April 16, 2014
Reston, Va. – The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) regarding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s report issued yesterday on the future of the Highway Trust Fund: “The report issued this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation outlines an ominous......
This Week in Infrastructure: Reasons to Keep Advocating for Investment
April 11, 2014
The Opinion Pages of The New York Times presented a series of reasons “We Should Be in a Rage” and among them were—you guessed it—because of the state of our nation’s infrastructure. These grievances, along with suggestions and productive dialogue to change it, appeared in print across the country this week. In Mississippi, one writer......
This Week in Infrastructure: Continued Cause to Fix the Trust Fund
April 04, 2014
This pothole season is one of the worst in recent memory, thanks to the particularly harsh winter. The freezing, thawing, plowing and salting certainly did not help the D grade roads received in the 2013 Report Card. In the hard-hit Midwestern states, the hope of filled-in potholes and more funding for roads is a daily......
This Week in Infrastructure: The High Cost of Insufficient Funding
March 28, 2014
On Tuesday, TRIP issued a report on the condition of North Carolina’s roads, bridges and traffic conditions. The bottom line: traffic is bad and the poor condition of roads costly. As the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure shows us, this TRIP report, along with one released this week in Minnesota, is a microcosm of......
This Week in Infrastructure: One Year Anniversary of the Report Card
March 21, 2014
One year ago this week, we released our 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. Our nation’s D+ infrastructure grade is an important piece of data to share as we advocate for infrastructure investment, especially as the United States approaches the Highway Trust Fund’s financial cliff later this year. Over the past year, ASCE and the......
March 19, 2014
Today, Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx spoke in front of over 200 civil engineers outside of Washington, D.C. Secretary Foxx spent his time urging ASCE members to tell their Members of Congress about America’s infrastructure needs and how the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund will hurt our nation’s economy and global competitiveness.......
This Week in Infrastructure: Some Attention for the Highway Trust Fund
March 14, 2014
The USDOT now anticipates the Highway Trust Fund balance will dip below $4 billion by July, in the heat of summer road repair season. As the fund continues to decline, the DOT will be slowing its funding programs, limiting the funding dollars states rely upon to help pay for projects though matching dollars. This week......
This Week in Infrastructure: Investment Gets New Advocates
March 09, 2014
What do a comedian, a country music singer, and a businessman all have in common? You may have thought this was a joke, but in fact it’s what happened this week in the news, as the call for infrastructure investment came from some unexpected spokespersons. Comedian Jim Gaffigan assessed Los Angeles’ infamous congestion problems while......
This Week in Infrastructure: Funding Conversations Get a Front Seat
February 28, 2014
Over the past few weeks, stories have been trickling out about the financial cliff the Highway Trust Fund is heading toward, with too few conversations about finding solutions, given the importance of the topic. This week that shifted. President Obama called attention to the Highway Trust Fund and the need for investment during a trip......
This Week in Infrastructure: Winter Weather Gets People Thinking About the Cost of Underinvestment
February 21, 2014
Perhaps between Disney’s box office hit Frozen and the Sochi Olympics you feel as though you’re living in a winter wonderland. Or perhaps it’s because you actually are, given this year’s record snowfall in cities across the country. In addition to the snow days and need for shovels and boots, this winter has done a......