Illinois Prioritizes Stimulus Spending on Road and Bridge Repair
A new report released today, using official data of the states’ American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) transportation funding decisions thus far, found Illinois did well prioritizing the repair of roads and bridges, demonstrating a commitment to the goal of ARRA to generate jobs.
Research cited in the report shows that road and bridge repair generates 16 percent more jobs than new bridge and road construction, and because repair work can generally be started faster, these jobs would come on-line faster.
The ARRA provided $26.6 billion in flexible transportation funding—half of it required to be obligated within the first 120 days, by Monday, June 29—through the federal Surface Transportation Program (STP). STP funds can be used by state and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) officials for a wide range of transportation infrastructure projects, including: public transportation capacity, sidewalks, repair and preventive maintenance of bridges and roads, and new and widened roads and highways.
State findings
The report, Illinois and the Stimulus: Are they using it to create jobs and 21st century transportation?, released today by Smart Growth America, Illinois PIRG and Gamaliel of Illinois, shows that Illinois spent $510.9 million of the $935.5 million in Surface Transportation Program dollars received. Of that, $487.8 million has been committed to ‘highway system preservation’ projects, or almost 96% of the money allocated to date.
“This report shows that Illinois is facing our most immediate transportation challenges head-on. Illinois is outpacing other states and making the kinds of decisions that will mean more jobs,” said Illinois PIRG state Director Brian Imus.
“It’s encouraging to see the state prioritizing repair of our roads and bridges because it will mean more jobs for Illinoisans than if the money had been spent on unnecessary new roads,” said Gamaliel of Illinois spokesperson Shelly Heideman. “That’s good news considering the precarious predicament we all face due to the state budget shortfall and the potential for cuts to vital social services.”
54% of Illinois’ roads are not in “good” condition, and 822 of its bridges are “Structurally Deficient.” Poor roads in Illinois cost drivers $297/year.
National finding
Smart Growth America found that some states, like Massachusetts and Iowa, used the stimulus money to make progress on the kind of transportation system that their communities need for strong economic growth. Other states missed an opportunity to make progress in filling the nation’s urgent transportation needs and creating more jobs, as quickly as possible. These states built new roads rather than repairing existing ones, and missed the chance to invest in the new options their residents really want like safe bus routes and bike paths.
The states had opportunities to create more jobs, faster: shifting more spending towards repair would create more jobs. Shifting $2 billion more to repair would have produced an average of 4,300 more jobs nationally. And because repair work can generally be started faster, these jobs would come on-line faster.
The stimulus was particularly a repair opportunity given the nation’s enormous bridge and roadway repair backlog and the inadequacy of its public transportation system. The report documents these with recent findings by the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), including the cost of roads in “poor” condition ($355 per person, nationally) and number of “structurally deficient” bridges (18,722).
“That nationally nearly two-thirds of STP funding has gone to repairing existing roads and bridges is encouraging,” said Geoff Anderson, president of Smart Growth America, “But 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. It’s like adding a new wing to your house when the roof is falling in.”
“In aggregate the states spent virtually none of their flexible money on these choices, losing the opportunity to shield Americans from future gas price spikes and limiting their freedom to choose how they get around. In fact we're seeing the effects of cuts in public transportation right now and it's often hurting low income and minority populations – the people who most rely on this transportation to get to work, be self-sufficient, and participate in the economy.”
The ARRA provided golden opportunities for states and MPOs to make game-changing plays and invest in the transportation options, like expanded public transportation, that the overwhelming majority of Americans need and support,” stated Anderson. “Unfortunately, most of them are striking out.” Balanced investments are especially important for low-income communities and the elderly to ensure that they can participate in the economic and social mainstream of our society: a transportation system that works for everyone.
“Selection of stimulus transportation projects so far shows how badly we need to change the way states make decisions that affect our commutes, our pocketbooks, and our lives, Anderson concluded. “To make that happen, future federal transportation funding must include clear goals and accountability for reaching those goals.”
Illinois-120-Day-Report-final.pdf