Building Infrastructure Around the World

June 1, 2022

For nearly 100 years, Caterpillar has helped create the infrastructure that makes our world run. Now, we’re helping customers shape a more sustainable future through trailblazing projects around the globe.

When United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, he put in motion the most extensive public works project in the history of the world.

The bill created the Interstate Highway System—a 42,800-mile project that cost approximately $130 billion and returned six times the initial investment in economic productivity. Ultimately, it was a project that reshaped towns and cities in almost every pocket of America. And like many of the most significant infrastructure projects currently underway, contractors relied on Cat^® equipment to get the job done.

Today, the need for large-scale investments in infrastructure is critical. By 2040, it is estimated there will be infrastructure gaps¹ of $45-55 trillion in residential, $20-25 trillion in non-residential, and $5 trillion in new energy infrastructure throughout the world. As in the past, equipment manufactured by Caterpillar is supporting many of the most progressive infrastructure projects around the globe, aimed at increasing sustainability and driving more equitable forms of economic growth.

In the U.S., we’re gearing up to support customers undertaking a range of projects enabled by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Caterpillar was proud to support the bill, which includes $550 billion in new funding to upgrade the nation’s roads, bridges, airports and ports; ensure climate resiliency in new infrastructure projects; and expand and improve the country’s transportation and power systems. We look forward to helping Cat dealers and customers complete these projects, which will bolster the competitiveness of U.S. infrastructure.

Beyond the U.S., Cat dealers are supporting customers with equipment and services to help build infrastructure that will result in more resilient, connected and sustainable communities around the world. Here’s a sampling of projects:

Malaysian Connections

In Malaysia, you can find about 200 pieces of Cat equipment on major infrastructure projects to benefit millions of people across the country. These projects are catalysts for socio-economic development—creating roads and railways that will connect residents in rural communities with better access to healthcare, education and jobs. They will also improve speed, safety and access to ports and airports, moving commerce within the country while increasing export opportunities.

One of these projects, the 665 km East Coast Rail Link, will connect eastern Malaysia with the western part of the country. The $12 billion project is scheduled for completion by 2027, facilitated by purchasing more than 50 Cat excavators. Also underway is the Pan Borneo Highway, which will connect the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah with the nation of Brunei. Workers used at least 70 Cat machines to build approximately 800 km of roadway in its first phase. They’ll build an additional 1,000 km with more than 80 Cat machines in the second phase.

Excavtor working on hillside in Malaysia

India’s Longest Expressway

Along with Cat dealers, Caterpillar is assisting with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which will connect the national capital of Delhi with India’s commercial capital of Mumbai. At 1,350 km, the project will create the longest expressway in the country, cutting commute times in half. Those time savings are expected to translate into annual fuel savings of 320 million liters and reduced carbon emissions equivalent to planting 40 million new trees. The project is also the first in Asia and only the second expressway globally to have animal overpasses in wildlife-rich areas.

With completion targeted in 2023, Cat dealers will help keep the project rolling by providing differentiated service offerings, such as Cat Financial products, long-term Customer Value Agreements, rental units, and onsite parts and technicians to support the more than 100 machines building the expressway.

Customers signing deal in India with excavators

A New Airport for the Philippines

The capabilities and support from the Cat global dealer network were key to the sale of more than 200 machines—including dozers, articulated trucks, wheel loaders, excavators, motor graders and soil compactors—for the New Manila International Airport (NMIA). Valued at $15 billion, NMIA is part of the country’s Build! Build! Build! Program of more than 100 high-impact infrastructure projects aimed at sustainable, inclusive economic growth.

In addition to creating jobs, the airport—scheduled to open in 2025—will alleviate congestion at Ninoy Aquino International Airport by handling up to 100 million passengers per year. To meet customer’s needs, this complex project required strong collaboration across continents between European and local Cat dealers Pon and Monark.

Excavator working on airport expansion in Philippines

HS2 High-Speed Railway in the U.K.

Across the U.K., more than 1,000 Cat machines—including excavators, dozers, motor graders and soil compactors—are set to help build a new low-carbon, high-capacity railway. Spanning 330 miles with trains that can reach speeds of 250 miles per hour, HS2 will serve as the backbone of Britain’s transportation network. The project's first phase has already supported more than 20,000 new jobs², with thousands more jobs and businesses supported through the project’s broader supply chain.