Ports and Infrastructure

Obama's First Steps

by Wes Starratt, PE

Infrastructure Receives a “D”
Engineers have been pointing to our decaying infrastructure for years. In 2001, and again in 2005, one of America’s leading engineering societies, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), issued a “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure,” based on an extensive national survey. In the latest Report Card, the society gave the country’s infrastructure an overall grade of “D,” ranging from “C” for bridges to “C minus” for rail and “D minus” for navigable waterways.

ASCE also reported that “Nearly all of these grades represent a decrease from the society’s 2001 Report Card,” and indicated that, not only is the nation’s infrastructure crumbling, it is worsening with each passing day.

“The downslide is caused by obvious factors, such as deferred maintenance and decreased funding from all levels of government.” According to the society, “the nation continues to under-invest in infrastructure at the national level.”

An updated ASCE national infrastructure survey is currently underway, with a 2009 Report Card slated for March. Andrew Herrmann, chairman of the society’s Report Card Task Committee, points out, “In our 2005 Report Card, we estimated that it would take $1.6 trillion dollars over a five-year period to upgrade our infrastructure.” By the time the new Report Card is completed, it will cost even more.

Jobs for the Jobless
Meanwhile, our economy continues to deteriorate, and the jobless rate keeps rising. The need to restore the nation’s economy appears to be as dire as the need to upgrade its infrastructure.

Responding to the urgent need, incoming president Barak Obama has declared, “We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system (under President Eisenhower) in the 1950s.”

Further, “We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save, or create, at least two-and-a-half million jobs so that the Americans who have lost them will know that they have a future.” It didn’t take long for the nation’s governors to respond that the states have $136 billion worth of public works projects ready to go, as soon as money becomes available.

Projects & Aid on the Way
The Obama transition team has been working with members of Congress on an economic aid bill that could total as much as $700 billion, targeting it for the incoming president to sign when he takes office in January. It is expected to include funds for highways, mass transit systems, airport upgrades, ports, and improved rail service for both passengers and freight.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has been actively engaged, and its members recently completed a survey of highway and transportation departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey identified approximately 3,000 ready-to-go transportation projects, worth $18 billion, that would provide approximately 750,000 jobs. In addition to the highway projects, a number of states also reported ready-to-go transit, rail, and waterways projects.
The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) also surveyed its members recently, concluding that: “Public port authorities are poised and ready to undertake economic stimulus projects … that would create a quarter-million new jobs. They include 153 (ready-to-go) projects throughout the nation with a total construction value of $6.7 billion.” Included are water-side navigation projects, environmental improvements, and road and rail connections to ports.”

Aaron Ellis, communications director for AAPA, reports that the organization is “working with several members of the Obama transition teams to help them understand the importance and priority for addressing seaport industry issues.” At the same time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that at least $5 billion in water resources projects are needed now and could proceed rapidly.

Shippers Step Up
Shippers and beneficial cargo owners are also deeply involved in the economic stimulus package.

Leslie Blakey, executive director of the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors, pointed out, “We are facing a real convergence of events, since we have not invested in transportation across the board for many years. So, we now have a large backlog and a crowded timetable, with two transportation authorization bills in the upcoming Congress: the ‘Federal Aviation’ bill and the ‘Highway Trust Fund and Surface Transportation’ bill. And now we also have the stimulus package.”
Robin Lanier, executive director of the Waterfront Coalition, summed up the feelings of many, stressing that it’s refreshing “to have an incoming president who appreciates the value of the nation’s infrastructure.”