A Smart Investment to Fuel Economic Growth by JOHN ROBERT SMITH In 1961, President Kennedy declared that the U.S. which are the easiest to pump money into — are not wellwould put a man on the moon before the end of the de- designed to maximize job creation. cade. At the time, that goal may have seemed impossibly Research consistently finds that on average, road repair far-fetched, but with the Soviet Union challenging our su- produces 16 percent more jobs per dollar than new road periority in space, the nation rallied around that vision. And construction. Yet states keep using their funding to build in 1969, Neil Armstrong made "one giant leap for man- new roads instead of repairing what we have. An infrastruckind" and inspired a generation of ture plan with a strict focus on reAmericans. pair could help put people back Yet in the decades since, to work while fixing a perpetual America stopped dreaming big. source of frustration. Even in the face of a widely recEven more effective though ognized infrastructure crisis, nawould be investments in public tional representatives from both transportation, like buses, subparties eschew plans for price ways, commuter rail, and passentags, each one bigger than the last. ger rail. These investments — both Vague promises take the place of in new capacity and maintenance inspiring visions. — create the most jobs per dollar, But vague promises aren't even more than road repair. A dolenough. Our leaders, with few lar spent on public transportation exceptions, have been kicking the from the 2009 stimulus produced proverbial maintenance can down 70 percent more job hours than the road for decades and the cona dollar spent on highways. And sequences are catching up to us. public transportation is chroniOur roads, bridges, and transit cally underfunded at the federal systems that people use everyday level, leaving ample opportunities John Robert Smith have a backlog of deferred mainto build out more useful transtenance that will cost an estimated portation networks that will bear Research consistently $640 billion altogether. fruits long after the construction We're also facing the worst is finished. finds that, on average, economic downturn since the In the face of unprecedented road repair produces Great Depression due to COVunemployment and a worsening 16 percent more jobs ID-19; Americans need reliable, economic downturn, smart insafe, and affordable connections vestments can produce jobs and per dollar than new to jobs and healthcare now more connect people to opportunity. road construction. than ever. Smart investments in And once the thing is built, it's the our roads and bridges, transit and connections that are made which passenger rail, and other critical provide lasting value. Our nationinfrastructure could help the country recover. al experience with highways proves this point. The key here is smart investments that will create jobs In the 1950s, we set out to build a national network of and long-term value. In April, Smart Growth America re- highways. Four decades later, the interstate highway sysleased six lessons and recommendations about using infra- tem was complete. The novel connections created by highstructure investment to stimulate the economy based on an ways brought huge economic benefits, but each new mile of analysis of federal spending during the Great Recession. roadway since has brought diminishing returns while addThe main takeaways: some infrastructure investments cre- ing maintenance costs. And in metropolitan areas, new or ate more jobs than others, and existing federal programs — wider highways actively undermine local economies, par22
RIPON FORUM August 2020
