Thursday’s Headlines Try New Arguments

An urban planner makes a conservative economic case for tearing down freeways running through cities.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on March 5, 2026

I-35 in Austin tops CNU’s list of freeways that should be removed and turned into surface streets.

|Photo: Matthew Rutledge

New research found that urban freeways take up 66,000 acres of extremely valuable land, depriving U.S. cities of more than $5 billion in property tax revenue a year. Author Patrick Kennedy also calculated that the U.S. could have built 36 Paris Metro systems with the money spent blasting through downtowns. (CityLab, Streetsblog)
The head of the International Association of Public Transport talks about the importance of public transportation and how to improve both the service and its image. (El Pais)
U.S. cities with the most dangerous streets are mainly located in the Sun Belt. (Streetsblog USA)
The Federal Transit Administration made available $686 million in grants to modernize transit stations. (Trains)
The U.S. DOT awarded $100 million to World Cup host cities. (ESPN)
Angie Schmitt writes about how walkable streets and small businesses feed off each other. (Love of Place)
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration doesn't have the power to stop congestion pricing in New York City. (NY Times), Streetsblog NYC)
Federal funding that allowed Colorado to expand its rural Bustang service is running out. (Colorado Public Radio)
The Philadelphia Citizen says Philly should look to the Atlanta Beltline as it prepares to expand its own rail-trail project.
Oregon Republicans sued Democrats for moving the date of a transportation funding referendum from November to May. (Capital Chronicle)
Indianapolis is entering its first year under Vision Zero. (Axios)
An Oregon bill would cut $25 million from Safe Routes to School and bike paths. (BikePortland)
Rio de Janeiro is working to make streets around schools safer after drivers killed 900 students in 2023. (World Resources Institute)