This report presents a study to evaluate trends and impacts of investments in the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Local Access Road (LAR) Program using available project data and surveys conducted in this study covering the projects completed from 2001 through 2020. Information about 135 federally funded LAR projects was obtained from…

This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, documents the extent to which existing transit services are adequately creating or enhancing access for disadvantaged populations in Appalachia, particularly those in rural Appalachia. The report also documents current best transportation practices across the Region and explores how transportation intersects with…

This study, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission, analyzes how transportation options, and lack thereof, can impact economic development and access to services across the Region. The report understands transportation accessibility as the ability of people and businesses to access desired and needed activities, services, and goods within existing transportation…

ARC’s Local Access Road projects link communities, businesses and residents to the Appalachian Development Highway System and other key parts of the region’s transportation network.

Appalachia’s 1,500 miles of navigable inland waterways, coupled with thousands of miles of roadways and railways, continue to offer tremendous economic opportunity. Using intermodal transportation hubs and efficient freight management systems, Appalachia’s manufacturing industries can keep goods and services moving in and out of every domestic market — from the northeast…

Highway development has been a critical part of ARC’s core mission since 1965, when Congress authorized the construction of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), a 3,090-mile network of highways throughout Appalachia. Since then, ADHS’s 33 corridors have continued to provide access to regional and national markets, contributing…

This report is the second volume of a study that analyzed the effect of ADHS development on economic growth in Appalachia, and the future economic benefits and costs of completing the system.