Underground Construction - December 2022 - 5

EDITOR'SLOG
Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief
Transitions
In 2023, Underground Construction Morphs into Underground Infrastructure
The title Underground Construction
has served our magazine well
for the past 25 years when, in January
1997, the publication moved
away from traditional oil and gas
pipeline construction-centric coverage
to a broad-based utility and
pipeline focus. The name changed
from Pipeline & Utilities Construction
to the more appropriate Underground Construction.
That move placed Underground Construction in an improved
position to pursue the evolving market realities and directions.
While Underground Construction's editorial focus had steadily
been shifting direction into increased utility construction
coverage since late 1992, this name change established to
our readership base our intention to cover a broader editorial
range. Pipeline construction was still included, but relegated to
a role more in line with the overall markets.
Today, shifting market trends, dynamics and technologies
have applied a similar rationale for modifying the magazine's
image and focus. The underground industries are far more than
just construction. Rather, that sector is now joined by rehabilitation
and asset management as the clear direction for all underground
markets.
Thus, in 2023, Underground Construction will again experience
a metamorphosis to the new, evolved underground marketplace
by becoming Underground Infrastructure.
The established buzzwords of any company working in
sewer, water, stormwater, fiber, power, gas distribution and
pipeline construction, " underground infrastructure " has become
the all-encompassing term for the markets we cover. In
fact, " infrastructure " has become an extremely hot political and
public area of focus, concern and support through North American.
The well-known infrastructure spending bill has pumped
billions into the underground markets for 2022 and is on course
to continue through 2027, and possibly beyond.
While the various elements remain the same, the name
change will better reflect our market position as the comprehensive
leader of all things underground. The crux of this repositioning
will center around our new subtitles: Construction,
Rehabilitation & Asset Management. These three sectors comprise
the core of the underground infrastructure.
For example, just in the sewer and water markets, rehabilitation
of underground piping systems has grown from an investment
of less than $1 billion dollars in 2002 to surpassing $10.4
billion in 2022. In the gas distribution industry, an estimated
$15-$20 billion will be invested over the next 10 years just to
replace the remaining cast iron pipe. In the energy pipeline
markets, consistent and stringent regulations dictate a steady
expenditure to ensure integrity management for all pipelines.
In all these markets, technology advances occur at a rapid pace.
New construction spending is on a record pace, as well, for
the foreseeable future. An estimated $12.5 billion will be invested
in sewer/water/stormwater, just in 2022. The blazing hot fiber
market received more than $50 billion over five years, from
the infrastructure bill. to construct fiber optic systems in rural
and underserved population areas - in addition to the billions
that private companies are already investing.
Further, the electric industry was also awarded approximately
$60 billion to " harden " its systems, principally to ensure that
the electric grid can manage climate extremes. The past decade
of record and frequent snow and ice storms, hurricanes, tornados
and many other such weather events, alone, has proven
overhead systems can no longer be considered reliable.
It's no surprise that the top option by utilities to harden
their systems is to place transmission and electric lines underground.
Now, with the help of federal dollars, it has become a
practical solution.
Asset management has taken on a continuously broader
meaning for underground infrastructure. Since the turn of the
century, continuous programs and technology have been developed
and launched that allow cities to more accurately track
and account for the status of their piping systems. Technology
advancements have turned the possibilities of asset management
into realities with advances in cameras, laser profiling and
even satellites.
In addition, constant monitoring of the location and status
of machinery has spread to virtually all construction equipment.
Routine predictive maintenance or pre-emptive alerts
allow equipment managers to better maintain their fleet and
keep it running in top condition without issue.
Having these increasing options not only provides critical
intelligence, as utilities manage the condition of their systems
and contractors maintain their equipment fleets, but it also has
saved extraordinary amounts of money by better focusing ongoing
repair and maintenance of those systems.
Coverage of these areas adds up to an exciting, dynamic and
editorially challenging task. But Underground Infrastructure will
continue to serve all underground markets through an organized,
improved editorial filter that is consistently reflective of
construction, rehabilitation and asset management - the clear
drivers of our market. UC
UCONonline.com | DECEMBER 2022
5
http://www.UCONonline.com
Underground Construction - December 2022

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