Highway Projects Do Not Cause Sprawl

"Contrary to the belief of many city planners and public officials in North Carolina, highway projects do not play a large role in determining the amount and nature of growth in local communities, according to a new study from a nationally renowned transportation scholar. Dr. David Hartgen, a professor of transportation studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a John Locke Foundation policy analyst, conducted a new study for JLF that compared the location of major highway projects in North Carolina during the 1990s and the amount of population growth in and around those areas. He found only a modest' relationship -- so modest, in fact, that factors such as geography, zoning, taxes, schools, the availability of water and sewer service, the presence of retail, and the preexisting density played a much more significant role in determining the rate of growth during the decade."