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Friday’s Headlines Battle Galactus

Like the Marvel supervillain, U.S. interstate highway system seems to eat up everything in his path. A new book explores how to stop it.

Photo: Hequals2Henry, CC|

Houston’s Katy Freeway is 26 lanes wide in places and could get even wider.

  • University of Pennsylvania professor Erick Guerra's new book "Overbuilt" notes that highways take up a fifth to a quarter of all public land in the U.S. David Zipper interviewed Guerra about congestion versus access, the benefits of toll roads, and how the gas tax encourages road construction. (CityLab)
  • E-bikes are great, but what happens to their batteries when they reach the end of their life cycle? (Citti Magazine)
  • A new generation of batteries for electric cars could charge in less than 20 seconds, power the vehicle for 1,000 miles on a single charge and/or last 10 years longer than current models. (The Cool Down)
  • Criminal defendants, custody seekers and jurors are more likely to miss court dates if Pennsylvania transit agencies are forced to make drastic service cuts. (City & State)
  • The austerity measures proposed in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are likely to lead to a death spiral and could repeat themselves all over the country. (The American Prospect)
  • Still no decision on whether to include light rail when replacing the I-5 bridge connecting Portland and Vancouver, Washington. (The Columbian)
  • A Seattle City Council vote paved the way to start building the next round of light rail projects. (The Urbanist)
  • An independent report will examine why Portland failed to reach Vision Zero. (BikePortland)
  • A popular Olympia cut-through is getting a sidewalk and protected bike lane. (The Olympian)
  • History is repeating itself in Nashville as the city debates another car-centric arterial gashing through the East Bank neighborhood. (Scene)
  • A construction project at Chicago's Lincoln Square unearthed the remains of what was once one of the world's largest streetcar systems. (WTTW)
  • Who's making these benches that have been popping up near San Francisco transit stops? (Chronicle)
  • A new museum will honor Hector Guimard, the nearly forgotten designer of art nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro's early 20th century stations. (The Guardian)

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