Meeting, Listening Is Necessary First Step

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is touring infrastructure in the state of Arkansas — specifically, in its Third Congressional District, accompanied by Rep. Steven Womack — at this writing. Besides visiting the $275 million Interstate 49 bridge project, the two men planned to tour the new $18.16 million slackwater harbor in Van Buren, Ark., which will sit off the Arkansas River main channel to protect cargo operations from adverse weather conditions. Both projects were funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Duffy is not the only administration transportation official who has been traveling lately. On September 29, more than 120 Corps of Engineers leaders, project teams, public- and private-sector partners, investors and developers gathered in Houston for the Texas P3 & Alternative Delivery Summit. “Focused and transparent conversations on opportunities to deliver projects differently and more efficiently are essential as we look for innovative ways to meet the nation’s infrastructure needs,” said Brig. Gen. George Walter, commander of the Corps of Engineers’ Southwestern Division. The goal, he said, was that bringing together “our public- and private-sector partners allows us to share ideas, better understand challenges and identify opportunities for collaboration.”

Col. David Dake, Galveston District engineer and commander, said the meetings were part of the “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” initiative championed by Adam Telle, who now heads the Corps. Face to face meetings to persuade constituents of its seriousness seem to be part of the playbook.

Dake told the Houston participants that the meetings were about “finding ways to reduce unnecessary friction, move projects forward and deliver lasting value for the communities, economy and nation we serve. … As we look to the future, candid conversations about public-private partnerships and alternative delivery approaches can help us identify new ways to deliver civil works and military projects and strengthen the partnerships that keep our nation’s infrastructure moving.”

Budget-related restrictions on travel by both Corps of Engineers and Maritime Administration personnel were ended by executive order in January of this year. Since then, officials of both agencies seem to have been making up for lost time.

It’s always good when Corps and MarAd decision-makers attend industry events and dialogue, but the most important forum for interaction between the inland waterways industry and the Corps of Engineers – the Inland Waterways Users Board – has yet to be reconvened, or even had members selected.

Will the “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” push be a permanent reform? We expect that the answer to that question will begin to come after the mid-term elections and the first meetings of the IWUB.