Booz Allen Hamilton concluded the first-ever wargame simulation examining creative infrastructure initiatives and solutions that factor in US transportation needs by the year 2040.

Simulation participants generated and explored the impact of fresh ideas such as automated offshore ports and freight-only regional transportation corridors.

The two-day strategic simulation was conducted simultaneously via live video feeds in Washington, Orlando and Chicago. In each location, a diverse group of infrastructure professionals including government, civic, and industry thought leaders developed specific regional initiatives to spark awareness, conversation, and action to help solve US infrastructure challenges and prepare for changes in technology expected in the next 30 years.

Participants explored how public and private leadership could work together in megacommunities to find sustainable, scalable infrastructure solutions that leverage new business models, innovative technologies, and alternative financing.

“To meet our nation’s infrastructure challenges by the year 2040, we need bold ideas that do more than just repair or replace failing infrastructure, but completely re-imagines it for a new generation,” said Booz Allen Executive Vice President Mark Gerencser.

Proposed regional infrastructure solutions included a range of creative ideas to spark conversation, including:

• Creating dedicated freight-only airports, highways and shipping corridors
• Regional high-speed rail networks
• Off-shore, automated super-ports
• Elevated systems to rapidly move freight containers around regions
• “Smart” tunnel enhancements.

The simulation was comprised of distinct teams representing the financial sector and federal government institutions advised on the viability of infrastructure innovations. The finance team proposed financial reforms, while the team playing the role of government articulated key roles the federal government can play in promoting infrastructure development.

Teams saw the impact of their simulated ideas through interactive macroeconomic modeling of their effect on jobs, regional/national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the environment, and infrastructure capacity.

Here's a video overview: