From highways to dams to sewer systems, the typical civil engineering firm in Florida – as well as civil engineering firms all throughout the country – will need to determine the safety of our architecture and infrastructure. This can be done in a number of methods used by the typical civil engineering firm in Florida or anywhere else in the country, ranging from finite element analysis consulting to evaluation of pavement to even lidar surveying in Florida and in all other states throughout this country. Unfortunately, as the typical civil engineering firm in Florida will be able to tell you, much of the infrastructure of this country is in less than ideal shape.
Our roads, for instance, are a great example of this. In fact, traffic capacity is high on more than half of the (showing a more than seventy percent traffic capacity) and nearly one quarter of all interstate miles are at ninety five percent capacity – and as a result, they are most certainly feeling the strain of this. This overuse of so many of our roads, particularly our interstates, has led to one third of all major roads throughout the country falling into disrepair and being classified as being in poor condition (or at least no better than mediocre condition).
And there are many different things that accumulate to make these poor quality roads so widespread. For instance, obsolete road design is a factor, road design that has not been updated to meet the needs of a modern population. Obsolete road design might not be a big deal to the average person at first glance, but the typical civil engineering firm in Florida state will be able to see the impact of this lack of modernization, especially over the course of time. And in addition to this, roadside hazards also become a problem for poorly kept roads, and can include anything from broken down roads to roadside debris of various natures. All in all, the picture adds up to roads throughout the United States that are far from what they could be and far from ideal, as well as a lack in sufficient and effective roadway design.
And aside from the major roads that traverse this country,there are many problems with water infrastructure for dams as well. In fact, the data more than backs this up, showing that a third of all dam failures in the last nearly one hundred and fifty years have only occurred over the last decade, the last ten years alone. This shows that many of our dams are simply nearing the end of their lifespans and no longer work in the way they once did – and are certainly not as strong as they once were, particularly in comparison to their strength at the time of their construction. As an civil engineering firm in Florida or anywhere else in this country can tell you, the quality and the stability of our dams has become a critical problem that must be addressed sooner rather than later. In fact, there have been more than four thousand dams that have currently been identified as being unsafe in some way, as concluded by the American Society of Civil Engineers, such as those who work for typical civil engineering firm in Florida, elsewhere throughout the country as well, of course.
Many wastewater facilities and sewer systems throughout this country are also in considerable trouble, and will need prompt work to bring them back up to speed again as quickly as is possible. Recently gathered data more than backs this up, showing that more than one trillion gallons of sewage is spilled each and every year here in the United States, and that this amount of sewage is only likely to grow as the sewer systems throughout the United States continue to age – and to fail. And as these sewer systems age, they will pose more and more of a health risk with each passing year, certainly not something to be underestimated.
As anyone at a civil engineering firm in Florida knows, we need to take better care of our infrastructure here in the United States – and quickly.
