{"id":5998,"date":"2020-02-10T13:34:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T18:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsknews.autodesk.com\/?post_type=views&p=5998"},"modified":"2021-01-04T14:10:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T19:10:22","slug":"presidential-candidates-future-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"views","link":"https:\/\/adsknews.autodesk.com\/en\/views\/presidential-candidates-future-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Road Ahead: Presidential Candidates to Discuss Views for the Future of Infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day<\/span>,<\/span> millions of American<\/span>s<\/span> sit<\/span> idl<\/span>e<\/span> in traffic congestion<\/span>\u2013<\/span>losing<\/span> precious<\/span> time with family, friends, <\/span>or at <\/span>work<\/span>. <\/span>Others<\/span> wait longer for trains, <\/span>jamming into overcrowded buses, and <\/span>often <\/span>find <\/span>them<\/span>selves delayed at airport<\/span>s<\/span>. <\/span>Some communities are struggling because of aging energy, water, and wastewater <\/span>infrastructure<\/span>\u2013things <\/span>needed<\/span> to sustain life.<\/span> While improvements have been made, <\/span>think Flint, Michigan<\/span><\/a>, there\u2019s more work to be done there and nationwide.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Th<\/span>at\u2019s why <\/span>at <\/span>Autodesk<\/span>, we<\/span> feel<\/span> compelled to enable a national conversation about the future of infrastructure. <\/span>And we\u2019re doing so via a<\/span> sponsorship of <\/span>United for Infrastructure’s<\/span><\/a> (UFI)<\/span> \u2018A Presidential Candidates Forum on Infrastructure, Jobs and the Econ<\/span>omy\u2019<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span> UFI (formerly known as InfrastructureWeek.org) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization advocating for investment and innovation in our nation\u2019s infrastructure. The<\/span> discussion<\/span> will take place at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Feb. 16, 2020 from 2\u20135 p.m. PST and will be streamed live by <\/span>C-SPAN<\/span><\/a>. The Forum will be<\/span> moderated by <\/span>J<\/span>erry <\/span>Seib<\/span>, Executive Washington Editor of The Wall Street Journal, and Jeanne Cummings, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> So far <\/span>Presidential candidates S<\/span>enator Amy Klobuchar<\/span> and<\/span> Mayor Pete Buttigieg<\/span>\u00a0have accepted UFI\u2019s invitation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> With 65 million more Americans expected to call the United States home by 2050, <\/span>the status quo <\/span>simply won\u2019t work.<\/span> The demand on our infrastructure will on<\/span>ly increase and we need to have a <\/span>realistic <\/span>conversation about how we will move people and <\/span>goods<\/span> and<\/span> sustain life with reliable and safe water and energy<\/span> resources.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> https:\/\/autodesk.wistia.com\/medias\/twc1tjdyvn?embedType=iframe&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640 Now, to be sure, Autodesk <\/span>does not<\/span><\/i> endorse candidates for office at any level<\/span> of government<\/span> or in any <\/span>geography, nor we do we support any political parties. Our <\/span>involvement<\/span>, along with other <\/span>corporate sponsors<\/span>, is the en<\/span>ablement of the<\/span> discussion<\/span> \u2013 and we hope the candidates will share their views on the long-term <\/span>needs of our infrastructure and how they propose to address them \u2013 in a bipartisan manner.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/p>\n

Crossing the aisle<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Traditionally, i<\/span>nfrastructure <\/span>is one of the issues <\/span>for which elected officials see eye-to-eye <\/span>on, <\/span>across the proverbial aisle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Captured by <\/span>NPR<\/span><\/a> d<\/span>uring her confirmation hearing<\/span> in 2017<\/span>, President Trump\u2019s <\/span>then-<\/span>nomi<\/span>nee for<\/span> Transportation <\/span>Secretary<\/span> Elaine Chao<\/span> demonstrated her understanding of the challenges ahead<\/span> and the critical nature of reliable, safe, and modern infrastructure, and the <\/span>need to keep pace with emerging technology<\/span>.<\/span> Chao <\/span>recognized <\/span>our nation <\/span>“is jeopardized by infrastructure in need of repair, the specter of rising highway fatalities, growing congestion and by a failure to keep pace with emerging technologies.”<\/span> Secretary Chao was confirmed by the Senate by an almost unanimous vote<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Former-U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as the first Transportation Secretary in President Obama\u2019s Cabinet, has spent decade<\/span>s<\/span> trumpeting bipartisanship <\/span>on this issue <\/span>everywhere he goes, including a recent <\/span>Axios<\/span><\/a> discussion about infrastructure<\/span> during which he stated,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>There are no Republican roads. There are no Republican bridges. There are no Democratic roads or Democratic bridges. Infrastructure has always been bipartisan.\u201d <\/span>Secretary LaHood is <\/span>right,<\/span> and <\/span>his<\/span> message must be heard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, a Democrat who succeeded Secretary LaHood, called <\/span>a reliable<\/span> and safe transportation \u201ca ladder to opportunity.\u201d<\/span> Foxx is right, but r<\/span>ight now, we seem to be missing a few rungs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> To be sure, <\/span>our <\/span>economy relies on our infrastructure to <\/span>bring goods to stores<\/span>, <\/span>deliver packages to our homes<\/span>, and <\/span>get people to work<\/span><\/a>.<\/span> Back in 2014,<\/span> Secretary Foxx<\/span> brought th<\/span>is point to life when he spent a day with<\/span> New Jersey-resident<\/span> Jay Valentin, <\/span>a driver for UPS<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Valentin <\/span>said this, \u201cThe traffic is stressful. In the morning, we sometimes leave the hub later because the trucks haven’t been loaded yet. Then, after you finally leave, you hit the traffic. Now, you can’t service your Next Day Airs in time for the deadline; I really can’t take a deep breath until I deliver the last NDA package.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Now, h<\/span>ere’s a little \u2018did you know\u2019: <\/span>if <\/span>every <\/span>UPS<\/span> truck <\/span>was<\/span> stuck in five minutes of traffic, it would cost the company $100 million<\/span>, according to Secretary Foxx\u2019s article.<\/span> Again, this is from 2014.\u00a0 Do you think the problem has gotten worse or better?<\/span> Consider that rhetorical.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> My take: A<\/span> slow transportation network means a slow economy<\/span>; w<\/span>e <\/span>must<\/span> keep both moving.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/p>\n

