Matt Casale

Recent Posts

The proposed “Complete 540” highway through the southern suburbs of Raleigh would divide
neighborhoods and encourage sprawl. Image: North Carolina Dept. of Transportation

Boondoggle: N.C. Road Expansion Disaster

By Gideon Weissman and Matt Casale | Jun 19, 2019 | 3 Comments

It's the first of nine installments! This edition focuses on North Carolina’s plan to complete the southern half of a loop highway around Raleigh. It's a boondoggle with epic environmental repercussions.

Highway Boondoggles: North Spokane Corridor

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 11, 2018 | 7 Comments

Five hundred families will lose their homes to this grossly unjust $1.5 billion highway boondoggle.

The massive new I-285 interchange project will be one of the most expensive road projects in Georgia history. Image: Georgia DOT

Highway Boondoggles: I-285 and SR 400 Interchange Rebuilding in Atlanta, Georgia

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 9, 2018 | 2 Comments

A single interchange project in Atlanta will cost almost as much as the state of Georgia's annual transportation budget.

Pennsylvania’s massive project to widen 470 miles of highway could threaten funding for transit services throughout the state. Image: li2nmd, CC-BY-4.0

Highway Boondoggles: Pennsylvania Turnpike Expansion

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 6, 2018 | 10 Comments

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is hemorrhaging money. The state's transit riders could end up footing the bill for its expansion.

Austin commuters are desperate for better options, but the proposal to add miles of new lanes to I-35 will likely only exacerbate the problems that led to congestion in the first place. Image: public domain.

Highway Boondoggles: Interstate 35 Expansion in Austin

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 5, 2018 | 22 Comments

Magical thinking about congestion makes this one of the top highway boondoggles in the country.

Each of the proposed I-49 expansion routes run through the heart of the Shreveport community of Allendale. Red dots represent churches.

Highway Boondoggles: I-49 Inner City Connection in Shreveport, Louisiana

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 3, 2018 | 12 Comments

Like the city-shredding monstrosities of the 20th Century, Shreveport's highway plan would slice through a black neighborhood.

Highway Boondoggles: I-94 Expansion in Wisconsin

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jun 29, 2018 | 3 Comments

The highway widening will cost up to $1.9 billion. It is part of an insanely generous package of giveaways to lure electronics manufacturer Foxconn to Wisconsin.

The proposed Highway 101 express lanes project would add more than 22 miles of new lanes, at a total cost of $534 million. Image: Caltrans.

Highway Boondoggles: US 101 Expansion in San Mateo, California

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jun 28, 2018 | 20 Comments

Caltrans has widened U.S. 101 seven times since 1996 and hasn't cured congestion. But it's not going to try a new approach.

The proposed LBJ East expansion would create an enormous 12 lane highway with two frontage roads in both directions. Image: Texas Department of Transportation

Highway Boondoggles: LBJ East Expansion in Dallas, Texas

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jun 27, 2018 | 3 Comments

16 lanes. A $1.6 billion price tag. More traffic. Less transit. Yep, it's a boondoggle.