Matthew Casale
Recent Posts
Highway Boondoggles, Part VII: Oregon’s Abernethy Insanity
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In our final installment of our annual Highway Boondoggles series with U.S. PIRG., we look at bridge widening that circumvented the National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Assessment process.
Highway Boondoggles Part V: Duluth’s ‘Can of Worms’
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It’s sometimes said that Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction. In Duluth, an ongoing, multiyear highway project has sucked up millions of taxpayer dollars on a road that many residents believe shouldn’t even be there in the first place.
Highway Boondoggles, Part IV: Erie’s ‘Mistake by the Lake’
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A proposed highway will make traffic worse ... and cut off the waterfront.
Highway Boondoggles, Part I: Maryland’s Misguided Highway Extension
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Here's the first installment of this year's "Highway Boondoggles" series — we'll start in Montgomery County, Maryland.
How Fed Infrastructure Money Enables Highway Boondoggles
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Federal funding could be spent on fixing our aging roads, making our streets safer, and making it easier to travel on transit, by bike or on foot, giving Americans real options for getting around without a car. But it will more likely be spent on expanding highways.
Boondoggle: Virginia’s Unlovable I-81 Expansion
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Officials have pointed to safety as a key reason for the need to expand the highway. Yet, in 2010, state officials raised speed limits to 70 mph along much of I-81, a move that likely made the road more dangerous.
Boondoggle: Portland Takes a Step Backward
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Portland has made bold moves toward becoming a good place to get around without a car. But it's about to make a huge mistake in the Rose Quarter.
Boondoggle: Keystone State’s 1-83 Expansion
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Pennsylvania is moving forward with a plan to spend $300 million in order to widen I-83 in York County to eight lanes from four. But project documents fail to show how the project will solve any problems or bring clear benefits to the region.
Highway Boondoggles: More Mistakes in Miami
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In Miami, highways slice through almost every section of the city, cutting neighborhoods off from one another and creating sprawl that threatens the surrounding environment.
Highway Boondoggles: Chicago’s Congestion Magnet
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The Tri-State Tollway through the western Chicago suburbs to O’Hare Airport is a testament to the fact that you can’t build your way out of congestion.
Highway Boondoggle: Golden State’s Desert Destruction
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California's $8-billion, 63-mile “High Desert Freeway" north of downtown Los Angeles would lead to more driving and more pollution, along with sprawling desert development.
Highway Boondoggles: Madness in Michigan
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The Great Lakes State is undertaking to expand the capacity of Interstate 75 — a project that is both unnecessary and will exacerbate the region’s problems.