Federal Transportation Legislation MAP-21

I’d like to share with you information I’ve found while researching MAP-21, the new legislation that affects federally funded transportation projects. On October 1, 2012, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, MAP-21, went into effect. It contains funding incentives for States that adopt innovative project delivery methods. From what I’ve read, the incentive can be as large as 5% of the total project cost for using innovative technologies.  One qualifying innovative technology is the use of “Advanced Modeling Technology” which is later defined as “including 3-dimensional digital modeling that can:

Sec 1503 (j)
(A) accelerate and improve the environmental review process;
(B) increase effective public participation;
(C) enhance the detail and accuracy of project designs;
(D) increase safety;
(E) accelerate construction, and reduce construction costs; or
(F) otherwise expedite project delivery with respect to transportation projects that receive Federal funding.”

If you’d like more details, there’s a Q&A on the federal website where you can read more. If you venture into the actual text of the legislation, relevant sections include:
Sec 1304: Innovative project delivery methods
Sec 1503: Project Approval and Oversight

The bill, especially those bullets are a perfect match for the Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite products. This will result in federally funded projects looking for engineers and contractors that can fully leverage digital 3-dimensional modeling technology. This means not just Civil 3D and Revit for design, but other programs as well:

• Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) is gaining ground for preliminary design, planning, and increasing public involvement.
• Navisworks is being  used more and more for project management and construction coordination in infrastructure.
• Map 3D is the perfect tool for collecting and entering data for project lifecycle management.

Many State and local owner/operator projects receive federal funding. This should give you confidence in your investments in Autodesk technology as well as your investments in staff training. Even though this legislation currently only affects transportation projects, in the future water and other utilities are next in line from what I’ve been hearing.