Highway Boondoggles
Basics
California Must Stop Expanding Highways
While transit, bike, and safety projects struggle for funding, the state keeps writing blank checks for freeway widening boondoggles. It's time to tell our lawmakers: enough!
March 18, 2026
What the ‘Abundance’ Agenda Could Mean For Equitable Transportation
Could Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson's buzzword usher in an era of bountiful transportation options, or just more highways?
January 20, 2026
Exploding Costs Could Doom One of America’s Greatest Highway Boondoggles
The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project and highway expansion between Oregon and Washington was already a boondoggle. Then the costs ballooned to $17.7 billion.
January 8, 2026
Don’t Believe the Hype: NJ Turnpike Widening Still Happening
Gov. Murphy's late revision will just move the problem around, advocates say.
December 24, 2025
Find Out Exactly How Much Downtown Highways Cost Your City
"How much does it actually cost to be car dependent?" This Dallas-based analyst set out to answer that question for cities across the U.S.
December 15, 2025
Report: Biden Infrastructure Bill Spurred Increase in State and Local Highway Spending
The Urban Institute found an overall increase in capital investment in ground transportation — mostly on highways — and flat investment in public transit.
November 17, 2025
Book Excerpt Special: The Incomplete Freeway Revolt
A new book looks the destructive 20th-century urban development style — freeways, downtown office towers, suburban housing developments — that keeps Americans so dependent on their cars. Here's an excerpt.
November 6, 2025
America Has a Golden Opportunity to End the ‘Highway Boondoggle’ Crisis
America's wasteful highway spending has gotten out of control — and if President Trump really wants to promote efficient government, he'll urge Congress to stop it.
October 9, 2025
Op Ed: It’s Time to Pause Highway Construction Nationwide and Try Something New
We don't have to swear off highway construction forever to make a dent in car dependency. A new report calls for a temporary moratorium on asphalt — and outlines how to get there.
July 28, 2025
