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It looks like Oregon finally has a good infrastructure plan. This last legislative session produced an infrastructure plan that will benefit all of Oregon. Despite some very difficult politics in achieving that, state government may now be in the position of providing industrial businesses the additional support they have long needed.

This will be an opportunity for a broad cross section of Oregonians. Infrastructure work not only requires educated engineers and planners, but also provides employment opportunity for craft workers and those in lesser skilled occupations. This should help resolve some of the homelessness issues that we face every day.

Jobs will be available to people who are willing to step up to the plate and meet the minimum employment criteria 鈥� things like showing up on time, doing what you say you are going to do, staying straight and sober, and being able to follow instructions. Oregonians, Portlanders in particular, have spent millions of dollars to address the homelessness problem. However, without employment this issue will remain a recalcitrant, ongoing concern. The additional investment in infrastructure can provide the missing piece so that all Oregonians can share in a reasonable standard of living.

The economy is currently at one of its construction peaks, and by all indications will remain so. Thus, this additional infrastructure investment will be coming at a time of limited additional capacity for the Oregon construction market.

Construction is at record volumes. Twenty-four tower cranes are reported in the Portland area. The execution of this infrastructure plan will be different than for the previous approved bond measure, which provided for bridge upgrades across the state. That bond measure was executed at a time when construction capacity was substantially more than the demand. That is not the case today.

Therefore, the people in charge of this additional investment must plan carefully when and where the dollars will be invested. Costs will not be what they were in the last go-round; work will cost more. To carry this effort out management will be challenged to develop new methods and delivery mechanisms to assure Oregonians that their money is wisely invested and well spent. It should be expected that there will be political influences around the state in how this money spent. However, it is clear that Oregon鈥檚 infrastructure lags behind that of our neighbors to the north and south.

The challenges of increasing the capacity of our infrastructure while still retaining the quality of life that Oregonians, and new arrivals, have come to expect may be daunting. Program managers, particularly in urban areas, should expect close oversight by concerned citizens and involved environmental groups. While the general perspective is that infrastructure needs to be expanded, the 鈥渘ot in my backyard鈥� syndrome will likely rear its ugly head when the details are worked out.

To provide a greater assurance of success it will be necessary to incorporate new thinking into these projects 鈥� thinking that had not been part of previous infrastructure investment cycles. Managers would do well to remember that a new generation of engineers and planners have come into their own in the intervening years.

Furthermore, those who recently arrived to our state have come here to experience Oregon as they expect it to be. Many of the recent arrivals are in high tech and clean industries. Their expectations are different than those who are longer in the tooth in Oregon and can remember its base in natural resources, agriculture and mineral extraction.

Christian Steinbrecher is president of Ukiah Engineering. He is the author of ASCE Oregon鈥檚 report card on Oregon鈥檚 infrastructure and a past recipient of ASCE Oregon鈥檚 Engineer of the Year award. Contact him at 503-297-4827 or [email protected].