Repair and Strengthening of New York's Infrastructure

As with many other established urban areas in the world, the greater part of a structural engineer's job deals with repairing and rehabilitating an ageing, yet vital infrastructure, as opposed to designing new structures. Universities, at the undergraduate and graduate levels, prepare structural engineers better for the latter type of design (new structures) than the former (repair of structures). Thus, a lack of understanding exists regarding the deterioration of structures among most graduating engineers in the United States. They may not be aware that the structures they design will eventually fail, not from the variety of loadings for which they have mastered the ability to analyze and design structures, but from deterioration. Greater understanding of the deterioration of structures will lead to improved design of new structures and more effective repair and strengthening of vital existing structures that have deteriorated.