The maritime transportation system consists of about 95,000 miles of coastline, 361 ports, more than 25,000 miles of waterways, and intermodal landside connections that allow the various modes of transportation to move people and goods to, from, and on the water (DHS 2017). For ports in the United States there are no functional, operational, or resiliency guidelines to support identifying, rehabilitating, retrofitting, upgrading or inspecting the port’s infrastructure system for container handling facilities. Port cargo activity contributes roughly $4.8 trillion to the economy yearly (26 percent of US GDP), over 23 million jobs, and over $320 billion annually in tax revenues (AAPA 2017). An expert panel will discuss the economic impact ports have on the world economy and the value of maintenance and investment in ports. Following will be a presentation on the largest and greenest port in the world.

Future of Port Infrastructure

The ASCE Convention is the Society's flagship membership event. It is the single annual opportunity where the entire Society is represented together and reflects the diversity of civil engineering that ASCE encompasses. The program for the Convention is of an integrated, cross-cultural, technical, and educational nature.

The program follows the convention topics, which are intended to be used to define a recurring convention program that draws attendees back each year. The program is intended to provide benefits to attendees and their employers on an educational and professional level.