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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.

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.

The North Houston Highway Improvement Project will expand already vast swaths of highway
through the middle of Houston, displacing homes and businesses and dividing communities.
Image: Texas Dept. of Transportation

Boondoggle: A Texas-Sized Mess of a Highway Plan

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 19, 2019 | 11 Comments

Deadly and sprawling Houston does not need this $7-billion widening and rebuilding highway project.

The proposed “Complete 540” highway through the southern suburbs of Raleigh would divide
neighborhoods and encourage sprawl. Image: North Carolina Dept. of Transportation

Boondoggle: N.C. Road Expansion Disaster

By Gideon Weissman and Matt Casale | Jun 19, 2019 | 3 Comments

It's the first of nine installments! This edition focuses on North Carolina’s plan to complete the southern half of a loop highway around Raleigh. It's a boondoggle with epic environmental repercussions.

Boondoggles: Nine Projects That Should Not Happen

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 18, 2019 | 9 Comments

Here's the thing with highway expansion projects: They're big. They're expensive. And they have limited benefit. Our friends at US PIRG present their annual report.

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