Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Boondoggles

Virginia will expand Interstate 81, changes that will cost a whopping $2.2 billion and affect Civil War landscapes.

Boondoggle: Virginia’s Unlovable I-81 Expansion

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jul 1, 2019 | 13 Comments

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.

Interstate 5, leading toward Portland. Oregon plans to widen the highway through the Rose Quarter.

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Boondoggle: Portland Takes a Step Backward

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 28, 2019 | 11 Comments

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.

Pennsylvania seeks to widen I-83 in York County, but funds for the costly project would be better spent on operational improvements such as crash prevention. Image: PennDOT

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Boondoggle: Keystone State’s 1-83 Expansion

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 27, 2019 | 6 Comments

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.

Rendering of a proposed park under the expanded I-395 highway project, showing parkgoers
strolling just feet from high-speed traffic. Image: Florida Department of Transportation

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Highway Boondoggles: More Mistakes in Miami

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 26, 2019 | 5 Comments

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.

The High Desert Freeway could overburden desert ecosystems, altering the landscape and straining scarce water resources. Image: California Dept. of Transportation

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Highway Boondoggle: Golden State’s Desert Destruction

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 24, 2019 | 5 Comments

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.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has pointed to population growth in Oakland County as the reason the area needs a larger Interstate 75 north of Detroit. But projected growth shows the county adding fewer than 100,000 people between 2015 and 2045, across an area nearly four times as large as Chicago. Photo: Ken Lund

Highway Boondoggles: Madness in Michigan

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 21, 2019 | 5 Comments

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.

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