2017 Theses Master's

Getting the Wheels Turning: Assessing Strategies for Financing & Advancing Mass Transit Infrastructure in the 21st-Century

Gerken, James A.

This thesis explores several strategies for advancing the growth of mass transit infrastructure in the United States. This thesis finds that public-private partnerships (P3), design-build delivery systems, and value capture tools like tax-increment financing (TIF) all have potential for improving the feasibility of financing and constructing transportation infrastructure. However, they do carry some drawbacks and must be utilized in an appropriate context. While the three tools may address different components of a project and are not necessarily applicable in the same situation, this thesis finds that design-build carries the least risk and should be incorporated more broadly.