Don’t prop up the old focus on highways with a massive investment that will perpetuate our system for decades to come.

[Project for Public Spaces]

For weeks we have heard news reports about Barack Obama’s massive stimulus package that would lead us out of a recession by creating millions of jobs. As the argument goes, this vast expenditure – we hear between $300 and $700 billion – will be money well spent, since the outcome will be an upgraded infrastructure that will help enable future growth.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure being discussed is not what will move this country in the right direction. When in those news reports did you last hear the word “transit” or “connected walkable communities?” There is a disturbing message that this money will be spent overwhelmingly on roads and bridges and a real danger that the (stimulus) plan will retard innovation and entrench us in the past. (See attached opinion pieces from last week’s New York Times.)

This spending package will likely use up all the money we will have to spend on our infrastructure for decades to come. We are urging our readers and members to contact your congressional representatives and urge them to seize the moment to lead a bold new strategy that emphasizes transit, smart growth, and walkable communities. If we build such places, we will not only improve our own quality of life and physical and social health, but we can actually make massive strides in addressing Climate Change.

Consider some of the following facts:

• Road-building repeats a never-ending cycle of dependence on driving: that the growth in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) continues to outpace population growth is a symptom of how we have planned our communities and transportation over the last 50 years.

• Continued growth in vehicle miles traveled in the US will negate if not overwhelm the climate benefits of improved fuel economy and lower carbon content in fuels by 2030.

• Transportation accounts for 27% of US greenhouse gas emissions and two-thirds of US petroleum usage.

• In 2004, state governments spent nearly 13 times more public funds on highways than on transit.

• The time we spend walking has declined dramatically over the last 50 years and the way we have built our sprawling communities is directly linked to the current epidemic of obesity and related illnesses like diabetes.

What you can do:

- Contact your federal, state, and local representatives. Although there is a grassroots understanding of what is wrong with our transportation priorities and resulting sprawling development, local and national officials have not gotten the signal. Let them know how you feel, because right now they are thinking the stimulus package sounds great.

- Become a Partner City with PPS in the Placemaking Movement and start local action to create a healthier, more sustainable, and more livable community. PPS can help both individuals take action to improve their communities and city leadership develop a short and long term plan for their city.
o Leaders and professionals from all sectors can re-tool for a change in the way we will do business in the 21st century, with new practices based on Place, and more humane, sustainable, and vibrant urban environments.
o Community organizations can regroup, share values, do some visionary thinking about what they can do to create a more integrated, livable and walkable community.
o Individuals, with friends and neighbors can look for Placemaking opportunities in their own cities or neighborhoods and follow a few simple steps to get started on a more livable community.

- Learn more about the transportation priorities we need for the 21st century. Sign up for updates on the T4America platform for the next transportation bill that PPS and hundreds of other groups are pushing for. Those priorities should include:
o A 21st CENTURY NETWORK: Invest in a world-leading, sustainable transportation system.
o NO MORE BLANK CHECKS: Establish national transportation objectives and hold agencies accountable.
o SAVE LIVES, PROMOTE HEALTH: Support safe walking and biking, reduced exposure to vehicle injuries and dirty air.
o FIX WHAT’S BROKEN: Establish a special program to restore and maintain our existing highways, bridges and transit and maximize their efficiency.
o SHARE THE POWER – AND THE RESPONSIBILITY: Provide funding and decision- making authority to local regions.
o SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Give priority to investments with multiple pay-offs.
o SMART FINANCING: Broaden the capital and operating funding base.

[Bill Stalder]

I can't argue with your premise regarding how stimulus funds should be used, but in Seattle at least, the time from a proposed transportation initiative to ground breaking is years, even generations; these funds appear to be "use it or lose it", with the 'use-it' period measured in months. No politician will choose the lose it option.

[Gary Toth]

Bill Stalder said:

I can't argue with your premise regarding how stimulus funds should be used, but in Seattle at least, the time from a proposed transportation initiative to ground breaking is years, even generations; these funds appear to be "use it or lose it", with the 'use-it' period measured in months. No politician will choose the lose it option.

[Gary Toth]

Bill, you are right about how it takes years to get to ground breaking... from initiation of projects.

However, of the 10 or so state stimulus lists that I have had a chance to look at, most are loading up on mega widening or new alignment projects at the expense of fix it first. As a former career DOT employee, this is a real embarassment, because I know that each of those states easily have at least a billion dollars of bridge and road and pavement repair and maintenance needs that could be ramped up over the next two years. Yet, like an overweight diabetic who can't kick the sugar habit, these DOTs are spurning these absolutely critical maintenance needs in quest for the seductive roadway expansion projects that elected officials just love -- if they are in their district.

