TxDOT Proposes to Dig a $1 Billion Infrastructure Grave in Downtown Dallas

For years now, TxDOT has considered removing Interstate 345 in downtown Dallas…only to conclude their study by coming up with a much worse plan.

Podcast, Top StoryStrong TownsJuly 6, 2022podcast, infrastructure, transportation, transportation spending, highways, freeways, freeway removal, urban freeways, DOT, upzoned, texas 6 Comments

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Transit Edition)

Don’t be fooled: Winnipeg’s newly proposed “rapid transit” project is actually a road-widening project in disguise. And it aims to borrow money so the City can destroy millions of dollars of its own tax base.

Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodJune 27, 2022transit, canada, transportation, transportation spending, public transportation, finance, financial solvency, municipal finance, infrastructure, member story, end highway expansion, local economy, growth ponzi scheme Be the First to Comment

America *Must* End Highway Expansions

Until we have a credible plan for maintaining our existing transportation infrastructure, we must stop building more roads and bridges. Period.

Top StoryStrong TownsJune 7, 2022highways, highway spending, transportation, transportation spending, infrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, infrastructure bill, maintenance, freeways, freeway widening, end highway expansion, member week 3 Comments

CDOT Cancels Highway Expansion Plans

In a moment to be celebrated, CDOT cancels highway expansion plans, stating they "have no money" to add vehicle capacity to I-25.

Top StorySeairra JonesMay 24, 2022transportation, transportation spending, highways, highway spending, freeway widening, freeways, colorado, success stories, end highway expansion 3 Comments

Northern Virginia Highway Plans Would Fuel a Massive Increase in Driving

North Virginia will make multi-billion dollar decisions this year on the region’s transportation future—decisions that are only going to induce more driving.

Top StoryBill PughApril 25, 2022car dependency, car culture, transportation, transportation spending, induced demand, highways, highway spending, freeways, freeway widening, virginia, washington dc, end highway expansion 3 Comments

The Brent Spence Boondoggle

Local leaders in Ohio and Kentucky are gearing up to make a multi-billion dollar mistake on this bridge equivalent of a highway-widening project.

Top StoryRyan CraneApril 18, 2022freeway widening, induced demand, highways, highway spending, transportation spending, kentucky, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, infrastructure spending, transparent local accounting, ohio 19 Comments

Ignoring Induced Demand is Engineering Malpractice

In 2022, denying how highway expansions induce people to drive more should be considered professional malpractice.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnApril 4, 2022transportation, transportation spending, highways, freeways, engineers, engineering ethics, traffic engineering, traffic projections, induced demand, virginia, end highway expansion 42 Comments

The Real Reason We Keep Getting Distracted by Transit Boondoggles

When it comes to transit mega project delays and overruns, there are typically two reactions: to trash the project mercilessly or unconditionally back it to the end. But there is a third option.

Marohn, Top StoryCharles MarohnFebruary 14, 2022infrastructure, transit, commuting, transportation spending, infrastructure spending, transportation, minnesota, megaproject 9 Comments

Alaska and New Infrastructure Funds: We Promise Not to Waste It!

As of November 15, Alaska is flush with federal infrastructure money. How should it be spent?

Top StoryLois EpsteinFebruary 1, 2022alaska, maintenance, infrastructure maintenance, federal funding, federal government, transportation spending, transportation, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, rural, end highway expansion 5 Comments

The Bell Tolls for Thee, Maine...

Many local jurisdictions put off paying the bills for big capital projects. But this month, the bell tolls for Maine.

Top StoryJay StangeJanuary 11, 2022highways, highway spending, toll roads, infrastructure, transportation spending, transportation, transparent local accounting 4 Comments

ODOT Needs to Stop the I-5 Bridge Con

Next month, the Portland Metro government is being asked to approve $36 million in additional funds for further planning of a massive freeway project. It should say no.

Top StoryJoe CortrightNovember 12, 2021DOT, transportation, transportation spending, highways, highway spending, freeways, freeway widening, oregon, infrastructure 3 Comments

More Highways, More Driving, More Emissions

Fact: New roads always produce new driving. Say hello to “induced demand.”

Top StorySteve DavisNovember 11, 2021transportation, transportation spending, DOT, induced demand, traffic projections, highways, freeway widening, freeways, urban freeways, highway spending, environment, traffic engineering, end highway expansion 6 Comments

CDOT's Proposal for Transit-Induced Pollution

CDOT drafts a rule that intends to address both greenhouse gas emissions and Colorado’s spreading development pattern. But can this kind of top-down solution work?

Top StoryStrong TownsSeptember 22, 2021environment, climate, transit, transportation, transportation spending, infrastructure, colorado, top-down, local government, podcast, upzoned Be the First to Comment

Transit Agencies Venture Into Real Estate—But Why Weren't They Already?

Budget shortfalls are pressuring transit agencies to do what they should’ve been doing all along: put to productive use the land they own around their stations.

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 24, 2021transit, BART, real estate, public transportation, transportation spending 4 Comments

The Trillion Dollar Question Facing Every Major American City

The “growth machine” is too big to fail. What if it fails anyway?

MarohnCharles MarohnAugust 31, 2020Ponzi Scheme, transportation spending, california, growth ponzi scheme 9 Comments

In Transportation Costs, "It's the System, Stupid"

Often lost in debates about whether or not to “subsidize” transit: the total cost of a system in which everyone drives is much higher than the total cost of a system in which other forms of transportation are attractive alternatives.

Top StoryDaniel HerrigesAugust 17, 2020auto-oriented, transportation spending, transportation, public transportation 16 Comments

Can a High-Speed Rail Network Electrify the U.S. Economy?

A Massachusetts lawmaker wants to jumpstart the economy with high-speed rail. Could it work—or is this proposal going nowhere fast?

Top Story, PodcastStrong TownsJune 4, 2020high-speed rail, transportation spending, podcast 5 Comments

Best of 2019: #NoNewRoads Gains Traction in D.C.

Until America gets its infrastructure priorities straight, the last thing we need is to pump more spending into a broken system. 2019 felt like a breakthrough year for our call for #NoNewRoads, one in which we had more influential allies and receptive ears on this point than ever before.