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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.

‘Diversity; in Transportation Planning is Under Attack — But These Experts Say It’s More Important Now Than Ever 
‘Diversity; in Transportation Planning is Under Attack — But These Experts Say It’s More Important Now Than Ever 
By Steve Wright
September 23, 2026
Minority-owned planning firms are as essential as they ever were, these four top experts argue — no matter what the White House says.
Where the Battles Against Harmful Highways and Hyper-Scale Data Centers Collide
Where the Battles Against Harmful Highways and Hyper-Scale Data Centers Collide
By Kea Wilson
September 22, 2026
Hyperscale AI data centers and highways are both harmful forms of fossil fuel infrastructure that get built without much community input — and it’s time to fight back against both, one of our favorite podcasters argues.
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