~Virginia is one of only 13 states to top all six categories for measuring transportation investment~ RICHMOND – Virginia was recognized in a national study, Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results, released today by the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation as one of the nation’s leaders in developing the goals, performance measures and data needed to help decision makers ensure their transportation systems are advancing economic growth, mobility and other key policy outcomes. Virginia was given the study’s highest ranking, “Leading the Way”, for all six performance measures including safety, jobs and commerce, mobility, access, environmental stewardship and infrastructure preservation.
“Virginia has long connected the importance of performance measurement and transparent reporting with sound government management,” said Governor Bob McDonnell. “In calling for accountable, efficient and transparent management policies, Virginia has become the top state in the nation for business and opportunity. Our transportation system is a vital component to ensuring economic prosperity and job growth in Virginia. This national recognition as a leader in developing, and more importantly, actively managing transportation investment through specific performance metrics yet again demonstrates that the Commonwealth is the best managed state in the nation.”
Thirteen states were lauded with the top honors in this study, which assessed investments in transportation to illustrate how limited taxpayer funds for transportation impact measurable objectives.
The study went on to specifically link transportation investment to its positive impacts on the economy. “The overall benefits of transportation investments to the broader economy are estimated to be five times the $240 billion spent by governments each year on highway, transit, and other transportation infrastructure,” it quoted Susan Martinovich, director of the Nevada transportation department and president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
“We have to invest in our transportation system to attract businesses, grow jobs, and protect our quality of live,” Governor McDonnell said. “Proving that this investment is benefiting taxpayers is an important part of engendering trust in our transportation programs. Just this year, we commissioned a study by Chmura Economics and Analytics, a national consulting firm based in Richmond, that indicated Virginia’s economy would expand by $13.1 billion and support 105,642 additional jobs over six years if the $4 billion transportation program we proposed and the General Assembly supported was fully implemented. This type of objective data sets Virginia apart from other states.
The Pew/Rockefeller study recognized that Virginia provides its data in an accessible format for citizens to review, and puts it in context as well. “Not only does Virginia provide timely data on core indicators of its roads and bridges, it also includes comparative information so that managers, decision makers and citizens can understand where Virginia’s results stand in a broader context.”
The report is intended for state policy makers and seeks to provide a useful and important baseline for understanding where states are in measuring the results of their transportation dollars. The report was a joint project of the Pew Center on the States, a division of the Pew Charitable Trusts that identifies and advances effective solutions to critical issues facing states and the Rockefeller Foundation, known for fostering innovative solutions to many of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The goal of this assessment is to identify which states are doing the best measuring the information they need to understand transportation’s return on investment. States were assessed based on a review of more than 800 performance, planning and budget documents. They were rated on one of three levels—“leading the way”, “having mixed results,” or “trailing behind”—for each of six key goals: safety, jobs and commerce, mobility, access, environmental stewardship and infrastructure preservation. Each state also was given an overall rating.
To read the full report, visit www.pewcenteronthestates.org/transportation