Majority of Stimulus Spent on Roads

States are spending the vast majority of federal stimulus money on building or repairing roads and highways, according to a new study.

1 minute read

July 1, 2009, 9:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg

Only about 6 percent of the money is being dedicated to transit projects. Some states -- like Connecticut, North Dakota, South Dakota and Vermont -- are spending all of their money on highway repairs.

"The group Smart Growth America, a city planning coalition, studied the states' reports and found that 62.9 percent of funding had gone to highway repairs, and 31.3 percent, or $6.69 billion, was dedicated to building new roads.

'Given our huge road and bridge repair backlog and inadequate public transportation system, $6.6 billion for new highway capacity just doesn't make sense,' said the coalition's president, Geoff Anderson, in a statement. 'It's like adding a new wing to your house when the roof is falling in.'"

FULL STORY: States spend most stimulus money on highways

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 in Reuters

Government / Politics Transportation United States Transit Highways Roads Federal Stimulus View More

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

Start Learning

Advertise with us

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.