If utility managers, planners, scientists and politicians can agree on one thing, it is that American infrastructure -- the roads, railroads, pipes and powerlines critical to our mobility and economy -- is aging.
The Pacific Northwest faces a growing public infrastructure crisis of deteriorating facilities, escalating maintenance costs and shrinking resources for investment.
The Northwest could, however, become a national innovation leader by developing sustainable, resilient and affordable infrastructure systems, according to findings of a new report from the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.
Metro was a co-sponsor of the report and several Metro leaders and staff were interviewed among its "thought leaders."
Rethinking investments
“We are going to spend many billions of dollars on our infrastructure just to keep our society and economy functioning. This is the reality. The question is: how do we get smart about how we’ll invest that money?” said the center's director, Rhys Roth.
Increasingly, infrastructure professionals recognize that innovation is needed, according to the report, Infrastructure Crisis, Sustainable Solutions: Rethinking Our Infrastructure Investment Strategies.
The report's authors interviewed 70 researchers, planners and elected leaders with expertise in energy, transportation, water, waste and infrastructure finance. The report distills their insights to provide guidance to the region’s current and future infrastructure leaders, policymakers and advocates.
A key conclusion: infrastructure spending decisions need to be rethought at the earliest stages. "Smarter investment decisions will help us develop systems that most benefit communities for the long-term,” said Roth. The report defines smart investments as affordable, resilient, environmentally sound and integrated. “They’re also rich in community co-benefits, including for the local economy,” said Roth.
As an example, the report highlights Portland's recent Division Streetscape Project, jointly funded and managed by the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Bureau of Transportation. Launched in May 2013, the project totally rebuilt the busy but crumbling arterial, adding new curb extensions for bus landing, new crosswalks and streetlights, improved signalization, new on-street parking, 55 green street bioswales, 124 new street trees and 4,900 feet of sewer pipe replacements. The $12 million price tag was considerably reduced by the coordination between different bureaus' strategies for sewer, stormwater and transportation.
"By combining forces, the project not only achieves efficiencies and cost savings, it gives the neighborhood an attractive main street with increased access to transit, improved safety and access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, better traffic operations through the corridor, and improved air and water quality," the report says.
The report also praises Washington County's Clean Water Services for its collaboration with private industries that can use wastewater for productive purposes like producing ethanol and fertilizer, limiting waste and providing additional revenue for the agency.
Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette said the report's findings are important to the region. “Our region is anticipating significant growth in coming decades, and how well we accommodate that growth depends a lot on how careful we are in making critical infrastructure investments," Collette said. "It makes little sense to just patch up our aging infrastructure when smart new options are available. This report describes proven technologies that are less expensive and far more efficient at providing water, energy, transportation, communications and more," she added.
The Division Streetscape Project included a great amount of coordination between Portland's Bureau of Transportation and Bureau of Environmental Services. Photo: Felicity J. McKay / Portland Bureau of Transportation
Need for innovation
The report also raises concerns about an aging workforce in public infrastructure. “We’re about to lose an enormous resource of real-world operational knowledge to the coming retirement wave,” said Roth. “We urgently need to inspire and equip a new generation of infrastructure innovators to enter these professions.”
Responsive to the market, the report asks how we will power our homes and businesses, access clean water, get where we need to go, and keep waste from harming us in the decades ahead. The center encourages inter-agency collaboration, use of smart technologies, new ways to harness private sector expertise, and new planning tools to achieve better economic and community results.
The report recommends making tough financial reforms, for instance, accounting upfront for life-cycle costs of a project and reforming lowest-bid procurement practices. Finally, the report examines the positive ripple effect of a paradigm shift on physical and mental health, quality of life, and competitiveness in the global economy.
”The report’s ultimate measure of success will involve an evolution toward healthy, prosperous, beautiful and cohesive communities,” said Roth. “Our hope is it will prove useful to public, nonprofit, academic and industry leaders as they help Northwest communities transform how they think about, plan for and invest in their infrastructure assets.”
Collette said the report will be useful for Metro's future planning efforts. “The 21st century approaches offered in this report provide exciting opportunities to create jobs, foster new communities and make our existing communities more resilient in the face of climate change and other challenges,” she said.
Learn more from the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure