Ryan Says Congress Likely to Need Budget Extension; Could Delay Oct. 1 FAST Act Increases
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Congress will probably need to extend current-year funding of most government operations before the new budget year begins Oct. 1, an action that could delay another year of scheduled increases in highway funding. Ryan made the remarks to reporters while visiting Intel Corp. in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 23. Amid speculation on how much Congress can accomplish when it returns next month from a summer recess, before the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, he said that...
ARTBA Takes Legal Action on Maryland Purple Line Transit Project
(WASHINGTON)—The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Aug. 23 told a federal appeals court that a lower court ruling blocking the Maryland Purple Line is an abuse of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and poses risks for the future of similar public-private partnerships (P3s) on transportation improvement projects. The 16-mile Purple Line light-rail project between Bethesda and New Carrolton, Maryland, is one of the nation’s largest P3 transit projects. Whil...
Vibration Control in Hospital Construction
A renovation of White Plains Hospital, a 123-year-old healthcare facility north of Manhattan, featured the construction of the new, steel-framed, six-story Center for Cancer Care. Long-span high-performing composite slabs were designed to support heavy booms over operating rooms and limit vibration that could adversely affect hospital occupants. Project Team Steel Decking Source: New Millennium Building Systems Architect of Record: Perkins Eastman Structural Engineer: GACE Consult...
Engineered Solutions: Barren Arkansas Roadside Springs to Life After Soil Amendments
After completing an open cut slope for a recent highway project, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) encountered a difficult mitigation challenge: a soil bed totally unsuitable for organic growth. The highly acidic soil, composed primarily of clay, rejected initial attempts at sustainable vegetation and threatened to create a high erosion environment. Soil analysis confirmed the poor growth conditions. Clay content was measured at 50 percent; such high concentrations...
White House: Infrastructure Plan to Come After Congress Handles Tax Reform
A top aide to President Trump told reporters Aug 15 that the administration plans to first pursue a tax reform plan in Congress this autumn, then turn to the long-promised infrastructure investment plan. Gary Cohn, director of the president's National Economic Council, said the infrastructure plan would "come on the heels" of a tax overhaul, Politico reported. "We hope it's this year," he added. While the president and others in the administration at times this year said they were close to...
12 State Transportation Projects Competing to be Named Best in the America
WASHINGTON — State department of transportation projects that swiftly addressed a spike in wrong-way driving fatalities; used high-tech tools like Bluetooth sensors to make work zones safer; and improved pedestrian access to heavily traveled corridors are among the twelve finalist announced today in the 2017 America's Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The three highest s...
What Is the P3 Model? Can It Save Infrastructure?
Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure, spoke with several private-sector infrastructure executives to learn more about the public-private partnership (P3/PPP) model, how it works and if it can be part of the solution to the massive infrastructure problem in the United States and beyond. Danielson: What’s the status of infrastructure in the United States? Hopping: I think most of us agree, even Congress agrees across the aisle, that our infrastructure is rea...
Drones Are Transforming Infrastructure Design
By Hugh McFall It’s increasingly common to hear the steady hum of a drone flying on a construction site. They’re being used to share progress updates, manage earthworks, perform cut-and-fills and much more. But there’s also an emerging use case for drones within the civil engineering space: as designers move from 2D toward 3D design and BIM workflows, the reality-capture data that drones provide are making a huge impact on their projects. In short, drones are the latest tool in the civil...
July – August 2017 TRENDS
In this section, Informed Infrastructure compiles infographics from trusted sources that reveal insight on infrastructure spending. We also compile some of the top infrastructure stories that shouldn’t be missed. For ongoing news coverage, turn to Informed Infrastructure online (www.informedinfrastructure.com), our Twitter feed (@IInfrastructure) and our weekly e-newsletter. NPG Report Focuses on U.S. Infrastructure and Population According to a new forum paper released by Negative...
Secretary Chao Joins President Trump At Signing Of New Executive Order That Will Reform Infrastructure Permitting Process
NEW YORK – Today, U.S. Secretary Elaine L. Chao joined President Donald J. Trump as he signed a new Executive Order that will streamline the permitting and review processes for infrastructure projects. The Executive Order, entitled, “Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure Projects,” streamlines our environmental review system and removes current roadblocks in order to ensure a faster and more efficient permitting proces...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
