Last week in Washington, D.C., it was my privilege to meet more than 160 ASCE members who considered getting the message of infrastructure investment to Congress so important, they came in person to Washington for ASCE’s Legislative Fly-In. They fanned out to share civil engineers’ perspectives at more than 240 congressional offices, and heard a special address from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who said Congress needs to “put partisan politics aside for one day and pass the transportation bill.”

This year’s Fly-In could not have been more timely, as Congress is facing a deadline of this Saturday, March 31, to renew surface transportation programs instead of granting a ninth extension. Because the Senate passed its version two weeks ago, a two-year, $109 billion reauthorization, the focus right now is on the House of Representatives, which is struggling to find consensus on a plan. If the House approves a plan that differs markedly from the Senate’s, the two will need to be reconciled and voted on again – by Saturday night.

We need the well-paved certainty of a multi-year renewal, not another mediocre patch job extension. This week, help your fellow ASCE members follow up on their Fly-In visits and at the same time, urge your House members and Senators to renew surface transportation programs by the Saturday deadline. Send messages to your elected officials easily through ASCE’s Click & Connect with Congress web page.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

I’m back from a trip to Spain in my official capacity as ASCE President, and as these pictures will attest, I saw examples of civil engineering at its most resilient, and at the cutting edge. Above, my wife Linda and I saw the Roman aqueduct at Segovia. In the U.S., we worry about 100-year-old pipes, yet this marvelous ancient infrastructure is still serving its purpose some 1,900 years after it was built. At right, I was granted a rare view of the engineer’s seat in the high-speed AVE (Alta Velocidad Espanola) train to Valencia from Madrid. The speedometer reads 300 km per hour!

The main purpose of my trip was to share our Vision 2025 message with the Asociación de Ingenieros de Caminos (Spanish Association of Civil Engineering) at their sixth annual congress in Valencia. I also took part in a panel discussion and signed an agreement of cooperation with the association.

In your travels to other countries, how much do you take note of the infrastructure? And what does it make you think and feel as you compare it with what you know back home?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

On an official ASCE President’s trip last week to the University of Michigan, I had a great experience meeting the inspiring civil engineering students there and touring the university’s labs. There, I was exposed to an example of engineering progress that can help you make the case that spending extra now to do something right will lead to greater savings over the long haul.

The university has developed a high strength, high ductility concrete that is helping Michigan DOT replace deck joints with a material that will last 20 years, not the typical five years of a normal replacement. Although the kicker is the new concrete costs twice as much, it’s pretty clear to see that spending double now for something that lasts four times as long will mean a savings of 50 percent over the life cycle of that replacement.

One of the ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure’s “5 Key Solutions” to raise the grades is to “address life-cycle costs and ongoing maintenance to meet the needs of current and future users.” The new concrete I saw at the University of Michigan and how it was used fits the bill perfectly.

In your designs and other work, how much of a priority do you give life-cycle costs? Can you relay an experience when you had a tough time persuading clients, be they private or government, that an initially costlier option was a better one in the long term? Did you win or lose that battle? Have any suggestions for coming out on top in those debates?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

I don’t need to tell you that ASCE has been working hard to persuade lawmakers at the federal, state and local levels of the urgency to invest in overhauling the nation’s aging  infrastructure. I have had the opportunity to take the case to Capitol Hill on behalf of ASCE, giving testimony before Congressional committees several times in the past few years. So it was gratifying to read a call to action Wednesday by the highly regarded government consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

I especially liked a comment in Booz Allen’s press release from Executive Vice President Mark Gerencser. Regarding the effect our polarized politics has had, Gerencser said “A lack of harmony in the political process is limiting our ability to accomplish the big things that are required to rebuild America’s infrastructure.”

In the context of the State of the Union address President Obama is set to deliver Tuesday, January 24th (remember his emphasis on infrastructure in last year’s address?), the release also outlines eight essentials that they say must be part of any discussion on revitalizing our infrastructure. And they are not all about throwing money at the problem; indeed one states “We cannot afford to buy our way out.” Another calls for regional, holistic approaches that encourage the creation of new ways for states and municipalities to work together on beneficial projects that straddle borders. I could see ASCE’s Five Key Solutions to raise the 2009 Report Card grades within their eight essentials.

I encourage you to read Booz Allen’s eight essentials, and share what you think of them in the comments below. Which do you agree with? Which do you take issue with?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

While I love the holiday season, I’m already looking ahead to another of my favorite seasons. Each year, from winter into spring, we engage in a celebration of our profession, sharing our love for engineering with everyone from schoolkids on up to adults, culminating in Engineers Week in February.

Civil engineers are among the most active volunteers, and with good cause.  Civil engineering is truly everywhere, and kids respond well to efforts that explain the important role civil engineering plays in their everyday lives. When was the last time you shared this message in the classroom of a child you know?  Or perhaps more importantly, when was the last time you thanked a volunteer who has made it their passion to reach out to the next generation for the sake of the profession?

ASCE is planning to recognize volunteers as part of its Engineers Week celebration. We are asking every Section and Branch to think about the work done by their local volunteers in the past year to promote the profession, and to name an individual whose efforts are worthy of a little extra recognition. To make submitting your volunteer’s name a little easier, there’s an online form.

This special group of volunteers will be cited as champions during the awards luncheons at the Multi-Regional Leadership Conferences, and I will be there to congratulate this year’s honorees and to personally thank them for their dedication and involvement. During Engineers’ Week, these Champions will be further recognized and be presented with a small token of appreciation from the Society.

I encourage you to join other professionals in initiating or taking part in Engineers Week volunteer activities. In the weeks leading up to and including February 19-25, make it a point to celebrate engineering, to volunteer or thank a volunteer, and to help kids discover the important role that engineering plays in their lives.

Have you volunteered for Engineers Week activities in past years? Help inspire others by talking about your experiences in the comments below.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Reading the obituaries recently in The New York Times, I had to conclude – no engineers died today!

I could have seen that literally as a good thing – no engineers died – but though we think we are immortal, engineers do die. It could also be seen as “no important engineers died today,” but looking back through a week’s editions of the Times, no deaths were noted for engineers of any caliber. And I happen to know at least one prominent New York City engineer who died recently.

So who was considered worthy of an obituary this week? A radio sound effects man, a big band singer, a nurse, a writer, a surgeon, two baseball players, an illustrator, a clothes designer, a costume designer, a corporate president, a TV personality, a shoe designer, a restaurant owner, a country song writer, a producer, and a physicist. There were quite a number of people from all walks of life, it seemed, but no engineers.

Could it be no one notices engineers in life or death, even though the infrastructure that makes life work for all the other people whose deaths were recorded by the Times was planned, designed, built, maintained, and rehabilitated by engineers?

On my wall I have a poster from ACEC that says, “You can’t  –  drive to work, cook that pot roast, bake that cake, shower after jogging, watch 60 minutes, toast the bread, brew the coffee, call your mother, be cool in summer, wash your sweat suit, dine out, play computer games, medicate your colds, build your new house, listen to “ol’ blue eyes,” ride your bike, video that wedding, vacuum that rug, recycle your garbage, play baseball at night, be warm in the winter, fly to Hawaii, check the time, flush the toilet, buy a fresh tomato in winter, fill that cavity, use the cash machine, mail those letters –  without an engineer.”

Engineers, though labeled trustworthy by the public, get virtually no respect or recognition for what we do. It’s probably our fault. We are by our training a modest group, we don’t look for glory, and it sure doesn’t seek us out.

This may be why infrastructure is taken for granted. We don’t publicize it, but it works and not only improves our way of life but is the basis for our way of life. Since we don’t publicize the importance of infrastructure, it is for the most part ignored; it falls behind other areas whose groups are more vocal in advocating for dollars. However, it is getting to the point that the American public can’t ignore its condition much longer as we have not invested adequately in our infrastructure for decades.

Several recent economic studies, including ASCE’s own, show that just investing at our present levels will seriously affect Americans’ way of life in the next two decades, with a decrease in our standard of living, a hit to our GDP, continued job losses, and additional costs to businesses.

Try as we might, how will we get the public to recognize the importance of engineers and infrastructure in their daily lives? We can’t even get The New York Times to notice that an engineer died.

I welcome your reactions and suggestions in the comments below.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Thanks for visiting my first blog as ASCE’s President. This forum will give me the opportunity to discuss what’s happening in the world of civil engineering and at ASCE. I welcome your comments on my posts and if you have a good point or a question, I’ll do my best to reply.

As ASCE’s 2012 president, I intend to spread our message on the poor condition of and the urgent need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure. The Washington Post’s Business section recently produced an exceptional special report on infrastructure. Not only does it help get the message out to its influential readers, but the Post’s reporting will also provide inspiration for making the case yourself for investment at the state and local level.

A column by Barry Ritholtz states articulately and bluntly how dire the situation is: “If you have spent much time traveling around the United States, you likely have noticed that our infrastructure looks a bit worn and tired and in need of some refreshing. If you spend much time traveling around the world, however, you will notice that our infrastructure is shockingly bad. So bad that it’s not an exaggeration to declare it a national disgrace, a global embarrassment and a massive security risk.”

Ritholtz also cites ASCE’s 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure and its overall grade of “D,” then highlights the contrast between investment need and what’s being proposed. He notes how recent proposals for $50 billion in spending seem slight in the context of our Report Card’s call for $1.1 trillion in additional investment over five years to raise the country’s grade from its present “D” to a “B”.

The Post also offered a peek inside the current thinking of lawmakers, administrators and others in Washington with an online discussion (see video highlights.) Plus the paper included special written commentary from many of the same participants. These included House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John L. Mica (R-FL), and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who said straight out, “We need to find pots of money to do big things and to leverage that money against private money in the country. No better way to do it than the infrastructure bank.”

The section’s main feature looks at the pros and cons of privately funded infrastructure. Check out the Post’s special infrastructure content, and come back here to the blog to share your impressions in the comment section.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Here’s a video profile of Andy that was shown at his inauguration on Oct. 21, at ASCE’s 141st Annual Conference in Memphis.

Be Sociable, Share!

•