TILOS Project Scheduling Software Presents | Global Linear Infrastructure News | October, 2017

Each month TILOS Project Scheduling Software publishes TILOS Americas News, a curated selection of articles about global projects, linear infrastructure projects, linear scheduling, and all things TILOS Project Scheduling Software. This month’s headlines were dominated by innovative solutions from the tech sector to address the globe’s most pressing infrastructure challenges.

Mexico accepts Israeli offer to help develop Central America

The President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto has accepted Israel’s offer to help Mexico and the United States develop Central America.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto during an address to the media at Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City, Mexico, September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Speaking at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday Sept. 14, Peña Nieto added that the two nations had agreed to update their free trade agreement, signed in 2000.

“We have agreed to establish and begin the … negotiations to look over this agreement so that the commercial relationship between both nations intensifies and grows,” he said.

In Central America, Peña Nieto said Israel’s assistance could bolster efforts in the region, particularly in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. He noted that Israel brings experience from carrying out development projects in Africa.

USA: Following Hurricane Devastation, Calls to Bring Back the Federal Flood Standards Get Louder

Just weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit, on August 15th 2017 US President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on “Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process of Infrastructure”.

Image Source: https://www.environmentalleader.com/2017/09/following-hurricane-devastation-calls-bring-back-federal-flood-standards-get-louder/

As TILOSAmericas.com reported last month, just weeks before hurricane Harvey made landfall in the US, President Trump signed an executive order reducing environmental and permitting requirements to expedite infrastructure development.

However, in the wake of billions of dollars worth of insurable damage that comes after wave upon wave of hurricane, many in Congress are calling for a reinstatement of requirements to build infrastructure so as to better withstand flooding.

The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, signed in 2015, “could require standard infrastructure to be built two feet above the 100-year floodplain, with critical infrastructure like hospitals elevated three feet. Or they could require infrastructure to be built to at least the 500-year floodplain.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency studies have shown that each dollar spent on mitigating disaster losses saves an average of $4 in avoided post-disaster recovery and rebuilding costs.

Hyperloop Shakes Up Traditional Rail Transport: Announces 10 Global Winners & Wins Feasibility Study in the US

Hyperloop, a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, first named as such in an open-source vactrain design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX, may just succeed with three global hyperloops operational by 2021.

Hyperloop One Global Challenge winners represent the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, India and Canada. (PRNewsfoto/Hyperloop One)

Hyperloop announced 2 weeks ago that the Colorado Department of Transportation, supported by AECOM, will enter into a public-private partnership with Hyperloop to begin a feasibility study.  The study will examine transportation demand, economic benefits, proposed routes and potential strategies, regulatory environments and alignment with overall CDOT high-speed travel, rail and freight plans.

This partnership comes on the heels of Hyperloop’s announcement ten global routes have been announced as possible sites for the world’s first commercially viable Hyperloop.

The winning routes connect 53 urban centers and nearly 150 million people representing Canada, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Their combined distance spans 6,628 km (4,121 miles).

One of the routes, The winning routes connect 53 urban centres and nearly 150 million people representing Canada, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Their combined distance spans 6,628 km (4,121 miles).

Vancouver Gearing Up For “Largest Federal Investment In Public Transit & Infrastructure In Memory”

Spurred on by the Canadian federal government’s infrastructure investment agenda, Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (Translink) is embarking on a wide-reaching public transport enhancement program.

Image Copyright: International Railway Journal http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/north-america/the-skys-the-limit-translink-gears-up-for-major-investment.html

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in 2016 that Translink would get $460 Million CDN for the first phase of the program. This was later revised to $370 Million with the provincial government providing $246 Million CDN, and Translink putting in $395 Million CDN of its own funds, taking the total capital spend to $1.01 Billion CDN.

Phase 2 of the program will take this initial investment to the next level. The federal government confirmed the region would receive $2.2 Billion CDN for transit projects, which Translink CEO Kevin Desmond describes as the “largest commitment in anyone’s memory from the federal government towards public transport.”

Desmond says Phase 2 will includes three “mega projects:” the Surrey light rail project, the Millennium Line extension, and replacement of the 78-year-old Pattullo road bridge which connects New Westminster and Surrey.

Drone Data To Further Reduce Linear Infrastructure Maintenance Spending

SenSat, an enterprise company focused on drone applications, uses data gathered from drones to create ‘smart infrastructure’, digital replicas of roads and rail assets that link embedded data about condition, materials and usage.

https://www.sensat.co.uk/single-post/2016/07/29/Four-ways-drones-are-helping-construction Image Copyright SenSat

This type of data can help save over $1.5 trillion in infrastructure maintenance costs by 2025 according to the Boston Consulting Group.

