May – June 2018 TRENDS
BUILD Replaces TIGER Program, Offers $1.5 Billion Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Transportation published a Notice of Funding Opportunity to apply for $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funding through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) transportation discretionary grants program, which replaces the pre-existing Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. 2018 BUILD grants are for investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. BUILD funding can support roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports or intermodal transportation.
For more information, visit www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants.
Labor Market Continues to Tighten
Private-sector employment increased by 204,000 jobs from March to April 2018, according to the ADP National Employment Report, with the construction industry creating 27,000 jobs, and the trade/transportation/utilities sector adding 14,000 positions.
According to Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, at this pace unemployment will soon be “in the threes,” which he explained is “rarified and risky territory, as the economy threatens to overheat.”
AGA Announces Winners of 2018 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards
More than 110 projects were judged online by a panel of architects and engineers, and now are featured in the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) Project Gallery. The 2018 winners showcase the durability, longevity and sustainability of the hot-dip galvanized coating.
See details of all the winners at galvanizeit.org/2018-winners.
J.D. Power: Water Utility Customers Cite Many More Quality Issues than EPA Reports Indicate
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Consumer Confidence Reports, which are produced by all community water utilities in the United States to measure the quality of their drinking water, may not be giving a complete picture of end-consumer water quality. According to the J.D. Power 2018 Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, 30 percent of residential water utility customers indicate they have water-quality issues, a rate far higher than what has typically been reported in the Consumer Confidence Reports.
“While the mandated water-quality reports produced by regional water authorities do a great job of measuring specific water-quality issues, they are not telling the whole story when it comes to perceptions of the water that is coming out of customers’ faucets,” said Andrew Heath, senior director of the utility practice at J.D. Power.
For more information, see the full reports at www.epa.gov/ccr and www.jdpower.com/resource/us-water-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study.
TOP Stories
The following are the top stories from the last few months (in terms of traffic) on the Informed Infrastructure website. This also reflects key coverage areas that are regularly refreshed online and via our weekly e-newsletter. Simply search key words on Informed Infrastructure online to find the full story.
Buildings
- New NEMA HDPE Conduit Guideline Published
- Pyramid-Shaped NYC Building Named World’s Best New Skyscraper
- For a Better Climate: Norway to Build World’s Tallest Timber Building
- First Portable Humanihut Base Camp Set for Deployment
- The Top 10 Architectural Trends that Should Be Left Behind in 2018
Transportation
- Should Airports Use Circular Runways?
- Bus Rapid Transit Represents Increasingly Important Component of Transit Networks
- IoT Technology to Reduce Traffic Congestion
- USDOT Video: Mid-Block Crosswalk Application
- China Starts Work on World’s First ‘Super Highway’ that Can Charge Electric Cars as They Drive
Water
- Over 255 Billion Euros Yearly to be Invested In Water Infrastructure Globally Until 2030 Due to Climate Change
- EPA Backs Colorado’s Plan to Improve Water Quality with $24.9 Million in Water Infrastructure Funding
- CULTEC and Armtec Sign Exclusive Agreement
- Pollution Events, Treatment Technologies and Smart Sewers: GWI Analyzes Regulatory Trends in Water Industry
- East Coast Erosion Control Receives Innovative Application of Technology Award
Tools and Technology
