TCEP 223: How Supply Chain Disruptions Are Affecting Civil Engineers
In this episode, I talk to Mary Lamie, P.E., the Executive Vice President of The St. Louis Regional Freightway, Bi-State Development, about how supply chain disruptions are affecting engineers and the projects they work on. We also touch on infrastructure investment and some of the latest developments in the freightway to support workforce development. Engineering Quotes: Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Mary: What's your role in setting infrastructure priorities and how is it tied to the supply chain? How do supply chain disruptions affect engineers and the projects they work on? Which technologies have the biggest impact on supply chain performance? How does infrastructure influence site selection for the manufacturing and logistics industries? What is the importance of multimodal connectivity and its importance from an infrastructure perspective? Can you provide us with an example of infrastructure innovation, as well as states and regions working together to support infrastructure investment? Can you talk more about workforce development and some of the latest developments in freightway to support workforce development? What final piece of advice can you give engineers out there to help mitigate the effect that supply chain disruptions have on their projects? Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About How Supply Chain Disruptions Are Affecting Civil Engineers: Upgrading the Merchants Rail Bridge enables two trains to cross it at the same time, improving efficiency. In turn, the barge industry said their number one project is the Merchant's Rail Bridge because their barge rates are tied to having cost-effective rail rates. This shows that the weakest link in a supply chain is the most critical part. Having a testimony like this allows the elected leaders and D.O.T.s to be more effective when setting the transportation priorities because one project impacts all the modes of transportation. There were already supply chain issues and congestion building up before the pandemic, and work was being done to mitigate supply chain disruptions. Civil engineers can be part of the solution by finding ways to use all modes of transportation for their projects. Developing the technology of the predictability of freight movement has been focused on and has made significant advancements in recent years. It can predict if there is or will be a supply chain disruption in real time. It will help freight companies be prepared for disruptions and find alternative freight methods when needed to keep the supply chain moving forward. Freight and manufacturing companies are looking for locations near infrastructure. They are looking for locations that have the efficiency, mobility, and predictability of all modes of transportation because it has a big impact on the costs involved. The efficient infrastructure supports multimodal flexibility and connectivity that allows traders to take advantage of the infrastructure efficiently. Traders look for regions that can provide them with multiple transportation choices to avoid supply chain disruptions as far and as much as possible. The St. Louis region is partnering with other ports along the Mississippi River to establish new options for transporting container cargo. It will result in a large cost saving because the inland water system is already the cheapest mode of transportation, and the vessel will be able to transport around 2,300 containers at a time. The ports are in the process of coordinating the infrastructure and could be ready to provide this new option of transportation by the end of 2025. Freightway is supporting workforce development by taking part in public-private partnerships, where their transit operators work with tenants in the industrial parks t...