Congress Looks to Protect Transit and Passenger Rail During COVID-19
March 23, 2020
With negotiations in Congress underway over a third economic stimulus bill that would address the devastating economic impacts of COVID-19 (coronavirus), lawmakers have moved to address key components of our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure, such as transit, which has been severely impacted. Transit agencies across the nation are currently experiencing unique challenges. The Port Authority......
Civil Engineers Outline Most Pressing Infrastructure Priorities for COVID-19 Relief
March 20, 2020
The following is a statement by Tom Smith, Executive Director, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) on infrastructure investment in further COVID-19 stimulus packages: “In this time of crisis, it is crucial that we not forget about the systems that keep our economy moving and are so critical to public health and safety, including transit,......
COVID -19 Hits Infrastructure Sectors
March 20, 2020
With the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic now impacting all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico, life as we know it has ground to a halt. This has cascading impacts on the infrastructure sectors that engineers work on – from declining infrastructure revenue sources, such as state DOT and transit agency budgets, to delayed projects across the......
Senate Panel Begins Work on Transit Reauthorization Bill
February 26, 2020
In historic fashion this week, the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee heard the perspectives of national stakeholders on transit investment needs for the upcoming reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. This was the first public hearing, other than nominations, that the Committee has held on transit infrastructure in several reauthorization cycles, and......
Highway Trust Fund Remains in Trouble
February 05, 2020
As we approach the expiration of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, both the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO)have issued reports highlighting the long-term financial health of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). First established in 1956, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is the federal fund that pays for bridges, roads,......
Colorado’s Infrastructure Earns a Mediocre Grade of “C-”
January 30, 2020
Colorado’s roads and bridges are sitting better than the national average, but funding is being stretched to modernize infrastructure with a growing population. Today at the Colorado State Capitol, the Colorado ASCE Section unveiled the full report card, giving 14 categories of infrastructure an overall ‘C-.’ Infrastructure categories included aviation, roads, bridges, energy, schools, hazardous......
Where do the 2020 Presidential Candidates Stand on Infrastructure?
January 24, 2020
As we inch closer to the caucuses, Democratic candidates are running out of time to release tangible policy solutions which focus on the issues that are most critical to the majority of Americans. One of those issues, which 90 percent of Americans support, continues to be the condition of our nation’s infrastructure. So far, four......
SMART Infrastructure Act Puts Public Safety At Risk
January 09, 2020
Bipartisan legislation is hard to come by these days in Congress, which is why the Sustainable Municipal Access to Resilient Technology in Infrastructure, or SMART Act, may look good at first glance, however; this bill could do more harm than good in terms of moving America’s infrastructure into the 21st century. Engineers design, build, and......
Congress Averts Shutdown Approving Sweeping Spending Deal
December 20, 2019
In the midst of the political turmoil and tensions on Capitol Hill and the deadline to fund the government looms, Congress simultaneously reached a bipartisan $1.4 trillion spending package that funds the government through September 2020. This spending package includes core infrastructure programs for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Congressional leadership developed two ‘minibuses’ (H.R. 1865......
November 21, 2019
We rely on our infrastructure every day, but on Thanksgiving, it’s especially clear that our built systems play a critical role in supporting or lives. As you head to the airport, board a train, or get behind the wheel, consider the effort required to maintain and enhance the infrastructure that gets us to and from......