As examples, Florida's list is 3/4 expansion, 10% fix it first; on the highway side, Wisconsin asks for over $3 billion for two big expansion projects, less than $100 million for fix it first; Utah's list is almost exclusively populated with expansion projects; Missouri is two thirds: Kansas 3/4.

These are the same state DOTs and state elected officials who -- after the bridge collapse in Minnesota -- were crying that Congress hasn't been giving them enough money to keep our roads and bridges in good repair. Now that they are being given the chance to choose between the healthy, lean and necessary for survival fix it first, they choose to continue on with the deadly sugar laden projects that will continue to make America's transportation system fat and ill.

All is not lost. Some states have included a meaningful balance of projects. Other states, like Wisconsin, partially compensated for their overindulgence in two mega highway expansion project by also placing over 2 billion dollars of Stimulus ready transit projects and another half a billion of freight projects on their list. New Jersey Transit included similar request of several billion for transit. This kind of sensible ask should be the norm, instead of the exception.

I cannot overemphasize how critical it is that the states grab as much of this stimulus money and pump it into the needs on their existing bridges and roads as well as transit, walking and biking. Would you as a homeowner invest $50,000 in a dramatic new kitchen upgrade when your roof was leaking and your foundation collapsing? Yet that is exactly where many states seem to be headed. Interestingly, if you put that kind of money in your kitchen you would at least benefit from an improved kitchen for 20 years... studies paid for by the USDOT (see the Texas Transportation Institute's Annual Urban Mobility Report at http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/) show that in spite of the massive investment in highway expansion, congestion indicators have gone thru the roof over the last 25 years. Like consumption of sugar, highway expansion has proven to give us a short term high which quickly falls apart, causes us to crave more, and in the long term, leads to serious problems for the patient.

[Gary Toth]

Gary Toth said:

Bill, you are right about how it takes years to get to ground breaking... from initiation of projects.

However, of the 10 or so state stimulus lists that I have had a chance to look at, most are loading up on mega widening or new alignment projects at the expense of fix it first. As a former career DOT employee, this is a real embarassment, because I know that each of those states easily have at least a billion dollars of bridge and road and pavement repair and maintenance needs that could be ramped up over the next two years. Yet, like an overweight diabetic who can't kick the sugar habit, these DOTs are spurning these absolutely critical maintenance needs in quest for the seductive roadway expansion projects that elected officials just love -- if they are in their district.

As examples, Florida's list is 3/4 expansion, 10% fix it first; on the highway side, Wisconsin asks for over $3 billion for two big expansion projects, less than $100 million for fix it first; Utah's list is almost exclusively populated with expansion projects; Missouri is two thirds: Kansas 3/4.

These are the same state DOTs and state elected officials who -- after the bridge collapse in Minnesota -- were crying that Congress hasn't been giving them enough money to keep our roads and bridges in good repair. Now that they are being given the chance to choose between the healthy, lean and necessary for survival fix it first, they choose to continue on with the deadly sugar laden projects that will continue to make America's transportation system fat and ill.

All is not lost. Some states have included a meaningful balance of projects. Other states, like Wisconsin, partially compensated for their overindulgence in two mega highway expansion project by also placing over 2 billion dollars of Stimulus ready transit projects and another half a billion of freight projects on their list. New Jersey Transit included similar request of several billion for transit. This kind of sensible ask should be the norm, instead of the exception.

I cannot overemphasize how critical it is that the states grab as much of this stimulus money and pump it into the needs on their existing bridges and roads as well as transit, walking and biking. Would you as a homeowner invest $50,000 in a dramatic new kitchen upgrade when your roof was leaking and your foundation collapsing? Yet that is exactly where many states seem to be headed. Interestingly, if you put that kind of money in your kitchen you would at least benefit from an improved kitchen for 20 years... studies paid for by the USDOT (see the Texas Transportation Institute's Annual Urban Mobility Report at http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/) show that in spite of the massive investment in highway expansion, congestion indicators have gone thru the roof over the last 25 years. Like consumption of sugar, highway expansion has proven to give us a short term high which quickly falls apart, causes us to crave more, and in the long term, leads to serious problems for the patient.

[Gary Toth]

Here are some additional thoughts on how we could better spend Stimulus money, other than a few dozen mega highway expansion projects.

There are 1500 TAs (transit agencies) in the country that run buses only. (There are another 200+ that run rail and buses) If we gave each one of them a million dollars for operating expenses, it would only come to 2 billion or so and what a difference it would make! A few of my transit agency friends feel that they could easily spend this kind of money simply on existing service that they have had to cut back over the last few years due to lack of funds. Just think what might happen if we gave them money to expand the fleet and add new service. I know that some on the hill don't want to invest Stimulus money in transit operating, leaving that to the Energy bill instead, however... this low hanging fruit would have economic multipliers for the affected service areas and would increase social equity too.

