Code Update: How NSF’s Water Standards Support New Technology
Following the American Water Works Association (AWWA) ACE 2023 show in Ontario, Canada, the long-term vision of creating a sustainable water sector is front of mind for many stakeholders in the water industry. How technology supports global efforts to address climate change, how climate change is impacting our drinking-water resources and which technologies may work as viable solutions all are central topics. This comes as the industry has more information than ever before as to which materials...
Infrastructure Outlook: The Time to Embrace Digital Technology Is Now
These are unprecedented times for infrastructure development in the United States. With once-in-a-lifetime funding pumping $1.2 trillion into development through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), construction project volume is skyrocketing. However, we’re all too aware that throwing money at a problem isn’t enough. In recent years, the United States has fallen from its place as a top-ranked country to its latest world ranking (by the World Economic Forum) of 13th for infrastructure qual...
Executive Corner: Has Rampant Consolidation Been Good for the A/E Industry?
If you’ve noticed a lot of M&A deals announced recently, you’re not alone. Almost every, day we read another press release that touts a new and promising combination between two A/E organizations. Mega deals and ENR 500 recapitalizations as well as small company tuck-ins and local marriages. The articles often incorporate confident leaders exuding the strategic and synergistic merits of the deal as well as the anticipation of collaborative opportunities in joining forces. But with an increasing,...
Transportation Troubleshooting: Seven Essential Best Practices for the Changing Federal Infrastructure Funding Opportunities
With the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, local and state governments as well as publicly owned utilities have vast opportunities to secure funding for a wide range of infrastructure projects. This law and Biden Administration policies also highlight funding criteria to emphasize sustainability, greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, climate-change resiliency, equity, environmental justice and rural development. While these values had previously been incorporated in federal grant criteria to some exten...
From the Editor: What Does Sustainable Engineering Mean to Me?
It’s September, which means it’s time for the Informed Infrastructure Sustainable Engineering Special Issue. This is the third year a special issue has focused on engineering projects and research related to sustainability, which plays an important role in everyone’s life. Sustainable engineering affects water supply and quality, waste disposal, construction materials, pollution reduction, natural resources, environmental concerns, and much more. For this column, I tried to select some new (at...
Thoughts From Engineers: Water Two Times Around and More
In a cooperative undertaking among Florida’s wastewater and drinking-water sectors, rulemaking is moving forward to develop regulations and standards for the safe operation of potable reuse systems. In a country that for decades has operated centralized water-treatment systems to treat water principally for one application and one-time use, this is a significant development. More importantly, the policy-making underway in Florida isn’t an outlier, but rather part of a larger reuse movement with...
From the Editor: Three Stories From My Personal ‘Infrastructure News Network’
This August 2023 column highlights three infrastructure topics I find interesting on personal and professional levels. Headline News: The Bridge Collapse There have been many articles written about the bridge on I-95 in Philadelphia, where a tanker truck turned over and the resulting fire caused the bridge to collapse. The heat from the fire caused the steel beams to fail, and the structure’s closure resulted in miles of backup and hours of delays for the motoring public. I’m sure it was a mas...
Executive Corner: Could A/E Firms Avoid a Recession?
The previous “Executive Corner” column noted that despite the looming economic conditions, the A/E sector may avoid a recession with continued growth supported by strengthening backlogs. This column includes some more empirical evidence that supports this claim and long-term expectations. Implied growth rates refer to the long-term growth expectations (typically five years) embedded in the market’s valuation of a company. These rates are derived by analyzing the company’s cost of capital and P/...
Thoughts From Engineers: Who’s at Risk for Extreme Storms?
The use of data and computer models to simulate complex physical processes, make predictions and more-effectively plan for the future has never been more important. Precipitation data, for example, have been key to the design and construction of our nation’s critical infrastructure for years. In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the agency responsible for the analysis of these data, which are compiled in the publication known as Atlas 14, the author...
Transportation Troubleshooting: How NEVI Will Jumpstart Growth of U.S. Electric Vehicle Charging Networks
Everyone in the U.S. transportation industry is excited about NEVI—or they should be. Enacted with the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program commits $5 billion to subsidize electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and build the charging networks needed to drive our transition to electric vehicles. Yes, the big challenges have just begun in implementing NEVI: vendors and supply chains may struggle to keep up with NEVI-funded deman...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
