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2
Identifying the Opportunities
The new agenda for infrastructure research and innovation
should embrace both individual public works modes and an in-
tegrated view of infrastructure. Modal and integrated, or cross
cutting, views offer rich opportunities for enhancing the effective
ness and efficiency of infrastructure through new applications of
science, technology and engineering.
Some of these opportunities are truly new, springing from
basic research In many field conducted at universities, national
laboratories, add in the private sector. Other opportunities may
have been considered in the past but are now more attractive ~ the
light of new demands, changed economics, and shifting national
priorities. While limited time and resources have prevented a
complete formulation of a new agenda by this committee, some of
the more readily apparent opportunities malce it possible to define
the outline for such an agenda.
The com~xiittee's suggestion of promising areas for both mo-
dal and crosscutting research faD generally into four categories:
.
maintenance of exiting systems, often neglected ~ discus
signs of infrastructure research, which may include moni-
toring of performance, detection and repair of failures, and
periodic measures taken to avoid failures;
8
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9
.
enhancement of existing systems, through adoption of new
technology or operating rules to improve quality, scope, or
efficiency Without a fundamental change ~ how service
provided;
alternative systems which involve introduction of new con-
cepts or technologies to replace existing systerrm;
policies =d management procedures that influence deci-
sions about how resources are allocated to month, en-
hance, or replace public works facilities.
IILUST:I~TIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
MODAI RESEA1ICH ED INNOVATION
The scale of our nation's investment ~ infrastructure and our
dependence on that investment warrants increased research effort
for ad modes of public works. Government spending on public
works has increased ~ real terms (i.e., Accounted for mBation)
from $60 billion In 1960 to $97 billion In 1984, but has decreased
as 8 share of GNP from 3.7 percent to 2.7 percent (Office of
Technology A~ment, 1987~. The Retribution of this spending
has shifted sharply over the same period from new construction
to maintenance of the existing physical plant, and from federal to
local government levee.
Spending on research, nearer high, has suffered in this shift.
Among the thousands of local governments that might benefit
from mnovatiom In infrastructure maintenance and enhancement,
only the largest can support research. Federal budgets for infra-
structure research In the last three yew (19~1987), measured in
current doU~, have remained stable or declined (BatteDe Memo-
rial Institute, 1986~. Estimates by the Office of Technology AS
sessment (1987) suggest that research spending by private sector
infrastructure industries is perhaps 0.3 - 0.4 percent of grow rev-
enues, led than one-tenth of what ~ spent on research in other
sectors of the economy. While the committee decries this gen-
eral lack of attention to infrastructure research, it recognizes that
resources will always be limited.
The committee selected three areas of modal opportunities
to illustrate the content envisioned for its proposed agenda for
infrastructure reteach: solid waste management, water pollution
control, and urban mobility.
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JO
Solid Waste M~aBem~mt
Frontage newspaper reports of a garbage~filled barge sailing
from port to port In the Unmet of 1987 highlighted the solid-
w~te management crmm faced by many communities (Fortune,
1987~. I.ike some legendary Flying Dutchman, the barge's cap-
t~ encountered the wind of public opinion that with mereas~ng
force roar "not In my bark yard" to those who search for places to
dispose of our mounting of municipal waste. The term NIMBY
ho entered the urban planner's ~rocabul~y as shorthand for the
public's response to a whole class of land uses that includes ~n-
cinerators, resourc~recovery plants, and I,u`~filb designed to deal
with solid waste. ~deed, the siting of new facilities has become
virtually unpossible In communities across the nation (Paul, 1987~.
Within the last decade, the typical cost per ton for solid
waste deposal has increased drastically. Some towns on Long
Island ship their wastes to Pennsylvania at costs as high as $150
per ton (fortune, 1987~. Environ~r~ental regulations and aging of
existing facilities have restricted the options available for waste
disposal, forcing closure of municipal incinerators and restrictions
on landfill operations. New York City, for example, now uses only
two incinerators (both in Brooklyn) of the thirteen in operation
before air pollution laws were pawed. Almost half of the city's
26,000 tons of garbage produced dally is sent to the 3,000~acre
landfill at Fresh KiDs on Staten ~land, the largest such site In the
world. When that site is Fill (which is expected to occur by the
year 2000), the mounds of compacted earth "d rubbish wiB be,
at 505 It high, the highest Cape south of Ma~ne's Mt. Desert
Island on the eastern seaboard (McKibben, 1986~.