Here are some more ideas for Stimulus spending that will yield much better results. As I pointed out in my previous post, investing in highway expansion hasn't even been effective nor had long lasting results...

1. Why not ask that some of the Stimulus money be used by state DOTs to rehire maintenance folks? Hey, you want to put people back to work, what better way than to hire them directly. If Congress wants quick turnaround on their investment, then think of this: You hire Joe the Plumber on Monday, he is out in the field with a shovel on Wednesday. This is particularly true if...
2) You let the state DOTs buy new equipment to replace the wornout broken down trucks and backhoes that they have been keeping together with bubblegum for years. And, where might they buy new trucks and backhoes from? Can anyone spell Ford, Chrysler and GM?
3) Maintenance money dollar for dollar goes more directly into labor than capital projects. Think about it. If you let $10 million worth of bridge painting projects, most of the money will go to paying salaries. If you let the same amount into a roadway expansion project, a lot of the money will go into renting excavating and other equipment.
4) Asset Management: the Federal government has been pushing the state DOTs into investing in state of the art Asset Management technology for about a decade. Some states have dabbled with it, but end up backing off because the cost of equipment and software and expert staff to run the IT stuff and the technologically advanced field equipment was just too much. Investing in equipment to assess the condition of all dimensions of the system -- bridge decks, joints, drainage would dramatically improve the DOTs ability to take care of what they have. In spite of state of the art technology to assess pavement and bridge deck conditions being currently available, many DOTs still send folks out to bridges with hammers to tap bridges and put their ears to the deck to listen for voids. How do they assess pavement conditions? In many instances, 2 people ride around in a government cars and see how bumpy the road is. If it weren't so embarassing, it would be laughable.
5) If this were combined with state of the art software inventory and maintenance management system, our efficiency in keeping our infrastructure in shape would go through the roof. We could probably give each state $10 to 20 million, that they could spend on this in two years, and it would be the gift that keeps on giving! Future Congresses would thank us.
6) Traffic signals: the Transportation Research Board produced a report a few years ago that lamented the despicable state of condition of the nations traffic signals. For instance, 90% of NJ's traffic signals are 1970s vintage or earlier. The technology today is far more sophisticated and the ability to tie them into command centers would -- dollar for dollar -- yield orders of magnitude more mobility/congestion relief than a sprawl inducing Freeway expansion. If Americans knew how far behind the technology curve our traffic signals were, they would be humiliated. For a few billion, we could replace many of the signals in our country with state of the art signals that would include, for instance, motion detectors, which would only turn a signal red if somebody is waiting on the side street (ever sit at a traffic light and fume because there is no one on the side street). Is is really better to spend $2 billion on one 40 mile stretch of I-94 in Southeast Wisconsin so that 150,000 daily commuters can save minutes a day, when for the same $2 billion we could invest in traffic signals that could save 150 million people a day similar time savings??? Lets face it, we are a nation that now expects to be able to log onto a website, order music at 5pm, and be listening to it 5:01. Do we really have to live with traffic signal technology from an era that preceded VCRs, microwaves and computers?
7) Traffic signals would just be the start, there is technology already in existence and in use elsewhere in the world that could tell you in advance when there is a traffic jam ahead and how to avoid it; change the speed limit on a roadway to better improve traffic flow when there is congestion ahead; alert you as to whether there are still parking spaces in the transit parking lot; facilitate your transfers between transit facilities, etc, etc, etc. What would it cost? Perhaps a bypass of Burlington, Vermont, expansion of I-25 north of Denver, and cancellation of a few widenings in Florida. Is that too much to ask?

I hope this helps shed more light on how the lack of foresight in Stimulus spending could adversely affect our lives and our childrens and our grandchildrens lives for decades ahead. All we have to do is look before we leap.

[GreenSudbury]

Wow. Don't get me started. I use public transit. I would like to have a private automobile but the high price of gas and insurance have made that impossible, and over the last 8 years I have shifted my view of transportation. It's the city built for business and cars not people .

Whenever I see City Council decisions on millions more for road work, I see blind auto addiction. Climate change considerations are just not part of the majority of the city planning process.

Roads and Bridges - More like an old 1930's FDR deal .
Solar and wind - A new green deal?

[Louis]

It will definitely be a shame for this money to be spent on reviving the status quo. And the sad thing is, before reading this article, it didn't even occur to me to consider what infrastructure money was being spent on- just that money was being spent. I hope I don't represent the mindset of too many people.

[Mitch Brown]

Well folks, lets tell our friends and families about sites like this. Write your congressmen and senators. I wrote Sen. Durbin and he wrote me back (or a staffer did) about historic preservation and LEED.

Join PPS and groups like The Congress for New Urbanism.

The bulk should be spent on fix its and expansion should be in the form of new investment in better means of transit.