In an announcement Sept 27th, they announced they will be further saving money by reducing the fees associated with drone data by 90%.

About TILOS Software:

A favourite of leading infrastructure companies across the globe, TILOS scheduling software gives Project Planning Managers, Contractors, and Project Owners the ability to create and execute a reliable, comprehensive and easy to communicate linear project plan and schedule.

Trimble TILOS software was developed specifically to address the unique challenges of linear projects such as roads, railway, pipeline, and bridges for professionals in the construction, engineering and energy sectors.

TILOS Software Presents | Global Linear Infrastructure News | September, 2017

Each month TILOS Americas publishes TILOS Scheduling Software News, a curated selection of articles about linear infrastructure projects, linear scheduling, and all things TILOS. This month’s headlines were dominated by water and discussions around ongoing private investment in publicly owned linear infrastructure assets.

Study: Cities and Companies Team Up to Tackle Global Urban Water Crises

Around two thirds of cities from London to Los Angeles are working with the private sector to address water and climate change stresses with 80 cities seeking $9.5 billion of investment for water projects, according to a report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a non-profit environmental research group.

Key issues for cities include declining water quality, water shortages and flooding.

Water investment opportunities are greatest in Latin America (US$6.7bn), where Quito, Ecuador is looking for US$800 million in infrastructure investments to help manage their water supply.

Trump Expedites Infrastructure Projects: Overturns Proactive Flood Prevention Policy

Just weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit, on August 15th 2017 US President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on “Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process of Infrastructure”.

Lee Padilla walks in the Cottage Grove neighborhood of Houston, which has been inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey, on August 27. IMAGE COPYRIGHT GETTY

Trump said, “We’re going to get infrastructure built quickly, inexpensively, relatively speaking, and the permitting process will go very, very quickly.”

This Executive Order, one of the record breaking number Trump has signed in his first 100 days, is intended to reduce the impact of Nixon’s 1970 signing of The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

However it will also do away with the policies Obama put in place to aimed to make infrastructure more resilient to the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and flooding.

While NEPA was intended to mitigate environmental damage caused by infrastructure development, Trump is more concerned with “processing of environmental reviews and authorization decisions for new major infrastructure to be reduced to not more than an average of approximately 2 years . . .”

Underinvested Parks Canada Joins Feds In Exploring Divesting Linear Infrastructure

Parks Canada operates 46 national parks, a national urban park, four national marine conservation areas and 171 national historic sites, including nine historic canals. Of the $9 Billion in assets, $8.3 Billion is made up of linear infrastructure in dire need of repairs, such as roads, bridges and dams.

A new bridge is shown in Pacific Rim National Park on Vancouver Island. Parks Canada has ordered a study into whether it should give up its bridges, dams and highways. (Parks Canada)

It’s estimated carrying out all deferred repairs to the various infrastructure assets would cost some $2.9 billion.

“Parks Canada is not embarking at this point on any type of divestiture plan,” spokesperson Jason Bouzanis said in an interview. “We’re really just conducting … an exploratory study,” calling the exercise “standard practice” when developing long-term plans.

The federal government is also examining whether to sell off Canada’s major airports and marine ports, and has hired consultants to advise it on the feasibility.

Ottawa’s Unique Linear Infrastructure Project Procurement Model Garners Global Interest: LRT Line

As the $5 Billion phase one of the O-Train, Ottawa’s underground LRT nears completion, it’s innovative procurement model is drawing global acclaim.

Excavation work takes place at the site of the Tunney’s Pasture station in 2016. It’s the westernmost station in phase one of the Confederation Line build. Ballasted tracks will be installed throughout most of the guideway, while direct fixation tracks that use a rail fastener system directly attached to a concrete trackbed will being used mainly in the tunnel, where vibration and noise must be kept to a minimum. Photo: RIDEAU TRANSIT GROUP http://dailycommercialnews.com/en-US/Infrastructure/News/2017/8/Finish-line-in-sight-for-phase-one-of-Ottawa-LRT-1026320W/

The Ottawa LRT project is the first build of its type to use Ontario’s alternative financing and procurement (AFP) model.

Under AFP, provincial ministries and/or project owners establish the scope and purpose of a project, while design and construction work is financed and carried out by the private sector. Typically, only after a project is completed will the province complete payment to the private-sector company. In some cases, the private sector will also be responsible for the maintenance of a physical building or roadway.

“In terms of efficiencies and approach, there is a lot of innovation built in having the same group design and then implement their plans through that AFP model. That is hugely beneficial when it comes to linear transit infrastructure. The idea that you are not specifying what needs to be built, you are specifying how that asset needs to perform, that…whole model has been hugely beneficial to the city.”

