Without road infrastructure, the world as we know it today would grind to a halt. Nevertheless, the process of building this vast network of road and highways is complex. The bulk of road work requires collaboration from several different types of engineers with much taking place outside or underground. To lay a road, a construction company must coordinate numerous moving pieces. Drainage systems and utilities must be mapped out; bridges drawn up; electric and fiber optic work, traffic signals, and cameras factored in — just to name a few. And, because road work does take place outside without any cover, dealing with weather can become a big issue that throws off the construction schedule.
To make matters even more complicated, road infrastructure projects are consistently underfunded. According to the World Economic Forum, worldwide investment in infrastructure is expected to reach $79 trillion by 2040. This seems like a huge number, but it’s actually $18 trillion short of the global investment need. Most of this gap comes from insufficient investment in the road and electricity sectors.
No discussion about road and highway infrastructure is complete without mentioning the employer: the government. As any construction company knows, government infrastructure contracts are almost always awarded to the lowest bidder. Because of that, companies bidding on these kinds of construction projects are almost always competing on price. Lowering costs is a primary objective for infrastructure construction firms.
Because of all this, construction companies in infrastructure must figure out how to meet the demands of a growing industry with limited funds and compounding outside factors. They must be able to deliver quality work on a deadline. The answer? Innovative technology.
Learn more about how software can allow your company to keep up in today’s landscape of road infrastructure construction projects by downloading our ebook titled, “Why Software is a Necessity for Road and Highway Construction.”
Innovation in road infrastrastructure can take on many different forms. From the creation of new software to support scattered field teams, to the implementation of cutting-edge building materials and designs, leaders are working hard to meet the demands of the future. Construction companies have already adopted new ways of estimating, bidding, and qualification. And, they’re implementing new approaches to project management, field collaboration, and data management.
With all these challenges and opportunities, how can a company be expected to keep up while continuing to focus on the nuts and bolts of quality construction?
The answer lies in today’s technology. The right software exists to reinforce your goals, connect your team, and allow for growth and expansion. With innovations to support your team, you can keep up throughout the entire process of infrastructure lifecycle— from planning and design to construction and maintenance.
Roadways and highways can span hundreds of miles, stretching across cities, counties, or even entire states. Therefore, tools in this field need to be highly customizable to support the specific needs of multidisciplinary workflows and builders.
When you’re looking for technology to support your team, keep the following in mind:
Delivering infrastructure is a team effort. It requires collaboration between roadway crews, drainage teams, utility services, and more. A high-quality software tool should be able to accommodate workflows that support these large-scale coordination efforts.
Imagine trying to onboard multiple teams to a software that you don’t understand yourself. It might have the best quality tools in the world, but if you can’t learn it quickly, all that value is lost. You will need software that you can understand easily so that you can standardize it across teams, implement training quickly, and optimize for growth.
Roads and highways differ from other construction projects in that they can stretch hundreds of miles. Depending on the scope of the project, your company might be dealing with multidisciplinary teams working together across a city, county, or even an entire state. Your software must have the ability to accommodate all these users, so your team can work together on a centralized data platform without hiccups.
Did you know that the world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion by 2050? Not only that, but 55% of the world’s population currently lives in urban areas, and that number is expected to jump to 68% in the next 30 years. In other words: the world is more connected than ever before. Now think of all the roads and highways that need to be constructed and maintained to keep up with this rapid growth.
As the future comes, construction companies cannot allow themselves to be left behind. The future of infrastructure is in our ability to innovate. With the right technology to collaborate, scale growth, and find solutions, companies can deliver faster and better projects.
Learn more about how your company can rise to the challenge of infrastructure innovation by downloading our new ebook, “Why Software is a Necessity for Road and Highway Construction.”
