Highway Expansion
Boondoggle: Oregon Highway Widening Gets ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Cash
The US Department of Transportation just awarded $450 million to the $1.9-billion Rose Quarter 1-5 project, which opponents have long called one of America’s most-notorious highway boondoggles.
The Biggest Wins — And Disappointments — From the ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Grants
"Until we overhaul our transportation system to redirect the majority of funding into community-oriented infrastructure investments, we will keep failing to meet our equity, climate, and maintenance goals."
Letter from Minneapolis: The Legacy of Highway Construction
Highways were convenient tools to rid the cities of perceived social ills, a mindset deeply embedded in white supremacy. Here's how it played out in two neighborhoods.
Calif. Claims Adding Miles of New Lanes to a Freeway Is… Not Expanding the Freeway
Metro claims "no [710 Freeway] expansion whatsoever" — and, at the same time, Metro says they won't rule out demolishing homes.
State DOTs Spend Even More Money on Highway Expansions Than We Thought
Advocates knew states would go on a highway widening binge when the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed — but they didn't know it would be quite this bad.
Freeway Fighters: ‘Stop the Highway-Expansion Madness,’ New Coalition Demands
"Endless highway expansions are pulling our country into an environmental, budgetary, and public health crisis," the letter states.
2023 Was the Year of Metro Freeway Widening
Metro quietly finished work on two 5 Freeway widening mega-projects, and started work on widening the 57/60, 91, and 605 - while continuing work on numerous widenings under construction — plus planning future mega-widenings.
Freeway Math: How Governments Decide a Harmful Highway Is ‘Worth It’
A massive interstate highway project promises do deliver billions of dollars in public "benefits." But a local advocacy group says that it's all based on bad math.
Calif. Using ‘Auxiliary Lane’ Freeway Widening Loophole for Non-Aux Lane Projects
Beyond just using harmful loopholes legally, Metro and Caltrans deceptively bypass environmental regulations in order to keep on widening freeways.
Highway Boondoggles 2023: Salt Lake Shenanigans
Plans for a major freeway expansion based on over-inflated traffic projections are a wrongheaded way to deal with the region’s rapid population growth.
