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Facility Safety Failures Harm More Than Just Excavation Crews

04 May 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

  Excavating any site can be risky. Even when all the proper procedures are followed, the 20 million miles of underground facilities can cause dozens of complications. Maps can be incomplete, locators can mark improperly, and excavators can misjudge their dig. At its worst, these mistakes and oversights can result…

New Report: Improving Upon Our Dig Laws

30 Apr 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts, Press Releases

Washington D.C, District of Columbia – April 30, 2020 – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) today released a new report for industry leaders and public officials entitled ‘Improving Upon Our Dig Laws: Excavation Damage, Data, and Trends for Industry and Policymaker Analysis (2018 Data)’ analyzing the increasing excavation…

Aii Launches New Virtual Classroom

23 Apr 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts, Press Releases

Washington D.C, District of Columbia – April 23, 2020 – The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is officially launching a new Virtual Classroom featured at Aii.org. As COVID-19 keeps students and parents at home, Aii is offering educational resources, lessons, and interactive content to encourage learning. The resource provides…

Passenger-Free High Speed Rail

17 Apr 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

In November 2018, Italy inaugurated the world’s first high-speed rail service dedicated to … carrying no passengers. Rather than cart people from one place to another at ultra high land speeds, this rail service blasts cargo and freight faster than traditional rail, truckers, or ships ever could. The Italian rail…

The Promise of 3D Printing During COVID-19

10 Apr 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As COVID-19 continues to ravage the nation, Americans have found themselves on a new frontier of fear and uncertainty. As experts began to understand the true severity of the virus, dire actions like closing the economy and ordering individuals to stay home in attempt to flatten the curve became warranted….

With Stimulus, Congress Got An Infrastructure Issue Right

27 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

  For years, the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has been accumulating billions of dollars. Despite an overflowing fund dedicated solely to ports and harbors, our waterside infrastructure has been in decline. Now, with an emergency coronavirus stimulus package, Congress has remedied this issue. The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii)…

Airless Tires: Fashion or Function?

25 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Airless bike tires may sound like an oxymoron, but they are a functional product becoming an increasingly plausible reality. In 2018, the first 3D-printed airless bicycle tire was released, designed using a thermoplastic elastomer that is specially designed to render 3D-printed objects that retain pliability. The airless tire is both…

Celebrating 15 Years of 811

17 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

In March of 2005, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated 811 as the nationwide phone number for excavation damage prevention. Now, 15 years later, we have seen damages decline as everyone from homeowners to construction crews call before they dig. The federal designation unified the nation’s programs into one simple,…

COVID-19 May Strain Our Infrastructure

16 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As our nation faces a public health crisis in the form of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19, many are working or studying from home. With this mass transition from corporate or college life to homes and communities, the nation’s telecom and digital infrastructure could be under new and unprecedented use,…

Digging Blind Wreaks Havoc

14 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Underneath the feet of every American are millions of miles of buried cables, electrical lines, pipelines, water systems, and more. This vast network of underground utilities is coursing with the information, power, and resources we rely on every day. But because it is buried under our yards, sidewalks, gardens, parking…

A Federal COVID-19 Response That Would Pay Dividends

14 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As Congress grapples with how to deal with the immediate health and public safety impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic, including making tests kits available and helping states with additional funding for safety efforts, many are also beginning to think about how to best mitigate any economic fallout resulting from the…

Your Home as a Power Plant

04 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Residential solar systems are becoming an increasingly popular trend in the United States. By the end of 2018, the U.S. had installed enough solar panels to power 12.3 million homes, and the solar industry managed to generate a $17 billion investment in the economy. These statistics indicate that the implementation…