Policy Strategies for Iowa in Making Major Road Investments

David J. Forkenbrock
2004

In March 2002, the author met in a retreat with members of the Iowa Department of Transportation Commission and its Director. We discussed ways in which transportation policy can best help strengthen Iowa's economy and make it a safe, comfortable place in which to live and work. Following this retreat, the Commission and Director asked the author to develop a practical guide to assist them when pursuing policy objectives through transportation investments. This monograph is the result of that request.

The Department has considerable resources at its disposal, but the needs it faces exceed them. The question thus emerges: How can the state best deploy available resources to achieve priority policy objectives? Focusing on road investments, by far the largest category of transportation projects, we examine this question in the context of three primary issues: economic development, sustainable urban growth and development, and social equity.

Major transportation investments are a powerful tool for pursuing a variety of public policy objectives. Under the right circumstances, they can help make areas of the state more competitive for attracting economic activity. They also can be a formative element in the way cities develop, thus influencing the quality of life in them. Wise investments can increase the safety of and promote efficient travel for Iowa's residents and its visitors. Finally, enlightened transportation policy can help ease the deprivation of the less fortunate members of the state's population.

The analysis presented in this monograph is not intended to be prescriptive-we are not advocating a particular perspective. Rather, we raise a series of policy-relevant issues and suggest how various sorts of transportation investments can affect them. Our objective is to facilitate informed debate, not to propose firm solutions to the issues discussed.

Our research was carried out at the University of Iowa Public Policy Center. Funding for this research was provided by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

$17.95, 58 pp., 10 figures, 4 tables, perfect binding
ISBN 0-87414-132X