The American bridge design and construction industry has turned the corner in embracing tools such as 4D modeling, public-private partnerships and drones. But ongoing funding uncertainties amid the political climate continue to plague bridge stewards as they mark the 10th anniversary of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
联邦公路管理局副管理人汤姆·埃弗里特（Tom Everett）指出，2017年还标志着PT成立50周年。宜人的桥梁倒塌，其中有46人在西弗吉尼亚州悬架桥上失败后死亡。尽管检查标准因各种桥梁灾难而发生了变化，但他上周询问国际桥梁会议的参加者：“我们今天有什么好转吗？”
他指出，卡车的交通增长超过了汽车的交通，给美国4.41亿平方英尺的桥梁甲板带来了更大的压力。然而，在联邦公路工作资金方面，每辆车的费率为123美元，而1970年的每辆车为162美元。
Fellow speaker Leif A. Dormsjo, director of the Washington, D.C., District Dept. of Transportation, noted that the rebuilt Woodrow Wilson Bridge, located right outside the Gaylord Convention Center conference venue, came about because of bipartisan partnerships among Maryland and Virginia legislators. Referencing the ASCE annual report card on infrastructure, he said, “The report card is not enough. People don’t get what it takes to deliver complex projects. The story needs to be told.”
埃弗里特（Everett）同意，表明应将工程师说话转化为外行的条款。他说：“我们必须开始以普通英语的方式思考。”
“我说的不是'在功能上过时的，而是'车道太狭窄。’”他还强调了破坏性技术的出现。他说：“工程师就像道路上的乌龟一样，[自动车辆]来了。”
无人驾驶汽车也是如此。四个小时的会议专门针对无人机，包括康涅狄格州和罗德岛州的示范桥检查。WSP的项目工程师Matthew Sullivan表示，与使用工程师攀爬者对吊带绳索的比较表明，节省了50％的安全风险。他指出，数据足以为设计图和投标文件提供信息。但是，无人机容易受风和波浪的影响，并且可以通过混凝土和钢桥组件阻塞GPS。
The high-tech emphasis also informed a presentation on the新的纽约桥，将有400个传感器to provide real-time data to check design assumptions, said Michael Whalen, project manager with HDR Inc. The new cable-stayed bridge on the Hudson will also have 30-ft x 8-ft Intelligent Transportation System signs and 20 gantries that can automatically open or close lanes.
Further, the new bridge will have two electrical rooms, each providing 2.5 MW and 13,200 volts of power to power all the cameras, lighting and intelligent signage, added Whalen.