Where new sites can be found for landfill, concerns for
groundwater protection may mandate use of Impermeable lin-
ers, clay seals, test wells, and long-term assumption of liability
for damages due to leaching of chemical Tom disposed material,
thus increasing costs even further. Waste~to-energy and resource-
reco~rery facilities-which now handle only about 5 percent of the
nation's municipal wastes (Engmeer~g News Recant, 1987) are
expected to assume an increasing share of the burden of waste
dispose, but they cannot solve aB the problems (Cook, 1985~.
There is a temptation to dismiss journal tic reports of im-
pending disaster, but the problems of solid waste disposal are
truly mountainous. On average, approximately 450,000 tons of
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11
waste are produced each day ~ the United States (R.W. Beck
and Associates, 1987~. Research and development on solid-waste
management ~ stiD In its infancy ~ the United States. It has
gained support primarily through programing sponsored since the
m-970 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Solid-waste
disposal is primarily a local government responsibility, and there
me few mechanimnB for pooling interests in innovative technology
and policy.
The coranaittee feed that more research on solid-waste disposal
~ needed. Beseech ~ needed, for example, to make improvements
in known disposal processes, even if the C08tS of Auk improvement
may here been deemed us acceptable in the past. We know now
that garbage is not "urban ore" that can be mined to make money,
and the sale of any wast~generated power, steam, glass, metals,
and paper wild only marginally reduce disposal costs borne by
municipalities. Neverthele - , there has never been a better time
to optimize all aspects of w~t~to-energy and resource-recovery
technology and to look for new ways to depose of wastes. Existing
systems will not have significant unpact on the problem.
Enhancing exiting systems may be achievable and eEective,
however. One prosaic but ne~rerthele" probing way to reduce
disposal costs ~ to merease public cooperation In separation at
the source in order to allow special handling of newspaper, glass,
and mets~. Also, there may be ways to reduce the per capita
solid-waste burden, such as encouraging less wasteful packaging of
consumer products. Another fruity area of research which might
help to allay public apprehension, relates to rugged and reliable
instrumentation for on-line monitoring of incinerator stack emits
signs and stable sensors to monitor soil and water connation.
More effective techniques to improve the quality of stack ems-ions
by controlling ~rapor~zed metal, dioxin, and suffer dioxide warrant
research. Development of fluidized bed combustion with gas tur-
bmes, now being successfully demonstrated with coal, may offer
improved efficiency and reliability while reducing air pollution
emission. In the same vein, adequate treatment of incinerator
cooling water prior to discharge warrar ts study.
Whether using enhanced or new technology, ~ncmeration and
w~t~to-energy conversion produce residual ash. Encapsulation
or ~ritrification of incinerator residuals to prevent leaching from
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12
landfilLs, once considered ~risiorlary, should now be venously pur-
sued, since the remaining life of landfills must be prolonged for the
ultunate deposal of these residuals.
The rising costs of municipal solid-waste dispose make un-
considered or expensi~re innovation in process technology more
attractive and ante the wench for alternative systems. Beyond
incineration, there is the much more speculative possibility that
genetically engineered bacteria can be developed for accelerated
biological stabilization of garbage. At present, this is done by com-
posting, a process that could become more comanerciaDy attractive
if it could be speeded up.
Near-term policy research ~ recommended to deal with the
previously mentioned public attitude of "not in my back yard."
Adoption of innovation in solid waste is already complicated
by the obstacle course of local, state, and federal government
approval, which even for a demonstrably desirable and weD-
engineered project can prolong the tune needed for preliminary
approvab to ten years. The near-term appeal of mcmeration and
cogeneration options has been somewhat dim~n~hed by the pro-
longed controversy over the threat of dioxins in smokestack ems
signs and residual ash, a contro~rerey that current public policy
and institutional structures have found difficult to resolve.
Municipal Wastewater and
Water Pollution Control
The need to unprove the nation's collection and treatment
of wastewater has been recognized for more than two decades,
and considerable funds have been expended} in recent years as the
United States sought to Thieve a goal of Fish able, swimmable"
waters everywhere In the United States ~ the 19~. Indeed, since
the passage of Public Law 92~500 (the Clean Water Act) in 1972,
approximately $50 billion in federal grant aid has been expended
to design, build, upgrade, or expand publicly operated wastewater
treatment works, including some collection systerrm (sewers) and
interceptors (U.S. Env~ronmental Protection Agency, 1984~. O,rer
the same period, private industry spent even more to comply with
local, state, and federal environmental protection legmIation. As
a result of these expenditures, there has been readily quantified
general and continuing unprovement in the quality of the nation's
waters.
