Angie Schmitt reports for StreetsBlog: “The problems facing Rust Belt cities sure are a magnet for easy answers. We saw it during the presidential campaign, with Donald Trump’s empty promises to revive the coal and steel industries. Whether it’s convention centers, tourist attractions, or big factory relocations, the idea that an outside savior is right around the corner continues to seduce regions that have experienced economic upheaval. “One of those silver bullets is the highway megaproject. Two recent reportsfrom U.S. PIRG have called out these boondoggles for throwing public money down the drain. At the Frontier Group, Tony Dutzik writes that Rust Belt regions should know better by now: “‘Economists generally believe that construction of the Interstate Highway System did increase economic productivity in the decades after World War II. But evidence has mounted that the economic boost from highway construction was a one-shot deal, and that we have long since entered the era of diminishing returns.'”
