John Howard, the Chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan organization focused on improving government functions, recently offered a provocative piece in the Atlantic called “How to Fix America’s Infrastructure.” His article echoes many of the themes expressed here at EnviroStructure, that spending more time analyzing project proposals doesn’t necessarily lead to better decisions.  When project analysis and decision-making drag on, the problem a proposed development is designed to address only grows worse and the project itself becomes more expensive to deliver.  Mr. Howard argues that agreeing to spend more on infrastructure in exchange for true project streamlining is a political deal made in heaven.

Like Mr. Howard, I feel that 2016 presents a unique political opportunity to marry multiple proposals to invest in American infrastructure (Trump, Clinton and Sanders all agree!) with a balanced approach to reach decisions fairly and more quickly.  Common Good’s “Two Years, Not Ten Years” report reflects the goals of FHWA’s successful “Every Day Counts” program, now a statutorily-mandated initiative, following passage of the FAST Act.  Rarely does such common ground exist to address a major U.S. policy challenge.