# Federal Funding



## Andrew (Dec 26, 2013)

What is the largest Federal Allocation ever for a transportation project, and which project was it?


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## NW cannonball (Dec 27, 2013)

Andrew said:


> What is the largest Federal Allocation ever for a transportation project, and which project was it?


The Moon landing, obviously, last century.


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## jphjaxfl (Dec 27, 2013)

The cumulate total spent on the Interstate Highway Systems which was Federal Funding with state funding. This had direct contribution to the demise of railroad passenger train service in the US. If Amtrak had started at the same time and had half the funding of the Interstate Highway system, we would have a passenger train system equal to Europe or Japan.


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## blueman271 (Dec 27, 2013)

NW cannonball said:


> Andrew said:
> 
> 
> > What is the largest Federal Allocation ever for a transportation project, and which project was it?
> ...





jphjaxfl said:


> The cumulate total spent on the Interstate Highway Systems which was Federal Funding with state funding. This had direct contribution to the demise of railroad passenger train service in the US. If Amtrak had started at the same time and had half the funding of the Interstate Highway system, we would have a passenger train system equal to Europe or Japan.


Neither one of those is correct. The space race was not transportation funding and the federal highway system was brought about by Eisenhower to expedite the movement of the military after his experience as a young JO without his ability to move coast-to-coast on a single road.


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## jis (Dec 27, 2013)

AFAIK the Interstate Highway system construction was primarily funded through the gas tax which was re-targeted to the highway system from general deficit reduction, which was its original purpose. So effectively we do have the highway system that we now proudly posses for part of the overall debt. Though one could argue that the economic activity brought forth by the existence of the highway system probably made the debt less than what it could have been otherwise, and of course there is no end to that argument. I say that because I can cogently argue both sides of that argument for days, which is what suggests the nature of the arguments.

And yeah, the moon landing was not a transportation project, much as Columbus' trip hunting for a passage to India was not a transportation project, though both could and did have various large impacts on transportation.


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