Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on US Infrastructure

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on US Infrastructure

As the world reels from the COVID-19 Pandemic, many economic organizations including the IMF predicts an outset of a recession, which could be worse than the 2008 one. It is no open secret that US infrastructure lags behind other countries on many parameters. Many blame the lack of spending; but the main problem could be resource management. There are a lot of concerns regarding the reluctance to use tools of the Fourth Industrial Age to relieve traffic congestion problems.

The WE Forum has suggested three strong measures which US must enact to solve its infrastructure woes. I am going to reiterate them here:

1.     “Consolidate government authority to execute infrastructure projects

2.     To prioritize projects, the US should also start using data-driven decision-making processes

3.     Finally, we need to harness innovation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution to improve construction technology” (WEForum)

Since most infrastructure construction activities are shut down, there needs to be some economic stimulus from the Congress to support the all trade workers involved. Of course, the priority right now must be on the short-term problems such as testing, obtaining more ventilators & beds and responding to needs of anyone impacted by the virus. Let us see what the neat future holds for us. 

An infographic showing the impact of the virus on business organizations (Image Credits: PWC)

Maryland Purple Line

Maryland Purple Line

With so much focus on combating the fossil fuel industry and creating transit modes running on renewable energy, the Maryland Purple Line is an interesting project. A 16-mile light rail line extending from Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George's County, the Purple Line will also connect to MARC, Amtrak, and local bus services. The most interesting feature is that the line will be powered by the catenary system.

There are many advantages to this metro system: “it is estimated to take 17,000 cars off of the road daily, saving 1 million gallons of gas within 20 years” (Purplelinemd). The system would be run on electricity, so no air emissions. There are lot of in-built incentives for pedestrians and bicyclists. There is also a lot of emphasis on reducing noise pollution. On the whole, this is a very exciting rail project for mass transit enthusiasts.

A picture of the proposed rail network (Image Credits: Biz Journals)

Cuomo Bridge

Cuomo Bridge

The Cuomo Bridge is a twin cable-stayed bridge spanning the Hudson River between Tarrytown and Nyack in the U.S. state of New York. Built to replace the original Tappan Zee Bridge, the new bridge's north span carries the northbound and westbound automobile traffic of the New York State Thruway, I-87)and I-287; it will also carry a shared-use path for bicycles and pedestrians. The south span carries southbound and eastbound automobile traffic. The project is expected to cost around $4 billion. This project was built using the design-build method.

Why is this project required? “Bridge traffic grew to about 140,000 vehicles per day in 2016, far more than the Tappan Zee was intended to carry” (New NY Bridge). It is not rocket science to know that the heavy traffic has caused many accidents. There were also minimum lanes to respond to emergency services. With millions of dollars spent to maintain the structure, there was a need to retire the old bridge. The new bridge meant less congestion, with space given to both bicyclists and pedestrians. Thus, the Cuomo Bridge was built.

A picture of the bridge (Image Credits: HDR)