As more urban residents move away from city centers or work more often from home, transportation needs and demand across the country will change. A one-time investment in local transportation infrastructure has enormous potential to speed our economic recovery, create jobs, improve access to economic opportunity, rectify inequities, and ensure long-term resilience to climate change. To ensure that these outcomes are achieved, policymakers determining how to spend ARP funds must first assess the challenges faced in their local jurisdiction, whether issues of insufficient or outdated physical infrastructure, geographic reach, affordability, access, or reliability.

Each of these challenges requires a tailored policy solution. Depending on the barrier, transit infrastructure investments can be targeted to upgrade outdated structures, expand their reach to disconnected populations, level inequities in who has access, or improve reliability and affordability. 

Policy Playbooks: Building Sustainable Infrastructure for the Future