JANUARY 20268GOV BUSINESS REVIEWIN MY OPINIONWhen the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in 2021, transportation agencies across the country rejoiced. More than $670 billion was allocated over five fiscal years for transportation, an unprecedented investment in the nation's transportation system. This was met with an equally unprecedented increase in construction costs: since the end of 2020, highway construction costs have increased 70.2 percent, according to the National Highway Construction Cost Index tracked by the USDOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. This data doesn't yet reflect the potential impacts of the higher tariffs recently imposed on imported construction materials like steel and petroleum.USDOT's rapidly changing guidance has created an evershifting policy landscape that has resulted in pauses, freezes, suspensions and rescissions of both formula and discretionary transportation funds. Ongoing legal challenges to these policy directives are still making their way through the court system.Against this background, Greensboro, like much of North Carolina, is poised for rapid growth over the next decade as we prepare our community for an influx of new jobs and the households that come with them. This growth will require corresponding investments in transportation infrastructure and services to keep our community and its products moving.How do we sustain transportation investments in the face of so much uncertainty and change? What can a community do to keep their transportation system moving forward? The complexity of these intersecting issues is daunting and can feel overwhelming. Local governments are on the front line of these impacts, so asking and answering these big questions is critical for any transportation leader.In Greensboro, we are managing uncertainty by focusing on investments that make our transportation system more resilient, flexible and smarter. This focus informs our approach to everything from transportation planning to project delivery and from system management to maintenance. We've had to get creative and look for innovative ways to deliver transportation choices that are good for the people of Greensboro. We are updating our plans to identify, prioritize and resolve longstanding mobility challenges in our community. If you're facing similar challenges in your community, here are a few strategies that are helping Greensboro stay on track:Start with a Vision: Like any good vision, ours is expansive but simple: make Greensboro car optional. This vision was informed by years of community engagement and direction provided in the development of our comprehensive plan. To help realize this vision, we are focusing investments on our pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure as part of complete streets projects. We are applying this to local policies and streamlining programs to be more accessible and easy to access. For example, we've simplified and standardized the process to lower speed limits on local streets, so a petition signed by property owners is no longer required. We are updating our street design standards to provide more flexibility and encourage innovative multimodal designs.Hanna Cockburn, AICP, Director of Transportation, City of GreensboroBySUSTAINING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS THROUGH UNCERTAINTYHanna Cockburn
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