/ Trends / October 2020 Trends

October 2020 Trends

Parul Dubey on October 2, 2020 - in Trends

In this section, Informed Infrastructure compiles infographics from trusted sources that reveal insight on infrastructure spending. We also compile some of the top infrastructure stories that shouldn’t be missed. For ongoing news coverage, turn to Informed Infrastructure online (www.informedinfrastructure.com), our Twitter feed (@IInfrastructure) and our weekly e-newsletter.


In September 2020, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued two packets of “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds to California and Oregon agencies to pay for repairs to transportation infrastructure damaged by wildfires raging across several western states.

The FHWA issued $5 million in ER funds to the Oregon Department of Transportation to cope with damage caused by several large wildfires that started earlier in the month.

Meanwhile, the FHWA issued $1.3 million in ER funds to help the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service repair several bridges and a section of trail damaged by wildfires in California’s Lassen National Forest.


 Bentley Systems Launches IPO

On Sept. 15, 2020, Bentley Systems launched an initial public offering of 10,750,000 shares of its Class B common stock sold by existing stockholders of Bentley. Bentley applied to list its shares on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “BSY.”


A new 43-page report indicates that the U.S. interstate highway system faces increasing congestion, unprecedented levels of travel—particularly by large trucks—and insufficient funding to make needed repairs and improvements.

“Restoring the Interstate Highway System: Meeting America’s Transportation Needs with a Reliable, Safe & Well-Maintained National Highway Network,” published by the nonprofit transportation research firm TRIP, found that pavements on 11 percent of interstate highways are in poor or mediocre condition, while 27 percent of interstate bridges are in need of repair or replacement.

In addition, TRIP’s analysis indicated that 47 percent of urban interstate highways are considered congested during peak hours.

Read the full report at bit.ly/33MgYZN.


 
Value of Mergers and Acquisitions Falls

The value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the engineering and construction sector worldwide fell from $45 billion in the first half of 2019 to $41 billion in the first half of 2020, according to figures from PwC. A similar trend was noticed for deal volume, with the first half of this year registering 1,017 deals compared to 1,221 deals in 2019.

Total M&A transaction values and volumes have been decreasing during the last two calendar years, said PwC, and the global COVID-19 pandemic, decreasing oil prices and geopolitical tensions contributed to continued contraction during the first half of 2020.

Civil engineering experienced a decline in both transaction value and volume. Construction went through a decline of 55 percent and 9 percent in terms of deal value and deal volume, respectively.


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

 

Transportation

Water

 

Tools and Technology

Comments are disabled