Infrastructure Is the Missing Ingredient to Healthy School Lunches
December 30, 2013
The Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project lead by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a report this December titled, Serving Healthy School Meals: U.S. Schools Need Updated Kitchen Equipment. They found that 55% of school food authorities (SFAs) need kitchen infrastructure changes at one or more schools to meet......
Meet IP3, the New P3 Where Citizens Are the Owners
December 19, 2013
If you follow the infrastructure financing debate about how America is going to fund our future infrastructure needs, you have probably heard the term P3 or public-private partnership discussed as an innovative financing structure to utilize private investment in public infrastructure. However, with the release of the American Enterprise Institute’s new report, Road Pricing and......
Lighting Airports Runways with LEDs Saves Big for Raleigh
December 09, 2013
America needs solutions to our infrastructure issues that can work today, and what if it’s as simple as switching out the lights? The replacement of the entire airfield electrical system at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) represents the first major air carrier airport in the United States to complete a full airfield conversion to FAA-certified LED......
Public Opinion Shows Americans Open to Bus Rapid Transit
November 12, 2013
Our friends at HNTB recently conducted their latest America THINKS survey, which polled a random nationwide sample of 1,127 Americans. The conclusion: Americans are open to new approaches to public transportation, such as bus rapid transit. But what is ‘bus rapid transit’? Simply, it is a new way of thinking about community bus service. According......
EPA Reports on the Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy
November 07, 2013
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency released a new report titled “The Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy.” The report concludes that, as a nation, we do not currently reflect water’s true worth in the economy. A great example is the fact that communities across the country are low-balling the cost of clean, safe tap......
Infrastructure Investment Wins at the Ballot Box!
November 06, 2013
Yesterday voters in Maine and Texas both affirmed ballot resolutions resulting in increased investment in their local infrastructure. In Maine voters overwhelming approved Bond Question 3, 72% in favor to 28% opposed. Bond Question 3 gives permission to the State to borrow $100 million to fund transportation projects around the state which in turn would......
November 04, 2013
The new Virgin Safety Dance sings like a chart topper making its safety message loud and clear. Virgin is doing their part to keep safety a priority, using their music video roots to keep us entertained and safe. Say goodbye to videos of the past and say hello to the new way to communicate a......
November 01, 2013
This week was the one year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, reminding us that all infrastructure is connected. When we cannot bounce back from unavoidable events, we hurt our economy. One only needs to read the countless stories this week on Sandy to see the impacts still being felt. As with almost all infrastructure, the question......
A Jack-O-Lantern School Modernization
October 31, 2013
After a devastating fire, the 100 year-old rebuild of Whatcom Middle School in Bellingham, Washington, is a great story of a jack-o-lantern school modernization. Changing the school from the inside-out, Whatcom now has all the modern conveniences of a new school and (even better) the seismic upgrades to make it resilient to the next earthquake,......
House Freight Panel Comes Out With New Report
October 30, 2013
The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation, established by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in April to examine the current state of freight transportation in the United States and how improving freight transportation can strengthen the U.S. economy, released its final report and recommendations yesterday. The special panel, led by Chairman John Duncan Jr. (R-TN)......