REMI used a dynamic eight-region TranSight model to examine the overall economic effects of the Department of Transportation components of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We showed the respective macroeconomic impacts of these eight regions for seven major programs: highway infrastructure investment; public transit; Amtrak; high-speed rail; aviation; shipyards and merchant marine; and discretionary funding. With the assistance of more detailed travel demand and consumer behavior data, state and local governments and Metropolitan Planning Organizations can use dynamic macroeconomic models to estimate the long-term benefits of potential projects, realized as efficiency and transportation cost savings. Policymakers will then be able to identify and invest their stimulus dollars in projects that will yield the greatest long-term benefits, minimizing wasteful spending.
