Yes, We Did: the 5-Year Anniversary of the Recovery Act
BY ANTHONY FOXX, DOT Secretary

On Feb.17, 2009—five years ago—President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In office less than a month, he took a huge step forward in leading this nation out of its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. At the U.S. Department of Transportation, we knew the important role transportation could play in getting the economy back on its feet and when given the opportunity to help through Recovery Act funds, we said, “Yes, we can.” Five years later, DOT is proud to say, “Yes, we did.”

By the first Recovery Act anniversary, we had created tens of thousands of jobs related to construction work across the country—all of which meant paychecks to American workers who could pay their rent or mortgages and feed their families. We improved more than 24,000 miles of highway and 1,100 bridges, tackled more than 700 transit projects, expanded options for bicyclists and pedestrians, reduced congestion and its associated pollutants, and upgraded runways and airports.

By Sept. 30, 2010, we had awarded over $48 billion to more than 14,600 needed highway, road, ­transit, bridge, and airport projects across America. In fact, we were able to stretch our portion of Recovery Act funding to include additional projects because earlier projects were bid below previous estimates.

When all of the work is completed—that’s right, the Recovery Act continues to support good jobs on good projects—we will have:

* Improved nearly 42,000 miles of American road;
* Repaired or replaced more than 2,700 bridges;
* Helped transit agencies purchase more than 12,220 transit vehicles;
* Upgraded or constructed more than 6,000 miles of better performing rail;
* Purchased 120 next-generation rail cars and locomotives; and
* Increased safety and convenience with more than 360 airport and runway projects.

The projects we have supported are much more than abstract milestones. Each one represents good jobs. Each one represents a community benefiting from economic activity stimulated by construction and renovation. Each one represents greater safety. And each one represents improved infrastructure that makes getting from point A to point B easier for people and for the freight that fuels our economy.

In project after project across the country, the Recovery Act has ­demonstrated the powerful dividends of transportation investment: Safety. Employment. Development. Efficiency. Mobility. Environment. Those dividends are very real for commuters using the expanded Caldecott Tunnel in ­California; for passengers and crew benefiting from improved lighting on runways at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-­Jackson Airport; for passengers traveling on higher speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis or ­Chicago and Detroit; for truck drivers passing through Oklahoma City on an improved I-40; and for transit passengers in ­Dallas ­riding the extended DART Green Line.

That kind of achievement does not come without dedicated DOT employees working together on behalf of the American people. But with the kind of dedication I’ve seen at DOT, I know we can do more.

The list of needed projects in every state from Alaska and Hawaii to Maine and Florida is not short. It’s not a question of whether or not we can deliver the benefits of transportation investment to more communities nationwide. With our economic recovery progressing—with the private sector adding jobs continuously since 2010—how can we afford to stop now?


Transit Gives Dallas Area a Ride to Economic Growth
BY THERESE McMILLAN, FTA Deputy Administrator

At FTA, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has become one of our favorite places to talk about. Why? Because in the last 30 years, Dallas has gone from zero miles to the most miles of light rail in operation, anywhere in North America. We can add to that growth the accompanying billions of dollars in economic activity, the tens of thousands of jobs it has created, and the increased property values brought about by expanding transit in North Texas.

So, if a conference I attended last week called “Texans Do Use Transit” seems like a pipe dream, it’s not. Texans do use transit. It’s a fact—known and measurable. And in addition to using transit to get to jobs, medical services, and other destinations, North Texas is using its investment in ­transit to boost economic growth. ­Texans don’t just use transit, they thrive on it. And not just in Dallas; transit expansion is also happening right now in San Antonio, El Paso, Brownsville, and Houston.

And two studies released by the University of North Texas (UNT) last month confirm it. According to UNT, the $4.7 billion spent between 2002 and 2013 to expand light rail generated $7.4 billion in economic activity and ­created $3.3 billion in salaries, wages, and benefits from tens of thousands of jobs.

That period includes the recent recession. As Terry Clower, director of UNT’s Center for Economic Development and Research, affirmed, “Even through difficult economic times, DART has demonstrated its ability to boost the North Texas economy through its capital spending, daily operations, and attracting private investment.”

And once stations are built and operational, the economic benefits continue to flow. A second UNT study released at the end of January indicates that, “More than $5.3 billion in private capital transit-oriented development projects have been built, are under construction, or are planned near Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s light rail stations.”

What’s attracting this development? DART riders. The UNT study shows that office properties located within one-quarter mile of a DART station earn an average 13.9 percent increase in lease rates. Areas surrounding DART stations outperformed comparable locations in property value as well, totaling more than $1.5 billion in valuation compared with roughly $600 million in the control areas.

Those properties include single and multi-family residential development with green space, retail, and office space, and industrial sites—all of the land uses that help make a community a community. As property values climb, DART and the city of Dallas have also worked to make affordable housing part of their vision. By partnering with HUD and other organizations, they are ensuring that residents who live along transit routes aren’t priced out of their homes.

Even better? As the Dallas region continues to grow, DART continues to expand its miles of service and add new stations. In addition to better access to good transit, that also means more jobs, more investment, and more economic growth.

That’s what can happen when we choose to invest in transit, and it’s getting the attention of communities across America. The need to invest in transportation is clear. The benefits of investing in transportation are clear; at FTA, we’re working to bring those benefits to your community.

Both of these columns originally appeared in February in the DOT blog, “Fast Lane."

This “Commentary” section features different points of view from various sources to enhance readers’ broad awareness of themes and views that affect public transportation.