Obama's stimulus package: Will local politics push billions in spending into pork barrel projects?

President Obama's stimulus money is nearly out the door and on its way to the states, but will it be spent in the way it is intended? One alarming example: mass transit. Cities and states, strapped for money, are cutting back on mass transit, even as it becomes more popular with Americans. Meanwhile, President Obama is calling for increased mass transit as a necessary step toward energy independence. Will the government's investment dramatically revitalize the national travel infrastructure, or will states spend the money according to "business as usual"?

NOW travels to North Carolina to see what the future holds for mass transit in these troubling financial times. The investigation is part of a PBS-wide series on the country's infrastructure called BLUEPRINT AMERICA .