Strong Growth in U.S. Infrastructure Activity Anticipated Over Next Five Years

Excerpts from this article provided by Metal Center News

The combination of the need for investment and the promise of federal, state and local funds has resulted in a good deal of infrastructure optimism about the next several years, according to Myra Pinkham, contributing editor of Metal Center News.

Signs are positive for public investment and the steel and other metals used for the various projects that are either under way or are on the drawing board. But at this point the actual push from such landmark legislation as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act is still in early stages.

The dynamics of the infrastructure construction sector tend to be somewhat different than those for construction in general, observes Paolo Frediani, a senior steel analyst for Fastmarkets. He notes that while overall U.S. construction activity, which is still currently fairly healthy, is likely to slow down going forward, that isn’t necessarily the case for infrastructure builds, which don’t tend to correlate as strongly with macroeconomic factors.

As such, helped by the additional monies from the IIJA and IRA and other sources, Frediani believes that U.S. infrastructure construction activity will be up somewhat this year and will see even stronger growth over the next five years or so.

American Steel at Core of Infrastructure Projects

Kevin Dempsey, president and CEO of the American Iron and Steel Institute, says American steel, given it is the cleanest among material manufactured by the world’s leading producers, will be at the core of U.S. infrastructure construction projects. Those plans include roads and bridges, locks and dams, drinking water systems, the electrical grid and clean energy projects. He says one recent focus has been fixing off-system bridges, particularly short-span bridges.

Read the full article from Metal Center News

In the video below, Mark Thimons, vice president, sustainability, American Iron and Steel Institute, provides an overview of the sustainability of the American steel industry. 

Six Reasons Steel Provides a Sustainable Bridge Solution

Increasingly, bridge owners and designers are emphasizing the importance of sustainability in repair and replacement projects. The impact of the bridge on the environment has become an important consideration when choosing a material.

With advances in steelmaking technology, innovative design, and corrosion protection systems, steel bridges can improve our nation’s infrastructure with sustainable solutions that will last well into the next century. Learn the six reasons steel provides a sustainable bridge solution.