Physical to Digital: Solving the US Infrastructure Problem Without Replacing It
By: Evgeny Klochikhin
Tags: Transportation, Urban Planning, Smart Cities, Infrastructure, Policy

Infrastructure in the United States is currently in a pretty sorry state. Politicians keep talking about fixing it, but it seems like whenever progress is made, gridlock prevents major action at the national level. This leaves road in a poor state, bridges and tunnels in need of repair, and everything from water supply systems to telecommunications structures horribly outdated.

American infrastructure is fast becoming outdated. We might save billions on digitizing some of it, instead of replacing.

This is a bleak assessment of American infrastructure, but it doesn’t mean solutions are out of reach. To understand how we can move forward and establish an infrastructure that meets everyone’s needs, we need to take a deeper dive into the different components of our infrastructure and investigate their place in our rapidly advancing future.

It would be a mistake to assume that all components of our infrastructure are equally important in the modern era. In some cases, it makes sense to transition towards a new kind of infrastructure: digital infrastructure.

How bad is it?

Experts agree that America’s infrastructure is in dire need of improvement. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates that we need to invest around $4.5 trillion by 2025 to fix vital infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and dams. In 2017, ACSE gave the U.S. a D+ grade for infrastructure — the same grade that it received in 2013.

To break it down a little further, 7% of roadways in the U.S. are in poor condition, while 9% of bridges need repair. An astonishing 17% of dams have high hazard potential, which could result in a loss of life if disaster were to strike. More than half of school buildings could use improvements.

With such dire figures, there can be little doubt that there is a big infrastructure problem. But the solution might not just be to replace existing infrastructure.

Physical infrastructure we need

When we talk about infrastructure, we’re mostly talking about the physical structures that make our society possible. This includes roads, railways, school buildings, ports, sewage systems, and hazardous waste disposal.

Most physical infrastructure remains essential and will probably always be essential. We will always need roads and bridges for transportation, buildings for schools, and sewage systems to dispose of waste.

Yet it would be a mistake to assume that all components of our infrastructure are equally important in the modern era. In some cases, it makes sense to transition towards a new kind of infrastructure: digital infrastructure.

Digital infrastructure: the way of the future

Connectivity and digital technology have transformed the way we communicate with each other, make purchases, and engage in virtually every other social activity. Increasingly, the digital transformation is also coming to infrastructure. In the future, our roads, sewers, and buildings will be connected to the Internet. This enables any number of innovations — from a car communicating to a traffic light that it’s coming to people being able to regulate building temperature from an app.

The promise of digital infrastructure is exciting. But it also poses challenges. Given that the U.S. is already struggling to maintain its physical infrastructure, how can we develop digital infrastructure at the same time?

It seems like a tricky problem, but there are solutions. In some cases, it makes more sense to replace physical with digital. This will be cost-effective both now and going forward.

Obviously, we can’t replace the roads themselves with data systems. But what if certain components of the roads — such as parking meters and toll booths — could be made digital?

We already have the technology to do this. Instead of relying on a physical structure to collect payment for a toll or parking space, sensors can record cars’ movement. Drivers can pay for the service using an app, rather than having to fuss around with outdated meters.

For cities, digital infrastructure just makes sense. A standard parking meter costs around $300, while fancier display systems may cost from $800 to $2100 per space. If they could use a digital system for collecting payment, there are significant cost savings to be had. Such a system would also offer greater convenience to drivers. Many drivers have experienced frustration when dealing with a confusing or outdated meter system.

Digital infrastructure represents part of the solution to America’s infrastructure problem. While roads and bridges will always remain in the physical world, some things can effectively move into the digital realm — much cheaper and durable.

Moving forward

Parkofon is an example of digital infrastructure in the mobility space. Our independent, digital-ready solution allows drivers to find a parking space or go through the toll plaza and automatically pay for it without a physical meter or ordering an RFID transponder. This type of technology represents the way of the future: digital infrastructure replacing physical infrastructure.

Yes, our infrastructure problem is real. But there are creative solutions that we can and should deploy.