It was a year of surprises, including wins for the Chicago Cubs and Donald Trump and, in transportation, a lucky miss when a crane crashed down on the Tappan Zee Bridge at the New NY Bridge site but did not kill anyone. But it was also a year of business as usual for stewards of transportation infrastructure, juggling new and expanded assets while trying to maintain a state of good repair. Long-awaited federal transportation funding helped to fuel much of this construction.
For airports, lowered fuel costs and heightened passenger numbers also boosted expansions and upgrades, as observed firsthand by this reporter in an airport infrastructure tour across the country. Use of alternative project delivery methods, such as design-build, CMAR and public-private partnerships, is increasing throughout the various transportation construction modes and, under the incoming president, may receive a boost. Trump first called for an infrastructure program that would be “at least double” Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s $275-billion, five-year initiative. Later, he proposed a $1-trillion, 10-year plan. Specifics were lacking, however.