By Charles Kowalczyk

AtlasIED

The recently signed Infrastructure Bill will impact our industry in many ways. For five years, the bill provides $25B for airports alone, $39B for public transit, and $66B for passenger and freight rail. This allocation will manifest new builds, renovations, and expansions – which will include technology, both security and audiovisual. Projects that were allocated funds in 2019-2020 but were put on hold during the pandemic will restart. Other new projects will find pathways to planning, design, and construction over the next five to ten years. AtlasIED provides unified communication solutions for routine and emergency communication with GLOBALCOM®, Atmosphere™, and a complete speaker line-up.

Technology Alignment

The post-Covid technology focus will be acutely centered on passenger experience via automation, visual information and wayfinding, intelligible audio, video content, life-safety, access for disabled, security, ease-of-use interactions at restaurants, merchants, and concessions. The appetite for airport improvement was ever present during the pandemic.  With passenger traffic at global and regional airports significantly reduced, many projects were fast-tracked and required less off-hour work.  A shared vision has emerged amongst airport executives that focuses on making airports the destination before a vacation. Most planners want the airports, in big or small cities, to reflect the local community with themes or historical experiences that make travelers feel like they are welcomed ‘home’ or which attract visitors to make a new ‘home.’  Upgrades and tech-heavy projects will unify the passenger path from their parking spot to their seat on the plane – from landside to airside, tarmac to terminal, and concessions to curbside. Finally, connecting airports with modes of transportation such as pedestrian, bike, parking, bus, and rail will remain priorities for short and long-term planning. Rail and bus transit will also focus on passenger safety, access for disabled, platform to on-board safety, routine arrival/departure information via audio and visual, and life-safety evacuation.

It Begins Now

We have already seen airports utilizing these infrastructure funds on newly re-ignited projects that had been put on hold and on new projects that fall under this funding re-allocation. Airports aren’t immune to the global supply chain challenges and are facing longer than normal project timelines as a result. Despite global supply chain constraints, AtlasIED has been able to provide critical system products with the industry’s quickest lead times. As transportation project orders continue to come in, our team has been proactive in planning the required resources and materials. We build and ship our solutions in the USA, out of Louisville, KY and Phoenix, AZ.