The United States has always been in the forefront of ingenuity in many industries including transportation. Despite being one of the leaders, the American Society of Civil Engineers just awarded America’s infrastructure a D. With such poor conditions IoT is making itself to be the only viable solution to America’s transportation woes.
Why Was the US Awarded a D Rating?
The need for change and infrastructure improvement in the United States is more than necessary. Expert civil engineers have noted that most of the infrastructure is deteriorating. The issue is only getting worse with increasing population numbers.
One of the major signs of incompetent infrastructure is highway congestion. In fact, 42 percent of all major urban highways in the United States are affected by some form of congestion. Worse of all, about 30 percent of all congestion is simply due to a person who cannot find parking.
Individuals are not the only ones being affected however, the US is losing about 121 billion dollars due to congested highways. It is clear that a change is needed, and that change comes from IoT.
How IoT Will Help America’s Infrastructure
The basic premise on how IoT might improve the infrastructure of a city is simply through the use of big data and advanced technologies. One advancement proposed is the use of magnetic sensors that would be installed on all streets. These sensors would communicate traffic conditions to central command, which will adjust to prevent congestion.
The sensors are just part of the ‘smart road’ initiative, which will also be able to assess a driver’s performance for safety reasons.
Another proposed project is the solar road initiative. This is quite a revolutionary idea that has the potential of changing the way America works and does business. For one, a study showed that if the US replaced 72,000 kilometers of the highway with solar highways, it would produce three times the amount of electricity; this would provide an abundance of energy. There is definitely a hunger for these types of changes, especially in a society that understands the importance of switching to renewable energy.
Learn More: How France plans to Install a Solar Road
Perhaps one of the most interesting proposals is the Hyperloop. This is a vacuum-type train. The train is to be built on existing highways to avoid going through private property or farms. One of the most exciting features about this train is it has the capability of traveling 700 mph, which are considered subsonic speeds. To put things into perspective, a 350 mile trip will only take 35 minutes. This could give the citizens of the United States a more reliable way to travel without using cars and help increase job opportunities. This means the 61% of millennials that want more reliable transportation systems have a greater chance of seeing this actually implemented.
There is a lot to consider when it comes to implementing IoT in America’s infrastructure, but change is necessary for this country to move forward and improve their cities and roads.
