Transportation Projects Roadmap

Stressed public budgets and delayed passage of long-term federal funding have taken a toll on many transportation infrastructure projects in the United States during the last year. Nevertheless, many significant projects are moving ahead. The inaugural CE News Transportation Projects Roadmap lists 50 notable transportation infrastructure projects in the United States — ranked by estimated cost — that are currently in some stage of planning, design, or early construction. The list includes 21 road/highway/bridge projects, 17 rail/transit projects, seven port/waterway projects, and five airport projects.
While some of these projects have existed in some form of discussion or planning for almost a decade — see the Alaskan Way Viaduct — most are in initial phases of design or construction, with estimated completion dates as far off as 2024. Of course, given uncertain funding, prolonged right-of-way acquisition battles, and public or interest-group opposition, completion dates are likely to slip for some projects. Some projects may remain in initial planning stages for another decade or longer; some may never be built.

But other projects may end up on a fast track, influenced by outside factors. For example, widening of the Panama Canal, currently in progress, will allow larger container ships to pass through and reach East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. However, many of those ports cannot currently handle the larger ships, so not only do the ports need upgrading, but also the rail lines and roads serving those ports.

High-speed rail appears to be on a fast track in California and Florida. San Francisco broke ground in August on the nation’s first high-speed rail station (see page 8), even though construction on the California High-Speed Rail project is at least two years away. Public and private interest in high-speed rail is at an all-time high in the United States, but will that interest sustain and translate into adequate funding?

Fortunately, public coffers will not be the sole source of support. A significant number of the projects listed on the following pages are relying on some form of public-private partnership (P3) to move ahead.

Because of the number of uncertainties inherent in large construction projects, the CE NewsTransportation Projects Roadmap is a dynamic resource. Some projects will drop from the list as they are completed or become casualties of insufficient funding or public opposition; many more (hopefully) will be added. Please help us improve the accuracy and value of this list by submitting information, photos, and website links of large projects — estimated costs of $100 million or more — to bdrake@stagnitomedia.com.

North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum

CG/LA Infrastructure, LLC will hold its second annual North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The conference offers brief presentations of the top transportation, water, wastewater, and energy infrastructure projects in North America, as well as workshops, roundtables, and networking opportunities. Conference and registration information is available at www.cg-la.com/nalf2 Also check out CG/LA’s Top 100 Infrastructure Projects in North America.