![]() Today, however, every dollar spent on a wasteful highway expansion project is a dollar that can’t be spent fixing our existing roads and transit systems, adding a new light rail line in a growing American city, or exploring ways to serve America’s changing transportation needs more effectively and efficientlyĮxactly. As Inglis and Baxandall sum up:Ītionales-of speculative and uncertain promises of economic development, of the urgent need to address hypothetical future congestion on roads that have recently seen declines in traffic-may once have been sufficient in the days when highway revenue seemed endless and the competing demands for transportation funds seemed few. Highway agencies remain committed to laying asphalt as per the original plans. Yet these costly projects, like zombies, refuse to die. However, the original rationale for the projects – data showing a convincing need for the additional, expensive lane mileage – has evaporated with traffic growth slowing to a crawl over the past decade. These are projects long contemplated on paper, as part of long-range transportation plans assembled by metropolitan areas and states ( such plans span 20 or more years and are required by federal law). ![]() Jeff Inglis and Phineas Baxandall have co-authored a new PIRG report about “highway boondoggles” in which they profile 11 large road projects costing about $13 billion.
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