headings - 2015 volume i
Post on 06-Aug-2015
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- 1. ROADS AND BRIDGESThe Trouble with Transportation Infrastructure in America: A Recipe for Innovation We drive 40% more than any other industrialized nation, so we need roads and bridges that hold up. There is even bipartisan agreement in Washington about the need for strong infrastructure. But the United States does not have strong infrastructure and there is contentious debate about how large the problem is and approaches for funding and solving the issues. Periodically, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases a report card on the state of infrastructure in America. The most recent release clearly stated that the state of roads and bridges in America is not good and that deferred maintenance is festering into an ever larger problem. The study rated overall infrastructure at a D+. In particular, roads are a disappointing D grade and bridges have a mediocre C+. Those are not grades that get put up on the fridge. According to ASCE, roads in America are plagued with congestion, with 42% having major traffic flow issues. ASCE estimates this equates to $101 billion every year in wasted time and fuel. They also indicate that the cost for making the minimal necessary improvements in efficiency would require over $170 billion every year indefinitely. ASCE also states there are 607,380 bridges in the US, with an average age of 42 years. Of these bridges, over 10% are structurally deficient. In total, almost 25% of bridges in the US fall into one of two categories: structur- ally deficient or functionally obsolete. As a nation, we currently spend $12.8 billion on bridge repair, but estimates indicate a need in excess of $20 billion each year to reach acceptability by 2028. The road forward Band-aid fixes are common place as transportation agencies dont have the funds to do the necessary overhaul, meaning the deep wounds of crumbling infra- structure are not fully healedjust deferred. Temporary maintenance and a patchwork approach is a way of life for the transportation sector. Its not what any agency prefers, but without extensive financial support, options are limited. A driving factor behind all alternatives is innovation. A TIGER and a Foxx make for good friends On April 2, 2015, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced another year of TIGER. This isnt Chinese astrology but the seventh installment of the Transporta- tion Investment Generating Economic Recovery program (TIGER), which will hand out $500 million in grants for projects in all states that help solve transportation issues through innovative means. Secretary Foxx singled out Oklahoma City, saying on the USDOT website $13.6 million in TIGER funds will support renovation of the Santa Fe Depot facility to provide access for Amtrak passenger rail service, a future streetcar line, light rail, and commuter rail services. Other proposed improve- ments include the rehabilitated Depot building with a large common area, facilities for ticketing and baggage, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian features, and upgrades to E.K. Gaylord Boulevard. Its clear that a focus on innovation is essential now and in the years to come. Continental Mapping is focused on providing cutting edge solutions to our clients. We incorporate new technologies, new workflows, and refined procedures into our products and services to help compress project timeframes, reduce costs, and increase accuracies. CASE STUDIES Examples of Innovation: Stringless paving for Minnesota DOT To the casual observer, route 23 in the heart of the Minnesota grasslands may seem like a boring stretch of highway. However, this site demonstrated the value of high accuracy mobile lidar to support stringless paving. A very high accuracy surface derived from a mobile lidar acquisition and mapping effort, can be fed into slipform pavers to control the concrete quantity, depth, and surface elevations with high precision, eliminating the use of a string line. This saves time and money as the string line does not need to be constantly verified due to it getting bumped or moved, and dump trucks accessing the paver do not have to back down long stretches of grade between these string lines to get to the paver, which is a safety hazard.
- 2. High accuracy aerial lidar and imagery to produce orthophotography and surface model for habitat management High latitude elevation data from satellite imagery Creation of 3D mapping in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China High resolution topography and planimetric features derived from satellite imagery High resolution topography and planimetric features derived from satellite imagery High resolution topography and planimetric features derived from satellite imagery Compilation of orthophotography along the US/Mexico border Creation of orthophotography for ~100 airports though the region using satellite imagery High resolution topography and planimetric features derived from satellite imagery CONTINENTAL MAPPING: Mapping all Continents from Earth, Sky, and Space
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