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13
These investments have dealt pnmarily with only one put of
the nation's water quality problem urban sanitary sewage. Other
issues, equally }mport~t, hare laclted attention. Pollution due to
rumor from agricultural lands and livestock feed-Iota, storm cause<]
overflows in sewer systems that combine Unitary and stormwater
flows, and often exotic toxic and hazardous substances in urban
wastewater are, for the most part, not being adequately Alfred
by present treatment systems despite the Vestments the nation
has made.
Further, operation and maintenance of the present systems
continue to place heavy burdens on local govermnents ill-prepared
to hire and tram appropriate personnel and to raise the revenues
to manage these systems properly. There has been increasing
recognition that seeking to remove amaD residual amounts of
pollutants the last percent of suspended solids (SS) or biochem-
ical oxygen demand (BOD) brings a disproportionate increase
in costs. This may not be the most cos~effective policy for use
of limited resources, except possibly ~ areas where one city may
discharge wastewater into another city's source of drinking water,
as presently occurs ~ the Missouri ~d ~#iS~ppi Rivers.
Cle~ly, new wastewater collection and treatment strategies,
technologies, and policies are needed. At the same time, two
,decades of experience have given us a better sense of priorities and
underst - ding of our options. Thus, the committee feels this is a
particularly propitious tone to undertake a spectrum of research
In wastewater treatment. PoDutar~ts are now seen to be more
diverse both ~ origin add form than origmaDy contemplated,
and reteach may suggest that money spent in achie~riDg the higher
degrees of treatment for SS add BOD would yield a greater en-
~rironmental return if it were directed toward dealing with some
of the other poDuta~ts. ~ addition, both technology and our un-
deratand~ng of how natural systems can assimilate wastewater are
mpro~nng. Further improvements through research win yield a
higher ferret of water quality for receiving waters as well as signifi
cant economic springs.
Regears mprove maintenance and management of ex-
~st~ng systems will not only help to protect the nation's heavy
investments over the past twenty years in enhanced wastewater
treatment facilities, but ~ wiD offer the promise of improved
operating performance arid efficiency as wed. Despite the put
investments, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that
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14
about 30 percent of publicly owned wsstewater treatment plants
fail to meet federal effluent criteria. Some of the best opportunities
thus may lie In the truing of personnel and the development of
effective program for predictive or preventive m~nten~ce.
Improvements may be made in existing technology. The con-
t~nued development and early demonstration of decade-old ~ran-
ar~ts of the conventional activated sludge process would yield signif-
icant near-term benefits. These variants, including step aeration,
mollified aeration, activated aeration, and short period aeration,
can accomplish the same degree of remove as conventional acti-
~rated sludge but with substantially reduced tank volume ant] air
supply.
Another area for productive research would be the further
enhaD cement of the mcreas~ngly credible mathematical modem
that have been developed to predict the response of interrelated
waterways to pollutant loads of varying strengths at gracious sites.
These moclels can help to set investment priorities ~ response to
the severity of pollution problems, allocating scarce resources to
yield maximum benefits.
For the future, we must beam developing alternative systems
that come to grips with toxic and hazardous material ~ our
wastewater streams and with non-pot source pollution, primar-
ily Tom agricultural sources. Some of the techniques, which will
require research and development, will address reducing the pol-
lutants at the source either by containment or by limiting the use
of pollute material. Research to Improve our understanding of
these materials' origins, alternatives to these material ~ their
primary applications, and means for controlling their diffusion
into water bodies is as crucial as research into separation of these
pollutants Tom wastewater strew.
Specific new technologies for the future could become avail-
able, although they are still in the speculative stage. The promise
of biotechnology clearly must be considered in a variety of am
plications: poison-resistant bacteria for centralized wastewater
treatment facilities; organizers capable of digesting, trapping, and
in effect neutralizing toxic or otherwise hazardous materials; and,
~ general, biological organ capable of more rapidly, reliably,
completely, and cost-effectively neutralizing wastewater contam-
enacts Tom both concentrated arid dispersed sources. Similarly,
advancement in mechanical separation techniques, such as various
forms of filters and ser~iipermeable membranes now available only
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15
at the laboratory scale, could become available for wastewater
treatment.
Perhaps an issue for policy research as weld as for technology
development ~ the recognition that wastewater management ~ a
regional matter and that regionalization of control must be un-
deratood both at the technical and political leered. The goal of
research efforts in this area would be to Thieve regions manage
ment that deals with the problem at the appropriate scale, tenth the
proper controlling authonty and resources, and with the apprm
priate understanding of where the most cos~effective Treatments
should be made. These investments need not be centralized, as
emerging experience with on-site treatment demonstrates (Lom-
bardo, 1987~.
