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Transportation Investments for Economic Recovery

The 2010 "Jobs Bill"

With the national unemployment rate hovering at just above 10%, the President and Congress are urgently trying to figure out how to revive the economy through job creation. In December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Jobs for Main Street Act," and the Senate is poised to introduce a similar bill in early February.
 
Transportation spending is likely to play a significant role in this effort, but it's critical that any jobs spending on transportation be invested wisely.  A recent study on transportation job creation from the 2009 Stimulus showed that transit spending created twice the jobs per dollar invested as highway spending.
 
The Transportation For America coalition proposes spending $35.4 billion on transportation infrastructure with significant investments in transit, including a 2:1 spending ratio for transit to highway dollars, and operating flexibility to resuscitate our ailing transit agencies.  Additionally, the coalition calls on Congress to stay the course for a larger transportation bill, and keep this emergency spending to a maximum 12-month timeframe while laying the foundation for a 21st century transportation system.
 
Read the full jobs bill proposal from Transportation For America.
 

About the 2009 Federal Stimulus (ARRA)

On February 11, 2009, the United States Senate and House agreed on a $789 billion economic recovery package called the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). The transportation section includes:
  • $27.5 billion for "modernizing" roads and bridges 
  • $8.4 billion for transit 
  • $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments for
    transportation investments.
  • $1.3 billion for investments in our air transportation system.
  • $9.3 billion for investments in rail transportation, including Amtrak, High Speed
    and Intercity Rail.

TransForm is one of California's local partners in the national Transportation for America campaign that has been working to ensure a strategic economic recovery bill. We'll continue to work to influence how these funds are spent at the state level and in the Bay Area. 

TransForm is also leading the transportation efforts of the Green Stimulus Coalition, a partnership of leading environmental, social justice, organized labor, education and workforce development organizations working to ensure that California spends recovery funds to:

  • advance our long-term environmental goals
  • provide quality jobs and careers, not just short-term jobs
  • provide equal access for California's disadvantaged communities, and protections for vulnerable communities

Check out TransForm's recent op-ed on the need to include funding for transit operations in the recovery package.

View a list of "shovel ready" transit projects and bike/ped projects. 

For more information, contact Carli Paine.

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