Thoughts From Engineers: Smart Tech Steps into the Spot (Flood) Light
Any homeowner who has taken advantage of the myriad doorbell cameras, home thermostats, motion sensors and other smart devices available in the market knows the value smart tech brings to home security. (“I can’t be everywhere at once,” the thinking goes, “but thankfully my tech can.”) And so we shell out more money to have an electronic foot soldier onguard at our home’s doors, windows and anywhere else we feel a twinge of vulnerability. But smart tech can clearly do more. In the last decade,...
Executive Corner: What’s My Legacy? An A/E Generation Transitions Out
Growing up, my father was fond of sharing various quips and quotes. Some were motivational, others just corny, and I’m confident most of them went in one ear and out the other. But one that always stuck with me was the famous Maya Angelou line: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A poignant citation for aspirational self-improvement, it also speaks to the vital legacy we all want to leave with people and organi...
Transportation Troubleshooting: Infrastructure Investment Law Is Working
A video of Paula Hammond’s congressional testimony can be watched above or at bit.ly/3LVAL0u. The full text can be found at bit.ly/3M1q7VX. On March 28, 2023, I appeared before a congressional panel, the “U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.” The following are highlights from my oral and written testimony: More than 36,000 transportation improvement projects—including at least one in every congressional district—have moved forward in the...
Change Leader: Focused on Collaboration and Information Management
This particular 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/41Agu56. Slater Latour was chief marketing and product officer at Newforma. Slater Latour believes design firms, particularly engineering firms, have a unique role in the infrastructure industry: they’re involved from the early planning stages all the way through project closeout. Their projects a...
Woolpert Puts the ‘G’ in AEC
Woolpert mobilized five hydrographic survey vessels (nearly a quarter of its fleet) equipped with multibeam and side-scan sonar systems for the Chesapeake Bay project that focused on 615 square nautical miles, some of which had not been surveyed for more than 50 years. (Image credit: Woolpert) The full video interview of Woolpert Chief Operating Officer Kirk McClurkin can be viewed at bit.ly/41lmajS. The way we define our firm is AEG: architecture, engineering and geospati...
How to Navigate Federal Policy and Expedite Action Plans and Proposals to Meet Requirements
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides more than $42 billion to states to support broadband deployment to those without access to fast, reliable internet. The recent pandemic confirmed a digital divide separates those who can effectively participate in our increasingly online world and those who can’t. The Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program in the IIJA provides funds to states to help bridge that divide, and, in 2023, all U.S. states and territories will co...
Sustainability and the Steel City: Modernization at Pittsburgh International Airport
A rendering of the view future travelers will see when they approach the new terminal. (Gensler + HDR in association with luis vidal + architects) Flying is essential for work, vacation or visiting loved ones. The industry also is necessary to ship goods overseas quickly. However, it’s not known for being environmentally friendly. One airport is seeking to change that. Aviation contributes 3.5 percent of effective radiative forcing (which measures energy imbalance), 2.5 percent of...
Executive Interview Series: Keith Bentley CTO, Bentley Systems
In November 2022, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson went to Bentley Systems’ Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event in London where he interviewed Keith Bentley, a company founder and chief technology officer (CTO). Since this interview, it was announced that Keith Bentley has stepped down as CTO to assume the role of technology advisor through his anticipated retirement later in 2023. The full interview can be viewed above and at bit.ly/3kj9dGQ. D...
More Than a Political Metaphor: Megaproject on Virginia’s I-66 Reduces D.C. Gridlock
At any time during the construction seasons of 2021 and 2022, commuters might be traveling through 22.5 miles of continuous construction In the Washington, D.C., metro area, “gridlock” is more than a political metaphor, it’s a daily fact of life for hundreds of thousands of commuters. The area has some of the worst (and most publicized) traffic congestion in the United States, with up to 200,000 vehicles on the roadway each day experiencing eight to 10 hours of daily congestion … just on...
Thoughts From Engineers: A Toxic Fix? Another Chemical Disaster Makes Headlines
The lives of working-class folks tragically intersected with a load of hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February 2023. Zoning laws—designed to keep incompatible uses apart—were of little use in this situation. Additional safety regulations to ensure the smooth transport of chemical cargo by rail may have made a difference, but this is still unclear as the investigation proceeds and facts continue to be pieced together. This particular disaster is obviously unique, but aspec...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
TriMet’s Banfield Type 1 Substation Replacement Project
February Issue 2026
