Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Highway Expansion

In Dallas, You Can Get a “Sustainability” Grant to Widen a Road

Image: North Central Texas Council of Governments
Want to widen a road in the Dallas region? You can get "Sustainable Development Funds." Want to extend a transit line? No such luck. Image: North Central Texas Council of Governments
Image: North Central Texas Council of Governments

Some folks on Twitter have been having a laugh about these PowerPoint slides from the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

But it's more sad than funny. The slides outline what kinds of projects are eligible for the Dallas region's Sustainable Development Funds, according to local planner Patrick Kennedy. More than $43 million was awarded for projects meeting these criteria between 2009 and 2010, the last time the funds were apparently awarded. (They were also awarded in 2001 and 2006.)

"The program is designed to encourage planning and foster growth and development in and around historic downtowns and Main Streets, infill areas, and along passenger rail lines and at stations," COG explains on its website.

Notice how the top eligible item is "expanding roadway capacity." And that road reconstruction -- maintenance projects -- is ineligible.

Even though we've singled out Dallas here, lots of agencies give out federal "Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Funds" for road widenings. Adding turn lanes is a federally eligible use. Point being, the federal government and many regional governments -- Dallas among them -- still accept the idea that widening roads will reduce congestion and thus improve air quality, despite all the evidence that it does the opposite.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Sprawling Headlines

Sprawl seems to be having a moment, but it remains a very shortsighted and environmentally disastrous way to solve the housing crisis.

July 1, 2025

Does Constant Driving Really Make Our Country Richer?

A new study reveals that constant driving is making America less productive and prosperous — and getting people on other modes could help right the ship.

July 1, 2025

This Threatened Toronto Bike Lane Gets More Rush Hour Traffic Than the Car Lane

Ontario leadership claim "no one bikes" on their cities' paths — but the data shows otherwise.

July 1, 2025
See all posts