Also of great import, particularly in older metropolitan meat
east of the Misa~ippi, ~ the management of combined storm and
Unitary wastewater systems and how to dead with Oreo. Pow
sible solutions mclude either mtroduc~g a new separate sanitary
system, utilizing on-site pretreatment of water, or using holding
tanks to allow the system to catch up with storm-caused surges in
demand. They should be equate ~ to costs, reliability and ease
of implementation, Siren the potential for Irruption of services in
urban environment.
Urban Mobility
Despite active program of research in highways and, to a
much lemer degree in public trait, urban mobility ~ an Yea
~ need of ~nfr~tructure regears and innovation. ~ the sense
that the imues of urban mobility bridge several distinct modes
of public works, this area may iDustrate cro~cutt~g as well as
mode~apecific elements of a research agenda.
Regardless of how it is viewed, urban mobility is a pressing
problem across the nation. In the I`os Angeles area, for example,
time lost by commuters ~ traffic amounted, according to one cs
lunate, to 84,000 hours each day in 1986 (U.S. News and W=Id
Report, 1987~. 1h high growth suburban areas like Tyson's Cor-
ner, near Washington, D.C., the business community as well as
residents me concerned that traffic congestion may require dram
tic action. They are seeking mnovati~re ways to ease the flow of
people and goods (Orski, 1986~. Explosive growth over the past
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16
two decades In the work force, priorate vehicles, and suburban em
ployment has shifted radically the patterns of Lemma for urban
trade Ski, 1987) ~d has far outpaced the transportation m-
fiastructure's ability to cope with these demand. The mismatch
between growth patterns "d division of responsibility among for
cat government jurm~ictiom makes it ~ the more difficult to find
solutions to the problem.
Past research has shown that solution~may be found in new
ways of operating old facilities as well as in designing entirely new
facilities. For example, improvements were obtained several years
ago at the LincoIn Tunnel In New York City through computerized
control of the entrance rate into the tuned. Adaptive metering
of the entrance rate, in response to traffic density measurement
inside the tunnel, reduced substantially the Chock waVe8n caused
by uneven behavior of traffic. This produced an overall secrete In
average throughput of ten to twelve percent, enough to eliminate
traffic back-ups In most Stances.
A number of cities overseas and In the United States, facing
the limits of freeway construction, have chosen to focus attention
on mug traffic flow on ex~t~g streets. Through central com-
puter~zed traffic control, arterial streets can be made to operate
like 1imited-acce~s roadways for short period to severe demand or
to accommodate emergency conditions. These new systems replace
older fixed-mgnal synchronization schemes tenth adaptive control
based on traffic demand at appropriate detection points or for
particular times of day (Goldstein, 1984~. While the underlying
traffic management principles applied are not new, research "d
development of software ~d hardware has made it possible to cot
ordinate oysters of streets tenth dozens of intersections. Continued
research may expand the scale of control to regions.
The huncireds of thousand of miles of urban roast streets en d
bridges in the U.S. constitute a mature, at able and immensely sig-
nific~t element of infrastructure. Size, cow, and integration tenth
other parts of the urban fabric argue against dramatic change.
Thus, improved maintenance management offers the principal oh
portunity for timely and elective innovation. ~
The system's size, geographic distribution, and diversity of
condition make inventory control a major challenge to cos~effec-
tive management, a challenge that can be dealt with using ~m-
pro~red information systems. For example, there are nearly den
veloped comprehensive road and street pavement management
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17
systems now beginning to be adopted for active use. Although
at a more embryonic stage, bridge management systems are also
enrolling. These management systems, still susceptible to major
improvement through technical research, warrant demonstrations
of their effectiveness through application. With such information
system, we can for the first time accurately account for the huge
inventory of highways, r - a, and bridges in real time, and signif-
icantly improve their management.
formation exchange among computerized infrastructure
data been can minimize the public's frustration with senal rather
than concurrent repairs to various infrastructure elements. For
example, the repairing of a street, closed first for repair to a water
mains then for a gas teal`, and so on, hardly builds support and
trust in public errant ar ~ the systems they manage.
Materials technology ~ a major U.S. strength, but sophisti-
cased eng}neered-materials concepts have not been widely applied
to rod, streets, and bridges. While Gongrem has recently au-
thor~zed the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP), which
has allocated $50 million to research ~ this ~es, the committee
feed additional effort ~ warranted. Other targets for research and
development might include fostering improved inspection Procter
cures, more permanent pothole patching materials, en~rironmen-
tally safe Id permanent bridge paints or coatings, and lighter,
stronger bridge matenals, perhaps utilizing advanced nonmetallic
material.
