Over the past decades federal, state, and local agencies have not made the necessary investments in our infrastructure. With other higher profile social issues, such as healthcare, garnering much of the attention, our infrastructure has been forgotten…that is until it is broken and needs repair. In the end, deferring maintenance of our nation’s infrastructure will cost us more than if we invest to maintain it in a state of good repair. As legislative bodies struggle with tight budgets, too often infrastructure maintenance and repairs are cut. Not only does this result in larger capital costs in the future, it also creates economic losses for end users.
There exists a multitude of infrastructure projects (roads, bridges, water, sewer, transit, etc.) that are needed to promote economic development and maintain our quality of life. A concerted effort to evaluate projects and dedicate sustainable funding sources is needed. Correcting the current situation is going to take strong leadership and a concerted national effort that crosses political party lines. We need to make sure that when new capital projects are funded, a complete life cycle cost analysis is part of the equation and dedicated funds for continued operation and maintenance are also funded too. New methods of project delivery, like Design-Build, and new financing methods, like Public-Private Partnerships, all need to be used to bring in new capital and new operational efficiencies. Most importantly, we need to considerer the “triple bottom line” when we make our infrastructure investment decisions in order to make sure we fund the right projects—those that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable and not funded mainly for political expediency.
BSCES has been working diligently with ASCE over the past several decades to increase public awareness relative to the condition of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure and the crucial role that civil engineers play in designing and building infrastructure. BSCES members, as civil engineers and leaders in our communities, have the necessary knowledge and expertise to assist state legislators in improving our infrastructure. This documents highlights examples of projects in Massachusetts where the investment in infrastructure was made… and was worth it!