13 new stations and 2.5km of underground tunnel are part of the LRT work taking place under downtown Ottawa. Phase One of the O-Train is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

About TILOS Software:

A favourite of leading infrastructure companies across the globe, TILOS scheduling software gives Project Planning Managers, Contractors, and Project Owners the ability to create and execute a reliable, comprehensive and easy to communicate linear project plan and schedule.

Trimble TILOS software was developed specifically to address the unique challenges of linear projects such as roads, railway, pipeline, bridges for professionals in the construction, engineering and energy sectors.

TILOS Scheduling Software News | Global Infrastructure Project Updates | August, 2017

Each month TILOS Americas publishes TILOS Scheduling Software News, a curated selection of articles about linear infrastructure projects, linear scheduling, and all things TILOS. This month’s news can be summarized by significant investments in linear projects globally.

Infrastructure bank possible option for funding U.S.-Canada high-speed rail

The Trudeau government’s soon-to-be-launched, $35-billion infrastructure bank will seek to use public funds as leverage to attract billions more in private investment for major infrastructure projects, such as bridges, transit systems and rail lines.

(Photo Copyright GLOBAL NEWS) A high-speed railway train linking Vancouver, BC, Canada and Seattle, Washington, USA may be funded by Canada’s new Infrastructure Bank. http://globalnews.ca/news/3619040/infrastructure-bank-high-speed-rail/

The infrastructure bank has caught the state of Washington’s attention, as they recently committed $1 Million towards a cost-benefit analysis of high speed trains that run 400km/hr at minimum. The cost-benefit analysis report is expected to be completed in December and may inform Washington’s decision to commit to the long discussed Portland-Seattle-Vancouver light rail train.

The infrastructure bank is central to the Trudeau government’s economic growth strategy. It’s committed more than $180 billion for new projects over the next 11 years and, as part of the effort, hoping to further boost investments with a lift from private cash.

Mexico To Spend $3.2 Billion USD on 17 Roads Connecting To New Airport.

Mexico City’s new $9.4 billion USD airport will be accompanied by extensive new linear infrastructure, including the rehabilitation and construction of 17 roads and the construction of a light speed train.

Shown above: Architect Fernando Romero with model of the proposed new Mexico City Airport

Funding for these initiatives would come from the federal and local governments, and private companies via the award of concessions to operate the infrastructure.

The 17 road construction initiatives are expected to be completed by 2020, the year when the new airport is scheduled to have the main terminal and three runways operational.

$2.5 Billion Investment in Central American Infrastructure Integral To Prosperity, Reduced Violence.Trump’s Plans For Border Wall Now Include Solar Panels

The Inter-American Development Bank and El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have lined up to fund substantial infrastructure projects in the three countries known as the Northern Triangle.

Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank, speaks next to Paraguayan Finance Minister Santiago Pena at BID’s Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors in Asuncion, Paraguay April 2, 2017. Mario Valdez – REUTERS

Rising crime, gangs and migration are of primary concern to the American, Mexican and Central American officials that met earlier this year to discuss how to cut migration and improve conditions in the three poor countries that have seen rising violence.

“The key over the next five years will be to tap the private sector to help build critical infrastructure that will generate jobs, improve competitiveness, and create the conditions that encourage people to build prosperous lives in their homelands,” IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno said in the statement.

The proposed project could extend from 200 to 1,000 miles long and is estimated to cost $67 billion.

Beleaguered Trans Mountain expansion to start in September, Kinder Morgan says

What may be Canada’s most controversial pipeline is slated to begin expansion this September 2017.

Kinder Morgan Canada President Ian Anderson. Photograph by: Business in Vancouver

According to company officials, the $7.4 Billion USD  project will begin this fall with the usual site preparation and terminal work in preparation for permit gathering.

Trans Mountain continues to need a good number of local permits from Alberta and British and Columbia related to utility and road crossings and access to Crown land.

Despite obtaining federal approval in 2016,  Seven Federal Court challenges have been filed by  municipalities and First Nations.

Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan would not comment on the opposition from the NDP government in BC and said he was confident they would obtain the permits needed for the project. The company is continuing to file advance permits and “we feel comfortable with that in line with our construction plans.”

About TILOS Scheduling Software News:

A favourite of leading infrastructure companies across the globe, TILOS scheduling software gives Project Planning Managers, Contractors, and Project Owners the ability to create and execute a reliable, comprehensive and easy to communicate linear project plan and schedule.

Trimble TILOS software was developed specifically to address the unique challenges of linear projects such as roads, railway, pipeline, bridges for professionals in the construction, engineering and energy sectors.