Revamping Aging Infrastructure for Resilience Amidst Climate Challenges

The Facts -

Lifeline infrastructure—essential systems that provide water, electricity, and transportation—often go unnoticed until they face disruptions. Currently, these systems are under immense pressure due to aging structures, neglected maintenance, and increasing extreme weather events, as discussed by experts at the Building Innovation 2025 conference, hosted by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins highlighted that much of the country’s infrastructure predates modern standards of redundancy and resilience. He cited recent disasters, such as Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires, as evidence of the urgency for change. “Much of our infrastructure is so old it's built to standards that we no longer use. So it doesn't work anymore,” Hopkins stated, emphasizing outdated design practices from the 1960s.

Madhu Beriwal, founder of IEM International, pointed out a critical issue in current U.S. funding programs—they primarily focus on restoring damaged structures to their original state, thus remaining vulnerable to future threats. "Infrastructure was built in the 1950s to 1970s for a different climate regime," Beriwal explained, underscoring the lack of coordination between various infrastructure owners that exacerbates the problem.

Targeted Investment

Ronald Eguchi, CEO of ImageCat, stressed the importance of functional recovery, which enables infrastructure to either maintain or rapidly regain essential operations post-disaster. This approach could be expanded beyond buildings to include lifeline systems. "I think it's very important, because now we're sort of shifting the paradigm a little bit in terms of how we measure performance," Eguchi remarked.

The NIBS’ Lifeline Infrastructure Hub is fostering partnerships among various stakeholders to address critical infrastructure gaps using cost-effective solutions. Additionally, the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2025 Report Card indicates that while the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has mitigated inflation effects, more is needed to fund the nation's lifeline systems adequately.

Hopkins pointed out that inflation has exacerbated existing funding challenges, revealing that some North Carolina communities are now considering tolls to secure necessary projects. "Will you toll this route so we can get a project? We want it so bad we're willing to accept the toll," he noted.

In New Orleans, past experiences are guiding strategic infrastructure improvements. Steven Nelson, general superintendent of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, emphasized the need for targeted investments rather than focusing solely on aging areas.

Tech Can Help

Technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are proving valuable for optimizing resource allocation in sectors like water management, said Nelson. With AI, "We can take the limited resources that we have, develop a capital improvement program that's based on actual failure rates," he explained.

Digital twins are another promising technology that could enhance the resilience of infrastructure, according to Eguchi. “I don't think we are fully utilizing [digital twins] in complex sorts of problems like lifelines and how they operate,” he said, suggesting that these models could help predict and understand potential failures and impacts more effectively.

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