Fix It First

State Departments of Transportation are largely operating on 20th century rules and assumptions. That needs to change.

State DOTs Let Roads Fall Apart While Splurging on Highway Expansion

Even though 33 percent of its roads are in "poor" condition, West Virginia spends about 73 percent of its road budget building new roads and adding lanes. Mississippi spends 97 percent of its road money on expansion. Texas, 82 percent. Smart Growth America reports that the 50 states and the District of Columbia, combined, devote 55 percent of their road spending — $20.4 billion a year — to expansions, according to data states provide to the Federal Highway Administration. In 2011, that investment added 8,822 lane miles to the nation's highway system — meaning that more than half of states' road dollars were dedicated to less than 1 percent of their roads.

While NYC DOT is a very progressive agency, the state has some catching up to do.