MONDAY, JULY 8, 2022 - INFRASTRUCTURE/PLANNING

 MONDAY, JULY 8, 2022 - INFRASTRUCTURE/PLANNING

I am amazed at infrastructure!!!  It has to be both relatively inexpensive and yet durable.  We are using the London underground (aka “Subway”) since 1863 and the New York Subway since 1904.  Our sewers and water lines are still functioning.  The New York sewer line was started in 1849 largely because of a major cholera outbreak. [Aside, my great-great grandfather, Gottfried Quaas arrived in New York in 1849 and had to be quarantined for cholera!!]

I’m living in a rapidly growing area - the Austin Texas area.  By the latest (2020) census the Austin area was #11 in the United States and may have gotten into the top ten American cities by now.  There are construction sites all around me.  Road construction never seems to end in the area.  Houses, apartments, schools, hospitals, groceries, and other shopping are popping up around the area.  

And, under that new construction, engineers must connect the new sewer, water, electrical, and gas lines.

In my area of Texas (loosely considered as the eastern edge of the Hill Country), under a few inches of soil, it is rock.  Thus construction generally requires cutting through rock.  Houses in this area do not have basements as that would require digging out a lot of rocks.  Up north, there were Ditch Witch machines that dug trenches for buried lines.  Here it is a very heavy-duty rock machine that cuts into the rock for the various lines.

There are building more apartments next to the existing apartments in my complex. It seems like the biggest part is planning on water lines, sewer lines, and buried electric lines (and gas lines).  My building does not like gas lines - so we have electric stoves - and electric heating and cooling.

Within 5 miles there are three major rock quarries - and also the machines to dig the rock out of the ground, and the trucks to haul it to other places.  Some communities require that new homes have at least 50% external rock (or brick) and most have more than that.  Also safer than wood siding as there occasionally are fires in the areas.

A concern of infrastructure is planning for the future.  Some main roads need additional lanes; other roads need turn lanes and crosswalks.  After the original construction, it can be hard to add new lanes - so planners need to allow for future growth.  One road that I frequently drive on has two major bridges over deep valleys.  In that the roads were built about four years ago, they do have enough roadway for additional lanes.  But, the road this connects to is an old county two-lane road that will require substantial rework. As we go forward, planning for future growth has to be included.  “What If” analysis.  

Another road has been under construction for a year and still isn’t open yet (it needs connections to an on-ramp and off-ramp).

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Technology does change, concrete and roads have better equipment as compared to the 1950s when many of these roads and developments first started with the “Baby Boomers”.  Many housing developments are major projects that require a lot of infrastructure and planning.  And, these housing developments must interface with the city, county, and state plans.  Will this subdivision need stop lights to get on the major arterial highway?  Will there be a need for schools?

Houses are more energy efficient - but what about the future?  Are the houses situated nicely for solar panels?  Are they built with fossil fuels in mind (aka natural gas)?  The Internet is much faster for homes than before with fiber optic lines directly to houses.  But what about future technologies?

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But, if you will, infrastructure and planning apply to more than just roads, houses, and civil engineering. Electrical engineering wants the fastest transmission of electricity with the least resistance.  Energy also wants to develop alternative energy sources such as solar, and wind power.  I know of tide and current energy “farms” off the coast of Texas 

Biology engineering is looking at DNA, gene splitting, faster surgeries, and faster healing.  Chemical engineering with biological engineering is looking at better food.

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Can infrastructure and planning also be related to finances, social activities, spirituality, and more?  Can it be tied to agriculture?

So, how is your personal infrastructure?  How far ahead is your planning?  Are you planning on retirement?  Have you set aside sufficient funds? Can your body function better now than twenty years ago?  Are you fit?  Are you overweight?  Do you have diabetes?

Back in 1976, I was a high school teacher with our first child.  My personal infrastructure wasn’t cutting it.  We “ran out of money before we ran out of month”.  The last week of the month was pretty slim pickings around the house.  

I started looking for what we could do to make more money.  I took classes in preparation for an educational administration degree (like being a superintendent).  I researched (and research was very different then) for better-paying jobs.  In 1978, when our daughter was born, I moved into higher education and didn’t look back.

Opportunities do knock - but it is best to be proactive and look for them and to be ready to move!!!  Part of being ready for opportunities is good planning.  Do I need to learn Spanish?  Do I need to move to a more moderate climate or a location with cheaper energy costs?

There is an adage “Those who fail to plan are planning to fail”.  Infrastructure/planning is vital both now and in the future.  Yes, we can be spontaneous in our lives at times, but we also need to press forward toward our goals.

LOVE WINS!! ® 

Karen White
August 8, 2022