The committee believes there are opportunities for enhancing
urban mobility through a systems approach combing technic
logical, financial, and operational strategies. U=t8 within exiting
org~atio=, such as the U.S. Department of Transportation, can
senre as foal for enhancing technologies relent to urban mobil-
ity. These include both ahs~dn tecbnolog~es" such as data man-
agement, tragic 8igDa} electronics, signal system communication,
and high occupancy vehicles (HOV)- "d `'~oft" technologies-
such as analytical arid simulation modeling, and car and ran pool
marketing strategies.
Substantial improvements in traffic service quality during per
roods of congestion might be achieved through development of
alternative systems like Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL). in
Such system, individual vehicles are tracked and their drivers are
guided through the highway network, depending on the degree of
congestion, along various alternate routes to their destinations. ~
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
wastewater treatment
18
the most sophisticated dynamo Route Guidance System (RGS),
individual vehicles are not just padre targets of a detection gym
tem, but communicate their desired destination to the system and
receive m~i~ridual ~netn~ctions on a preferred route.
A West Germs company reports that it ~ working on such
a system. ~ that system, vehicle transponders communicate
through relay stations with a central traffic control computer
which guides their movement, adjusts the tiring sequences of
traffic lights, and diverts traffic from emergency situation. Simi-
Iar system "e reported under development ~ Great Bntam and
in Japam (Public Duration Abroad, 1986~.
In the future, ground-based RGS facilities may be aided by
sateDit~based Globe Positioning Systems (GPS). Military am
plications of this technology have moored beyond the exploratory
stage, providing detection of transponder-equipped objects with
a resolution of a few feet. Use of GPS ~ an urban and subur-
ban area could augment the capability of grouDd-b~ed systems
for rout~gu~dance applications and also provide some additional
benefits.
A significant alternative system being demonstrated In the
United States but actuary berg used elsewhere, ~ automated
urban transit, or Automated Gu~deway flit (AGT). Such gym
tems have been promoted by developers as offering reduced oper-
at~g costs because labor inputs are reduced. Systems operating ~
L.ille, France and In Vancouver, B.C. are cited as demonstrations
that the technology, termed by some the Pleading edge" in me
tr-sportation, does work (Public l~o~ation Abroad, 1986~.
Alternative technology to cars "d trucks ~ not obvious, but
limitation in highway technology-including safety, cost, and ~n-
creas~g congestion suggest that this area merits thoughtful at-
tention to preserve "d enhance our mobility. Research to develop
gu~deways to move conventional vehicles, for example, offers the
promise of less congestion, greater safety, petroleum earrings, and
re
19
take ~ integrated or synoptic view of public works inffastruc-
ture. The common materials, construction methods, ~alyBi8 prm
cedures, management controb, and policy Sues relent to Al
modes offer major opportunities for innovation. They cannot be
adequately perceived or effectively captured within the narrow
perspective of any single mode. Ill addition, a cro~cutt~g ape
promo ~ the best tactic for confronting the barriers that affect aH
modes as discussed ~ the next chapter.
While many of the opportunities for innovation through crow
cutting research spring from adaptations of existing technology to
solve specific problem, the committee foresaw that many other
opportunities win emerge from reteach of a more speculative
nature. Research ~ such broad areas as biotechnology or quantum
physics could yield benefits in such unexpected areas as highway
maintenance or power generation, benefits that are as likely to be
realized in maintenance as id new alternati~re~3 to existing public
works systems. To illustrate the opportunities for the cro~cutt~ng
facet of its proposed agenda, the committee examined several
areas applicable to aB infrastructure modes: material science,
information Ethnology, nondestructive evaluation, and urban and
regional planning.
Materiah Science
The building blocks of current infrastructure facilities gen-
ersBy comet of 8 few mittens concrete, asphalt, wood, and
steel. Over the past several decades there has been a revolution ~
material smences that has only begun to be felt in public works
infrastructure. Some here enrolled to new lever of sophistication,
and can contribute significantly to public works Theology. They
include polymers, game, ceramics, and superalloys; membranes,
composites embodying the charactermtics of multiple mittens,
and coating; and both advanced factory fabrication and ~n-situ
processing techniques.
