Transportation Construction Outlook Changes as Legislation Looms

Excerpt from Engineering News-Record: Transportation Construction Outlook Changes as Legislation Looms

ARTBA Report Highlights the Benefits and Value of Federal Highway Program

According to recent research from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), state governments moved forward with nearly 111,000 new federal-aid highway and bridge projects during the past five years under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

ARTBA’s compilation of Federal Highway Administration data was released to coincide with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing on Feb. 24, concerning the reauthorization of the surface transportation program, which is due by Sept. 30.

“Our research illustrates tangible success stories of the federal highway program,” says ARTBA President and CEO Dave Bauer. “Such real-world project outcomes would be even more robust under the highway and transit investment bills advanced by the House and Senate in the last Congress.”

The Fourteen Mile Bridge (Lincoln County, West Virginia) was constructed using steel press brake tub girders. It was funded using a combination of state and federal dollars under the FAST Act.

Education Available on Short-Span Structures

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is offering webinars and workshops for students, university faculty, county engineers, state DOT professionals and design firm teams. These virtual and onsite programs range from brief webinars on specific topics to in-person workshops covering design, fabrication, installation and safety issues.

Over the past decade, the SSSBA has educated nearly 15,000 bridge professionals and students.

The webinars/workshops are taught by industry experts with decades of experience in the cost-effective design and construction of short-span bridges. According to SSSBA Director Dan Snyder, topics range from coating solutions, accelerated bridge construction options and design tools to buried soil steel bridge alternatives and life-cycle analysis.

“Steel structures can save Signiant time and costs on projects since they can be installed quickly, allowing roads to reopen to traffic in shorter time frames ” he says. “Many also have life expectancies of more than 100 years, saving future maintenance and replacement costs. As a sustainable material, steel provides life-cycle advantages over other materials and can be repurposed for other projects if needed.”

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