Expert Insights

Water that is clean, safe, and adequate is essential to human existence. It’s also a critical component of industry and economic development. And yet, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that 53 percent of river and stream miles, 71 percent of...

Last week the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) disbursed $1.5 billion for upcoming projects designed to make highway, multimodal freight and rail infrastructure safer, more efficient and resilient. More will follow and it is important to note that while state...

Congress has several funding programs designed to incentivize private sector firms to help preserve America’s history, but the historic tax credit (HTC) program is the largest one. This particular program has leveraged more than $102 billion in private investment to...

Another $3 billion in federal funding is now available for state and local governmental entities. This funding was allocated in the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) legislation that passed in 2021 but it took this long to design the allocation process and the funding has...

School districts throughout the U.S. are launching initiatives to keep students safe in classrooms. Millions of dollars are being spent but, relief is not coming quickly enough for most parents, students, teachers, and administrators. Campus comfort is hard to find...

A deadline is looming for an important announcement by the federal government. On September 30, state leaders throughout the country will learn whether or not their electric vehicle infrastructure plans were approved. If the news is good, funding will be immediately...

The federal government recently made large amounts of funding available for street projects that are designed to make roadways safer. The funding is available now for public entities throughout the country. The Complete Streets Program is a federal initiative that was...

Hundreds of millions in federal funding flowed to bus rapid transit (BRT) systems last month…and there is more to come. Expanding and improving rapid transit systems in America is a high priority for members of Congress and also local government officials. The goal is...

‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ initiatives are being launched throughout the country and as projects are completed, America will be forever changed. The connectivity efforts will result in thousands of new opportunities, more efficient government, better education,...

Public officials about to launch large infrastructure projects need to know as much as possible about Regional Infrastructure Accelerators (RIAs). Private sector companies interested in participating in infrastructure projects should also understand this relatively...

Here’s something worthy of note. The federal government has awarded over one billion dollars to a nationwide slate of resilience projects since the start of August this year. FEMA’s recent grants—totaling $1.2 billion—are available for communities ready to launch...

Just months ago, the U.S. Senate authorized the largest five-year research and development budget in U.S. history. The $250 billion investment marks a monumental increase in federal support for projects that deploy smart city technology. To no surprise, state and...

Bike trails and greenway projects no longer represent inconsequential amounts of funding. In fact, these types of projects now represent a spending impact that exceeds $10.6 billion annually. Data indicates trail development projects that encourage hiking, biking, and...

As construction, engineering, and development firms consider the impact of inflation and the increasing cost of capital, some are beginning to embrace projects designed to provide tax incentives. These types of projects fall into the category of ‘adaptive reuse’ and a...

We are living in historic times, and we are fortunate to be able to participate in the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure. The funding that has been made available and the projects that are being launched will be written about and studied for decades to come. All...

Libraries are critical public assets for communities and a recent study confirmed that most are funded locally. Currently there are hundreds of modernization, expansion, and technology upgrade projects occurring in libraries throughout the country. This is a very...

American ports are currently receiving massive amounts of funding from the federal government for much-needed and long-overdue upgrades. The country’s port infrastructure is a critical component of America’s global competitiveness, and the funding will target critical...

The two largest international sporting events, The World Cup and Olympic Games, will be hosted in a few U.S. cities in 2026 and 2028. Both events require massive work by host cities, and new development projects will be large and expensive. This effort is already...

Electric vehicles (EV) should never again be considered ‘futuristic.’ They are the ‘here and now’ and investment funding for electric vehicles is now flowing abundantly from both public and private sector coffers. Billions of dollars are available for electrification...

Changes are occurring rapidly at the local levels of government and the changes will likely be noticed first by citizens and businesses because of fee increases. Citizen services are critical components of local government and while public officials work diligently to...

As America fights to preserve its economic leadership globally, universities are critical partners. A skilled and trained workforce is the required component of economic stability and because of that prosperity cannot be preserved without a strong education...

In spite of all the new federal funding and dozens of new grant programs, city and county officials are still scrambling to launch projects designed to generate revenue. There are many reasons for this. The primary reason is that the new federal funding has a short...

Hundreds of cities with minor league baseball teams already have launched stadium construction projects or have plans to launch them soon. This phenomenon is not happening because a hundred cities decided all at once to upgrade stadiums where minor league baseball...

There are multiple topics of high concern for Americans today but one that is receiving less media attention is related to the country’s water resources. Regions of high growth are vying for the same diminishing water supplies, and, at the same time, the country’s...

Microgrids are designed to harness renewable energy and make it available for all kinds of reasons. Often microgrids are used when disasters cause larger utility grids to falter or shut down completely. They also are used as backup power for hospital systems, school...

Throughout the country, health-care facilities are receiving an abundance of attention, and large construction, renovation, and expansion projects are being announced weekly. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is partnering with The University of Texas...

Public officials in Austin hope that the ongoing multi-billion-dollar transit authority project there will reduce automobile traffic by 50 percent when completed. Whether that goal is reachable or not is undetermined, but the project is indicative of a shift in public...

Cameras, video monitoring systems, and interoperability platforms are receiving more attention than ever because of public safety concerns. The immediate scramble to install more cameras and enhance video surveillance systems has never been greater. Billions will be...

America’s airports are some of the country’s most powerful economic engines. They contribute more than $14 trillion in economic activity annually and support approximately 11.5 million jobs. Congress, after years of underfunding airport infrastructure projects,...

Sustainability has become an extremely hot topic because of the billions of dollars in federal funding available for projects that will protect and extend America’s infrastructure. Congress and government leaders at every jurisdictional level of government realize...

Rail projects are being launched in states throughout the country. Much of the funding requires a focus on projects that improve safety while also enhancing and/or upgrading rail infrastructure so the projects reflect that mandate. The much-needed rail project funding...

Billions of dollars in public funding and tax enrichments are currently available to support the construction of affordable housing throughout the U.S. The impetus behind these incentives is the country’s affordable housing shortage which has reached near-crisis...

Thousands of communities throughout the country owe their origins to a nearby waterway. The value of regional water resources has never been in dispute, and the coveted assets have never been underestimated. Now, there is a noticeable growing trend for community...

Millions of motorists cross bridges daily, and every driver assumes that these bridges are safe. That safety, however, comes at an extremely high price – high enough to have prohibited hundreds of bridge maintenance projects over the past decade. With new funding,...

New federal infrastructure funding is beginning to reach local officials, and while the revenue will be spent in many ways, some commonalities are obvious. Many public officials will allocate the funding to refurbish roads or upgrade water systems. Others will use it...

America’s shifting social, political, economic, and environmental conditions have created rapid change. Leaders in industry and government are scrambling to respond. Their immediate focus appears to be on worker shortages, increasing costs, supply chain disruptions,...

For entirely too many years, millions of U.S. citizens have struggled with little, if any, access to broadband. However, plans are evolving quickly now to resolve that problem. Congress has approved dozens of funding programs that allocate billions for broadband....

Someone asked me recently if public-private partnerships (P3s) are just a fad or a delivery method that will ultimately be the country’s future. There’s no doubt about the answer. Public-private partnerships are here to stay. The federal government, realizing that...

Technology has altered the way individuals participate in work, travel, entertainment, and health care. It also has changed the way government provides services. Technology purchases of upgrades and enhancements are required, and that will not change. The value of the...

In past years, economic development initiatives often required funding that governmental entities were not able to provide. Now, however, many projects to stimulate the economy are delivered through public-private partnerships (P3s) taking advantage of funding and tax...