For exarnpb, past research on concrete has led to admixtures
that have reduced the amount of water used In concrete mixes,
Mewing to much higher strength In the finished matenal tenth no
reduction In workability during construction. New structural den
signs and reduced mittens usage have followed this innovation
(Mindess and Young, 1981~. Other admixtures have aided main-
ten~ce by reducing concrete's susceptibility to mat corrosion on
20
northern highways Id ~ waterfront facilities. -Coning ret
search on use of lightweight aggregates or metallic or polymeric
fibers in the concrete mix may lead to further innovation that
could be used for concrete pipelines and in all types of facilities
construction.
High strengths weight nomr~etaDic woven fibers and posy
mer-unpregnated fabrics have already made a major impact ~
architectural applications for sporting facilities and tempor~y-use
structures. Application to infrastructure that warrant research
include replacements for steel cable USA in suspension bridges and
prestre~ concrete structures, and for tunnel liners, pipelines,
storage tanks, ~d highway pavement foundatio - .
Techniques to recondition or otherwise strengthen and protect
materiab Direly in place offer the means to upgrade structural
performance ~d increase facilities' service lifetimes. Polymeric
sprays that penetrate and harden in place and cortege and lin-
ings applied to pipes and structural components offer promising
applications of flew technology.
~farmatitm ]?e~olog'
The assembly, management, transmission, and analysis of in-
formation about infrastructure systems ~ an essential element of
infrastructure development and management and therefore, a fer-
tile area for research. Computers and telecommunications are the
instruments of information technology applied to Structure.
The tremendous impact of computers on science u,6 technology
as a whole ~ already reflected in infrastructure, but the scope for
further impact remains vast. Applications of data collection and
management, process control, predictive mo
21
is designed will be an innovation In many cities with decades of
successive construction and reconstruction (Godfrey, 1985~. Even
when such records are available, the task of coordinating volumes
of information may await research and development of inexpensive
and fast methods of entry, processing, and display of design data.
Even if data is lost, computer-based decision systems might be
developed to help managers decide where they should look for a
failure when service problems occur.
Unlike computers, which are clearly tools for use in ~nfrastruc-
ture development and management, some observers may argue
that the widespread availability and use of common Attribution
corridors make telecommunications simply another mode like high-
ways and water supply. However, the committee found it difficult
to consider infrastructure innovation without discussing telecom-
munications as a cros~cutt~g technology. Telecommunications in
the United States has never been treated truly as public works.
With the effects of deregulation of the telephone industry still
evolving, it ~ even lem of a public works mode today. Neverth~
less, rapid development in technology, competition among metallic
wire, fiber optics, and the air Warren as transmission media, and
the burgeoning range of services associated with telecommunicate
tions (e.g., computerized message services and advertising, cellu-
lar telephones, interactive video, public access data bases) present
tremendous opportunities for research leading to innovation in the
more traditional areas of infrastructure.
Some opportunities have been mentioned. Uaffic signal gym
tems for urban mobility wiB depend on reliable telecommunica-
tions to link control at intersection with one another add with
the central computer. Route guidance and geo-positioning systems
will depend in a very basic way on telecommunications. Nonde-
structive evaluation techniques for monitoring structures remotely
may use telecomrnunicatiom to collect measurements from sensors.
Similar potential uses are arming with other modes.
Improved interpersonal communications (through electronic
mail as well ~ menage services) can speed the dissemination of
information on facilities' conditions ~d new management Procter
cures. Research will be needed to determine whether such faster
dissemination techniques win have as significant ~ impact on
public works infrastructure as ~ other fields.
Earlier forecasts that telecommunications might significantly
reduce travel have proven incorrect. However, improved video
22
teleconferencing methods may yet prove effective in relieving prom
lemm of intercity as wed as mtraurban mobility (Public Innovation
Abroad, 1987~. The implications of such technology for future
infrastructure needs warrant research attention.
NondestrQctne Erahlation
Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) refers to a family of pros
~ ~ ~ ~ · ~ · ~ · _~ ~ __1~
cedures employing probing radiation BUCh ~ x-rays, u~tr~on~cs,
and radar for performance monitoring and anprov~ng system reli-
ability. NDE presently finds limited application In infrastructure
areas, primarily in electric power plants and highways. The com-
~ttee formed a pane! to examine NDE in some detail as a partic-
ularly promising example of how research could lead to innovative
technology that cuts across several public works systems (see box
below and the Appendix).
