New Highway Bill Proposed; Nation’s Patience Wearing Thin
October 23, 2015
With just six days left until MAP-21’s expiration, all eyes are looking to the U.S. House to pass a long-term surface transportation bill. Yet, even if they do so by next week, another extension of MAP-21 will be necessary in order to iron out differences between the House and Senate-passed bills. Earlier this week, the......
House Unveils Surface Transportation Bill
October 19, 2015
On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unveiled a six-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. The bipartisan legislation, titled, the Surface Transportation Re-authorization and Reform Act (STRRA) of 2015, contains three years of flat-level funding for highway and transit programs and will be marked-up......
Water Infrastructure Tested as Transportation Funding Deadline Approaches
October 16, 2015
Flash floods, water main breaks and lingering damage from dam failures in South Carolina due to flooding have drenched the news headlines this week. Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the House is scrambling to come up with a plan for reauthorizing the surface transportation bill before the Oct. 29 deadline. Yesterday, the House Committee on Transportation......
It’s Off to the Races on a House Highway & Transit Bill
October 14, 2015
Today, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Bill Shuster (R-PA) announced that his committee would be holding a mark-up of a surface transportation authorization bill on October 22. The bill, text of which has not yet been finalized is titled, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act......
Dagher to be recognized by White House for Composite Arch Bridges
October 09, 2015
Could it be possible to construct a bridge in two weeks that lasts up to 100 years, has similar costs as a regular steel and concrete bridge, and requires minimal maintenance? It may seem farfetched, but ASCE member and Founding Director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center Dr. Habib Dagher, invented......
Join in the National Imagine a Day Without Water
October 06, 2015
There is a water main break every two minutes in the U.S. For such a valuable resource, we are not prioritizing it in the way we should. As cliché as it may sound, water makes everything possible. Morning coffee, fighting fires, manufacturing blue jeans, growing apples, and visiting a water park all require water. Across......
How long can 2015 infrastructure live off 1993 dollars?
October 02, 2015
With the passage of short-term FAA funding reauthorization, New York releasing its state infrastructure report card and more states prioritizing their infrastructure needs, Congress must now turn its attention to passing a long-term transportation bill before Oct. 29. This week, Congress approved a six-month extension of current aviation funding and policy that will keep projects......
New York Infrastructure Report Card
September 29, 2015
In the inaugural 2015 Report Card for New York’s Infrastructure released today, the state received an overall grade of “C-” from the New York Council of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Assessing nine categories, the report finds that the state’s roads and bridges are among the categories most in need of repair, receiving grades......
Transit and Water Needs Capture Media Attention
September 25, 2015
With the Pope making his way across our northeastern cities, the topic of traffic congestion was a popular one, highlighting our nation’s transportation needs. The Onion even joked that the Pope even tried to improve the nation’s ailing infrastructure. While not directly related to the Pope’s visit, this week in D.C., the subway system suffered......
A Simple Action’s Torturous Path
September 25, 2015
With the agreement by the House on September 16th to changes made by the Senate, H.R. 23, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015, is on its way to the President’s desk and likely approval. The House action completes a six year path to reauthorization of a small government program that almost no......