Public Works — Key to civilization
Public works have been around ever since people found ways to ensure a reliable source of water for their crops. In 4000 BC, the ancient Sumerians created a successful irrigation system that watered fields between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
What does the term “Public Works” mean? It’s one of those terms that are so broad that it almost defies definition.
The American Public Works Association (APWA) says “Because of the multi-faceted, ever-evolving nature of public works, we may never arrive at a final definition but, for now, the following definition seems appropriate: Public works is the combination of physical assets, management practices, policies, and personnel necessary for government to provide and sustain structures and services essential to the welfare and acceptable quality of life for its citizens.”
Haghe, L. & Roberts, D. (1849) Excavated mansions of Petra, Petra, March 7. Extinct City Petra, 1849. [Published] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
A Long History
By Saqib Qayyum - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
A 2.4m deep, 12m long, and 7m wide pool known as "The Great Bath" is located at the centre of the Citadel, is made of fine baked waterproof mud bricks and a thick layer of bitumen. It is the earliest public water tank of the ancient world. Adjacent to it are a well that was used to supply water to the bath.
Public works have been around ever since people found ways to ensure a reliable source of water for their crops. In 4000 BC, the ancient Sumerians created a successful irrigation system that watered fields between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In Mohenjo‐Daro, a major urban center of the Indus Civilization (India), a sophisticated system for supplying water and expelling sewage dates back to the mid-third millennium BC. Water came from more than 700 wells and supplied not only domestic demands but also a system of private baths and a Great Bath for public use. Drains and sewers were carefully constructed to facilitate the removal of waste.[1]
Beginning in 586 BC, the Nabataeans, who lived in northern Arabia and the southern Levant, created a sophisticated water collection system which allowed them to build an impressive trade empire in the heart of arid Arabia.[2]
Of course, everyone knows about the Romans, who constructed roads, harbor works, aqueducts, temples, forums, town halls, arenas, baths, and sewers – many of which are still seen today, more than 2,000 years later. These public works were designed to stabilize and strengthen the empire and make the lives of Roman citizens better.
Recent history
Segovia--El Puente. Segovia Spain, None. [Between 1900 and 1910] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
Fast forward a couple thousand years, and public works became key to stabilizing the American economy during a time of crisis. Back in 1933, the federal government undertook a massive public works effort to counteract the devastating effects of the Great Depression. For a decade, the federal government poured $3.8 billion through the Public Works Administration (PWA) into projects that radically transformed the country’s infrastructure. Prominent projects included New York’s Triborough Bridge, Grand Coulee Dam, the San Francisco Mint, Reagan National Airport and Key West’s Overseas Highway.[3]
Later, in 1935, President Roosevelt used an executive order to create the Works Progress Administration (WPA). At the time, unemployment was holding steady at 20 percent, and the economy needed a serious boost. The WPA employed mostly unskilled men to carry out public works infrastructure projects. They built more than 4,000 new school buildings, erected 130 new hospitals, laid roughly 9,000 miles of storm drains and sewer lines, built 29,000 new bridges, constructed 150 new airfields, paved or repaired 280,000 miles of roads and planted 24 million trees to alleviate loss of topsoil during the Dust Bowl. Over the course of 10 years, the WPA put 8.5 million people to work, strengthening communities and laying the groundwork for the largest industrial expansion in history -- the wartime economy of 1945.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Grand Coulee dam construction. , None. [Between 1936 and 1946] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
Today, the country is in the midst of another massive public works investment. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The IIJA is an historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure: $1.2 trillion over five years, including $550 billion in new federal spending, including --
passenger and freight rail;
highway and pedestrian safety;
public transit;
broadband;
ports and waterways;
airports;
water infrastructure;
power and grid reliability and resiliency;
resiliency, including funding for coastal resiliency, ecosystem restoration, and weatherization;
clean school buses and ferries;
electric vehicle charging;
addressing legacy pollution by cleaning up Brownfield and Superfund sites and reclaiming abandoned mines; and
Western Water Infrastructure[4]
The American Public Works Association (APWA)
The APWA is an organization that was founded to help public works professionals improve their skills, share information and work together to find the best ways to help their communities. Along with comprehensive training programs and other resources, the APWA helps its members learn about and apply for funds provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Each year, the APWA organizes a conference and exposition to help keep its members informed. This year’s conference, held in San Diego, includes 125 technical and professional development sessions using the latest learning models: classroom, interactive, and "live" learning labs. Additionally, more than 400 companies will be exhibiting the latest technology – including Berntsen International’s InfraMarker Connected RFID in booth 1939.
InfraMarker is key to smooth operations
Today, public works is more complex than ever. Even in small cities, more and more organizations are relying on the power of GIS to help manage their assets and streamline operations. InfraMarker RFID is designed to leverage the power of GIS to accurately mark and manage any type of asset - directly from the asset point itself. Each passive RFID marker identifies the asset, connecting to GIS with a simple scan, providing verified asset identity and launching the the associated workflow. This instant asset confirmation of ]identity removes guess-work from field maintenance and speeds routine inspection and maintenance with accurate documentation.
We invite all public works professionals who manage infrastructure assets to see how InfraMarker RFID can improve asset management by providing verified field asset information that links to any GIS system. Sign up here to chat with Brent Sherman, our Sales Manager for a live demo of how InfraMarker can work for you at the APWA Conference, booth 1939, August 27-29.
See how it works:
References:
[2] https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-ancient-technology/nabateans-002193
[3] https://livingnewdeal.org/glossary/public-works-administration-pwa-1933-1943/
Sources:
https://livingnewdeal.org/glossary/public-works-administration-pwa-1933-1943/
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Tw-Z/Water-works-Ancient.html#ixzz89u0Sv4uO
It’s National 811 Day —
811 Day was created to bring attention to a significant but little-known issue – the high cost and safety impacts of underground utility strikes.
