(Mark Your Calendars: RealShare REAL ESTATE 2012, March 22^nd in Los Angeles).

SACRAMENTO-In the wake of California’s 2012 infrastructure report card, which was recently issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers Region 9 and gave the state an overall grade of “C,” the American Council of Engineering Companies of California has offered a number of ways to improve the grades by 2018. ACEC California is suggesting ways to approach each of the six areas of infrastructure graded in order to formulate a plan for improvement that is both targeted and cost-effective.

“We must invest more in our infrastructure, but it would be very foolish to simply throw money at our problems without thoughtful and sustainable programs in place,” says Paul Meyer, executive director of ACEC California. “We need to make sure that we get the most bang for the buck.”

Meyer tells GlobeSt.com that it’s important in infrastructure change to first get public support. “The public is willing to support funding for infrastructure if they believe their money is well-spent.” He adds that self-help counties, which represent 80% of the population in the state, have been successful at raising funds via half-cent sales-tax measures dedicated to specific infrastructure projects.

Meyer also points out that projects addressed at the city or county level, rather than the state or national level of government tend to get completed more quickly and efficiently, adding that local governments have a much higher public esteem than do state or federal governments. In addition, he underlines the well-proven successes of public/private partnerships, where user fees are collected to finance improvements.

The state’s permitting process also needs an overhaul, Meyer tells GlobeSt.com. “Our permitting process is hostile. Members of ACEC who work in other states find much more support to get permits done and get projects moving. There are so many permits you need and so much bureaucracy here. Improving that system would help improve infrastructure grades.”

As GlobeSt.com reported earlier this week, state infrastructure sectors from aviation to water pulled a “C” average in ASCE’s report card this year, and it would cost an additional annual investment of $65 billion to remedy the situation to an adequate level. In addressing the six infrastructure areas that need improvement, Meyer recommends the following:

Solid Waste—pushing policies that incorporate recycled materials in purchasing specifications so that products diverted from landfill stay out of landfills. In addition, re-evaluating program priorities and considering factors such as air quality and wear-and-tear on roads are necessary to insure that mega-landfills are not the only low-cost option for solid waste.
Aviation—getting the cost closer to a municipal cost by rethinking airport design, investing in personal rapid-transit systems and applying micro energy grids to improve efficiency and operational performance of terminals.
Transportation—reducing state staffing of Caltrans and assigning more resources to actual improvements rather than administrative costs, authorizing municipalities and counties to take more responsibility for project delivery and making greater use of private-public partnerships and design-build.
Water—more and upgraded water storage and water transport facilities. Public-private partnerships are particularly useful in this area.
Levees/Flood Control—immediate action to fix levees rather than wait until a life-threatening disaster occurs. Using the knowledge and modern tools of today’s engineers and construction contractors is a good way to accomplish this.
Ports—viewing our ports as part of a complete transportation system and planning accordingly. Also, ports can be improved by making sure that harbor maintenance tax funds are allocated and used for their intended purpose.

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ACEC Offers Solutions to State&#146;s Poor Infrastructure Grades

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