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Highways

Wider Highways Don’t Solve Congestion. So Why Are We Still Knocking Down Homes for Them?

Highway expansion projects certainly qualify as projects for public use. But do they deliver a public benefit that justifies taking private property?

May 2, 2024

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."

March 22, 2024

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.

Can This Tiny Owl Defeat One of America’s Biggest Highway Projects?

This less-than-pint-sized bird plays a massive role in keeping the Sonoran desert in balance. Now, it could tackle its most fierce opponent yet: the American highway lobby.

January 8, 2024

Highway Boondoggles 2023: Habitat Devastation in the Hoosier State

Plans for a new 54-mile highway in southern Indiana threaten thousands of acres of forests, farmland and wildlife habitat. So why is Indiana forging ahead anyway?

November 30, 2023

Highway Boondoggles 2023: Is the BQE the Queen of All Boondoggles?

New York City is set to squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a polluting and outdated highway.

November 29, 2023

Is Detroit ‘Reconnecting Communities,’ or Missing an Opportunity?

Detroit won a $100-million federal grant to study replacing a highway with a boulevard. Some say the plan doesn't go far enough.

November 3, 2023

The I-35 Expansion in Austin, Texas Shows Why States Should Never Control Their Own Environmental Review Process

A little-known loophole in federal law allows states like Texas to rubber-stamp their own environmental reviews — even when the projects they're reviewing are harmful highway boondoggles.

October 30, 2023

Who Gets Peace and Quiet?: Urban Noise in the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 stay-at-home advisories of 2020, the world quieted. As a community noise researcher, I felt the changes acutely.

October 18, 2023