"According to latest Highway Boondoggles analysis by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, America is spending more than one-quarter of a trillion dollars each year on our highway system - roughly half of which comes from general tax revenues sourced from all U.S. residents, whether they drive or not. A stunning amount of that money, meanwhile, funds highway expansion projects that the report authors argue are a total waste of public dollars, because they're based on the myth that adding or widening lanes will solve"
"In an era when the federal government is placing an unprecedented focus on increasing "government efficiency," it's unconscionable that state DOTs keeping laying down asphalt. But Congress has a chance to stop the bleeding by writing a new federal transportation law that directs more funds to roadway maintenance, mobility alternatives and projects that can be proven to make our transportation system better - at least when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires in 2026."
America spends more than one-quarter of a trillion dollars annually on its highway system, with roughly half of that funding coming from general tax revenues paid by all residents. A substantial share of those dollars finances highway expansion projects that rely on the assumption that adding or widening lanes will solve congestion and save lives, outcomes that do not materialize. State departments of transportation continue to build new lane miles rather than prioritize roadway maintenance, multimodal mobility alternatives, or projects with demonstrated benefits. Federal policy can shift funding toward maintenance, alternatives, and proven improvements when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires in 2026.
Read at Streetsblog
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