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.

According to the most-recent “Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment” (DWINSA), a periodic assessment done by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), water utilities throughout the United States will need to spend $625 billion during the next 20 years to fix, maintain and improve the country’s drinking-water infrastructure.

That key finding of the survey, completed in 2021 and finalized in a report to Congress in September 2023, represents a 33 percent increase, not accounting for inflation, from the almost $469 billion reported in the 2015 version of the DWINSA. Such growth far exceeds recent federal investments provided through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Read the full report at bit.ly/40AsFjb.

ASCE Releases Sustainable Infrastructure Standard

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released in October 2023 “ASCE/COS 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure,” which provides guidance for infrastructure owners to develop and implement sustainable solutions through a project’s entire lifecycle. It’s a non-mandatory, performance-based standard designed for civil infrastructure ranging from transportation projects to water systems to the energy grid, developed over a period of five years involving a multitude of diverse stakeholders.

“This is a transformational standard that for the first time will establish consensus guidance on how infrastructure owners should address sustainability in their projects,” explained ASCE President Maria Lehman. “Infrastructure owners and designers have a responsibility to develop and implement practices that promote sustainability and long-term reliability of infrastructure projects, while also being cost-effective and collaborative with community stakeholders.”

The new standard is available at bit.ly/3uia7YY.

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 ASCE Publication Optimizes Design of Single-Span Trusses 
• Scientists Knit Futuristic Eco-Building Designs Using Fungal Networks 
• Silverstein Properties And Parx Casino Reveal The Avenir At 514 Eleventh Avenue In Midtown, Manhattan 
• AISC Releases Complementary Materials for the 16th Edition Steel Construction Manual 
• Introducing A.I. TIMBER: The Future of Sustainable Construction 

Transportation

• NTSB Update on Fern Hollow Bridge Highlights Urgent Infrastructure Maintenance Needs 
• Smart Design and Maintenance Key to High-Performance UWS Bridges, Research Finds 
• How Advanced Project Controls Are Transforming Management of Transportation Programs 
• Addressing Expertise Gaps in Transportation with Staff Augmentation 
• Controversial Big Sur Bridge Gets Extended Life from Innovative Geotechnical Polyurethane 

Water

• Black & Veatch Water Report: Sustainability, Resiliency Key to U.S. Water Industry Amid Headwinds of Aging Infrastructure, Climate Change and Workforce Churn 
• AWWA’s 2023 State of the Water Industry Reports Sector Optimism On the Rise 
• Digital Water Saves Millions for Communities, According to Leading Utilities 
• American Business Water Coalition Launched to Support Water Infrastructure Investment 
• Stantec To Lead Design for Water Resource Recovery Facility on San Francisco’s Iconic Treasure Island 

Tools and Technology

• BlueConduit Launches a Water System-Level Lead Service Line Count and Replacement Cost Estimator 
• New Trimble Terra Office Workflow Delivers Integration with Esri ArcGIS Pro 
• Civil Infrastructure Geoprofessionals Are Ready to Adopt the Cloud, New Report Says 
• Pioneer Pump Announces the Introduction of a New Rugged, Portable Variable Frequency Drive Solution for Temporary Applications 
• Fragmented Construction Data Hampering Energy Project Certainty and Hindering North America’s Energy Transition