Infrastructure Outlook: Digital Delivery Will Drive Efficient Projects and Sustainable Infrastructure

By earmarking an unprecedented $1.2 trillion for infrastructure improvements, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—formerly known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—provides a generational opportunity for America to regain its top-level status among the world’s infrastructure leaders. Yet money alone will not deliver success. As the United States has fallen from the envy of all to its current world ranking of 13th for infrastructure quality, we’ve spent more on roads than any othe...

Future Forward: A Life’s Work in Sustainability

This particular webcam interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can view a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3BRWzoJ. Dr. Christy Slay is the CEO and vice president, Science and Impact, The Sustainability Consortium (TSC). Dr. Christy Slay has been involved with The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) since it was just a concept—even before it officially was born 12 years ago. TSC consists of univ...

Counting Carbon: Reading Between the Lines To Understand What Matters in Sustainability

Perhaps now more than ever, sustainability remains a predicament. In the nearly 30 years since the U.S. Green Building Council launched the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program, the murky waters of certification vs. sustainability remain clouded by contending interests. At the core of the conversation is how to compel sustainability in everyday lives by design as well as how to measure impacts, regulate it, incentivize it and, hopefully, one day benefit from...

Don’t Knock on Wood: Nation’s Second-Tallest Mass-Timber High-Rise Gets Go Ahead in Denver

In the foreground (adjacent to the medical marijuana dispensary sign “Whole Meds”) is 3495 Wynkoop in Denver’s RiNo District, soon to be home of the nation’s second-tallest mass-timber high-rise. Denver’s River North Art (RiNo) District seems the very definition of an up-and-coming mixed-use neighborhood. “It’s definitely the happening place to be developing, not just in Denver, but in the whole country,” says Andrew Katz, founding partner (with his father and brother) of Katz Development....

Wetlands Restoration: White Slough Project Engineers a Model for the Future

(Image: USGS) In addition to being the first project in Humboldt Bay to tackle a failing levee, sea-level rise and the loss of important habitat by improving infrastructure, the White Slough Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project provides a resilient living shoreline and flood protection for ranchlands and roads (part of US 101). This pilot project would become a team effort, spanning five years, two project leaders, three project managers and many other dedicated professionals....

2022 Transportation Design Survey

Transportation Troubleshooting: Cooperation Key to Developing a More Diverse Workforce

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) represents an unprecedented opportunity to renovate and build a 21st-century integrated transportation system, addressing equity, energy, water, internet access and other infrastructure needs. Yet to realize the benefits of the IIJA and increased state investments, private industry and the public sector must solve a core problem: how to recruit, train and retain the people needed to do all the work the IIJA could fund. While i...

Change Leader: Extensive Planning Leads to More Grants, Better Research

This particular webcam interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can view a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3NqR5Dj. Dr. Sarah Orton is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Missouri College of Engineering. Dr. Sarah Orton has been conducting important academic engineering research for more than 20 years. Her specialty is reinforced conc...

Future Forward: Artificial Intelligence Can Transform the AEC Industry

This particular webcam interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can view a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3OvDsUP . Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D., is the CEO of YegaTech, a technology consulting company in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. The AEC industry is notorious for being slow to adopt new technology. It’s also prone to a high-risk, low-profit business model....

Product Comparison: Precast vs. Cast-in-Place Manhole Base

Photos show precast manholes stacked for deployment (left), being lowered into place (middle) and ready for fill and grading (right). Construction today is all about one word: impact. Low-impact construction is all about designing and producing a sequence and experience that will have the least effect on the existing landscape. That translates into a shorter construction process achieved via the mitigation of labor costs and resulting time savings. High-impact construction, however, c...