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C ONT AC T: NICOL E DU EF FERT , 202-552- 2274 | ndue ffe rt@pew tru sts.org

EMBA RGOED F OR R EL EA SE 12:01 a .m. ET May 11, 2011

CONNECTICUT IS A LEADER IN MEASURING PERFORMANCE

OF TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS

WASHINGTON—Connecticut is a national leader when it comes to having the essential tools—goals,

performance measures and data—to help policy makers prioritize transportation spending, according to a report
by the Pew Center on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Most states are entering their fourth year of the ongoing budget crisis, having closed more than $400 billion in
budget gaps since 2008. Connecticut, for example, faces a $3.7 billion budget gap in fiscal year 2012. At the
same time, policy and business leaders across the country are acknowledging that states’ transportation systems
are essential to helping advance short- and long-term economic growth. Additionally, some members of
Congress are proposing that the next surface transportation authorization act, the law that governs the largest
federal funding streams for states’ transportation systems, more closely tie dollars to performance.

The report, Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results, found considerable differences among
the 50 states and the District of Columbia in linking transportation systems to six key goals particularly
important to states’ economic well-being and taxpayers’ quality of life: safety, jobs and commerce, mobility,
access, environmental stewardship and infrastructure preservation.

Connecticut spent an estimated $1.8 billion on transportation in fiscal year 2010. Connecticut is one of 13 states
leading the way in measuring the returns on that investment toward those goals, with performance measures and
data that policy makers can use to advance economic competitiveness, improve access to jobs, help residents
and tourists move about more efficiently and mitigate the effects transportation has on the environment. For
example, the state tracks the amount and types of recycled material used in transportation projects; it also
monitors greenhouse gas emissions and has targets for reductions by major sectors, including transportation.
The transportation department issues a quarterly report card on its performance, from pavement conditions to
jobs created. Some members of Connecticut’s General Assembly, meanwhile, are working to establish a
“results-based accountability” approach for decision-making. Subcommittee budget books include report cards
from agencies on their performance—information that can be used to make smarter funding choices.
Connecticut has mixed results in tracking transportation’s impact on jobs and commerce.

The 12 other states leading the way are California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. Nineteen states trail behind, lacking a full array of tools needed
to account for the return on investment in their roads, highways, bridges and bus and rail systems. The
remaining 18 states and Washington, DC, fall someplace in between, with mixed results.

“Lawmakers in Connecticut have access to solid information and data to help them make smart transportation
policy and spending choices,” said Robert Zahradnik, director of research, Pew Center on the States. “But as the
Pew-Rockefeller report demonstrates, even states that are leading the way still have room for improvement. As
states wrestle with fiscal challenges, they should know what they are getting for their transportation dollars.”

“The American public expects leaders to manage our transportation investment with an eye toward performance
and results. In fact, in our recent Rockefeller Foundation Infrastructure Survey, 90 percent favored
strengthening policies that hold government accountable for collecting data and ensuring that investments fit
into an overall plan that is on time and on budget,” said Nicholas Turner, Rockefeller Foundation managing
director. “This report, which comes at a time when performance and outcomes are such critical pieces of the
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transportation policy debate, provides both examples of how a handful of states do this well and how many
others still have a long road ahead of them.”

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 the six
goals. Each state also was given an overall rating.

The six key goals are:

• Safety: This is the area in which states are doing the best job of measuring performance and responding
to results. Every state, including Connecticut, and Washington, DC, has goals and compiles data on
indicators such as fatalities and crashes.
• Jobs and commerce: Conversely, only 16 states earn top marks for progress in measuring their
transportation systems’ impact on jobs and commerce. Some have begun to develop methods to connect
transportation dollars more closely to this important goal. Connecticut shows mixed results in this area.
• Mobility: Connecticut, 27 other states and Washington, DC, are leading the way in measuring how well
they connect people to their destinations—using the information to combat congestion and manage
accidents and other incidents that affect traffic flow.
• Access: Connecticut, 24 other states and Washington, DC, are leading the way in collecting and
tracking information about the availability and use of transportation options such as public transit,
including those that link workers and employers.
• Environmental stewardship: Thirty-four states and Washington, DC, show mixed results or are trailing
behind in having the goals, performance measures or data in place to assess how their transportation
systems affect the environment. Connecticut is one of 16 states leading the way when it comes to
measuring transportation’s impact on the environment.
• Infrastructure preservation: More than three-quarters of states, including Connecticut, earn top marks
for having needed information to assess their progress and make smart decisions in this area.

The report describes policies and practices lawmakers can adopt to collect and use information that can improve
taxpayers’ return on investment in states’ transportation systems, even in difficult fiscal times. Among them:

• Enact or improve performance measurement legislation. At both the federal and state levels, legislation
can seek to mandate or incentivize states to go beyond simply collecting information and actually use it
to make important transportation policy and funding choices. For instance, in some cases, budget
requests are tied to submission of performance data.
• Develop an appropriations process that makes better use of data. States need to develop more
comprehensive systems to ensure that policy makers are asking for and using solid information in their
deliberations about transportation spending.
• Increase the use of cost-benefit and other types of economic analysis in making transportation
decisions. Economic analysis can be valuable in assessing the cost effectiveness or economic impact of
a proposed transportation project. Missouri, for example, estimates the number of jobs that may be
created by proposed transportation projects. The state also estimates job creation by specific industry.
This method helps inform decisions about transportation investments.

The full report and fact sheets for each state are available at: www.pewcenteronthestates.org/transportation

Pew Center on the States

The Pew Center on the States is a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts that identifies and advances effective
solutions to critical issues facing states. Pew is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical
approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. www.pewcenteronthestates.org.

The Rockefeller Foundation

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The Rockefeller Foundation fosters innovative solutions to many of the world's most pressing challenges,
affirming its mission, since 1913, to “promote the well-being” of humanity. Today, the Foundation works to
ensure that more people can tap into the benefits of globalization while strengthening resilience to its risks.
www.rockefellerfoundation.org.