Comments needed on projects for Obama infrastructure plan

The incoming Obama administration is gearing up for massive near-term investment in the nation’s highways. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and others vocally support this large-scale building program based on one criterion: readiness to build. Governors around the nation are hurriedly compiling lists of projects, concerned chiefly with securing a place in line for federal funding.

Faced with a deepening recession and growing unemployment the new administration will want to act quickly, but it should keep in mind that infrastructure investments will have lasting impacts for generations to come. Some of the most costly projects on state wish lists are highway widening and interchange replacements. Arguably it's this kind of expansion that facilitated the building boom that contributed so ignominiously to the the current economic predicament!

CNU is working to call attention to the best and worst proposed transportation investments. Projects that improve human scale mobility deserve our support. Projects that promote runaway development (too often in parts of the country overwhelmed by sprawl) should be highlighted, and their real costs considered. The files below are just a starting point. CNU members are encouraged send examples from their home states and professional practice to Moss Bittner at infrastructure@cnu.org.