Quantifying the cost and safety impacts of utility strikes is difficult. A compilation of various studies estimates that the direct cost of each strike is $4,000 -- but that doesn’t take into consideration the cost to repair and restore the damage.
Little-known but incredibly important
811 Day was created to bring attention to a significant but unfamiliar issue – the high cost and safety impacts of underground utility strikes.
Quantifying the cost and safety impacts of utility strikes is difficult. A compilation of various studies estimates that the direct cost of each strike is $4,000 -- but that doesn’t take into consideration the cost to repair and restore the damage. Taken together, the cost of the strike plus the cost of restoration, the total is 29 times the cost of the direct damage itself [1]. Because utility strikes are often not reported, the frequency of occurrence is merely an estimate. With more than 20 million miles of buried pipelines, cables, wires and other facilities, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) estimates that there are at least 400,000 utility strikes per year in the United States. In 2021, the cost of utility strikes to the US economy was estimated to be more than $30 billion.
Utility strikes have been a problem for a long time – ever since the 1850s when the first underground sewer systems were built in Chicago and Brooklyn.
Act of Congress
It wasn’t until 1994 that the government got involved. At that time, Congress required each state to develop a One-Call system with a centralized number to call in advance of digging. The goal of the one-call system is simplicity. Any person or company planning to excavate can call an in-state number and the utility companies would be notified to send a Utility Locator to find and mark utilities using spray paint and/or flags. Unfortunately, the number of One-Call Centers quickly grew to 71, each with its own 10-digit phone number, making it confusing and taxing to notify the right people before breaking ground.
In response, in 1995, the FCC designated 811 as the nationwide number to call (or click) to protect pipelines and other utilities from excavation damage.
Today, 811 is contacted nearly 40 million times annually [2].
Despite the fact that use of 811 one-call centers rose by eight percent from 2020 to 2021, “No notification made to 811 center” remains the top root cause of utility strikes with over a quarter of all damages still attributed to no notification)[3].
Much more to be done
Although it’s simpler than ever to call for utility location, utility strikes remain a major drag on the American economy. Fortunately, emerging technology is being used to produce precise maps of underground utilities that speed the process of identifying and locating underground utilities.
For example, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), are being used by growing numbers of utilities, municipalities and excavators to create and share data about underground utilities. Unfortunately, having an accurate map of all utilities in a given area is rare, because not every contractor or owner working on a job site uses GIS to map utilities. That’s when another technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), can make all the difference. Magnetic RFID tags can be buried with any type of utility and will display its identity, owner and other information with a simple scan. This data can be incorporated into GIS (such as Esri’s ArcGIS) through data collection apps on mobile devices. RFID is agnostic, so it will work with any utility, above or below ground.
RFID and GIS are key
Passive RFID tags don’t require power (they activate only when scanned) so they can last underground for years. A recently released study describes how RFID has been used to mark and manage utilities over a period of seven years. The study concluded that magnetic RFID marking, coupled with GIS mapping, is a low-cost, reliable solution for underground infrastructure locating and management.
Marking underground utilities with magnetic RFID is a long-term solution that streamlines future utility locating processes while providing the means to connect to digital mapping systems for efficient utility management -- from water pipes to fiber-optic cables. Utility location verified by RFID, provides a highly accurate method for utility owners to manage all of their infrastructure facilities.
Today, on 8/11 calling 811 remains essential part any excavation, from individuals working in their backyards to construction companies about to break ground on a new project.
References:
[3] https://dirt.commongroundalliance.com/2021-DIRT-Report/Executive-Summary#mainContentAnchor
Sources:
https://www.4manalytics.com/blog/29-1-the-cost-of-striking
The 811 Logo is a registered trademark of the Common Ground Alliance
MAGNETIC RFID SOLUTION
Utility marking is very effective at drawing attention to underground assets. In residential areas, marking can resemble graffiti – and raise concerns about what kind of disruption is sure to follow the marking.
The Case For Magnetic RFID As A Low Impact Marking Solution
Utility marking is very effective at drawing attention to underground assets. In residential areas, marking can resemble graffiti – and raise concerns about what kind of disruption is sure to follow the marking.
In response to groups of vocal critics to over-marking, state legislators have begun looking for smarter solutions. As a result, new techniques that reduce visible marking (low impact marking) are welcomed.
How utility companies can make low impact marking a priority
Existing ticketing systems often lead contractors to select a larger area for marking than is actually needed.
An improvement would require requestors, One Calls, and locators to share highly detailed specifics about an area in question, which would reduce the size of area requiring marking.
A permanent solution to the problem would be a locating and marking method that is precise and specific.
RFID provides a long-term permanent locating and marking solution
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems, like the InfraMarker, provide a permanent solution for faster locating and more accurate marking.
Passively powered, durable RFID tags are placed underground stored with access to digital information about the underground assets. This RFID tags can be found and read using a handheld digital reader. This makes it possible to apply even more precise aboveground markings while reducing the visible impact of a project during the planning and preparation process. The robust durability of these tags allow them to function for years at a time even in areas where weather would otherwise degrade or deteriorate other markings.
In conjunction with more complete communication procedures between infrastructure owners, RFID markers offer utility engineers a low impact, accurate and permanent marking solution.
If you’re looking to solve the problem of over marking and improve the accuracy and efficiency of your buried asset location projects, look to RFID systems, like the InfraMarker, for an innovative solution.