A bipartisan group of senators introduced last week the Innovative Materials for America’s Growth and Infrastructure Newly Expanded (IMAGINE) Act, which encourages the research and development, as well as the funding, of innovative construction materials in transportation and water infrastructure projects across the country.
Innovative construction materials include high-performance advanced alloys and metals, advanced polymers, aggregate materials, asphalt mixtures and concrete formulations, geo-synthetic materials, and reinforced polymer composites. The materials would be used to extend the life of critical public works.
One provision of the bill would require the Transportation Secretary to establish innovative material hubs nationwide for research and development of innovative materials for infrastructure projects. The bill would also create a task force to work on the federal government’s approval of materials for infrastructure projects.
“American innovators have come up with materials with the potential to make our roads, bridges, water systems, and other important infrastructure far more resilient and safe,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “Using these materials in our public works will pay off big for the communities that rely on them and for the American taxpayer.”
The bill’s other sponsors are Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
The bill has the support of innovative materials industry stakeholders.
A companion bill was introduced in the House on Friday.