Solid transportation plan could boost our economy

Transportation relies on engines. And, as U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta remarked, transportation itself is the engine for the American economy.

Mineta joined Congressman Rick Larsen in speaking about northwest Washington’s transportation needs with local and state leaders during a teleconference early this month. There was general agreement on the need to keep moving ahead with transportation construction, even as Mineta and other members of the Bush administration rush to deal with the threat of terrorism.

Transportation projects are much more than public works projects aimed at restarting economic growth, Mineta said. They can accomplish that goal as well. But they contribute to the economy in any circumstance, since so much depends on our ability to ship and receive products.

The danger of federal spending to retool the economy is that hastily conceived projects may be rushed into existence. At least in this state, with its appalling traffic and backlog of needed projects, there’s little or no danger of that happening. We’d guess there are plenty of other regions with similar needs. As the Bush administration and Congress move forward, they ought to look at the opportunities for dealing intelligently with transportation needs, including many long-delayed safety projects. A strong investment in transportation improvements would help the economy recover and would serve the public’s needs for the long term.