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)

I-70 Mountain Corridor

I-70 Mountain Corridor

The I-70 Mountain Corridor will be a 144-mile route through Colorado’s mountains, on the existing I-70 highway. Its goals are to improve accessibility and mobility and decrease congestion along the corridor.

This is a very important project to take care now itself as it is the main access point to Colorado’s high-elevation recreation areas which also generates over 12 percent of the state’s $19.1 billion in revenue in 2015. The main problem is that the CDOT estimates that the I-70 travel times will triple or quadruple by 2035. According to a study done that year by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, it is expected to lose more than $800 million every year.

“The long-term vision for the 144-mile route on I-70 through Colorado’s mountains includes a broad program of transit, highway, safety, and other improvements. Implementing planned improvements will increase capacity, improve accessibility and mobility, and decrease congestion along the corridor. The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision, approved in 2011, provides background to how the solution was developed, details the improvements, and provides a framework for implementation of specific projects in the Corridor as funding allows. This decision is referred to as the Tier 1 decision” (CODOT).

The project is going to cost $3.5 billion. It is still in planning stages.

A picture of the proposed project (Image Credits: CoDOT)

Puget Sound Gateway

Puget Sound Gateway

Washington state’s project will expand highways to relieve traffic and congestion between Seattle and Tacoma. It is also expected to increase the ease and efficiency of the transport of commercial goods along the routes and to the ports and solve the ‘last-mile’ problem. WSDOT also claims the project would reduce congestion through the region The project is expected to cost $2.8 billion. At present, it is “in planning” stage. “The majority ($1.57 billion) comes from the Connecting Washington Revenue Package, tolling revenue is expected to be $180 million, and local contributions will be $130 million. PSRC has provided $8 million in regionally managed federal funds to Gateway-related projects” (PSRC.org). Other major stakeholders in this project include the Port of Seattle, the Port of Tacoma, and several local jurisdictions.

A picture of the proposed project (Image Credits: WSDOT)

Thoughts on Detroit

Thoughts on Detroit

Decentralization is now the new keyword to reinvent cities. Case in point: Detroit. There are three major factors impacting decentralization in Detroit: the idea of ‘core’ of a city has changed, the scale of decentralization has been extreme in Detroit as well as polarization of living communities (due to ethnicity) in Detroit. While, we have not seen examples of decentralization in other cities which we have studied in class, I can personally say that the latter two ideas hold true for the megaproject I have been studying: Navi Mumbai.

After Detroit went through a disastrous turmoil in 70s and early 80s, flagship projects were made the focus to bring in development. A major initiative done to spur growth was the creation of ‘Empowerment Zone’.  There is more autonomy given to local city governments to formulate their policies. Central planning is also vital for the success of these projects: in this case, it is the SEMCOG. There was also more stress on greater involvement from the local community. Financial support from the central government must also not been forgotten. The only potential drawback by these reforms is the fact that most of them are concentrated in short-term gains rather than having a long-term vision.

Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Development Corridor

Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Development Corridor

            Considering to be one of India’s biggest megaproject, the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Development Corridor is said to increase the quality of the infrastructure area between Chennai and Bangalore. “The strategy to develop CBIC is part of the plan to achieve accelerated development, regional industry agglomeration in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and to facilitate development of a well-planned and efficient industrial base by providing smooth access to the industrial production units, decreased transportation logistics costs along with an improved delivery time and reduction in inventory cost and ensure increased private investments in manufacturing and industrial activity in the three states” (DIPP).

            As expected, this project would give a lot of financial benefits to every stakeholder involved. And this project spreads its economic influence not just over the two targeted states. The Kerala Chief Minister had stated that the project would give direct employment to about 10,000 people and can also attract investment of Rs 10,000 crore from private agencies.

A picture of the proposed industrial corridor (Image Credits: Deccan Herald)