Schinnerer's RM Blog - infrastructure tag

A Scientific Ghost Town

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:26:00 GMT

A $1 billion city without residents is to be built in southeastern New Mexico to help researchers test everything from intelligent traffic systems to next-generation wireless networks. The “ghost” city will have all of the infrastructure that a normal city would have; including highways, houses, and commercial buildings. There will be no residents, and researchers will be able to test new technologies in the empty city against real infrastructure without worrying about bothering real people. Pegasus Holdings and its New Mexico subsidiary CITE Development selected Hobbs, NM as the site for this ghost town and said that the city will be modeled after Rock Hill, SC.

Roads in Wisconsin

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:50:00 GMT

A new research report provided by the State Smart Transportation Initiative and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin details the sources of funding for Wisconsin highways and roads. The report aims to clear up some of the misconceptions people have about how transportation is funded. The report discusses the fact that roads in Wisconsin are not just paid for by users (through gas tax, tolls, and licensing). Rather, they are heavily subsidized by taxpayers. Between 2004 and 2008, roads in Wisconsin cost an average of $4.24 billion annually. $1.74 billion came from revenue sources unrelated to road use, such as property and sales taxes. Read the full report here.

AGC’s Plea for Infrastructure Investment

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:54:00 GMT

Back in May, AGC released a new report on the need for the federal government to invest in much-needed infrastructure projects. According to AGC’s report:

The report notes that the federal government has a Constitutional responsibility to invest in transportation facilities that support interstate commerce. It adds that infrastructure investments are crucial to national economic security and protecting businesses and citizens from the hidden tax they would bare should our infrastructure be allowed to fail. And the report makes clear that investing in the maintenance of infrastructure is far cheaper than paying to fix those facilities once they break.

AGC stated that the federal government needs to allow states and local governments greater flexibility in determining those projects most beneficial to their constituents. According to AGC, this would allow states to rebuild their infrastructure systems in critical need of upgrade and create jobs in areas hit hard by the recession. AGC also called for the government to make it easier for private investment to help bridge the gap with budget shortfalls. AGC made available their entire infrastructure development plan, an accompanying press release, and a fact sheet about the plan.

A few days ago, AGC responded to President Obama’s job proposal plan. Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of AGC, had this to say in response to the President’s speech:

Should Congress fail to enact the desperately needed infrastructure investments the President proposes, too many construction workers will remain unemployed, the private sector will suffer, and taxpayers will end up paying more, later, for infrastructure. Infrastructure projects don’t just create construction jobs. New construction activity boosts demand for steel, concrete, construction equipment and countless other services and supplies.

AGC is not the first design and construction association to be critical of the nation’s aging infrastructure. ASCE issues an annual infrastructure report card and pleads for investment in projects to help prevent critical system failures.

Sun-Powered High-Speed Rail

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:04:00 GMT

Progress was made in Europe on the transportation front, as a high-speed rail line running between Paris and Amsterdam now runs partially on the sun. The train draws power from 2.1 miles of solar panels that sit atop a train tunnel.

Trains with solar roofs are not completely new; they first appeared in Italy in 2005. However, those earlier panels only served to keep the train’s air conditioning units running. The new solar panels, which are located on a stretch of rail that runs through Belgium, can power the equivalent of 4,000 train trips and cut the railway’s carbon dioxide input by 2,400 tons annually.

Other projects in Europe will incorporate solar energy as well, including London’s new Blackfriar station (set to open next year), which will obtain half of its electricity needs from the sun.

New Frontier for Sustainability Ratings: Infrastructure Projects

Tue, 17 May 2011 14:00:00 GMT

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the American Public Works Association (APWA) have joined forces to form a new Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). ISI is intended to be a non-profit entity with broad-based membership of owners, practitioners, and related stakeholders who will promote sustainability in infrastructure development and redevelopment. ISI intends to create a rating system that will verify engineering projects as sustainable by examining the economic, environmental, and social impacts of the projects.

More information about the ISI can be found at www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/ and