The Infrastructure Show - Podcasts
The Infrastructure Show consists of monthly podcasts in which some of the nation’s top infrastructure experts discuss with host Professor Joseph Schofer of Northwestern University the condition of our infrastructure today, and what can be done about it. While many subjects are addressed, including repairs, upgrades and new construction, there is an emphasis on the topics of preventive and predictive maintenance, as well as “structural health monitoring” – a special focus of the Northwestern Infrastructure Technology Institute, of which Dr. Schofer is Director.
- Update frequency
- every 30 days
- Average duration
- 24 minutes
- Episodes
- 33
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Fast-Growing Cities Need Rapid Water System Upgrades – How Irving, Texas, Does It
Irving, Texas, a city of about 255,000 people near Dallas, is growing fast, and its water supply and wastewater systems must be upgraded to support rapidly increasing demands. To do this, Irving has …
Removing Dams on the Klamath River – Why and How
Four dams were removed from the Klamath River in 2023-24 to bring it back to its natural, wild state. These dams provided water and power to the region but blocked spawning salmon, and they were decl…
Rebooting Three Mile Island
Rebooting Three Mile Island
In 1979, one of two nuclear reactors at the Three Mile Island power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, suffered a partial meltdown. The second reactor was shut down 40 years later for economic reas…
Financing Transportation Through Public-Private Partnerships
Financing Transportation Through Public-Private Partnerships
Public-private partnerships (P3s) can be important strategies for financing transportation and other large infrastructure projects. Advancing public infrastructure projects with P3s requires careful …
The TVA After Nine Decades
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the largest public power company in the United States. It also controls flooding, assures navigability and recreation, and protects the environment across seve…
The TVA After Nine Decades
Ship Collisions with Bridges – the Risks and Protection Options
Ships hit bridges much more often than people realize, and while most of the outcomes are minor, such events can present big risks to bridge users, ship operators, and infrastructure. Bridge design s…
Ship Collisions with Bridges – the Risks and Protection Options
Transformers – Their Vital Role in Ensuring Electric Grid Reliability
Transformers step-down voltage from high levels most efficient for long distance transmission to lower levels for safe distribution to homes and businesses. Having enough transformers for replacement…
Transformers – Their Vital Role in Ensuring Electric Grid Reliability
Rebuilding Chicago Transit Authority’s Red and Purple Rail Lines
The Chicago Transit Authority’s $2.1 billion Red and Purple Line Modernization Project (RPM) is rebuilding a 5.6-mile elevated rail rapid transit structure and four stations, ensuring structural inte…
Rebuilding Chicago Transit Authority’s Red and Purple Rail Lines
Tsunami Evacuation Towers – Reaching for the Sky to Save Lives
Tsunami Evacuation Towers – Reaching for the Sky to Save Lives
Earthquakes can generate massive tsunamis that pose severe risks to coastal communities. The 2004 earthquake off Sumatra spawned a tsunami that killed an estimates 228,000 people. Facing its own tsun…
Digital Twins – Modeling Infrastructure Systems for Design, Operations, and Management
Digital twins are virtual representations of real systems used to test designs and operating policies in safe environments prior to implementation or offline. Applications include a variety of public…
Digital Twins – Modeling Infrastructure Systems for Design, Operations, and Management
Dam Failures in the U.S. – the Risks and Risk Management
Dam Failures in the U.S. – the Risks and Risk Management
Dam failures are frightening, and they can become disasters. Just how common – or uncommon – are the failures of dams in the U.S.? What are the contributing factors and are there ways we mitigate the…