US transportation planners can keep using old rules for new projects

The US Federal Highway Administration has stopped its plan to update transportation planning rules. This means local and state agencies will continue to use existing, older guidelines when planning new roads and transit projects.

The federal government had planned to update how states and cities plan their transportation projects. These updates would have changed how they consider things like climate change, equity, and public health. Now, those considerations will not be formally integrated into the planning process at the federal level. This means local planners can continue to prioritize projects using older criteria, without new federal pressure to adapt.