contact your Senators and ask them to support a three month extension of the bill so final details of a full six year bill can be worked out. Send an instant email from ASCE’s Click and Connect with Congress Advocacy Website.

Thanks to the quick action of ASCE Key Contacts who called their legislators urging support, the U.S. House of Representatives voted last night to approve a three month extension of the federal highway and transit program. The current law authorizing those programs, SAFETEA-LU, expires September 30. The final vote on the extension was passed with what seems like a by a vote of 335 to 85. The bill passed with a majority of Republican members voting in favor, despite the party’s opposition to the bill.

As Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the bill’s sponsor, made clear in his floor speech, transportation has traditionally been a bipartisan issue because everyone realized how integral a safe and efficient system is to the health and economic stability of our country. Just like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed earlier this year, the surface transportation bill will be a tool for maintaining our competiveness and creating economic growth and jobs.

What seems to make the Republican leadership oppose efforts Oberstar’s proposals for the nation’s transportation system is the question of a gas tax increase. It’s no secret and it’s not surprising that Mr. Oberstar is in favor of a gas tax increase (as is ASCE and a number of Republicans including T&I Committee Ranking Member John Mica). The gas tax is a user fee: drivers pay it as the cost to use the roads, and that money goes directly to maintaining and building new roads. Unfortunately, the cost of building and maintaining roads and transit systems has gone up and the gas tax hasn’t increased since 1993 to meet those rising costs.

Raising taxes will always cause a stir, but when it comes to transportation - the means for getting to work, getting the goods and services we demand, and seeing our loved ones - let’s all pitch in to inform the public (and Members of Congress) how important new revenues are.

If you want all the details leading up to passage of the extension, the Congressional Record has the full transcript here.

As designers, builders, and maintainers of the nation’s infrastructure, civil engineers have long urged the immediate reauthorization of the federal surface transportation program to ensure vital investments that protect health and safety and keep the economy moving are made. As the current law, SAFETEA-LU, is about to expire on September 30, ASCE is joined by many of the nation’s leading business groups to push for action now.

Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Trucking Association, and the American Automobile Association sent a joint letter to Congress and the Obama administration asking for prompt action on surface transportation legislation. In the letter the group states,

Our groups represent the users of the system – individuals and businesses that move on our nation’s transportation network. We are the payers of that system. And as payers we know the value that strategic capital investments provide to our national highway, bridge, and public transportation network. These public assets pay dividends to American families, businesses, and the U.S. economy and deliver a long-term value that far exceeds their initial cost

 

Similar to ASCE, these user groups not only want prompt action on transportation legislation, they want the new revenues needed to back it up. All groups are open to any type of financing mechanism, but all agree that increasing the federal motor fuels tax is the easiest and most effective way to ensure that the nation’s transportation system gets the funding it needs.

If transportation groups, a.k.a. the people who will be paying the higher fuel taxes, are willing to put their money where their mouths are, why won’t Congress? That across the board support, combined with record high traffic congestion and unemployment, makes it seem like putting people to work to ease the back-up would be a no brainer.

The infrastructure investments made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were a good start at repairing failing infrastructure and putting people to work, but they won’t last forever. Let’s take this opportunity to keep the nation’s economy and safety on track.

Click here to send your Congressional representatives a message supporting action on transportation legislation.

Keep up to date on all developments on surface transportation on ASCE’s Transportation Action Page. 

That’s the question this week on the National Journal’s Transportation Experts Blog - ASCE’s answer is, yes, definitely!

Freight today rarely travels by truck alone, and the transfer from one mode to the next often adds to costly delays and pollution from idling vehicles. The needs of our global economy demand that we start enhancing and improving connectivity and service to the major intermodal terminals including seaports, airports, rail terminals, ports of entry and inland intermodal terminals. To do this, programs at every level of government need to use a wide range of multimodal options and new technologies when developing their transportation plans. Of course, the key question in all of this is: How do we pay for it?

To read the full post, click here.

The question this week on the National Journal’s Transporation Experts Blog asks if states should be allowed to toll exisitng interstates. ASCE’s Executive Director Pat Natale says yes, but cautions that tolls won’t fix all our transportation woes.

