I recently posted an article on smarter cars, and how they help us as smarter workers, but what about the roads and bridges they drive on?\u00a0 With over 75,000 of bridges in the U.S. being marked as \u201cStructurally Deficient\u201d now is the time to consider, \u201cwhat can we do to improve on them.\u201d\u00a0 How can we make them safer, make them last longer, and make them smarter?<\/p>\n
A study done in 2011 by the American society of Civil Engineers (Transportation experts across both public and private sectors) found that our failing roads and infrastructure could have severe economic consequences if not handled properly.\u00a0 The study called \u201cFailure to Act\u201d states that U.S. businesses and households will suffer if nothing is done.\u00a0 By the year 2020, businesses are looking at paying an increase of 430 billion dollars in transportation costs.\u00a0 They also estimate U.S. exports to shrink to about $28 billion a year and individual households to lower their annual income by about $7,000.\u00a0 This is all due to failing roads and bridges.<\/p>\n
Part of the problem, according to experts, is the \u201cpatch and repair\u201d strategy we have been using. \u00a0With the current technology in place, we simply don\u2019t have the time or resources to do the upkeep needed with this strategy, and are falling further and further behind.\u00a0 Many fear another tragedy, such as the interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsing during rush hour in 2007, killing 13 and injuring 145.\u00a0 With our roads in such bad condition, even I started to wonder, how is making our roads smarter going to help with their condition?<\/p>\n
One of the reasons it is so difficult to find roads and bridges that need repair, or to even start the repair on a damaged area, is that they have to be inspected first.\u00a0 This determines which areas need repair the most, what order the repairs go in, what kind of crews need to be hired, and how long the roads will be out of service.\u00a0 This process can bottleneck repairs, so how do we speed it up?\u00a0 Sensors have become much more advanced, and can be built into the road.\u00a0 These sensors can detect damage of the road or bridge, report its stability, and can help engineers track any problems.\u00a0 This can limit or even eliminate the need for inspections, speeding up the process of repair by a huge amount.\u00a0 It might even save lives by giving early warning about a structural fault.<\/p>\n
Building infrastructure that can communicate with vehicles will also benefit the roads more than you would think.\u00a0 As I mentioned in my article \u201cWhen Cars Talk\u201d vehicles now have the ability to communicate with each other, giving early warnings, assisting in lane changes, and when connection with the infrastructure can let you know of sharp curves or sudden stops.\u00a0 These technologies can help our roads by preventing accidents that could damage our road ways, and also by clearing up traffic congestion.\u00a0 The less time cars spend on the road, the less stress they put on it.<\/p>\n
This technology could also lead to smarter parking, something I would love to have.\u00a0 It works like this.\u00a0 Imagine you need to go downtown to pick up something, but you don\u2019t want to get down there and not be able to find parking.\u00a0 If the infrastructure was updated, an app on your phone could tell you how many spots are open in the parking garage.\u00a0 About 30% of traffic congestion in urban environments is people driving in circles looking for parking (I\u2019m looking at you Santa Cruz \u0ca0__\u0ca0 ) and that could be helped tremendously by this.<\/p>\n
Smarter cars, smarter roads, better infrastructure; it is the future of our transportation.\u00a0 Without it we will crumble, so let\u2019s not just \u201cpatch and repair\u201d it, let\u2019s build it bigger, better, smarter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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