In the run up to the economic stimulus, we’ve been taking a hard look at some of the transportation project lists that states are putting together. While many of details of the federal stimulus are still being hashed out, our analysis of these state project lists has made one thing quite clear — if we [...]

Transportation for America commends Congressman Oberstar for his efforts to make transportation an important part of a recovery package to create jobs in the short term with his Rebuild America proposal. We agree that job creation need not be at odds with strong accountability requirements and a more balanced portfolio of modal investments in capital and operating grants.

With billions of dollars about to be spent on an economic recovery package, you’d think Congress would prioritize fixing dangerous bridges and repairing unsafe highways. But the powerful highway lobby is pressing hard for nearly all the money to be spent constructing new roads and bridges. This makes no sense. Tell Congress you support a smarter economic recovery package.

As Congress crafts an economic stimulus that can help get our economy out of a rut, state departments of transportation are submitting lists of “ready-to-go” infrastructure projects. With commuters crowding into overburdened transit systems in record numbers and our elected leaders calling for green, 21st Century investments, it’s unfortunate that most are busily submitting wish lists that look to be mostly about digging a deeper ditch.

What’s the wisdom of attempting to stimulate the economy by pouring money into an outdated 1950′s plan of new roads and new highways that will give us more of the same — while neglecting to fix the network we have or build out the other half of the system. Like high-speed rail, metropolitan transit systems, or infrastructure for biking and walking? Click through to see Tom Toles’ take (of the Washington Post) on the current plans for a transportation-focused economic stimulus.

In an interview last month, President-elect Barack Obama described America’s addiction to oil as a ‘shock and trance‘ cycle, in which increasing oil consumption creates skyrocketing energy prices, leading to calls to for bold solutions and energy independence — that is, until prices temporarily drop and our political leaders conveniently avoid tough issues like energy [...]