Opportunities :fo~ Apron :R.liab~ty of.~blie Worlds
Using Nondestructive E - Cation
Public works systems are large and comply, }cane long service
lives, and acme to them is sometimes difficult (e.g., below-grade
utilities lines). As these systems age, facility managers need more
effective ways to ~e the capability of their-gems to pros
Ride contmoo~ and reliable operation Nondest~ctne Valuation
(ND E) can yield key information for this condition ~m~t with-
out requiring act~o~~that mint t}~reateD the pyst~n's integrity and
continuing~operatio - . NDE was selected by tips committee ~ a
; case stndy of flow oppo!S~itie8 may :he ~dentifieil Ad realized
through a new agenda for ~fraetr~cture- relearn. ~
A special pane] of the comm~tt" prepared the report on NDE
amen is the Appending Tlie deport conclnd" that Inter n8e of
NDE coupled trite stan~rdisati0n Id a failure ~1ysm framework
would be a cost~ective ~Nay^to Move the seliab'0ity of public
worlds, but that a focused Sear effort is needed to apiece ski"
capability. The MDE panel's Erg recommendations mYohre the
implementation of ~ near-term demonstration :pro3ect that would
both demote she pot~tial.eŁecti~r~n~ of NDE t~iques
and Uprose time tedh~uques via applied rcsear~.
This near-term demonstration :pro~ect would parolee coordi-
nated Se}d testing of Bevel comme~i~ available N1:)E methods
to Agate their t:apabilities~to provide reliable {acili$ r condition
"formation. airbill utility corritore in city streets appear to be
the most attractive ca;ndidatc for ibis effort, t}~ongh others in-
clodc dams (and pa - ;~ aquifers), piping Aster, large pumps
for wastewater treatment, and bridge str~ctu~.
23
The city street-utility comdor represents a complex "fray
tincture example which may include (a) street pa~remeDt, (b] gas
utility lines, (c) sewer lince, (d) water lines, (e) electric lmes, (f)
telephone lines, (g) steam lines, and (h) special communication
lines. Individual agencies or these facilities Ed share the com-
mon nadergro~d..epace. The actions of ear}` sgcacy c" affect
the others, creating a collective need to effectively manage the
dergro~d space. Institutional, financial, and technical barriers
restrict the Bow of facility condition information Song she facility
opera.
The city street-nti}it~r corridor ~ ~ ~rorthwl~ile case not only
becanse~of its importance to.ntility operatio:", but also became
indnridnal m~icipaliti" ~1b do not here the financial} resources
to concoct such an mraluation alone. S - oral study sites should
be selected for condition amassment, resecting a diversity of gem
graphical, construction, materials, and ~reather~related {actors to
ensure that the study r - nits arc rep~entatwe of condition across
the U.S.
The demonstration project should be d - - ed to meet the
following study objectives:
Provide field level information on the capability of al-
ternative commercial and emerging NDE te~iqu" to
determine accurately the conation.of fic'diti - ;
Develop .procedor" for the comparative ~ah~ation of NDE
technique for iev~oatK,~ of "f~tr~ctorc facility;
· Compare the accuracy of t}~ altemative commercially
available NI)E technique tenth current practice;
Compare the results of alternative NDE te - piques on t}~e
· same str~cture(~;
- Assess the fea8ibilibr of Meg mc~t~g.NDE ted to
define facility condition.
.. . .
. .
The project should ~ structural by a project m~r~ty~ation
teen tenth expertise both .m public words inspection . and in NDE.
The team would have to "tabling enteria for ~ch factors as NDE
methods to be chided ~ the cam stud Ed tost protocols :It ~
anticipated that broad participation ~ t}~e studier by.ad~rocates of
Canon ta~niq~es would he d~irab~, as would wide spomor~ip
or ~doreemcat by . Iterate Tile consortia. All information
Generated would be made Salable to the public.
One of the most far-res~rhing opportunities for employing NDE
research ~ In the evaluation of concrete material. Concrete, as
already noted, appears In a wide variety of infrmtructure appli-
cations such as highways, buildings, and piping for water and
wastewater. In Al these uses, flaws ~ the concrete c.~., air pock-
ets, cracks, corrosion-can be serious problems. Recent research
24
on flaw detection that combines acoustic methods, digital signal
processing, and computer-based analysis has led to the unpact-
echo, ~tre~wave propagation technique, which is capable of iden-
tifying certain internal interfaces such as cracks, grouting joints,
and groins in concrete. The reliability of this technology needs
more evaluation. Development of field test systems is also needed.
Permeability is the most important characteristic for con-
crete's long-term performance, because this affects the rate of
infiltration of such undesirable elements as chloride ions, which
in turn affects corrosion of the reinforcing bars or wires in high-
ways, bridges add pipes. NDE methods are needed for ~n-situ
measurement of permeability.
