In the heart of McLean, Virginia, the Building Innovation 2025 conference, sponsored by the National Institute of Building Sciences, brought to light a stark reality: our lifeline infrastructure systems—water, electricity, and transportation—are under unprecedented strain. These systems, often overlooked until they fail, are grappling with age, deferred maintenance, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. The conference underscored a critical need for strategic planning and disaster recovery, as experts warned that the status quo is no longer sufficient.
North Carolina DOT Secretary Joey Hopkins bluntly stated, “Much of our infrastructure is so old it’s built to standards that we no longer use. So it doesn’t work anymore.” Hopkins highlighted how infrastructure built in the 1960s, designed for smaller, slower vehicles, is ill-equipped to handle today’s traffic and weather conditions. “Back in the ‘60s, we built ramps that came in on the left side of the highway. We had very, very short acceleration lanes and deceleration lanes. Vehicles were smaller, they were slow back then. Things have changed.”
The urgency of this issue was further emphasized by Madhu Beriwal, founder and chair of IEM International, a disaster preparedness consultancy. Beriwal pointed out that infrastructure built between the 1950s and 1970s was designed for a different climate regime, making it ill-suited to handle today’s climate challenges, let alone future ones. “Infrastructure was built in the 1950s to 1970s for a different climate regime, and we are trying to manage 21st century climate issues, not even talking about what could happen next century,” Beriwal said. The lack of coordination among different entities owning or operating individual infrastructure components exacerbates the problem, leading to cascading failures when one system goes down.
The need for targeted investment in functional recovery—ensuring that buildings and infrastructure can maintain or quickly restore essential functions after a shock—was a central theme. Ronald Eguchi, CEO and co-founder of ImageCat, a risk management company, emphasized the importance of this concept. “[Functional recovery] is something that can be an important concept, not only for buildings, but to begin to institutionalize that for lifelines,” Eguchi said. “I think it’s very important, because now we’re sort of shifting the paradigm a little bit in terms of how we measure performance.”
The National Institute of Building Sciences’ Lifeline Infrastructure Hub is a step in the right direction, fostering partnerships among federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, and industry groups to better manage extreme weather impacts and aid communities in disaster recovery. However, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2025 Report Card paints a grim picture: the country’s lifeline systems are “woefully underfunded,” despite the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Hopkins noted that declining gas tax revenue and inflation have further exacerbated the funding gap, pushing communities to seek innovative solutions like public-private partnerships and tolling.
New Orleans is one city taking proactive steps. Steven Nelson, general superintendent of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, shared insights from past disasters, emphasizing the need for targeted investments. “It’s not necessarily the oldest parts of the city that failed the most dramatically or most frequently,” Nelson said. “So I think that there is a major need for targeted investment.”
Technology is emerging as a powerful ally in this battle. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can help jurisdictions and utilities allocate limited resources more effectively. Nelson highlighted how AI can be used to develop capital improvement programs based on actual and anticipated failure rates. Digital twins, which create virtual replicas of physical systems, offer another promising avenue. Eguchi noted that digital twins can help understand potential failures and their impacts, providing valuable insights for planning more resilient infrastructure.
The conference’s revelations are a wake-up call for the construction industry. The intersection of sustainability and construction is no longer a choice but a necessity. As climate change intensifies, the need for resilient, sustainable infrastructure becomes paramount. The industry must embrace technological advancements, foster collaboration, and advocate for targeted investments to ensure that our lifeline systems can withstand the challenges of the 21st century and beyond. The future of our cities and communities depends on it.