1. Congestion is expensive \u2013 Fixing it doesn\u2019t have to be<\/h3>\r\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
\r\n\r\nAccording to the infrastructure report card, traffic jams cost the United States over $100 billion a year — drivers spend an average of 34 hours getting stuck in traffic or venturing onto a new route. This wastes 1.9 billion gallons of gasoline per year and robs the economy of productive work hours. Adding more lanes, overpasses or roads tends to inspire new development and this leads to more traffic. Road projects, moreover, are expensive and getting the necessary approval can be tough.\r\n\r\nLuckily, some of the best traffic solutions are also the cheapest. Efficiently timed signals, for example, can significantly improve flow. When Atlanta added Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS)<\/a> \u2013 traffic signals equipped with sensors that measure real-time vehicle count and respond accordingly \u2013 they reduced fuel consumption along an 8.2-mile highway by 34 percent.\r\n\r\n\u201cManaged lane\u201d programs accommodate site-specific traffic patterns. The effects can be dramatic. In Miami, the strategy addressed a chronically congested section of I-95, in part, by putting toll-free vehicles in designated lane. The changes effectively doubled the speed of traffic in the toll lanes and tripled speeds in the toll-free lanes.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s also worth noting that congested roads are largely in urban areas where alternative transport \u2013 biking, walking, public transit and telecommunication \u2013 is increasingly popular. Many cities now have programs that encourage the trend.\r\n2. Protection costs less than repairs<\/h3>\r\nAsphalt has a lifespan of about twenty years. Continuous vehicle impact and storm water exposure eventually cause pavement to warp, crack and crumble. Then it gets expensive. Poorly paved roads require frequent upkeep \u2013 this includes repaving, filling potholes, and leveling the road\u2019s surface. They also contribute to a large portion of accidents, adding to healthcare and insurance costs.\r\n\r\nThe ASCE\u2019s report card recognizes 32 percent of U.S. roads as \u201cpoor or mediocre.\u201d Most of these are in cities. Collectively, they cost states and cities an additional $67 billion per year to maintain.\r\n\r\nAccording to FHA estimates, the annual costs of expired pavement is six to 10 times the cost of preservation treatments \u2013 which help seal and protect asphalt from water. As these treatments improve, so have the materials. Today\u2019s asphalt mixes are more resilient and less toxic. Porous pavements, furthermore, reduce water damage by letting storm water seep through. Onsite pavement recycling is another exciting option. Rather than removing and rebuilding the road, this process remixes it on location, saving millions of dollars.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to pavement, national investment is an imperative. By redirecting the $67 billion, we could protect the majority of U.S. roads.\r\n3. Planners are getting better at best-fit solutions<\/h3>\r\nIn the past decade, public planning has undergone a philosophical shift. Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)<\/a> \u2013 which seek to balance the needs of travelers, the natural environment, and the local community \u2013 is now one of three tenants of the FHA. Currently, state DOTs are receiving training on the approach.\r\n\r\nRoads designed as CSS have more staying power than roads designed from the former, car-centric approach because they anticipate and addresses a range of problems. But these solutions are often unconventional.\r\n\r\nThanks to advancements in simulation software, roadway engineers can now observe the performance of unconventional designs before they build. The technology not only minimizes financial risk, it encourages conservative agencies to adopt much needed innovation.\r\n\r\nIn the right situation, Divergent Diamond Interchanges (DDI) <\/a>\u2013 a novel design that improves intersections by eliminating left-hand turns \u2013effectively diffuses congestion. The design has helped aging overpasses meet current traffic demands \u2013 and it costs a fraction of traditional, less-effective designs. Although they\u2019re proven safer, DDIs have been considered too radical \u2013 they ask drivers to crossover to the \u201cwrong\u201d side of the road. That thinking has changed fast. Thanks to simulation, DDIs are solving traffic problems throughout western states \u2013 including Montana, Utah and Wyoming.\r\n4. Advanced laser-scanning is revolutionizing how we build<\/h3>\r\nImage Source: jurvetson on flickr, http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jurvetson\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nLidar, a combination laser-radar system that renders 3-dimensional objects on a computer screen, has been used since the \u201860s. Today, the technology provides hauntingly detailed-resolutions. Engineers use it to study buildings, bridges and outdoor environments from the comfort of their desk.\r\n\r\nThanks to its incredible precision, LiDar lets engineers superimpose the current renderings on top of original blueprints. This enables them to pinpoint damages without tearing the whole thing down. The implications for bridges are immense.\r\n\r\nThe same technology captures topography. In the coming years, LiDar will become the gateway to fully realized CSS — the virtual renderings will allow all stakeholders to get intimately involved in the planning process. It will help us lay incredibly accurate roads and will eliminate a large portion of the expense associated with surveying, repairs and renovations.\r\n5. Our infrastructure is already improving<\/h3>\r\nFor the record, the ASCE gave U.S. infrastructure a D+ this year. That\u2019s our best score since 2001. Bridges, which gained a C+, factored into the overall grade improvement. Although we still have a high percentage of structurally deficient bridges, the report card says, we\u2019ve completed a fair amount of restoration.\r\n\r\nThe slight upswing may be an initial result of the 2009 stimulus package, which doled out $80 billion to infrastructure projects throughout the country. State, local, and private investment has also increased.\r\n\r\nStill, it\u2019s not enough, says the ASCE. The organization wholly endorses the proposed National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank (NIRB<\/a>), which would establish a capital investment system for infrastructure projects the federal government deems worthy. The bank would barrow $60 billion and invest it over 10 years. Obama, who has supported the proposal since he took office, believes the NIRB could leverage up to $500 billion in private investment \u2013 a slice of that would dramatically affect highways. The NIRB proposal has since expired, but a new version was recently introduced to congress. As the ASCE numbers suggest, national investment in infrastructure will have tremendous returns.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nImage Source: Bilfinger on Flickr,\u00a0http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bilfinger\/<\/a><\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"$170 billion \u2013 That\u2019s how much the United States needs to invest annually to save our roads and bridges, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). If that sounds like a dead end, consider this: We currently invest $91 billion per year on highway infrastructure. An $89 billion increase is a slither of the $trillion increase in overall infrastructure spending … Continue reading “Despite what you\u2019ve heard, highways are not doomed. 5 upsides for U.S. infrastructure”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,60],"tags":[124,125,126],"class_list":["post-1179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-infrastructure","category-new-technology","tag-highway","tag-infrastructure","tag-context-sensitive-sollutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6471,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions\/6471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Traffic-Jam1-300x213.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nAccording to the infrastructure report card, traffic jams cost the United States over $100 billion a year — drivers spend an average of 34 hours getting stuck in traffic or venturing onto a new route. This wastes 1.9 billion gallons of gasoline per year and robs the economy of productive work hours. Adding more lanes, overpasses or roads tends to inspire new development and this leads to more traffic. Road projects, moreover, are expensive and getting the necessary approval can be tough.\r\n\r\nLuckily, some of the best traffic solutions are also the cheapest. Efficiently timed signals, for example, can significantly improve flow. When Atlanta added 3. Planners are getting better at best-fit solutions<\/h3>\r\nIn the past decade, public planning has undergone a philosophical shift. Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)<\/a> \u2013 which seek to balance the needs of travelers, the natural environment, and the local community \u2013 is now one of three tenants of the FHA. Currently, state DOTs are receiving training on the approach.\r\n\r\nRoads designed as CSS have more staying power than roads designed from the former, car-centric approach because they anticipate and addresses a range of problems. But these solutions are often unconventional.\r\n\r\nThanks to advancements in simulation software, roadway engineers can now observe the performance of unconventional designs before they build. The technology not only minimizes financial risk, it encourages conservative agencies to adopt much needed innovation.\r\n\r\nIn the right situation, Divergent Diamond Interchanges (DDI) <\/a>\u2013 a novel design that improves intersections by eliminating left-hand turns \u2013effectively diffuses congestion. The design has helped aging overpasses meet current traffic demands \u2013 and it costs a fraction of traditional, less-effective designs. Although they\u2019re proven safer, DDIs have been considered too radical \u2013 they ask drivers to crossover to the \u201cwrong\u201d side of the road. That thinking has changed fast. Thanks to simulation, DDIs are solving traffic problems throughout western states \u2013 including Montana, Utah and Wyoming.\r\n4. Advanced laser-scanning is revolutionizing how we build<\/h3>\r\nImage Source: jurvetson on flickr, http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jurvetson\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nLidar, a combination laser-radar system that renders 3-dimensional objects on a computer screen, has been used since the \u201860s. Today, the technology provides hauntingly detailed-resolutions. Engineers use it to study buildings, bridges and outdoor environments from the comfort of their desk.\r\n\r\nThanks to its incredible precision, LiDar lets engineers superimpose the current renderings on top of original blueprints. This enables them to pinpoint damages without tearing the whole thing down. The implications for bridges are immense.\r\n\r\nThe same technology captures topography. In the coming years, LiDar will become the gateway to fully realized CSS — the virtual renderings will allow all stakeholders to get intimately involved in the planning process. It will help us lay incredibly accurate roads and will eliminate a large portion of the expense associated with surveying, repairs and renovations.\r\n5. Our infrastructure is already improving<\/h3>\r\nFor the record, the ASCE gave U.S. infrastructure a D+ this year. That\u2019s our best score since 2001. Bridges, which gained a C+, factored into the overall grade improvement. Although we still have a high percentage of structurally deficient bridges, the report card says, we\u2019ve completed a fair amount of restoration.\r\n\r\nThe slight upswing may be an initial result of the 2009 stimulus package, which doled out $80 billion to infrastructure projects throughout the country. State, local, and private investment has also increased.\r\n\r\nStill, it\u2019s not enough, says the ASCE. The organization wholly endorses the proposed National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank (NIRB<\/a>), which would establish a capital investment system for infrastructure projects the federal government deems worthy. The bank would barrow $60 billion and invest it over 10 years. Obama, who has supported the proposal since he took office, believes the NIRB could leverage up to $500 billion in private investment \u2013 a slice of that would dramatically affect highways. The NIRB proposal has since expired, but a new version was recently introduced to congress. As the ASCE numbers suggest, national investment in infrastructure will have tremendous returns.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nImage Source: Bilfinger on Flickr,\u00a0http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bilfinger\/<\/a><\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"$170 billion \u2013 That\u2019s how much the United States needs to invest annually to save our roads and bridges, according to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). If that sounds like a dead end, consider this: We currently invest $91 billion per year on highway infrastructure. An $89 billion increase is a slither of the $trillion increase in overall infrastructure spending … Continue reading “Despite what you\u2019ve heard, highways are not doomed. 5 upsides for U.S. infrastructure”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,60],"tags":[124,125,126],"class_list":["post-1179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-infrastructure","category-new-technology","tag-highway","tag-infrastructure","tag-context-sensitive-sollutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1179"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6471,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1179\/revisions\/6471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Context](\"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Context-Sensitive-sollution.jpg\")
In the past decade, public planning has undergone a philosophical shift. ![\"Image](\"https:\/\/staging.trafficsafetystore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/laser-scanner-300x217.jpg\")