All eyes looking at the road ahead are popping out with dollar signs emblazoned. The big question is will the bail-out package, now passed and signed into law, actually pass the test. However there has been a tunnel vision in the last couple of weeks: the apocalypse is here and it is big and we gotta fix it now!
Look at what has just happened to the financial crisis across the Atlantic. Instead of a government brokered (and government insured) deal with Citigroup, Wachovia has received a considerably better offer from Wells Fargo.
What are other people saying about the big picture? Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times advocates the formation of a Works Progress Administration, although he is not so optimistic about this becoming a reality. Also on the issue of where to from here, Congressional House Representive George Miller explained that there’s a pent-up demand…for infrastructure.
Several recent infrastructure failings in the United States have tragically caused loss of life. In August 2007 the interstate bridge over the Mississippi river collapsed in Minneapolis. A couple of weeks earlier a century old steam-pipe exploded in New York city.
Developed countries throughout the world are reaching the stage where their developments are nearing their used-by dates. Further, a lot of large-scale construction has been done without an emphasis on maintenance and replacement (including de-commissioning). Inaccessible piping is a good example. The cost and work involved in maintenance, de-commissioning, or replacement is substantial and therefore not very interesting – to anyone, whether it be engineers or government officials.
Importance needs to be given to incorporating design for maintenance. Also, in the inevitable event of infrastructure (old buildings for example) being declared unfit for repair, design for demolition becomes another critical factor - ease of removing old, dilapidated buildings for example.
The financial rescue package will slow, but not stop, the steady descent of the American economy. Other factors will determine just how much cushion there is when the economy hits rock bottom.
Look at what has just happened to the financial crisis across the Atlantic. Instead of a government brokered (and government insured) deal with Citigroup, Wachovia has received a considerably better offer from Wells Fargo.
What are other people saying about the big picture? Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times advocates the formation of a Works Progress Administration, although he is not so optimistic about this becoming a reality. Also on the issue of where to from here, Congressional House Representive George Miller explained that there’s a pent-up demand…for infrastructure.
Several recent infrastructure failings in the United States have tragically caused loss of life. In August 2007 the interstate bridge over the Mississippi river collapsed in Minneapolis. A couple of weeks earlier a century old steam-pipe exploded in New York city.
Developed countries throughout the world are reaching the stage where their developments are nearing their used-by dates. Further, a lot of large-scale construction has been done without an emphasis on maintenance and replacement (including de-commissioning). Inaccessible piping is a good example. The cost and work involved in maintenance, de-commissioning, or replacement is substantial and therefore not very interesting – to anyone, whether it be engineers or government officials.
Importance needs to be given to incorporating design for maintenance. Also, in the inevitable event of infrastructure (old buildings for example) being declared unfit for repair, design for demolition becomes another critical factor - ease of removing old, dilapidated buildings for example.
The financial rescue package will slow, but not stop, the steady descent of the American economy. Other factors will determine just how much cushion there is when the economy hits rock bottom.
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