INFRA Grant Program Provides $1.5 Billion for 26 Transportation Projects

In addition to prioritizing projects that will deliver national or regional economic benefits, Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) projects were also evaluated based on safety, how they supported freight movement and job creation, their efforts to address climate change and resiliency, impacts on equity and quality of life, how they applied innovative technology, their cost effectiveness, and demonstrated project readiness. Further, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded a significant amount of funding to rural areas, historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty to address historic underinvestment in these communities. Approximately 43 percent of awards will go to rural projects, exceeding the statutory requirement of 25 percent.

More information can be found on the INFRA site at bit.ly/3BoLTvL, and the full list of proposed awards can be found on the USDOT website at bit.ly/3diiETq.

Several reports released during summer 2022 investigated the impending effects of climate change, and the results were ominous.

Research from global professional services company GHD (aquanomics.ghd.com) reveals droughts, floods and storms could result in a total loss of $3.7 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) between 2022 and 2050 (part of a total $5.6 trillion GDP loss to the global economy).

New Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and International Energy Agency data (www.oecd.org/fossil-fuels) show that overall government support for fossil fuels in 51 countries worldwide almost doubled to $697.2 billion in 2021, from $362.4 billion in 2020, as energy prices rose with the rebound of the global economy.

And a new paper published in the Nature Climate Change journal (go.nature.com/3eTseg0) showed that a quarter meter (nearly 10 inches) of sea-level rise now is inevitable, even if all climate-damaging actions stopped immediately.

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

• Empire State Building Goes Green
• AISI Publishes Supplement 1 to AISI S310-20, North American Standard for the Design of Profiled Steel Diaphragm Panels
• MDA Begins 48,000sf Renovation of FirstService Residential’s New Office in Manhattan
• AISC Releases Updated Design Guide for Structural Stainless Steel
• New Research Report Compares Sustainability of Rural Steel and Concrete Bridges

Transportation

• New ASCE Publication Explores Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Transportation Systems
• Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation Announce Nearly $1.5 Billion in Grants Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Modernize Bus Fleets and Facilities
• Stantec to Lead Comprehensive Transit Services Study for Beach Cities Transit
• HDR’s Latest Experts Talk Explains How to Incorporate Sustainability into Bridge Design
• Video: Why TRAC Matters

Water

• New ASCE Publication Provides an Overview and Applications for Treating Wastewater Using Electro-Coagulation and Electro-Oxidation
• DuPont Water Solutions Expands Free Online Learning and Thought Leadership Program Used By More Than 30,000 Water Industry Professionals
• Idrica Deploys Its Solutions in Northern Peru to Help Reduce Non-Revenue Water in the City of Piura
• 500 Billion Gallons of Water Prevented from Flooding Communities in 2021 Using Xylem Technology
• The Water Council Collaborates with U.S. Army Reserve to Strengthen Global Water Security

Tools and Technology

• Siemens Launches Building X, an Open AI-Enabled Suite for Net Zero Buildings
• Infrastructure Cook Islands Selects Woolpert to Collect Topo-Bathy Lidar Data and Imagery
• HNTB Selected to Develop Statewide Lane Closure Management System for Iowa DOT
• Trimble Introduces Next Generation High-Accuracy Mapping Solution for GIS Field Applications
• Hilti and Bentley Make It Easier for Construction Engineers to Design Workflow with Software Integration