Webinar on the Value of Transportation Infrastructure: Pathways to Measure Transportation’s Contribution to the Economy

TRB's Transportation Infrastructure Task Force conducted a webinar on July 6, 2016, from 11:00am to 12:30pm ET, that explored efforts to measure the impact of transportation on the economy. Participants must register in advance of the webinar, and there is no fee for attending the webinar.

The Moving Ahead for Progress for the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) requires the U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to provide “a national accounting of expenditures and capital stocks for each mode of transportation and intermodal combination.” The BTS, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and other federal statistical agencies collect and maintain relevant databases and statistics that are used to address this requirement.

Erich Strassner presented on BEA efforts to measure transportation in its economic accounts, and will highlight results from the Integrated BEA-BLS Production Account which identifies the source of economic growth, such as the Multifactor Productivity (MFP) of an industry like transportation. Karen White presented the Transportation Satellite Account (TSA) which enhances the measure of the contribution of transportation to GDP.

Both presenters will update the Value of Transportation Infrastructure task force and webinar audiences on future stream of work that will enhance the agencies’ performance measures of transportation.

Registration questions should be directed to Joanice Johnson at JOJohnson@nas.edu.