While it won’t be the ‘silver bullet’, we absolutely should consider tolling, even on existing interstate highways, as one of the tools in the solutions toolbox. Over the next five years, funding needs will outpace spending on roads and bridges by nearly $550 billion. With a problem of that magnitude, we can’t afford to take any revenue options off the table when we talk about solutions. And, if we are to have any long-term success, users are going to have to learn to associate an appropriate cost with the benefits they reap.

What we need is a bundle of options targeted at specific goals, such as system preservation, congestion relief and environmental quality. Included in that bundle will have to be things like increasing the use of PPPs, raising the federal gas tax and utilizing infrastructure banks.

Go to the Blog to read the rest of Natale’s and the other Experts’ responses.

My friend/co-worker lives pretty close to one of the bridges linking Virginia and the District of Columbia and has found that riding her bike to our office is a great way to add some exercise into her busy schedule. While it’s not that great on these hot August days, she’s found that in the fall and late spring, biking to work is a cost-effective and scenic alternative to riding the Metro.

From jaunted.com

SmartBike DC allows residents to pay a small yearly fee for access to bikes all over the city. The program, first in it’s kind in the U.S., is designed to help people go short distances that might be a bit far to walk without having to use their cars. As we strive to build more “livable” communities, we need more programs that show people they can move around easily without cars.

Despite this effort, we’ve still got a long way to go before everyone hops on their old 10-speed on the way to work. Over 800 people are killed every year in accidents involving motor vehicles and bikes - and thousands more are injured. Not having ridden a bike myself since I was about 12, and even then not being that proficient, it is a bit daunting for me to get out on the road with traffic wizzing by. That’s why transportation planners need to integrate bike facilities into roadway plans.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends that all roads, except interstates, should be designed under the assumption that they will be used by cyclists. That means wider lanes or even dedicated bike lanes. Also, bike paths through parkland need regular maintenance to funnel bike traffic off the already clogged streets.

Will biking solve all our transportation infrastructure problems and is it the right choice for everyone? Of course not, but every little bit helps. So if you have the opportunity and the interest, why not get a car off the road or a rider off the train and grab a bike?

You may have heard news reports of unruly Town Hall Meetings with legislators across the country, in most cases centered on the issue of healthcare reform.  Many civil engineers (and other citizens) may be thinking, “I don’t want to get involved in that mess!”

Town Hall Meetings are the very essence of democracy.  They present a chance for citizens to confront those elected to represent them in government directly.  The hope is that all involved will treat others with respect, but news reports have shown that this is not always the case.  While it is tempting to lament the loss of decorum and respect, we should also reflect on the thought that people still care enough to make the effort to get their voices heard.  Despite negative campaigning and lackluster approval ratings, we have not totally given up on the democratic process.

In short, citizens and lawmakers should not shy away from these opportunities for engagement! 

ASCE’s Report Card for America’s Infrastructure is designed in a way so as to make the most challenging and complex problems facing the nation’s infrastructure, understandable by the average person. Summer town hall meetings are the perfect opportunity to share that message.  And who knows, people might list that much more if you’re the one person there not talking about health care!

A few tips to help you get something out of your next Town Hall Meeting:

• Arrive early to get a seat and possibly meet with an elected official’s staff on hand for the event, or maybe even the elected official himself/herself.
• Always treat elected officials and staff with respect for their position and the office, even if you don’t agree with the opinions and actions of the individual that currently holds office.
  Don’t be afraid to bring up a subject not listed on the agenda.
• Even if you’re not comfortable speaking in front of the group, you can still interact with elected officials and staff before and after the program.
• Keep your remarks brief, whether addressing the assembled group or in one-on-one interactions before and after.  If the topic demands more than a few minutes of discussion, ask to set up a meeting in the lawmaker’s district office at a later date.
• Download briefing information from the ASCE Government Relations webpage and the Report Card Advocacy Site  to learn background on the issues to share with your lawmakers and their staff.
• Provide feedback to ASCE through the grassroots activity form.

Remember, there are other ways to interact with your lawmakers besides potentially contentious Town Hall Meetings:  write a message using the Report Card Advocacy site or request a one-on-one visit with your lawmaker in his or her district office.