The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently announced a new public outreach campaign entitled “The Benefits of Transportation: The Solutions State DOTs Bring to People & Their Communities.”
This new national campaign is designed to increase public awareness about the many benefits transportation investment can provides by using an interactive map to link website visitors to transportation projects across the country that are reducing travel times, improving safety, protecting the environment, and boosting the economy.
“The professionals working at state departments of transportation know these benefits first-hand because they’re responsible for planning, designing, and building the transportation projects that keep America moving by car, truck, rail, bus, and bicycle,” AASHTO executive director Jim Tymon said in a statement. “This year will be pivotal for transportation because Congress must pass a new surface transportation bill before the current law expires at the end of September. The purpose of this campaign, website, and report are to help citizens understand the important connection between transportation investment and the benefits we experience today and into the future.”
AASHTO says that according to the Federal Highway Administration, it is estimated that each dollar spent on road, highway, and bridge improvements results in an average benefit of $5.20 in the form of reduced vehicle maintenance costs, reduced delays, reduced fuel consumption, improved safety, reduced road and bridge maintenance costs, and reduced emissions as a result of improved traffic flow.
Similarly, the American Public Transportation Association estimates that the total long-term economic effect of “enhanced investment” in transit systems sustained over 20 years is in the range of 3.7 times the amount being spent annually.
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SOURCE: AASHTO
