Federal funding as an answer to the congestion dilemma: The impact of ISTEA and its legacy on transportation efficiency in American cities

Despite having one of the largest and most modern transportation networks in the world, the United States has faced continually worsening congestion on its highways and streets in the latter half of the 20th Century, a problem that is concentrated in its urban areas. While congestion has historically led to many associated issues, such as lost productivity and wasted fuel, the federal government was prompted to more aggressively seek a solution when the Clean Air Amendments Act of 1990 strengthened urban air quality standards, especially for pollution directly associated with motor vehicles. Because of the relationship between poor air quality and high concentrations of vehicles on urban roadways for prolonged periods, alleviation of highway congestion became a key element of the government's air quality improvement strategy.;Among the resulting policies was the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, which expanded formula grants for transit and congestion mitigation projects, including the creation of a new program specifically designed for areas with poor air quality. A key strategy of the new policy was a shift in planning authority for urban areas from the states to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), or associations of local governments that cooperatively evaluate transportation needs at a regional level. The policy also gave greater flexibility in the use of federal transportation funding, such as the ability to use designated portions of highway funding for transit projects. However, in the more than 15 years since its passage, it is unclear from various studies of urban mobility whether the policy changes of ISTEA have made a significant contribution to alleviating the problem of congestion through urban transportation planning.;This study quantitatively evaluates the trends in mass transit and roadway use in the largest American urban areas to determine the extent to which federal transportation policy under ISTEA and its successors have impacted urban congestion and the factors that limit its ability to do so. Further, the study attempts to formulate a more comprehensive conceptual model of the factors that limit the efficacy of urban transportation planning and funding methods currently employed in the United States under the ISTEA framework.;As analysis of the data demonstrates, making conclusions about the true effects of refocused federal transportation funding is difficult at best. While part of the intent of this study is to provide potential alternatives to ISTEA policies that could more effectively assist urban planning organizations in aggressively addressing congestion problems, the results of the analysis suggest that the relatively small size of these funding programs leads to a minimal association with congestion mitigation compared with many other influences.