Infrastructure Outlook: A Better Road Ahead for Baltimore Harbor Traffic
Peter Vanderzee Despite unforeseen complexities related to recovery of those who perished and complex entanglement of the collapsed structure with the ship that caused the Francis Scott Key (FSK) bridge collapse, transportation officials in Maryland now expect to be able to reopen the Baltimore Harbor Channel to commercial ship traffic this coming week, less than two months after the maritime disaster that destroyed the main span of the FSK Bridge. While this is good news, the biggest c...
Global Capital Projects Outlook Released
Despite many challenges, the survey shows optimism remains high in the construction world, with digital technologies, economic growth and recovery, and sustainable building projects identified as key areas of growth. In today’s turbulent economic conditions, people who build our infrastructure projects want to know the status of their business and what the future holds. To help answer that, InEight, a company that develops and sells construction management software, launched its thi...
Multi-Billion Dollar Investments Propel Bridge Repair and Replacement Projects Nationwide
Approximately $14.4 billion is spent yearly to repair, rehabilitate or replace bridges in America. However, that yearly amount has increased and will continue to increase because the backlog of critically needed bridge repairs is estimated to be $125 billion. With about 50,000 bridges with very significant issues awaiting attention, an estimated 40% of them can be rehabilitated, but at least 35% will require a complete replacement. Many of the bridges in America were constructed about the same t...
From The Editor: Smart Engineering Requires Thinking Without Constraint
The month of May brings many things I enjoy, including the “Smart Engineering” issue of Informed Infrastructure. Each year when this issue is being prepared, I look up Smart Engineering to see the current definition and find some examples. In general, I think we can settle on “engineering that uses processes and IT tools for innovative and interdisciplinary solutions in products, production and infrastructure.” The reader can add or revise as you feel necessary. Following the C’s So what does...
Executive Corner: Five Key Factors To Perfecting an A/E Exit Strategy
An enormous A/E generation that kicked off their careers in the 1980s and subsequently started firms or became owners in the 1990s and 2000s is plotting its final act. Baby Boomer A/E owners across every discipline are contemplating how to successfully transition their firms for sustainability and survivability. And while some are ready to relinquish and others wish to hold on a few more years, the need to assess exit strategy options has never been more urgent. The Silver Tsunami According to...
Thoughts From Engineers: A Pulse on the Watershed: The Evolution of Smart Water Infrastructure Networks
The speed with which smart networks are colonizing our homes and cities’ infrastructure is proof of the technology’s adaptability to the systems of our lives. We have smart thermostats, digital surveillance systems and other Internet of Things (IoT)-driven devices to detect leaky pipes or deliver status alerts on random household appliances. Smart sensors also are increasingly being used to enhance operations in large, centralized infrastructure such as combined sewer facilities. Strategically l...
Transportation Troubleshooting: Advancing Transportation Delivery in the Digital Age
If consulting engineers and public infrastructure managers took a vote today on whether we should rapidly adopt digital delivery, the tally would be near unanimous in favor. But if we also asked them to define exactly what digital delivery means for their agency and the best ways to use it efficiently, responses would be all over the map. Theory vs. Practice There’s no arguing that digital delivery, in which computerized data replaces traditional paper documents, is an evolutionary leap over t...
Water Works: Bench Strength: Can We Do More To Prepare the Next Generation of Stormwater Professionals?
On the surface, baseball and stormwater management are not intricately linked; but, as dedicated stormwater and water-quality professionals, we may be well served to look to America’s pastime as we work to restore receiving waters. No, I’m not suggesting we’re going to brush back water-quality issues with a “high heater,” but we would be wise to ensure we’re developing young talent to fill our ranks in the future. Most would agree that a critical component of a consistently successful baseball...
Change Leader: Decentralization and Microgrids Help Stabilize Threatened Infrastructure Systems
This interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3JeNZD5 . Sangmin Shin is assistant professor in the School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. According to Shin, the world’s water infrastructure is run reasonably well considering all the possible variations in availability, need, economics and tec...
Future Forward: AI Is the Latest Enabler of Engineering’s Digital Transformation Journey
This interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3UlLyVH. Carolina Venegas Martinez is the senior water industry strategy manager at Autodesk. When I interviewed Venegas Martinez at the 2023 Autodesk University conference in Las Vegas, the intended focus—based on her experience and job description—was on the water industry and its associated technology. Howev...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
