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The latest streets and transportation news from Streetsblog USA.

On April 20, the Federal Highway Administration launched its “Freedom to Drive” initiative, asking governors to nominate their worst traffic bottlenecks for federal capacity expansion. On May 17, House transportation leaders released the draft BUILD America 250 Act — a $580 billion, five-year surface transportation reauthorization, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked up on May 21.

Taken together, the two announcements amount to the largest federal sprawl subsidy in a generation, proposed at exactly the moment American households can least afford it.

There is a real freedom in being able to drive. But the “freedom” the initiative actually delivers isn’t “freedom” at all, because it leaves households with no alternatives.

Read more from Jarah Jacquay at the link below — and check out more news in today’s headlines.

Study: Americans Already Doubt the Myth that ‘Driving is Freedom’
Study: Americans Already Doubt the Myth that ‘Driving is Freedom’
By Kea Wilson
October 14, 2026
…and most of them want real freedom to choose how they get around, too.
Progressives Don’t Necessarily Deliver on Transportation at the State Level, Either
Progressives Don’t Necessarily Deliver on Transportation at the State Level, Either
By Beth Osborne
October 14, 2026
Why so many so-called “blue” states keep building highways — and some red states have stopped.
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