“Basic” infrastructure doesn’t exist. Not anymore. Not in the US.
That’s my suspicion. Architects, engineers and construction (AEC) leaders often lament the growing complexity of projects that, in another era, would have been comparatively straightforward.
Drivers of this phenomenon are well known. More community involvement, larger carrier ships, AI-driven energy demands and more violent weather, among many, many other factors. While acknowledged, each may also be quietly resented. Complexity can destroy timelines, budgets, project visions and, dare I say it, egos.
However, the greatest underlying factor driving the complexity of contemporary infrastructure projects may just be smarter civil engineers. It’s a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg question, but they and their colleagues have gotten better at building quality infrastructure.
In 2026, innovative civil engineers will do more with less.
Civil engineers are accustomed to limited resources, but new scarcities require them to innovate faster and more efficiently, says Marsha Anderson Bomar, GHD’s strategic transportation advisor. In October, she assumed the presidency of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
“There’s just not enough money to do everything that’s needed – by a huge, huge amount: $3.7 trillion to really get all infrastructure where it needs to be,” Anderson Bomar says. The figure comes from ASCE’s financial report Bridging the Gap, last released in 2024, which coincides with the 2025 ASCE Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, released in March.
A growing infrastructure maintenance backlog and a workforce shortage further threaten infrastructure projects. The latter, Anderson Bomar sees clearly by just looking at her family. She had three children, who went on to have three children in total. There will be fewer civil engineers, just as the sector faces attrition challenges, including a generation set to retire. Anderson Bomar calls it the leaky pipeline.
“Women are overrepresented in that, [but] … the workforce in general is shrinking,” Anderson Bomar tells me from her desk in Atlanta.
Engaging a new generation requires planning.
Keeping civil engineers under the age of 35 engaged in the profession is one way to stem attrition. In 2026, Anderson Bomar will brainstorm with fellow association leaders as to certifications and training ASCE might offer them. Smart technological tools are also key to ensuring infrastructure jobs can be completed. AI applications are being studied by ASCE’s Center for Technical Advancement. ASCE’s goal is to provide ethical guidelines and examples for using AI.
Early applications include search engines. Last month, ASCE launched an AI assistant called Eaves to answer project questions, based on ASCE’s content databases. Eventually, ASCE may make it more widely available. ASCE also has an AI search engine called Collaborate’s Organizational Research Intelligence (CORI) to search the group’s forums and other platforms for connecting with members.
ASCE leaders want to foster greater collaboration.
Collaborating in real life, however, remains the holy grail. Six of ASCE’s nine technical institutes will congregate in 2027 for ASCE’s inaugural cross-disciplinary convention. (The remaining three will join the following year.) Already three months into her one-year term, Anderson Bomar spends much of her time on convention planning. The goal is clear: Collaboration that can lead to quality infrastructure and, potentially, industry innovation.
“This is the wave of the future. People have to be talking to each other. They have to be interacting with each other,” Anderson Bomar says.
Another way to enable project collaboration is with an alternative project delivery method. Anderson Bomar is partial to CMAR – the Construction Manager At Risk model for complex projects, after using it while she was assistant general manager for capital programs at MARTA, the transit agency in Atlanta. While CMAR projects can initially cost more, it’s a front-end investment that can pay off in the long term, she says. Like public infrastructure, the civil engineering profession is a long-term investment. It’s evolving to meet new requirements and capitalize on emerging tools and knowledge.
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