November 28, 2022
Long Beach International Gateway Bridge Recognized on Cyber Monday for Improvements to the US Supply Chain
National roadshow stops at Long Beach International Gateway Bridge and Port of Long Beach to highlight how engineering, public works improve communities through infrastructure investment
Port of Long Beach—On Cyber Monday, the national Engineering and Public Works Roadshow highlighted how infrastructure investment can improve a community and spark economic growth with its inaugural stop at Long Beach International Gateway Bridge and Port of Long Beach.
The Engineering and Public Works Roadshow represents the first time that the leading organizations representing the designers and public operators of America’s infrastructure have joined together to shine a spotlight on what successful infrastructure investment means for the nation’s economy, jobs, the environment, and our future. The Roadshow is a joint project of the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Public Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
At the event overlooking the bridge, leaders from each organization were joined by officials from the Port of Long Beach, WSP, the engineering firm that oversaw the delivery of the new Long Beach International Gateway Bridge, and elected officials to urge Congress to fully fund the bipartisan infrastructure law, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
“America’s ports are the engine that keeps commerce flowing, and with every click to add to an online shopping cart this holiday season, the supply chain kicks into action,” said ACEC President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr. “Bridges like this one connect the world to our doorsteps and they would not be possible without the time, talent, and dedication of engineers and their partners in public works who design, build, and maintain it all.”
The Roadshow plans to showcase innovative projects like the new Long Beach International Gateway Bridge across the country to demonstrate the essential value that engineering and public works delivers to every American and attract more people to the profession. 82,000 new engineers will be needed to fulfil the mandate of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“More than half a million engineers call California home and their work contributes billions of dollars to America’s economy,” said American Council of Engineering Companies Board Chair W. Arthur Barrett, II. “Still, we need thousands more engineers to do the work made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We’re here to celebrate the amazing economic contribution of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge through the work of dedicated engineering and public works professionals. We hope this can be the spark that inspires the next generation of engineers to make their mark in improving the nation.”
“A year after President Biden signed IIJA into law, the bipartisan measure is threatened by Congress’ ongoing reliance on continuing resolutions,” said American Public Works Association CEO Scott D. Grayson, CAE. “One needs only to visit this fantastic bridge to see how infrastructure transforms communities and to understand how engineers and public works employees are vital to the work.”
“When Americans flip on their lights, drink water from the tap, or accept Amazon packages delivered straight to their doorsteps, they often forget the monumental engineering achievement behind each of these seemingly mundane daily services,” said Tom Smith, ASCE executive director. “The Long Beach International Gateway Bridge and other recent innovations at the Port of Long Beach are examples of what can be accomplished when bright minds come together to make the world a better place, and we’ll need more of that in the years to come.”
As ACEC, APWA and ASCE showcase award-winning infrastructure projects throughout the country – beginning with the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge – the Roadshow will tout the ingenuity and perseverance of public works crews and engineers to attract the next generation of people who want to make a lasting difference in American communities.
A team of professionals developed Long Beach’s “Bridge to Everywhere,” taking it from an idea and collaboration between stakeholders to a gleaming reality that is safer, more productive, and better able to withstand severe climate threats than the bridge it replaced.
For these reasons and more, the ACEC awarded the bridge the prestigious Grand Award at the most recent Engineering Excellence Awards earlier this year.
“Good infrastructure can improve our quality of life and we’re eager to do more of this work in the future, but we need Congress to fund these vital projects,” the Roadshow executives said.
As the federal government continues to implement this monumental legislation, the second year of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will not be fully realized without an expanded and robust workforce. It is imperative that students nationwide are educated on the rewarding careers of civil engineering and public works so that these professions have the necessary staffing to complete transformative projects.
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