Texas infrastructure not making the grade?

The Texas Section American Society of Civil Engineers released a report on the overall conditions of our infrastructure in January 2009.

This report concludes a grade of barely passing for Texas infrastructure. An official from the Texas Section ASCE had this to say.

“The health, safety and welfare of our residents is tied directly to the condition and quality of
our state’s infrastructure… Not only is our infrastructure currently being under funded based on
current needs, but at present levels of investment we will continue to fall further and further behind
unless we take action to close the funding gap. If Texas wants to grow economically and maintain our quality of life, investment into infrastructure needs to be a higher priority.”

-Ricky J. Bourque, P.E., president of the Texas Section of the American
Society of Civil Engineers.

Concerned areas for Texas consist of:

• Roads
• Drinking Water
• Wastewater

According to the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card site:

• 32% of Texas’ major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. 47% of Texas’ major urban highways are congested. Vehicle travel on Texas’ highways increased 50% from 1990 to 2007.
• Texas’ drinking water infrastructure needs an investment of $28.17 billion over the next 20 years.
• Texas ranked 2^nd in the quantity of hazardous waste produced and 4^th in the total number of hazardous waste producers. Texas has $5.64 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

Other concerns were the lack of emergency planning for dams.

• 84% of high hazard dams in Texas have no emergency action plan (EAP). An EAP is a predetermined plan of action to be taken including roles, responsibilities and procedures for surveillance, notification and evacuation to reduce the potential for loss of life and property damage in an area affected by a failure or mis-operation of a dam.
• There are 888 high hazard dams in Texas. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.

These findings further warrant the present and future need for adequate construction professionals.

YouTube video on skyscrapers

This video dives into the beginnings of structurally sound skyscrapers. There is an amazing comparison with some of our early skyscrapers like the Equitable Life Assurance Building  in New York to the behemoth Burj Dubai located in Dubai.

Having a career which involves leaving footprints like these in our history is a very rewarding experience. Look not only at what architects and engineers have accomplished now but think about the future when watching the progression of these skyscrapers.

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