Daniel Convissor's Website

Transportation Spending and Economic Growth

These charts depict the results of a ten year $100 billion spending program for highways and transit.

[GRAPH: Highway Spending: Debt bottoms out at -9 billion in the first year of the program.  Break Even point is roughly nine years into the program.  The benefits peak at $7 billion at twelve years after the program begins. (If you can't see this graph, but can download it, follow this link.)]


[GRAPH: Transit Spending:  Negative net benefits bottom out at $7.5 billion in the first year of the program. Break Even point is four years into the program and peaks at $15 billion eleven years after the program started. (If you can't see this graph, but can download it, follow this link.)]


Comparing the economic activity generated by highway investments vs. transit investments, transit generates twice as much activity and returns a positive balance three times faster.


This data is based on a report published by the American Public Transit Association and written by David Ashauer.

The New York Times published my letter to the editor which used this data

 


This page is hosted by Daniel Convissor
Home Page: http://www.panix.com/~danielc/
Email: danielc@panix.com

This URL: http://www.panix.com/~danielc/usa/bentspt.htm
Last updated: 4 April 1999