Wednesday’s Headlines Warn of Waste
Here are this year's most outrageously expense and useless highways, according to U.S. PIRG and Streetsblog.
By
Blake Aued
12:00 AM EDT on September 14, 2022
- U.S. PIRG‘s annual list of highway boondoggles that cost billions while doing little to relieve congestion includes wasteful projects in Maryland, Miami, Virginia, Minnesota and New Jersey. Streetsblog is breaking them down one by one.
- Who needs self-driving cars? Bikes are the future of transportation technology. (Next City)
- He signed it a month ago, but President Biden held another celebration of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes billions to fight climate change. (Politico)
- Uber has agreed to pay New Jersey $100 million in back taxes for misclassifying drivers as independent contractors. (New York Times)
- The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority is preparing to launch a bus-route revamp later this month that will make trips faster and provide more service in core areas. (Times-Picayune)
- A Sacramento ballot measure would ensure more of the sprawling development that makes transit expansion impossible. (Bee)
- A woman who killed six people behind the wheel in Los Angeles last month gunned her Mercedes up to 130 miles per hour before plowing through a red light. (Jalopnik)
- Kansas City has so many dangerous intersections that the city can’t fix them all at once. (KCUR)
- Charlotte is starting an on-demand transit service. (Axios)
- Louisville should combine its public works and traffic engineering departments into a department of transportation, as many cities like Cincinnati and Indianapolis have done. (Courier-Journal)
- Arlington County, Virginia, is considering lowering speed limits. (WTOP)
- Which option for bus rapid transit should Alexandria choose? (ALXnow)
- Fayetteville, North Carolina, needs more sidewalks. (Observer)
- File under: This doesn’t happen to transit riders. A tailgater’s grill ignited 11 vehicles parked outside a Miami Dolphins football game. No injuries were reported. (WSVN)
- The next generation of European overnight trains aims to draw passengers away from airline flights. (The Guardian)
- London is making several pandemic-era temporary bike projects permanent. (Intelligent Transport)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: RIP, The D.C. Streetcar
Advocates are mourning the loss of the D.C. streetcar ... but they'e not entirely sad to see it die.
April 10, 2026
You’re Authorized to Read Friday’s Headlines
An important federal transportation funding bill is in the works. Here's what to look out for.
April 10, 2026
Review: ’60 Minutes’ Take On High-Speed Rail Ignored Facts And Offered Nothing New
When 60 Minutes announced a segment on high-speed rail construction in the United States,I feared the worst. What I got was unexpected.
April 9, 2026
Trump Wants to Slash Federal Funding for Public Transit, Rail (Again)
The president’s proposed budget threatens transit projects across the country.
April 9, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines Are the Taxman
Suspending gas taxes might be politically popular, but it doesn't save drivers money and takes away funding for infrastructure.
April 9, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.