At a Crossroad

Crumbling Infrastructure
In the United States we are facing a crisis. Critical pieces of our infrastructure, such as
roads and bridges, are aging and in dire need of repair. Many systems that are
necessary for cities to function are reaching the end of their useful life. In fact, the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the U.S. a D grade for its roads and a
C grade for its bridges in its latest report on the state of American infrastructure
systems. Could these crumbling pieces of infrastructure cause our next disaster?

Watch this video to get started Crossroads video

Equipment
● Engineers notebook
● Materials
● Roadway Pieces
● Pipe Cleaners
● Binder clips
● Masking tape
● Note cards
● Extra cardboard
● Pencil
● Scissors
● Markers etc
Procedure
1. Search for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) online report
“America's Infrastructure Report Card.”
a. Look over some of the information in the report
 i. You can search up Minnesota and see some of the info about our
state
ii. To what extent is the public’s safety at risk by the condition of the
infrastructure?
iii. What innovative ideas are being implemented to raise the grade of
that infrastructure category?
2. Life Is a Highway
3. How did you get around today? Did you ride in a car or take a bus or train?
Maybe you walked on a sidewalk next to a road? Every day, millions of people
use roads and highways to get to work, school, and other destinations. According
to an analysis by Road Traffic Technology, the United States, China, and India
have the biggest road networks in the world. One report states that America’s
roads are often crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded,
and becoming more dangerous. Transportation Engineers are tasked with
planning, designing, analyzing, operating, and managing the next generation of
roads and highways. In this activity, you will begin to consider the challenges that
engineers and planners face in designing transportation networks to meet our
future needs.
Interchange Design
● Modern highways are often built using roadway interchanges to move
vehicles from one roadway to another. A system interchange controls traffic
where two freeways meet. These interchanges are built so that one roadway
surface is elevated above another roadway surface. Ramps connect the
roadways, allowing vehicles to move on or off one roadway and onto another.

● In this transportation engineering challenge, you need to plan how to safely

and efficiently move vehicles from one roadway to another. You will build a
model to demonstrate your solution.
Build your interchange with the cardboard and notecards
- You may use only pipe cleaners to model ramps. You can bend, cut, or twist
together multiple pipe cleaners to create the length needed.
- Use clips or tape to attach to the roadway
- Indicate the direction of travel
-

Conclusion questions to think about

1. Which designed interchanges would work best? Why

2. What other considerations must engineers make in designing interchanges?

3. What aspects of design are necessary to ensure long-term use?