The Engineering & Public Works Roadshow Kicks off in SoCal

Cyber Monday marked the official start of the long-awaited Engineering & Public Works Roadshow – a joint effort by ACEC, the American Public Works Association, and the American Society of Civil Engineers to spotlight the importance of well-engineered infrastructure and inform the public about the essential value engineers and the engineering industry provide America every day.

The inaugural event took place at the Port of Long Beach overlooking the newly constructed International Gateway Bridge, an EEA Grand Award-winning project for WSP, the ACEC member firm that managed the bridge project. The bridge, which opened in 2020, replaced the decades-old Gerald Desmond bridge and now provides significantly enhanced clearance for larger container ships to service the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, while also giving commuters more lanes of traffic, a safer crossing and greater seismic resilience.

America’s ports are the engines of commerce and economic growth. The Port of Long Beach handles $200 billion in trade annually, sustains one in five local jobs, more than 575,000 jobs in California, and 2.6 million jobs across the nation. The International Gateway Bridge is an integral part of this success.

And we’re hopeful more success stories are on the way. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law just turned one year old earlier this month and is funding projects across the country. It will be America’s engineers and public works professionals who make this legislation successful. The lasting imprint of their work will redefine America’s landscape and greatly improve mobility, safety, and equity in our infrastructure.

Far too often, we only pay attention to our roads, bridges, airports, and supply chain when things go wrong. It’s up to us to shine a light on the projects that enable us all to live in our rapidly paced, on-demand, and connected world. That’s the overall goal of the Roadshow – to make that case to America’s elected officials and the public at large, and by the reception we received in Long Beach, I am encouraged to see this message will be well received.

?I invite you to bookmark?www.infrastructureroadshow.org?on your web browser to view the livestream and our photo gallery from the Long Beach event. As we finalize the schedule for future Roadshow stops, details will be posted there.