Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Federal Stimulus

Stimulus Jobs From Transit vs. Roads: A Tale of Two States

4:39 PM EST on January 5, 2010

Smart Growth America, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group today reported that transit stimulus spending created nearly twice as many jobs per dollar as highway stimulus  projects -- a conclusion that Streetsblog Capitol Hill first previewed a few weeks ago.

But as the groups snag some big-media attention today, it's worth looking at two state case studies from the report that we didn't mention last month. The three groups compared transportation stimulus spending patterns from Texas and Illinois, reaching some telling conclusions:

    • Texas received six times as much stimulus funding for "surface transportation program" (STP) projects (a.k.a. roads, more often than not) as for transit, but even that small slice of transit money generated more employment, according to Congress' math: 9,135 job-months, compared with 7,937 job-months for road aid.
    • Illinois used its road stimulus money almost entirely to fund maintenance and preservation, according to the three groups' report. About 60 percent of the state's transportation stimulus went to STP projects, with the remainder going to transit -- and the result was still a job-creation win for transit, with 12,628 job-months reported, compared with 7,826 job-months for Illinois road aid.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Why We Care About Some Transportation Tragedies More Than Others

Why do we respond to major transportation disasters with so much urgency — and why don't we count our collective car crash epidemic among them?

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's first-in-the-nation congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Take Thursday’s Headlines Home, Country Roads

Heat Map reports on why rural Americans are resisting electric vehicles, and why it might not matter much for the climate.

March 28, 2024
See all posts