Repairing Massachusetts’ Infrastructure
In today’s world, people are looking for ways to help improve their quality of life and their environment around them. These ways can be as simple as recycling or as large as improving the infrastructure. One of the main issues in the past several years has been the state of the infrastructure in Massachusetts, which has received a cumulative grade of a ‘D’ in 2009 by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Planning, designing, and undertaking new projects, engineers responded to an endless amount of issues that have come with the current infrastructure. Massachusetts, although it has made numerous efforts in the past to fix the crumbling infrastructure, still has a very long road ahead before it can achieve an acceptable rating. Although it comes at a cost, the state can repair each section of its infrastructure, including public transit, public utilities, and bridges, by raising the standards, properly funding projects, and planning and designing the infrastructure itself. Can Massachusetts repair its quickly crumbling infrastructure, including public transportation, public utilities, and bridges within the next decade?
Introduction to the Industry
The infrastructure of Massachusetts, though it is not the worst in the country, is in desperate need of attention. The public transportation systems, public utilities, and bridges are falling apart and causing major issues all over the state. In 2009 and 2013, the state received an overall average of a ‘D,’ and engineers and state officials, like Deval Patrick, and national leaders, like Barack Obama, have made numerous efforts to improving the state’s infrastructure. Deval Patrick has released several state bills to improve m...
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.... Governing. 16 Jan. 2013. Speech. 21 Nov. 2013. .
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Most of the destructions from the events of August 29th 2005, when Katrina Hit the City Of New Orleans, were not only caused by the storm itself; but also, by failure of the engineering of the levee system protecting the entire infrastructure of the city. The years of poor decision making and avoidance of the levee system led to one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the United States. Throughout our research, we have identified three key players in charge of the levee system design, construction and maintenance. These three organizations are the Unites States Corps of Engineers, the New Orleans Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation. The consequences of the hurricane showed the organizations negligence in the design, construction and maintenance of the protective walls. Later independent sresearch showed that more than 50 levees and food walls failed during the passage of the hurricane. This failure caused the flooding of most of New Orleans and all of ST. Bernard Parish. The Unites States Corps of Engineers had been in charge of the of the levee system and flood walls construction since the 1936 flood act. According to the law, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is in charge to inspect the overall design and engineering practices implemented in the construction of the system. Once the levee systems were finished, they were handed over to the New Orleans Levee District for regular maintenance and periodically inspections. The uncoordinated actions of these three agencies resulted in the complete failure of a system that was supposed to protect the people of New Orleans. The evidence is clear that this catastrophic event did not happened by chance. The uncoordinated response of these...
...h contractors willing to invest in Texas’ infrastructure and build toll roads for us, or we are quietly sinking into a pit where our roads will be falling apart because we will not have the funding to repair and maintain them.
Kristin Gotts, et al (no date) Better Together Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engineering in America; John F. Kennedy School of Government, Caimbridge MA
Many mass construction projects in the history of the United States have had a major impact on the economy and culture; however, not many of these have had as large as an impact as the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. The Interstate Highway Act revolutionized the way that we think about highways today. The act created an extremely easy mode of transportation for people across the country. Not only was the Interstate Highway Act extremely helpful in making rural and urban transportation for normal people, but it also helped commercial businesses in increasing sales across the country. These businesses were now able to transport their goods cheaper and faster. The Interstate Highway Act was tremendously beneficial in regards to its economic, social, and cultural significance. The legislation was significant economically in the way that it promoted business and cut travel costs, it was significant socially in the way that it allowed people to see friends and family even if they did not live close, and it was significant culturally in the way that it allowed people to move out to the country for low costs in order to live a happier life.
Reshaping Metropolitan America provides an outlook of the next fifteen years for infrastructure development in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of the buildings that will be necessary to handle the projected half billion residents of the Untied States by 2030 are not built yet. We also need to reshape our cities to handle the inversion trend; families and the next generation want to move back and live near downtown. Richard C. Nelson, the author, supports this population shift but does not strongly support it. Instead of trying to create room and additional infrastructure in downtown areas, Nelson believes that metropolitan areas should start to urbanize its suburbs to accommodate desired urban living. The American population is also changing
...ent “this problem is too important to be treated with indifference” and must be solved before the United States turns into “practically provinces of China rather than States of the Union.”
The rail systems put into place in Chicago have always been a major factor in freight transportation. The city provides a centralized hub for the railways throughout the country. After a long run the system is bound to find flaws as old technologies are passed by new ones. The existing railroad structures have in time taken a toll over the years of service. “The railroad system of Chicago has been around for a long time now. After many years it has gone past time time of despair. With the new project it is hoping to bring the popularity back to where it once was” (Chicago Transit Renovation to Improve Service). This update needed will guide Chicagos railroad system into the future. The city also has to take a look on how it is going to keep up with the constant increase of railcars on their tracks. With the new technologies of the future Chicago can only make their infrastructure better. The aim is to stay on time with the railcars to diminish the amount of overcrowding presented in the old rail systems in Chicago.
The first and most challenging problem associated with building the Mackinac Bridge arrived long before the bridge was even designed. Financing such an enormous project was no easy feat. In 1928, the idea of connecting the upper and lower peninsulas was proposed to Congress for the first time (Brown 4). At the time, the suspected bridge project was very much under government scrutiny and control. In fact, the initial boost in interest in pursuing the construction of a bridge came about due to the depression. The Public Works Administration (PWA) had been created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal economic plan which would fund certain construction projects with th...
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The Central Artery Tunnel Project, more commonly known as the Big Dig, is said to be the largest, most complex and technologically challenging highway project in American history. It is the culmination of decades of planning and forethought and is hoped to alleviate the traffic congestion that has plagued the Boston area since the invention of the automobile. The project incorporates a major underground highway system, a revolutionary cable-stayed bridge, and a series of impressive tunnel crossings, each a considerable feat on their own, all constructed in the midst of a bustling city.
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It seems that this has caused society to have no morals and consciousness about the ugly things that happen in the United States. References Ebrey, B. P., (1996). The Species of the World Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. National Day Special: 50 years of a look at China (1999).
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The development of every nation hinges on the effectiveness of their transportation systems. Movement of goods, services and people to and from locations is made possible by transportation systems. The importance of effective transportation systems cannot be over-emphasized. Many countries face transportation problems and my country Ghana is no exception. A trip of about 30 minutes usually takes about an hour or more due to traffic jams. This is seriously impacting productivity and has become a topical issue in the country. The situation is the same in Uganda where I currently work. To this end, Transportation Engineers are needed to design roads/ highways that will stand the test of time, plan effective traffic management systems to reduce
Transport infrastructure is a crucial component for the economic and developmental growth. Infrastructure rehabilitation is the sustenance of the economy of any country, by having adequate infrastructure so that all the activities are implemented effectively. By having a competent infrastructure meriting its accessibility will entices midpoints for productivity and consumption and thus impacts positively on the country’s economy. Additionally, more resourceful infrastructures improve mobility for people, freight services, and goods as well as a better connection between rural and urban areas.