Rebuilding America’s aging infrastructure is one task that most economists and civil engineers, and most Americans, agree should be at or near the top of President Donald Trump’s agenda. President Trump touted his background as a real estate developer to convince voters that he was best positioned to identify priorities…
As any builder will tell you, it is impossible to know with certainty the exact amount a project is going to cost. Variables affecting the cost run the gamut from labor and material costs to delays for unforeseen conditions, weather or other causes. The longer a project is expected to…
Public development and infrastructure projects are on the rise in California. This is a good thing for the economy. But it also means that private property will often be needed to complete these projects. Public agencies may acquire private property upon payment of just compensation, without the owner’s consent, through an eminent domain action. Property near…
We have previously written regarding critical repairs and updates needed for the Nation’s aging infrastructure. We have also noted the need for private investment to get these capital-intensive infrastructure projects off the ground. An Act recently passed with strong bipartisan support by Congress and expected to be signed into law…
Enhancing the quality of life and economic opportunity in any region will require investments in social infrastructure–facilities for civic life, health care, education, and social services–as well as transportation infrastructure–transit, highways, surface streets, and parking. These projects entail considerable risks in design, approval, and execution, and must compete with investments…
Construction is set to begin in April on a highway bypass south of College Station, Texas. But a group of ancient oak trees sits near the site where the road will run. The Texas Department of Transportation (“TxDOT”) intended to remove four of the trees, each 200 to 300 years…
Since we last checked in on California’s planned high speed rail system nearly a year ago, it has continued to take baby steps toward construction. Mike Rosenberg of the San Jose Mercury News notes here that on June 6 the California High Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) board authorized its CEO…
THE QUESTION: (A question pondered as far back as October 1981.) What do you do when the only way for 16,000 cars to get from point A to point B each weekday is to go through congested streets of downtown Miami? THE ANSWER: The Port of Miami Tunnel (POMT) –…
Don’t worry. That shaking you feel isn’t an earthquake. It’s the construction of the new Tappan Zee bridge across the Hudson River north of New York. I’m kidding of course. Construction on the $3.9 billion project hasn’t even started yet, but much of the geotechnical work, not to mention the…
In a previous post, we reported that the American Society of Civil Engineers (“ASCE”) released its 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. America’s cumulative GPA for infrastructure was a D+. One of the categories in this report focused on ports, which received a C grade. Now a new report goes…