Highway Expansion
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The Mayor of Portland Is Cheerleading for a Highway Expansion
Ted Wheeler, the mayor of Portland, came out swinging last week against residents who are trying to stop a $450 million widening of I-5 in the Rose Quarter.
September 18, 2017
The Woman Who Led a Highway Revolt in Dallas — and Won
Stopping a highway project is never easy. It's even harder when the highway is in a city like Dallas. And yet this week, the Dallas City Council pulled the plug on the $1.7 billion Trinity Toll Road in a 13-2 vote. A key figure in the highway revolt is Council Member Angela Hunt.
August 11, 2017
The “Outer Beltway” Is DC’s Zombie Highway Project That Won’t Stay Dead
Thanks to road boosters in the suburbs of Washington, DC, another highway bridge across the Potomac River -- part of an old plan for a second beltway around the nation’s capital -- is still officially a possibility.
August 7, 2017
Cleveland Clinic Lets Slip That the “Opportunity Corridor” Isn’t About Opportunity At All
The official line on the $331 million road project was that it would help poor Cleveland residents, not whisk people past their neighborhoods to reach the Cleveland Clinic. It was a lie.
July 18, 2017
All the Effort That Went Into Fighting a Dallas Highway Is About to Pay Off
The Trinity Parkway would cost $1.5 billion, further entrench car dependence, and ruin riverfront parkland and natural habitat. But now, after a sustained campaign that turned highways and transportation into a central issue in local elections, the Dallas City Council is on the verge of killing the project.
July 12, 2017
The Science Is Clear: More Highways Equals More Traffic. Why Are DOTs Still Ignoring It?
Numerous studies have documented the phenomenon known as induced demand in transportation: Basically, if you build highway lanes, more drivers will come. And yet, transportation agencies rarely account for this effect when planning road projects.
June 21, 2017
Highway Planners Pause to Consider the Effect of Road Widening on Detroit Neighborhoods
Standard practice for the highway planners at state DOTs is to sacrifice all other concerns at the altar of fast car traffic. Nowhere has the effect been more obviously detrimental than Detroit, where the overbuilt freeway system helped hollow out one of America’s largest cities. But highway planners in Michigan are starting to listen to people who say they want something different.
June 19, 2017
Is Portland Losing Its Resolve Against Highway Expansions?
In the 1970s, some American cities revolted against highway expansion and kept the worst excesses of the interstate construction spree in check. Those cities tend to be the most walkable and transit-oriented places in the nation today. But in Portland that legacy is in jeopardy.
April 5, 2017
Highway Projects Won’t Save the Rust Belt
Highway mega-projects remain tempting to struggling cities and regions in the Rust Belt. But evidence shows they shift economic activity away from existing business districts and don't generate lasting improvements.
March 28, 2017
How a Toledo Mom Stopped a Destructive Road Widening
Dana Dunbar was new to transportation policy and activism. But that didn't stop her from waging a successful grassroots campaign against a road widening in her neighborhood.
March 27, 2017
