Resiliency & Technology in Transportation Construction

Policy Statement & Initiative

Approved by ARTBA Board of Directors, May 16, 2022

As the nation continues to deal with natural disasters, environmental challenges and aging infrastructure, the transportation network has faced major disruptions along the way. The public and private sector continue to evolve through the use of innovation, technology and processes to create a more resilient infrastructure. ARTBA supports the role of innovation and technology, as well as increased investment, in creating more resilient infrastructure and acknowledges that this will vary based on geography and is not ‘one-size-fits-all.’ New thinking in terms of quantifying the impact and benefits of resilient solutions as well as how innovative technologies are developed and deployed will guide these improvements.

Definition:

The term “resiliency” can be defined many ways in the transportation infrastructure space. In this context, “resiliency” is defined as the merging of knowledge and innovation to engineer, construct and maintain transportation infrastructure that adapts to and withstands the test of time, emergencies, and the environment. Technology can contribute to resiliency by helping a project better anticipate, prepare for and adapt to changing conditions and withstand and respond to disruptions for the expected life of the project. ¹

However, as our nation’s infrastructure becomes more embedded with technology used to build, maintain, and operate our critical transportation network, care must be taken to ensure that the digital infrastructure which supports the physical infrastructure is resilient to both environmental and cyber threats. Technologies deployed in the transportation construction space should adhere to cybersecurity best practices and required industry standards. ²

Identifying Case Studies

ARTBA’s Innovation & Technology Forum is working to identify examples of innovations and technologies that can help increase resiliency and add to the long-term benefit of infrastructure improvements. In addition to adopting the language in this statement for ARTBA policy, the Innovation & Technology Forum will also identify case studies in 2022, expanding on the role technology can have in creating a more resilient transportation network. These case studies will help establish specific innovations that are currently being implemented to create more resilient infrastructure and will be shared with policy makers and agencies to better identify potential solutions.

1 The italicized language is taken from section 11405 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

2 https://www.its.dot.gov/factsheets/cybersecurity.htm