Transportation Reform in the South

The South's addiction to asphalt to meet our transportation needs contributes to nearly every serious environmental problem we face today-from air and water pollution, to loss of rural lands and natural areas, to global warming. Recognizing that the time is ripe for change, SELC has launched a region-wide initiative to reform transportation policies that perpetuate sprawl and threaten the special places we southerners cherish.

A Vicious Cycle of Highways and Sprawl

A culture of "Boss Highway" has reigned in the South since the introduction of interstates and air conditioning led to explosive growth in the Sunbelt. State transportation departments have too often built massive, destructive highways and beltways that do little to improve our long-term mobility, safety, or our quality of life. Instead, new highways lure development farther out into the countryside, causing "planned sprawl."  Low-density subdivisions, with no transportation choices and far from schools, businesses and shops, force drivers onto the main roads, causing traffic tie-ups and over time,  pressure to widen the highway or build yet another bypass.

And the pattern begins again.

The South is now the fastest-sprawling region in the country, with some metro areas chewing up land faster than the rate of population growth. Sprawling development, coupled with a failure to invest in alternatives to auto and truck travel, has made the South's per capita driving distances and tailpipe pollution levels some of the worst in the nation.

SELC's Vision for Transportation Reform

The solution is a fundamental shift in policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Through our strategic reform initiative, we are advocating sensible, less costly approaches to growth.

• More transportation choices. We are spurring investment in cleaner and more efficient alternatives to driving, such as transit, high-speed passenger rail, and freight rail. (See our separate background page on high-speed rail.)
• Fix-it-first. We are urging our states to repair thousands of roads and bridges and to improve the efficiency of existing highways, rather than pour money into new ones.
• Linking transportation and land use. We are promoting development patterns that curb sprawl, reduce the cost for public services, and promote public health by providing choices for getting to work, shopping centers, school and other destinations.

Halting the Most Destructive Highway Projects

As we pursue our broad agenda for policy reform, we are also challenging the most ill-conceived and hugely expensive highway expansion proposals in the region. These projects  would increase tailpipe emissions and polluted runoff, degrade valuable natural areas and agricultural tracts, worsen the region's carbon footprint, and pave the way for yet more far-flung development.

The Time Is Now

A number of factors have converged to present the best opportunity in a generation to enhance the South's transportation systems-growing anxiety about the nation's dependence on foreign oil,  rising road construction costs,  concern about global warming, and increased demand from an aging population for walkable, mixed-use, and transit-oriented communities.. As our region continues to grow, SELC is ambitiously promoting a vision of vibrant urban centers with a range of mobility and living options, complemented by the protection of the rural and natural landscapes that define our region.

Read more about SELC's transportation work in:

Alabama
Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
 

More background on this case:
Rail is on Track for a Comeback >>