State Stimulus Reports Could Use Some Clarity (Literally) — ProPublica

State Stimulus Reports Could Use Some Clarity (Literally)

by Jennifer LaFleur

April 6, 2009, 9:17 a.m. EDT

Kyle May/Flickr Want to know what transportation projects your state has selected for its stimulus money? Depending on where you live, it might not be so easy.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has a list of reports submitted by states, outlining their projects. Handy, except that some of the reports are in less than readable PDF form.

According to a file from California, the state plans to spend on In its report, New Hampshire lists this project: Meanwhile, none of the dollar amounts for projects appear in New Hampshire's report (PDF).

In its report, California doesn't point to a better place to get its information, but there is one. The California Department of Transportation's recovery site has a clean, readable file (PDF). The New Hampshire Department of Transportation also has some information on its recovery site, but it lists only a handful (PDF) of projects.

In Washington state, folks seem to understand that transparency means actually making the information available AND READABLE. In its report to the U.S. Department of Transportation, it points to the Washington State Department of Transportation's easy-to-read Web table, which lists information on each project, including its status. It also maps the projects.

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