Viewpoints

	Description
America’s water infrastructure: today’s action item or tomorrow’s tragedy? It’s our call. Rob Vining, National Director Water Resources Practice	When Hurricane Katrina struck, I wondered if it might be the wake-up call our country needed to address its crumbling levee system. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The alarm went off, and America hit the snooze button...
Driving to replace the gas tax Jim Barbaresso, Director Intelligent Transportation Systems	There is a perfect storm brewing in surface transportation. Our infrastructure is eroding at an alarming rate, and the revenue to replace it isn’t keeping pace. Highways alone will require...
Make transportation a priority Paul Yarossi, President HNTB Holdings Ltd	It is often said that one of America’s greatest strengths is finding the will to come together and take action when faced with a national crisis. We face such a time now. The challenge is all around us in our...
Trains and the city Peter Gertler, Chair High-Speed Rail Services	One exciting ripple effect of President Barack Obama’s commitment to high-speed rail, which he demonstrated with an $8 billion pledge in federal stimulus money in 2009, is the promise of economic development in...
THINK: Infrastructure forum transcript - May 2011	THINK: Infrastructure forum was held on May 4, 2011 at The Yale Club of New York City. This edited transcript and Q&A captures highlights from the two-hour discussion. THINK: Infrastructure...
America needs to remain bullish on high-speed rail Peter Gertler, Chair Rail and Transit Services	As a nation, we have lost sight of why we need high-speed rail. We are viewing high-speed rail as an isolated, discreet and expensive product when we should be looking at it as a critical element of a balanced,...
Rebuilding America's infrastructure: let's be clear Paul Yarossi, President HNTB Holdings Ltd	The state of our U.S. infrastructure is dire. The results of failing to invest in our outdated transportation network and maintain a state of good repair are threatening our resilience, our security, our economic...
States should be allowed to toll 'Corridors of the Future' Pete Rahn, Leader National Transportation Practice	In 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a groundbreaking plan to highlight the need to reconstruct and expand six critical interstates. Designated “Corridors of the Future,” Interstates 5, 10, 15...
Time's up! We can no longer continue to underinvest in our transportation infrastructure. Pete Rahn, Leader National Transportation Practice	Our nation has allowed its transportation system to fall so far into disrepair that it is no longer a celebrated asset. It is a national liability. This past October, a bipartisan panel of experts co-chaired by...
Viewing roads as public utilities could solve funding impasse Pete Rahn, Leader National Transportation Practice	Simply changing how we think of surface transportation could be the first step in a giant leap toward solving the nationwide funding crisis. Instead of seeing our roads, bridges and tunnels as a build-it-once-and-...