Assessing the condition of tendons In pos~tensioned precast
concrete elements warrants research. NDE methods should be
sought which determine whether tendons are protected by grout-
ing or have undergone some corrosion. New NDE methods for con-
dition assessments of roadways are needed to provide Formation
on the subgrade as weD as the pavement. For new construction,
sensors should be developed that can be embedded in the struc-
ture to allow continuous monitoring of structural conditions. Also
dunng new construction, NDE should be developed to monitor the
compliance of construction with accepted standards and contract
specifications.
More rugged, user-friendly, portable, ard inexpensive field
equipment ~ required for virtually all NDE applications. Research
is needed in all applications to establish limitations as well as
capabilities of NDE procedures.
Urban and Regional planning
AB infrastructure systems have evolved, patterm of human
settlement and economic activity have shifted to take a<~,rantage
of new opportunities to use resources and to overcome constraints
of distance, Isck of reliable water supplies, or shortages of fuel.
In turn, inability to fashion infrastructure systems to meet the
demands of these shifting patterns has demonstrated ~ need for
new ways to manage urban add regional development.
Viewed at the regional scale, maintenance and management
Of individual public works modes often depend on maintaining a
balance with other modes. An example is the Bow of water fro
supply systems into wastewater treatment systems and eventually
25
back into water supplies. E the quantity of water used or the
amounts of poDut~nts introduced during use are reduced, then the
demands for treatment and deposal also win be reduced. Research
to develop improved regional mon~tor~g of water use could yield
benefits ~ wastewater management And reduced costs of water
supply and sewer networks.
The concept of utilidore, common underground tunnels to
serve several utilities, evolved as an enhancement of the present
system of separately locating various water, wastewater, sad other
utility lines under urban streets. Because Aced to the interior of
a common and physically larger utilidor would be relatively led
disruptive and expensive than repeated excavation of streets, the
concept has the potential for increasing flexibility to accommodate
changing technologies (e.g., conversion from copper to fiber-optic
cable) and for consolidating other utility services (e.g., telephone
and electricity) that in many areas are provided above ground.
Utilidors, by providing a means for deli~renng multiple infract
structure services, necessarily involve multiple institutions. Mak-
ing this technology a practical reality will require a combination
of technological "d policy research, the latter to facilitate the
co-Iocation of ~nfrmtructure elements owned and operated by a
variety of public and pnvate service providers. Technological ret
search must address corers system design i - ues to constrain o~rer-
all costs, allow access for utility system maintenance, provide for
future maintenance of the utilidor itself, accommodate unantici-
pated technology innovation, "sure a high ferret of reliability, Ad
minimize the potential for common-mode failure. Policy research
issues mclude the determination of the type of enterprise needed
to construct and operate the system, how it might be financed,
and what services are best provided in this manner.
Jurisdictions concems are not restricted to the utilidor con-
cept, but are in fact basic to effective infrastructure development
and management. Regears ~ needed to find new ways to a - let
local electorates to comprehend the often obscure unplications of
regional issues of capital spending and system management. New
ways for governments at ad levee to communicate and cooperate
~ timely and effective mater are needed as well. F~nanc~g ~nsti-
tutions (e.g., regional infrastructure baked, systems for allocating
and controlling liability in the face of escalating court award, the
roles of go~remment and professional bodies in setting development
standards, and the unplications of such concerns for adoption of
26
technological innovation ~1 are potentiaDy fertile relearn areas
tenth cross cutting applications.
Over the long term, research may lead to more efficient paw
terns of urban development. While such ~rmionary megastruc-
tures as Solen's "archologies" or Compact cities (Danzig and
Sasty, 1973) may not soon append on the Amenc~ landscape, the
widespread use of clustering in suburban housing development,
innovation of the 1960s and 1970s, could evolve into demer ur-
ban clusters in the future. Research into demographic trends and
methods for delivery of urban services may have profound impact
on tomorrow's infrastructure.
CONCIUSIONS
A irarnework ho been propose for a new research agenda
to foster infrastructure innovation. To illustrate the opportunities
contained within such ~ agenda, examples have been given of
both mode-specific and crosscutting research projects of the type
the committee feed are appropriate elements of such a new agenda.
The examples presented here are just that-the committee's
suggestion of topics that warrant inclusion ~ projects ~ ~ Afro
structure regears agenda. Development of a comprehensive and
balanced wfr~tructure research program requires more time "d
resources than was available to this committee. More importantly,
the professions and user communities should be drawn into the
process of creating this agenda.
