Throwing Money Won't Fix Nation's Transportation Infrastructure

The governors of the United States want transportation money, and they want it now. But the federal government should be careful about doling out billions in funding, according to Sam Staley and Adrian Moore.

December 8, 2008, 8am PST | Nate Berg

"On Tuesday, the nation's governors met with President-elect Barack Obama and funding for infrastructure projects topped their wish-list."

"But, this begs an important question: Would all transportation infrastructure spending have an equal impact?"

"No."

"Federal policymakers need to consider much more than dumping money into the transportation sector if they want to have a meaningful, positive impact on the economy. It takes more than digging ditches and laying asphalt to ensure that investments create improvements in mobility that spur job creation and increase productivity. To maximize the impact of any infrastructure spending, the transportation investments must be the right kind, in the right place, and at the right time. Those are no small obstacles."

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All Infrastructure Spending Is Not Created Equally

Published on Friday, December 5, 2008 in Reason