Podcast: The Infrastructure Show

Throughout history, materials used for infrastructure and transportation-related projects have followed a continuous course of development and change – from the first use of concrete in bridges by the Romans, to the first steel bridge, the Eads Bridge, built in 1874, and more recently to railroad bridges made of recycled plastic, something we discussed in a recent Infrastructure Show podcast. The hosts discuss this topic of new materials with one of the country’s top experts on the topic – architect Blaine Brownell, an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture, College of Design, and the author of the acclaimed book Transmaterials, which includes information on hundreds of innovative new materials for architecture. He also leads the design and research firm Transstudio

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there are currently more than 85,000 dams in the U.S. Surprisingly, the majority of these dams are privately owned – the Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates that fraction number at 65%. These private dams are under state regulation, but many state dam offices lack adequate operating funds, and as well, states differ widely regarding their safety standards. The publicized failures of two private dams this year – the 300-year-old Freetown, Massachusetts dam in March and the Lake Delhi dam in Iowa in July – have brought attention to the safety of privately owned dams. Just how safe are they? And who is responsible when they fail? The hosts discuss this topic with David Gutierrez of the California Department of Water Resources. He is Acting Chief in the Division of Dam Safety, and also is the current President of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials

The target condition for physical infrastructure on mass transit facilities in the United States is called the state of good repair, or SGR. The concept of the state of good repair is used to help gauge current and future needs for repairing and renewing buses, rail cars, bridges, and track. Based on analyses conducted by U.S. public transit systems, mandated by the U.S. Federal Transit Administration, many facilities have not met this mark, in large measure because of insufficient funding. The challenge faced by transit operators today, particularly managers of the oldest systems in the country, is to meet, or come close to that target with available resources. The hosts discuss this important topic with Christopher Boylan, Deputy Executive Director, Corporate and Community Affairs for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who will discuss the SGR challenges involved in managing the MTA

The inland waterway system of the United States, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, includes 12,000 miles of commercially navigable rivers, canals and other waterways, and 240 locks. This system, which includes the Mississippi, Ohio, Columbia-Snake River systems and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, allows barges to transport cargo among 21 states. For bulk cargoes, barges are not only more fuel efficient than trucks and trains, but have fewer societal impacts as well. Yet, perhaps because the waterways are a rather hidden infrastructure, making the case for increased funding can be a challenge. How do we go about placing a value on this essential part of the infrastructure, and communicating this value to the public and decision-makers? The hosts discuss this topic with Bruce Lambert, Executive Director of the Institute for Trade and Transportation Studies, a multistate research institute – an economist whose prior position was as Senior Economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Institute of Water Resources

Two major earthquakes happening within a month of each other in early 2010 galvanized the world’s attention. Highly publicized was the role that building codes played in the differing losses of life in the two events, in Haiti and Chile. What are the implications of a mega-quake for buildings and other structures in the U.S.? Some people looking for the next “Big One” in this country are predicting the San Andreas Fault in California, others the Cascadia Fault near the Pacific Northwest or the New Madrid Fault in the Midwest. The hosts talks about this important topic with Dr. Sharon Wood, Civil Engineering Professor and Department Chair at the University of Texas-Austin

Corrosion of steel bridges, and of reinforcing steel in concrete bridges, is a major cause of bridge deterioration. The search for a wonder material that bears heavy loads, yet won’t corrode, has been a dream of infrastructure engineers for many years. And now perhaps such a material’s time has come. Recycled structural plastic composite – or RSPC – has been tested since the 1990s, beginning with railroad ties. More recently RSPC is being used in bridges of increasing size. This material is made of recycled plastics, such as milk containers and car bumpers, which might otherwise end up in landfills. The hosts talk with Vijay Chandra of Parsons Brinkerhoff, the principal in charge of the design of two RSPC rail bridges in Ft. Eustis, VA. They discuss the project – the largest bridges built to date of RSPC, to support the heaviest loads (120-ton locomotives used by the U.S. Army) – and also the potential for the use of this environmentally friendly material in future infrastructure projects

To sustain America’s infrastructure in the decades ahead, the critical issue is financing. This segment differs from the usual format in that there is no guest; instead the hosts discuss financing issues and options that have been touched on in some of the past podcasts. Each year the gap between U.S. infrastructure needs and available resources has been increasing. Where will the money come from to keep the system together, maintain it, sustain the quality of service and condition, and extend its life? The hosts discuss pricing highway use, raising transit fares, increasing fuel, sales, and other taxes, and other options for paying for infrastructure. They touch on the issue of fairness to low-income citizens, and dilemmas caused by political pressure. In many developed countries, citizens are willing to pay higher taxes and fees for their infrastructure. But Americans commonly expect we should get more for less. The hosts discuss how we can achieve the long-term thinking needed to address critical infrastructure funding

The pedal-driven, human-powered vehicle we know as the bicycle was invented in the 19th century. In many parts of the world today, bicycles are the main means of transport, and throughout the world they are important for use as recreational vehicles. Bicycles provide an economical, energy-efficient, low-emissions means of transporting people and cargo. For almost a century, however, the automobile has dominated non-motorized travel in developed countries. The bicycle has been regaining popularity in developed countries because of its appeal as a soft, energy-efficient mode of travel, and because of the exercise value it brings. Yet integrating bicycle traffic with automobile traffic involves a complex mix of city planning and road planning and design. European countries have been making significant advances in bicycle transportation over several decades, and now the U.S. is starting to catch up, with progress of its own. The hosts discuss this interesting topic with Gabe Rousseau, Manager of the Federal Highway Administration’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program

The topic of this podcast is America’s power infrastructure — the power plants and transmission lines that make up the electric grid. Seventy years ago, in 1940, only 10% of energy in this country was used to produce electricity. Growing population and rapidly changing technologies have pushed this percentage to 40%, and the percentage is rising. While the country has been steadily adding electrical generation capacity, a key problem is that the transmission network in many areas of the country is outdated and can’t handle the peak demand for electricity. The hosts talk with Mark McGranaghan, Director-Distribution Research, for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

In 2006, following the damage done by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congress authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin a number of projects designed to reduce the risk to the New Orleans metropolitan area from a 100-year storm. One of the largest projects in the plan is the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lake Borgne Surge Reduction Project – or IHNC Surge Barrier for short. It is the largest surge barrier of its kind in the world, stretching about 2 miles across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River Outlet. Its purpose is to reduce the risk of storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Borgne, protecting some of the most vulnerable areas in the region, including New Orleans East, New Orleans Metro, the 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish. It is the largest design/build civil works project that the Corps has ever built, estimated to cost about $1.3 billion. The hosts talk with Rick Kendrick, Chief of Program Execution for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Protection Office in New Orleans, which is overseeing approximately $5.9 billion of risk reduction construction projects in Southeast Louisiana, including the IHNC Surge Barrier