Discrepancy In Funding Transit Versus Highways

Federal government has local funding requirement for public transportation such as light and heavy rail; not for highways.

1 minute read

December 16, 2003, 8:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"The Dulles rail project highlights a distortion in federal transportation policy: Transit and highway systems are treated differently by federal laws, rules and regulations. This results in distorted decisions on the local level that can have a ripple effect in the metropolitan area. Here's the rub: The law also requires that some of the nonfederal money come from a stable and reliable source of local funds. Certainly, it is important to demonstrate local commitment to such projects. However, the federal government pays 80 percent of highway project costs. And none of the remaining funds have to come from local sources -- they usually come from the state. So in effect, while new transit projects must compete for scarce dollars with other local needs such as police, fire and education, highway projects are essentially free to localities."

Thanks to Richard Layman

Thursday, December 11, 2003 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

A large Google data center building in the Netherlands.

Rethinking Computing: Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Demands

USC researchers are reimagining how AI systems are trained and powered — through smarter algorithms, innovative hardware, and brain-inspired designs — to dramatically reduce computing’s energy footprint.

May 4 - USC News

Close-up of smartphone with Zoox logo and screen with blurred image of Zoox autonomous vehicle in background.

Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA

Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.

May 4 - Smart Cities Dive

NYC MTA train on elevated rail with Manhattan skyline visible in background.

New York MTA Says No More Borrowing, Will Cut Costs Instead

The agency says it won’t take out any new loans to finance its planned improvements and is finding other ways to cut costs.

May 4 - Bloomberg CityLab

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO