Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/816045
April 2017 | EquipmentWorld.com 14 reporter | staff report T he American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has given U.S roads an overall D grade in its 2017 Infra- structure Report Card. "America's roads are often crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded and are becoming more dangerous," ASCE reports. "More than two out of every five miles of America's urban inter- states are congested, and traffic delays cost the country $160 billion in wasted time and fuel in 2014. One out of every five miles of highway pavement is in poor condition, and our roads have a significant and increas- ing backlog of rehabilitation needs. After years of de- cline, traffic fatalities increased by 7 percent from 2014 to 2015, with 35,092 people dying on America's roads." ASCE reviewed the nation's roads in three categories, including capacity and condition, public safety and in- novation, and resilience. Capacity and condition: The association points out the near-record number of miles driven on U.S. roads in 2016, surpassing 3 trillion. This contributes to the road congestion problem, ASCE says, with more than two out of every five miles on urban interstates being congested. Americans spent 6.9 billion hours delayed in traffic in 2014, which comes to 42 hours per driver, and wasted 3.1 billion gallons of fuel. The economic impact is estimated at $160 billion for that year. Public safety: In 2015, 35,092 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, with traffic fatalities increasing 7 percent from 2014 and 2015 and up 8 percent in the first nine months of 2016, the association reports. Innovation and resilience: On a positive note, the association points out developments are in the works for new road designs, construction, maintenance and management technologies and techniques. These innovations have included the use of 3D engineered models for more accurate planning and construction, new methods to determine how to best preserve pavement, and tools to make permitting re- views faster and more efficient. – Chris Hill ASCE gives U.S. roads a D grade T he Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) named the Hyperlane project by An- thony Barrs and Baiyu Chen as the winner of the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge at the Tech Experi- ence during ConExpo. AEM created the Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge as a means to create "innovative ideas to over- haul the crumbling infrastructure that Americans rely upon to move people, materials, products, services and information." The Hyperlane project, which earned $50,000 from AEM for Barrs and Chen, is a proposal for build- ing infrastructure that allows au- tonomous vehicles to travel at high speeds on existing roads and to use surge pricing to reduce congestion in those lanes. Second place went to Peter Muller for his SmART Driverless Vehicle System, earning him $35,000. Kevin Lu was awarded third place for his Adaptive Pavement System aimed at automating traffic to reduce conges- tion. He received $15,000. – Chris Hill Hyperlane high-speed autonomous vehicle project wins AEM's Infrastructure Vision 2050 Challenge