Learning from the Recovery Act: Lessons and recommendations for future infrastructure stimulus

Smart Growth America and Transportation for America have issued a new, and very timely, report by this name (available here).  With Congress poised to (potentially) pump significant funding into the transportation sector, it’s a good idea to remind ourselves of the experience of the last big stimulus bill and what we can learn from it.  I was part of the SGA team that worked on implementing the Stimulus, so not surprisingly my conclusions are very similar to those in the new report.  (My retrospective on the Stimulus was done five years after the program was started – here – and my views are still the same.)

The report is a clear, crisp, easy-to-read text of 8 pages, with 6 lessons and 6 recommendations, so if you have any interest in the subject you should read the whole thing.  But – spoiler alert – the main takeaway is that the experience of 2009-2010 teaches us that transportation stimulus money should be targeted toward transit (especially operating costs) and roadway repair (maintenance and rehab) to have maximum impact.  Back in the earlier Stimulus, some states did better than others, so better guidelines and reporting are needed this time.

Just a few thoughts of mine to add:

·      I would put more money into planning and engineering than the SGA report suggests.  Planning and design firms took a heavy hit in the Great Recession.  We need to keep those firms healthy not only to protect the jobs there but to preserve and build up a robust planning and engineering capacity for the next big wave of construction (AKA Green New Deal).

·      TIGER TIGER TIGER.  The SGA report notes the importance of this program, which spurred a whole raft of innovative projects.  More, please.

·      As a general rule (extrapolating from the two points above) we should, wherever possible, design any new stimulus program to provide stepping stones to what needs to be a much bigger, sustained program for the future (did I say Green New Deal?).

·      The SGA report recommends that all resurfacing projects incorporate a safety review.  I would also require a bike/ped review.  Resurfacing projects – which usually require paint striping anyway – are the easiest way to get bicycle and pedestrian improvements on the ground.  Many state DOTs will avoid that step if they can.

·      Speaking of bike/ped, now would be a great time to provide funding and incentives for what many cities are already doing: striping out streets to meet the current emergency by reducing unneeded auto space and increasing needed pedestrian and bicycle space.

·      I would simply rule out the use of any stimulus funds for highway capacity increases.  The SGA report suggests this requirement because of the inefficiency of capacity increase dollars for providing jobs and putting money into the economy.  I think we should also insist that we do nothing that will cause more trouble in the long run for our other big emergency – the climate emergency.

Speaking of the 2009 Stimulus coming around again, anyone who takes a close look at Joe Biden’s transportation program (more on that at another time) will see lots of elements that suggest the large impression that his involvement in the Stimulus made on his thinking.

Finally, congrats to Beth Osborne, Will Schroeer, et al. for producing a very timely (and hopefully effective) set of recommendations!