(C) Minnesota Reformer This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . How does our infrastructure work? [1] ['More From Author', 'March', 'Ann Johnson Stewart'] Date: 2023-03-06 Editor’s note: This is the first in an occaional series of guest commentaries by former Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart, who is a civil engineer and will help explain features of Minnesota infrastructure — and why they’re so important. Related: The Minnesota House will take up a major public works bill Monday aiming to maintain and build infrastructure. I recently read a column about the “magic” of our water supply and treatment. I’m a civil engineer, so I read it with delight. The writer detailed how magical it is that the shower works every morning, and that somehow, magically, the water also drains away (as does the “debris” in the toilet). But it’s not magic. It’s the work of engineers and planners, construction workers and maintenance staff who design and maintain those systems. Have you traveled anywhere that doesn’t treat its water like we do in the United States? You’ll quickly notice how much work it is to complete simple chores, such as brushing your teeth or washing dishes. In some places, sewage flows in open channels, affecting both individual and community health. How lucky are we that it’s all clean and, well, magically treated (both to and from our homes)? I recently spent a term in the state Senate advocating for our infrastructure, trying to affect decisions with facts and data to illustrate how close we are to catastrophic failure of some of our most needed systems. Naive? Sure, but the work goes on, so I’ll be trying to demystify the so-called magic of infrastructure here in the pages of the Reformer, as I’ve been doing for a few years on social media, where I like to explain how it all works. I’ll share insight into those things you might not otherwise think about: sewers, roads, water lines and treatment, transit, stoplights, roadsides and construction. Yes, in that video above, that really is toilet paper you see on the roadways as contractors repair the cracks. And yes, engineers are aware of the streetlight timing in downtown — and can change the time it takes for you to get home using math! My experience on the Senate Capital Investment Committee showed me that there are many places in Minnesota where we already have failing systems and buildings in need of significant repair. The reason that’s not making bigger news is because of the dedicated public works staff and engineers who are making due with what they have and optimizing every resource to maintain service. I’m thinking that maybe they’re doing too good of a job. After all, who thinks about something that works all the time? It’s only going to be when we see failures that folks will start paying attention. So, my job here will be to write about infrastructure and how it works in a variety of ways so that we begin to pay attention. I won’t just be talking about how infrastructure works; I’ll also be writing about its value. When the state funds the construction of a new facility (like a road), we don’t buy the road as a packaged product, delivered on site. Nearly every dollar spent to complete the project goes into a local community. Before a project is bid by contractors, designers list every single item required to build it, along with the quantity of each (watch for more about that here in columns to come). I’m talking feet of curb and gutter, cubic yards of dirt or gravel, each manhole casting, square feet of traffic signs, and tons of seed. Unit prices are bid and the total cost is summed up to determine the low bidder and successful contractor. Contractors are required to “buy American,” and for cost reasons, most of the materials are purchased locally, some even from the corner hardware store (or Home Depot). Once construction starts, more money is spent supporting the workers who actually build the road. Wages, payroll taxes, supplies, equipment, gas, meals and lodging put more money into the local economy. Thanks to wage laws, construction jobs are high-paying (I call them house-buying or family-supporting jobs). Improved local infrastructure means higher property values, better community health, and a higher quality of life. Construction spending and investment is good in so many ways, and we should be funding much more of it. No, infrastructure isn’t magic, and my hope for this column is to show how it works, and why it’s so important to maintain it. [END] --- [1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/03/06/how-does-our-infrastructure-work/ Published and (C) by Minnesota Reformer Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/MnReformer/