Ben Walpole

1 month ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

Brad Kubiak, ASCE’s Region 1 director, was speaking specifically about Society governance reframing options at the March board of direction meeting in Washington, D.C. But in the process, he may as well have been summarizing the key motivator for the ASCE Board of Direction’s actions in the last two-plus years. Beware, Kubiak said, the seven most expensive words in the industry: That’s the way we’ve always done it. The message was clear.

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar Friday was another sobering reminder of the importance of resilient infrastructure. The earthquake’s epicenter was located just outside the city of Mandalay with deaths and damage throughout Myanmar and extending into neighboring China and Thailand. A high-rise building under construction in Bangkok collapsed. The overall death toll from the quake rose above 1,600 over the weekend.

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole |Ireland Degges

Rep. Sam Graves from Missouri spoke at the ASCE Solutions Summit March 25 in Washington, D.C. From the stage, the Congressman essentially gave ASCE members the playbook for bringing their infrastructure message to Capitol Hill. “If you have a personal story, make sure you share it, because that has as much impact as anything,” Graves said. “When you talk to those members of Congress, just tell your stories.”Storytelling is what advocacy is all about. Facts and figures are critical parts of the case.

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

ASCE released its 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure this week. The cumulative GPA for America’s infrastructure was a C, the highest mark since ASCE started releasing report cards in 1998. Beyond the top-line grade, the complete report card provides a treasure trove of information about America’s infrastructure – grades across 18 infrastructure sectors and recommendations on how to improve that GPA and make infrastructure more resilient.

2 months ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

The world woke up Tuesday morning to find civil engineers dominating the news cycle. The topic topping everyone’s feeds? Infrastructure. ASCE released its 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure March 25 with a Solutions Summit event in Washington, D.C. The cumulative grade point average for America’s infrastructure was a C, the highest mark since ASCE started releasing report cards in 1998. And the news traveled fast. New York Times. CNN. CBS News. Associated Press. Politico.