The need for contemporary transportation fixes is jarring.  McKinsey estimates that $57 trillion of infrastructure investment is needed by 2030 to support economic growth expectations. A big chunk, $23.8 trillion, is from transportation-related projects: roads ($16.6 trillion), rails ($4.5 trillion), seaports ($0.7 trillion) and airports ($2 trillion).  After all, the global population is expected to hit 9 billion by 2050, which could mean 3 to 4 times as much passenger travel and 2.5 to 3.5 times as much freight movement as in 2000, according to the International Transport Forum.  The situation in the U.S. is no different. As Fortress Investment Group has noted publicly, an estimated $3.6 trillion will be required to repair existing infrastructure in the U.S. Much of that represents roads ($1.73 trillion) plus airports ($135 billion) and rails ($100 million).  "Our current infrastructure deficit is an economic drag on businesses and consumers alike, and further investment is crucial to fostering economic growth, creating jobs and keeping us competitive in the global economy," BlackRock chairman and CEO Larry Fink said in July about a new White House initiative to fund American infrastructure rejuvenation with the help of private capital.  There's also tremendous opportunity in getting more out of existing transportation infrastructure.  A 2013 report by McKinsey estimated that the world could save $1 trillion a year from 2013 to 2030 by improving current infrastructure through better project selection, streamlined construction, and operational improvements of existing roads, seaports and other assets. All this would improve productivity by 60 percent.  "Getting the most out of existing assets is becoming a critical imperative as many forms of infrastructure hit capacity constraints that cannot be resolved simply by building more," McKinsey noted.  Read MoreGovernments 'plug funding gap' in major projects
Big investors are shaping transportation in 2039 by betting on relatively boring fixes to bridges, airports and roads.