With the projected cause of collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota and a congressional report on infrastructure making news headlines, speakers at the Transportation Research Board’s 87th annual meeting discussed ways to address the “crisis.”

“We’ve gone way beyond the problem stage,” said Michael Gallis, principal with Michael Gallis & Associates, Charlotte, N.C. Increasing congestion and deteriorating infrastructure atop the nation’s transportation network—built without a coherent strategy—is causing the U.S. to lose its competitive edge, he said.

The theme of the conference, held Jan. 13-17 in Washington, D.C., “Partnerships for Progress in Transportation,” included scores of sessions on public-private partnerships. Despite the increasing popularity of “P3s”, both the public and private sectors are still coming to grips with the nuances. Charles Nicholas, Arlington, Va.-based vice president of Halcrow Group, Ltd., noted that “every state has to reinvent the wheel” in formulating P3 policies and contracts.

JayEtta Hecker, director of physical infrastructure issues for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, cautioned, “Don’t jump the gun for the sake of money. You need to look at priorities, and what makes sense.”