The opportunity <\/span><\/b>for <\/span><\/b>better<\/span><\/b> infrastructure<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Digital technology<\/span><\/a> plays an increasingly important role in<\/span> helping the nation build better and more innovative <\/span>roads, bridges<\/span>, <\/span>ports<\/span>, public trans<\/span>it<\/span>, and <\/span>all other <\/span>modes of transportation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Autodesk design, engineering and construction technology is used <\/span>on<\/span> every continent <\/span>around<\/span> the world to redu<\/span>ce risk, improve safety and <\/span>increase<\/span> productivity<\/span>. <\/span>We <\/span>are <\/span>working with the best and brightest in the industry to <\/span>better prepare us for the<\/span> future. <\/span>For example,<\/span> in 2019<\/span> Virgin Hyperloop One and Autodesk<\/span><\/a> announced a strategic relationship<\/span>. The purpose<\/span> of the alliance is<\/span> to explore new opportunities to extend the value of<\/span> Building Information Modeling (<\/span>BIM<\/span><\/a>)<\/span>,<\/span> <\/a>route optimization<\/span>,<\/span> and improved digital engineering and construction workflows for all modes of transportation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> Autodesk Construction Cloud<\/span><\/a> technology is already being leveraged by civil firms: PlanGrid is <\/span>a <\/span>tool<\/span> required by the <\/span>Tennessee Department of Transportation<\/span><\/a> for all civil infrastructure projects, while companies with robust infrastructure practices such as <\/span>AECOM<\/span> are among the hundreds that use <\/span>the Autodesk Construction Cloud<\/span>.<\/span> Thousands of firms also use Autodesk\u2019s design and engineering technologies, including the cloud-connected collaboration tool BIM 360 Design, Civil 3D, <\/span>Infraworks<\/span>, Revit, and many others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>

\"Construction

With a mobile first approach, Autodesk Construction Cloud connects teams and information from the field to the trailer and to the back office.<\/p><\/div> <\/p>\n

End of the road<\/span><\/b>: A final thought<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For five years, I <\/span>h<\/span>ad the pleasure<\/span> \u2013 the honor really \u2013<\/span> of serving <\/span>as an appointee in the Obama Administration, and more specifically, for both <\/span>Transportation <\/span>Secretar<\/span>ies<\/span> Ray LaHood <\/span>(the Republican) <\/span>and Anthony Foxx<\/span> (the Democrat)<\/span>.<\/span> Prior to that, I worked for a <\/span>M<\/span>ember of <\/span>Congress serving on <\/span>the House <\/span>of Representative\u2019s <\/span>Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Why do I offer my curriculum vitae<\/span>? Not to boas<\/span>t<\/span> or <\/span>encourage job offers<\/span>, but rather to serve as a witness to the fact that there are elected officials who care <\/span>deeply <\/span>about the future of our infrastructure and the future of <\/span>the American people so <\/span>passionately<\/span> that the lack of progress on the big \u2018stuff\u2019 is frustrating to them \u2013 and they know it is frustrating to <\/span>each and every one of us.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> We need a<\/span> long-term plan \u2013 not <\/span>a short-term plan <\/span>for today<\/span> or<\/span> the next five years, but for the next 30 \u2013 40 years. The horizon is far too short, we need to think even farther.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> I leave you with this: <\/span>we<\/span> have <\/span>a choice \u2013 we can either be overwhelmed by the challenges ahead, or we can <\/span>overcome<\/span> them by <\/span>thinking boldly and working<\/span> together. <\/span>Together<\/span><\/i>.<\/span> We just need ideas<\/span>, conversation and action from wherever it comes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US Infrastructure is facing massive challenges. How do these candidates propose to address them? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":6002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3,4,6,5,7],"adsk_tags":[],"class_list":["post-5998","views","type-views","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-aec-bim","categories-architecture","categories-construction","categories-engineering","categories-infrastructure"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresidential Candidates Discuss Future of Infrastructure | ADSK NEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"U.S. infrastructure is facing unprecedented challenges. 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