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Infrastructure Week, Day 5: Roads

In the U.S., roads are an unavoidable part of our everyday lives. We use roadways daily to travel to and from work, school, social engagements, and more. So how do we deal with the issue of America’s crumbling roadway infrastructure?

As the years go by, American metropolitan areas are stymied by traffic congestion.

The average American spends 54 hours a year stuck in traffic. That’s 6+ vacations days! Meanwhile, suburban and more rural areas are forced to contend with deteriorating road conditions, as well as outdated and dangerous traffic configurations.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), maintaining and upgrading our roads remains an important priority. Our civil engineers are skilled in parking lot and roadway design, and along with our traffic engineers they can effectively and efficiently plan, design, and oversee the construction of intersection improvements, parking facilities, maintenance and protection of traffic plans, highways, utility relocations, site lighting, driveways and other roadways, curbs, and sidewalks so that the outcomes not only provide for smooth transitions but also for economically functional results.

With projects like NY-27 at Barners Road Interchange Reconstruction; Rehabilitation of Swan Street Roadway; Cross Westchester Expressway (I-287) Exit 8E Reconstruction; 5th Avenue Reconstruction; DeLavergne Avenue Reconstruction; and Milling and Resurfacing of Federal Aid Roads, KC strives to maintain the safety and commutability of area roads, because at KC we recognize the vital importance of roadway infrastructure.

 

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Infrastructure Week, Day 4: Wastewater

Wastewater is the dirty little secret no one likes to talk about. Nevertheless, managing our nations wastewater is of the utmost importance.

No infrastructure plan is complete without wastewater management. It can impact the health of residents, strengthen, or weaken the appeal of a locality, have an effect on the environment.

As the nation’s population continues to grow, wastewater management has become increasingly crucial. About 15% of the more than 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities in the United States have attained or exceeded their design capabilities, with an average operating efficiency of 81%. Growing metropolitan areas point to a trend whereby these facilities will be able to handle a growing share of the wastewater demand in the country. Even while systems suffering from sanitary sewage overflows have seen significant capital upgrades, recent years have seen a slowdown in these efforts. As more treatment facilities and collecting networks near the end of their useful lives, the costs associated with operation and maintenance will rise.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our wastewater treatment group has designed, constructed, and helped to operate over 70 facilities. We work with government, industrial, and private clients to meet a full range of wastewater related needs. We approach each project with innovative and creative expertise to deliver comprehensive engineering services that solve the most intricate wastewater challenges from concept through design, construction, and operation.

With projects like the Kauneonga Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant and Collection System Rehabilitation, Tri-Municipal Sewer Commission Compost Permit Renewal, Wallkill Raw Sewage Pump Replacement, and Wappingers Falls Wappingers Falls Sanitary Sewer Pipe TV Inspections, KC has helped to increase capacity and improve the performance of existing treatment facilities. KC strives to meet strict water discharge policies, conserve energy, and reduce environmental impact.

 

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Infrastructure Week, Day 3: Transit

Public transit is a staple of our nation and continues to grow, although it remains neglected and radically underfunded.

American transit systems carry billions of people a year via trains, commuter buses, ridesharing services, and more. These systems mainly provide transportation in urban areas but are vital in many rural areas across the county.

In the past few years, we’ve seen major train derailments, non-passengers killed in transit-related accidents, and damaged infrastructure as a result of natural disasters. The resilience of outdated, unreliable infrastructure is tested day by day.

For full functionality of national transit systems, we need not only transit vehicles but sufficient infrastructure like traffic signals, train tracks, and roadways to successfully carry and guide these vehicles. However, with a lack of funding, years of deferred maintenance, and aging infrastructure, our public transit systems continue to suffer.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our civil engineering services include roadway and highway design, traffic engineering, lighting design, and other services to maintain and improve transit operations.

With projects like Broadway Pedestrian and Traffic Signal Improvements, Gowanus Expressway Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and Emergency Repairs, Greenkill Avenue Viaduct at 118th Street, and Route 9D Pedestrian Improvements, KC has provided construction inspection for replacement of bridge and mounting tube railings, design assessment for rehabilitation of railroad bridges, and traffic calming and street lighting design.

 

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Infrastructure Week, Day 2: Water

Water is a vital resource, but with a rise in deteriorating infrastructure and underfunded programs like the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), we’ve run into a nationwide problem.

In recent years, we’ve witnessed water crises on a national scale in places like Michigan, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and even closer to home here in New York, and the Southwest United States, where drought conditions continue to worsen.

Over two million miles of pipes work to deliver water around the county, most of that aging infrastructure having been laid numerous decades ago. Now more than ever, America requires government action to upgrade insufficient water infrastructure. Clean, reliable drinking water is a commodity that everyone, without exception, should have access to.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our water supply group works to create sufficient, long-term resolutions to provide safe drinking water. With a group of skilled water, wastewater, civil, and environmental engineers, KC is able to provide lasting solutions to various municipalities, residential developments, and many more.

With projects like the Dutchess County Airport Water Service, Shore Haven Water Distribution System, Wallkill Water System Interconnect, and Kosuga Well 7 Development, KC continues to play a vital role in ensuring the functionality of filtration systems, water resources, and water treatment.

 

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Infrastructure Week, Day 1: Bridges

How do we resolve a problem as widespread as nationally deficient bridge infrastructure?

Year after year, America’s deteriorating infrastructure is so critically neglected that now, in 2024, we face a multi-billion-dollar backlog for the rehabilitation of bridges, a vital facet of the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

While the number of structurally deficient bridges in the United States is down significantly from years past, according to an Infrastructure Report Card provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers, around 178 million trips are taken every day across these deficient bridges. Rehabilitation needs for bridges are backlogged at as much as $125 billion, an investment of over half of the funding already provided. These high repair and rehabilitation costs pose a nationwide challenge to state transportation agencies pursuing the construction of reliable infrastructure.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), structural engineering remains an integral part of our corporation’s contribution to providing safe, sufficient bridge infrastructure.

With projects like Thruway (I-95) Replacement of Two Bridges and Rehabilitation of Four Bridges; Region 8 Ulster County Design-Build Bridge Replacements; Park Avenue Viaduct at 118th Street; Replacement of Route 59 Bridge over MNRR; and Greenkill Avenue Bridge Replacement, KC is continuously able to provide survey services, design assessment, and structural analysis for the replacement and rehabilitation of damaged, deficient, and extremely vital bridge infrastructure in various counties of New York State.