Please join us for our Fall Annual in Asheville, North Carolina on September 11 and 12, 2014.  Preliminarily, the agenda for Thursday includes a field trip in the morning, technical sessions in the afternoon, dinner with a keynote speech by Esther Manheimer who is the mayor of Asheville, and finally a tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery and downtown Asheville.  Friday's preliminary agenda consists of technical sessions in the morning, lunch with awards/announcements, and ending the day with additional sessions. Additional information to follow!

North Carolina’s Crumbling Infrastructure Far More Costly Once It Caves In

The President of the North Carolina Section of ASCE, Duane Bent, recently submitted an article that has been posted to the NewsObserver.  The article, titled North Carolina’s Crumbling Infrastructure Far More Costly Once It Caves In, discusses the recent North Carolina Infrastructure Report Card and how a lack of maintenance and improvements to our existing infrastructure may end up costing more over time.

"For too long we have been told that funding is not available to fix our ailing infrastructure systems. We need to let our leaders know that even in lean financial times, infrastructure is worth investing in. Much like a leaky roof on a home, the longer we wait to act, the more it will cost."

It's a wonderful article and we encourage our members to read it and share it with others.

Stephen Colbert Discusses the ASCE Infrastructure Report

On April 22, 2013, Stephen Colbert discussed the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card.  Check out the video below!

http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/06tavh/tiny-triumphs---infrastructure---river-pollution

Committee to Advance Civil Technologists

ASCE has created a new standing committee named the Committee on the Civil Engineering Technologist (CCET) as a constituent committee of the Committee on Advancing the Profession (CAP).  The committee’s official charge is to “... advance the integration of civil engineering technologists into the civil engineering profession.”

This work is a very important element of the professional and educational initiatives being pursued by our Society.  Understanding the distinct and distinguished role of technicians, technologists, and engineers is important to maintaining engineering as a learned profession.

The member and staff leaders of CAP are soliciting applications for committee members through a public application process.  It is essential that the CCET be comprised of individuals who are fully committed to working diligently on this important task.  As such, we are reaching out to those with a civil engineering background, a history of involvement, and/or those with connections to the civil engineering professional/educational community.

Interested individuals should apply via the public “call for applications” page: http://www.asce.org/applyforCCET/.  You can also use a PDF of the application. Applications are due by August 22, 2014.  Committee members will be selected in September 2014 and notified as soon as possible thereafter.  Applicants should carefully review the charter document outlining the CCET’s detailed charge, review the committee's composition, and understand the expected effort prior to applying.

Thank you in advance for your support as we pursue the civil engineering technologist initiative.  Please contact Patricia Jones with ASCE at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions regarding the CCET or the application process.

2013 Report Card for North Carolina's Infrastructure

North Carolina’s Bridges Receive a C- in New Infrastructure Report Card
State Civil Engineers Find N.C.’s Infrastructure Hurting State’s Ability to Compete

RALEIGH, NC—The North Carolina Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the state’s infrastructure an overall C grade in their newest report, titled the 2013 Report Card for North Carolina’s Infrastructure,. According to the report, North Carolina’s infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to risk, with Dams earning the lowest grade of D. The Report Card estimates that North Carolina’s infrastructure investment need by 2018 totals nearly $33 billion.

“In light of the recent bridge collapse in Washington state, Carolinians are asking themselves one question: How does our state stack up?” said Gary R. Taylor, P.E., Chair of the 2013 Report Card for North Carolina’s Infrastructure.  “Regrettably, North Carolina’s infrastructure is not keeping pace with our state’s growing needs—hurting businesses and families along the way.”

The Report Card was created to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state of North Carolina’s infrastructure. The state-wide report examined eleven categories of infrastructure, grading their capacity, resiliency, funding, and reliability.

“Governor McCrory has repeatedly said his goal is to turn North Carolina’s economy around,” said Eric Rysdon, P.E., M.ASCE, North Carolina Section President.  “Modernizing our infrastructure will create jobs, build a better quality of life, and provide the foundation of North Carolina’s economy for a new generation of Carolina businesses.”

REPORT CARD GRADES FOR SPECIFIC INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS
•    Aviation earned a D+, in part due to an estimated $763 million needed to bring all airports in the system to a state of good repair.
•    Beaches and Inlets were awarded a C-. Many shoals and inlets are functioning at significantly less than authorized depths. Continued erosion of federal and state funding has a significant impact N.C.’s beaches and inlets.
•    Bridges earned a C-.  North Carolina’s bridges require $281 million more per year in order to make significant strides in raising the grade of North Carolina bridges.
•    Dams earned the lowest grade of a D. Ten percent of North Carolina’s high hazard dams are deficient and only 34 percent have Emergency Action Plans. One-third of North Carolina’s dams are over 50 years old.
•    Drinking Water earned a C+. North Carolina has over 530 public water systems which serve approximately 7.3 million North Carolinians (75 percent of the state’s population).
•    Energy was awarded the highest grade in the report of a B+. North Carolina has a solid foundation of energy and energy infrastructure to meet its current and 20-year planning horizon needs.
•    Rail earned a C+, in part due to only 30 percent of the state’s short lines being able to accommodate new, heavier rail cars. It is estimated that freight rail investment needs over the next 25 years will total $545 million.
•    Roads earned a C. The scale of the state maintained highway network, current economic circumstances, and the trend of reducing the state transportation agency’s resources and personnel have been challenges to providing and maintaining a sustainable quality of service.
•    Schools earned a C. Over 58 percent of North Carolina schools will require renovations in the next five years. Additionally, approximately 10 percent of students are in mobile classrooms. The projected cost to meet facility needs for the next five years is approximately $8.2 billion.
•    Stormwater earned a grade of C-. Most of North Carolina’s population lives in communities that have no dedicated source of funding to improve stormwater quality. Statewide sources of funding such as the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund are being reduced and North Carolina’s communities have fewer and fewer options when trying to address their stormwater improvement needs.
•    Wastewater earned a C. North Carolina has documented a need of over $4 billion of additional wastewater infrastructure investment needs through the year 2030. These funds are needed to replace aging facilities, comply with mandated Clean Water Act regulations, and keep pace with economic development.

ABOUT THE REPORT CARD
The 2013 Report Card for North Carolina’s Infrastructure was created in an effort to educate the public and elected officials about the state of North Carolina’s infrastructure. The report uses publicly available information and data. These public documents are then analyzed by a committee of North Carolina engineers to assess the condition, capacity, operations and maintenance, funding, future needs, resilience, and public safety of the state’s infrastructure.

State level report cards follow the methodology of the national 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, which gave America’s infrastructure a grade of D+. Updated once every four years, this year’s Report Card found that America’s cumulative GPA for infrastructure rose slightly from a D in 2009. The rising grades were due to a number of factors, and show that when investments are made, the grades can go up.

For the first time, the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure is available as a digital application that includes videos, state by state data (including infrastructure statistics for Washington), and other multimedia tools. Available for download from iTunes and Google Play, the app is supported across all major platforms and devices. It is also accessible online at www.infrastructurereportcard.org.

The 2013 Report Card for North Carolina’s Infrastructure full report can be viewed here.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:  Interested in seeing your company logo advertised on the ASCE NC Section website? Sponsorship opportunities are available.  Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.