In 1991, Congress and the U.S. Department of Transportation began to promote development of a more balanced transportation system. Hoping to provide Americans with more choices and a higher quality of life, the federal government encouraged agencies and communities to consider environmental, cultural, economic, and social conditions in their transportation planning.

Transportation enhancements (TE) are at the heart of this thinking. Congress authorized states to set aside approximately two percent of their federal-aid highway allocations for new and nontraditional activities designed to improve communities. Congress said that these activities should be related to transportation and should enhance the community benefits of transportation investments.

Since Federally-funded enhancements began in 1992, state transportation agencies nationwide have spent nearly $6.6 billion on a wide range of projects. Many of them have involved preservation: renovation of historic transportation facilities, acquisition of scenic and historic sites, rails to trails projects, and scenic and historic highway programs.

Transportation enhancements have become a key component of good planning and preservation policy. The resources below show enhancements can benefit a community:

• Transportation Enhancement Activities -- The list of 12 transportation enhancement activities allowed under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).
• Checking Out State Transportation Enhancement Programs -- What preservationists should look for in state transportation enhancement programs.
• Building on the Past, Traveling to the Future -- A free guide to transportation enhancements prepared by the National Trust and the Federal Highway Administration.
• Understanding and Evaluating State Enhancement Programs, FORUM Journal, Summer 2000 -- A downloadable PDF (101 KB) that looks at model state enhancement programs in Kentucky, New Jersey and Georgia and criteria for evaluating your State's program.
• National Transportation Enhancement Clearinghouse -- The National Transportation Enhancement Clearinghouse offers comprehensive information about enhancements, including a 10,000 record database organized by state and project type.