Mathari Inc

New Lifeline to US Infrastructure?

President-elect Joe Biden’s appointment of Pete Buttigieg to lead the U.S. Transportation Department is spurring optimism for a major infrastructure program. The question is will it run into the same roadblocks that have blocked it for years: funding and politics?
If his appointment got confirmed by the Senate, Buttigieg will take over an agency that has a nearly $90 billion budget and is well-placed to take the lead in convincing Congress to approve a large enough infrastructure package to fulfill Biden’s campaign pledges.
Early in his term, Trump proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure plan, funded mostly by private investment that never won approval.

Mr. Mathari will be attending the Ohio Transportation Engineering Conference (OTEC) in Columbus, Ohio on October 29-30, 2019. This annual event, one of nation’s largest transportation conferences, is attended by professionals from all over the country. This has been the place for transportation professionals to learn about and discuss state-of-the-art transportation technologies. More than 4,000 transportation professions are expected to attend this year’s event.

Moideen Mathari, P.E on LinkedIn: "Attending the Michigan Bridge Conference 2019 March 19 & 20, 2019 Marriott Auburn Hills 3600 Centerpoint Parkway Pontiac, Michigan 48341 #MDOT #FHWA #bridge #MichiganBridgeConference2019 #Michigan... March 18, 2019: Moideen Mathari, P.E posted images on LinkedIn

The State of Kerala, India is now slowly recovering from its worst natural disaster of a century, the Kerala Flood 2018. The official death toll due to the devastating rains and floods since August 8 is now at 293 while 15 more people are missing. About 9 million people are still in the relief camps set up throughout the state.

Water experts are now blaming poor water flow management from the reservoirs for the disaster. They are saying that the intensity of the flood could have been reduced if the water from 35 big dams in Kerala was released much earlier.

Kerala floods: Poor dam management behind disasters, experts say Though excessive rains filled the dams, experts blamed poor water flow management from the reservoirs for the inundation of the coastal state and many parts of south India.

The Gordie Howe Bridge: This bridge will become the third international crossing between USA and Canada from Detroit, Michigan. This 1.6 mile (2.5 km) long six-lane cable stayed bridge will have a clear span of 0.53 mile (850 meters). This will have a dedicated multi-use path that will accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. It is expected to be the most instrumented, technologically advanced, border crossing.

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), a not-for-profit Crown Corporation of Canada, has selected the Bridging North America Team to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the bridge.

Bridging North America Team: ACS Infrastructure Canada Inc., Fluor Canada Ltd., Aecon Concessions (a division of Aecon Construction Group Inc.), RBC Dominion Securities Inc., AECOM, Carlos Fernandez Casado S.L/FHECOR Ingenieros Consultores, S.A., Moriyama and Teshima Architects, Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects, LLP, Dragados Canada Inc., Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc., Turner Construction Company, Aecon O&M (a division of Aecon Construction Group Inc.), DBI Services, LLC, URS Federal Services, Inc. (an AECOM company).

US$: The US Dollar dropped to its lowest level since 2015. The major drop was attributed to the loss of confidence in the Trump administration’s growth agenda and a pick-up in Europe’s fortunes. The latest drop may be due to the rising tensions in Asia, impact of Tropical Storm Harvey on US Economy, and a possible government shutdown in September over the spending bill.

USA: Government spending on transportation and other public works is in decline as federal funding stagnates and state and local governments tighten their belts. Public works spending in the US has fallen for five straight years.

Public Works Funding Falls as Infrastructure Deteriorates Public construction spending is dropping across the country, and officials are concerned about safety and quality of life as existing infrastructure ages and falls into disrepair.

Indian Infrastructure Market to Overtake Japan by 2023

According to the recently published India Infrastructure Report by BMI Research, "India's infrastructure market is the third largest in Asia, and is forecast to overtake Japan's in nominal value terms by 2023”. Although demonetization had a negative impact on construction activity in 2016, the report states that "robust growth will return in 2017 as work resumes on the large pipeline of infrastructure, residential, and non-residential projects in the country".

[BMI Research is part of the New York based Fitch Group, Inc which is majority owned by Hearst, one of the largest diversified media, information, and services companies in the US]

Indian infrastructure market to overtake Japan by 2023: BMI Research Fitch group said "robust growth will return as work resumes on the large pipeline of infrastructure, residential and non-residential projects in the country".

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund agreed to commit $20 billion to New York based private-equity giant Blackstone Group LP’s new infrastructure fund. This fund is aimed at buying airports, pipelines, and other public projects in the U.S. It is expected to reach $40 billion with a spending power of up to $100 billion once debt is added to the mix.

Saudi Arabia’s $20 billion wager with Blackstone is record-sized bet on U.S. infrastructure Saudi Arabia joined the parade of investors into U.S. public works by pledging a record investment with Blackstone Group LP.

On February 15, 2017, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a record 104 satellites from a single rocket and made a world record. Its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle carried satellites from seven countries including 96 nano satellites from the US. ISRO has so far put 226 satellites into orbit.

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2017/02/15/india-breaks-record-for-launching-most-satellites-from-single-rocket/

India Breaks Record for Launching Most Satellites From Single Rocket India’s space agency on Wednesday reached a new milestone by launching a record 104 satellites using a single rocket.

A new executive order to be signed by President Trump calls for several changes to the US immigration rules including the H-1B Visa program. 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued annually go to Indian workers. The US is worth about $65 billion (Rs: 4.4 Lakh Crores) to India's tech industry. India's vast outsourcing industry employs millions of people. Its business in the US, where it provides engineering and other tech services to firms, is highly dependent on the H-1B visas.