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Smart Infrastructure February 19, 2009, 5:00PM EST

The Bridge to Smart Technology

Smart technology that makes infrastructure safer and more efficient is ready just in time for a flood of government spending

By Steve Hamm

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The new St. Anthony Falls Bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis has a half dozen types of sensors embedded in it. Here's what they measure
David Foster

Stand beneath the new St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis, and you can imagine the chaos on Aug. 1, 2007. Hundreds of people were stuck in rush hour traffic on that blazing hot day when, at 6 p.m., the bridge that formerly stood on the site collapsed into the Mississippi River in a matter of seconds. Scores of vehicles plunged into the water. Thirteen people died and 145 were injured.

The new bridge is no beauty. On a recent wintry day, the white 1,200-foot span looked plain and utilitarian. But this bridge is unlikely to crumple the way its predecessor did. It's packed with sensors and other electronics that constantly monitor the concrete for any weaknesses or structural damage. The St. Anthony Falls Bridge is one of the "smartest" bridges in the U.S.

Technology used in the planning, design, and construction helped make it possible for the entire process to be completed in just one year. The bridge opened for traffic in September, three months ahead of schedule, earning the builders a $25 million bonus. The sensors do more than keep track of maintenance needs. During Minnesota's bitter winters, they monitor weather conditions and automatically trigger an anti-icing system to prevent the roadway from freezing over. "The technology is about speed, it's about quality, and it's about efficiency," says Jon Chiglo, the civil engineer who managed the $234 million project for the Minnesota Transportation Dept.

Chiglo's bridge may be a sign of things to come. Over the next five years the U.S. is poised to spend more than $500 billion on infrastructure, more than the amount spent to build the entire Interstate Highway System in today's dollars. The money will come from President Barack Obama's stimulus package and a separate transportation bill that Congress is expected to approve in September. The avalanche of cash comes just as a host of so-called smart technologies is emerging to make it possible to build roads, bridges, mass transit systems, schools, hospitals, and electric grids faster and better, and to operate them more efficiently.

There are tensions over how smart to make the country's infrastructure, though. On one side, tech leaders portray this as an unprecedented opportunity for the U.S. to catch up with countries in Asia and the Middle East that have spent billions on futuristic cities and other projects in recent years. "Smarter infrastructure is by far our best path to creating these new, globally competitive jobs and stimulating growth," said IBM (IBM) Chief Executive Samuel J. Palmisano in January, after meeting with Obama to discuss the stimulus package.

TECH SKEPTICS

Of course, IBM and other companies have a lot to gain from investments in tech-savvy infrastructure. Among the tech powerhouses, Cisco Systems (CSCO), Accenture, (ACN) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) are all launching new initiatives to profit from the opportunity. Construction giants Bechtel and Fluor (FLR) are developing their tech expertise to gain a competitive edge, as are equipment makers such as General Electric (GE) and Siemens (SI). Market researcher IDC estimates that sales of technology for infrastructure projects could top $122 billion by 2012.

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