The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
MarketsSafetyOpinionsConstruction DrillingGeotechnical InvestigationGuest Columns

Infrastructure Armageddon or Drilling Jobs Opportunity?

By Dave Bowers
damaged infrastructure

Does your local infrastructure look safe and sound? Advocating for infrastructure brings up important discussions of safety for everyone who uses it.

Source: Dave Bowers photos

damaged infrastructure
A dedication to fixing infrastructure in the U.S. can make everyone safer, but also generate jobs in the drilling industry and beyond.
damaged infrastructure
damaged infrastructure
May 13, 2019

In my almost 30-year career as a geotechnical driller, I have seen a few “new big things” generate a lot of work. For some of those things, work peaked and leveled off quickly. Other types of jobs led to years of sustained earnings for both drilling and engineering companies. But nothing delivers sustained long-term work like large horizontal infrastructure projects.

A new pipeline contract can keep multiple offices or companies busy throughout numerous states. An interstate rebuild can provide years of work in one metropolitan area. Most interstates were built in the 1950s or ’60s. When is the last time they underwent a full rebuild, not just surface repairs? The American Society of Civil Engineers in 2017 gave the country’s infrastructure a D+ overall.

As we drive to work and around our towns, cities and country, we need to ask ourselves a couple of questions. What is the condition of the road we are traveling on? That bridge we just crossed is in good repair. Has it been inspected recently? If so, what grade was it given? Has that pipeline that runs across the field we just worked in outlived its design life? During the last heatwave or cold snap, did our utilities struggle to provide service?

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates infrastructure in the U.S. is in need of $4.5 trillion in investment by 2025. In recent years, there have been a few high-profile infrastructure failures. In California, the Oroville Dam spillway failed in 2017, causing mass evacuations. In 2007, the Interstate 35 Mississippi River bridge collapse injured 145 people and killed 13. Infrastructure repair seems to be a buzzword around Washington, D.C., and state capitals. Politicians from both parties say something should be done, but little funding has materialized. 

Imagine all the work generated by really prioritizing the repair of our roads, bridges, airports, electrical grid, wastewater systems, drinking water systems, schools and rail lines all at the same time. The work generated would last for decades, and create economic stimulus by providing good paying jobs for men and women capable and willing to do the work.

Normally, this is a drilling safety column, but something happened the other day that brought this topic to the forefront of my mind. The president business manager of the organization I work for was talking to someone with knowledge of a deficient bridge in our area. This person told him off the record that this bridge was one of the worst in our state and should be closed. The man went on to say there was tremendous pressure to keep the bridge open because there were no funds available to do repair work, let alone replacement. Since our organization is in the construction industry, and we have our members and their families crossing this bridge in a major metropolitan area every day, my organization requested the most recent inspection of the bridge through the Freedom of Information Act.

The state Department of Transportation sent us the report heavily redacted, with much of the important information and pictures blacked out. The report was so heavily redacted because “it would be a threat if people knew how bad it was.” This begs the question of what they were trying to hide. How bad could it really be?

We have one of our signatory contractors on a jobsite parallel and adjacent to the eastbound section of the bridge. We asked if we could use their jobsite to take photos of the bridge ourselves. What came back was beyond troubling. Each picture showed spalled and cracked concrete. We saw bent beams, rusted connections, bearing supports sitting on cracked columns, and safety rails anchored into broken concrete. All of this is on a major interstate that sees countless cars and trucks a day. This is a safety article — the safety of my family and your family, your company and your competitors, and every man and woman and child who moves around this country of ours. Must we wait for another catastrophe, another failure, before action is taken? We must get our leaders to act now!

How are we to do this? We’re in the age of social media and cell phones. In my state, an organization has started a “look up” campaign. When people see infrastructure in disrepair, they are encouraged to take a picture and post it to social media with the hashtag #lookup. This approach can work anywhere in the country. My state is ranked fifth in the country for infrastructure in disrepair. That means that there are four other states with worse infrastructure problems. This approach could save lives, as well as generate decades of sustainable jobs for the drilling and construction industries.

This — paired with lobbying already being done to promote green energy, clean drinking water, smart electrical grids and mass transit improvements -— could lead to a renaissance for the drilling industry. In New York City, all city-owned buildings will be 100-percent clean energy (geothermal, wind or solar) heated and cooled by 2050. What if other cities and towns followed suit? Drilling work can’t be outsourced from the U.S. People still need clean drinking water, and all of these structures must be supported by soil or rock.

It may not be a giant asteroid like in the movie “Armageddon,” but by banding together with our families to demand something be done, drillers could save the day.

KEYWORDS: drilling jobs geotechnical drilling infrastructure safety

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Body 18 0319nd pic1 nd bowers mug 032019

Dave Bowers is an instructor with the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 AFL-CIO, Apprentice and Skill Improvement Program. Email him at dbowers@asiplocal150.org. For more information, visit asiplocal150.org.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    The Underground Network
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Markets
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast - The Big, Not-So-Beautiful Bill: How to Lose Clean Energy and Alienate the Planet

The Driller Newscast - The Big, Not-So-Beautiful Bill: How to Lose Clean Energy and Alienate the Planet

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • safety on drilling site

    On Drilling Jobs, Tracking Near Misses is Critical

    See More
  • drilling safety

    Does the Cooper Code Work for Drilling Jobs?

    See More
  • safety gloves

    Tips for Hand Safety on Drilling Jobs

    See More
×
Does your local infrastructure look safe and sound? Advocating for infrastructure brings up important discussions of safety for everyone who uses it. Source: Dave Bowers photos
A dedication to fixing infrastructure in the U.S. can make everyone safer, but also generate jobs in the drilling industry and beyond.

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP