The Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development (DOTD) was already conducting a pilot project with HeadLight—a photo- and cloud-based construction inspection system—when 2020 came along with the COVID-19 pandemic and five hurricanes.
Crews pushed three massive precast concrete boxes into place with hydraulic jacks underneath an active highway in Brevard County, Fla., during the week of March 29 as part of the $4-billion Brightline high-speed rail program that will extend the line to Orlando from Miami and West Palm Beach.
The team tasked with completely rehabilitating an 8,500-ft-long, 150-ft-wide runway at Sacramento International Airport in just 6½ months not only did so on schedule, but also achieved a record industry standard for pavement smoothness.
Climate change considerations, public-private partnerships for small and midsize airport projects, and urban air mobility infrastructure are some of the major issues for the U.S. aviation sector—along with optimism regarding new U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.