Where Do Infrastructure Projects Come From?

Your city just announced a big infrastructure project, one with significant state and federal funding. You and your neighbors are likely wondering: why this project?

Marohn, Top Story, TrendingCharles MarohnJanuary 22, 2024end highway expansion, infrastructure cost, megaproject, public engagement, top-down Be the First to Comment

Not a Professional Engineer? You Can Still Help End Highway Expansions

The battle against highway expansions can be one of the toughest fights an advocate will ever come up against. But as this Florida-based Local Conversations group has shown, persistence will eventually pay off.

Community Stories, Top StorySeairra JonesDecember 13, 2023success stories, end highway expansion, local conversations, highways, florida Be the First to Comment

Widening Highways To Combat Traffic Is Like Swallowing a Spider To Eat a Fly

ODOT wants to widen a highway in Toledo, OH. But continuing to make the highway bigger and bigger to solve traffic problems is about as effective as the story of the little old lady who swallowed a spider to eat a fly.

Edward Erfurt, Top Story, TrendingEdward ErfurtDecember 1, 2023end highway expansion, highways, freeway widening, ohio, department of transportation 2 Comments

3 of the Worst Highway Expansion Projects Singled Out by the Highway Boondoggles Report

The latest Highway Boondoggles Report is out, showcasing just how much money is being wasted on highway expansion projects across the U.S.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoNovember 9, 2023highway spending, end highway expansion, freeway widening, infrastructure, federal funding Be the First to Comment

Toledo Freeway Fighters Are Weaponizing ODOT’s Data Against It

DOTs commonly justify highway expansion projects by claiming increased capacity will relieve traffic congestion and spur economic growth—but Toledo, OH, residents are busting these myths using ODOT’s own data.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoOctober 24, 2023traffic congestion, freeway widening, ohio, end highway expansion, department of transportation, local conversations Be the First to Comment

MDOT’s Idea of Reconnecting Communities Is a $300 Million Stroad in Detroit

Detroit’s local leaders have long favored eliminating I-375, a sunken highway separating the eastern parts of the city from downtown…but MDOT’s plan to convert it into a six-lane road is not the future they envisioned.

News, Top StoryAsia MieleszkoOctober 17, 2023end highway expansion, michigan, freeway removal, department of transportation, highways 1 Comment

Breaking: California Transportation Official Demoted for Opposing Highway Expansion

Freeway fighters in California may have found a friend in Caltrans—if not for the fact that she was allegedly terminated for opposing two of the state’s forthcoming highway construction projects.

News, Top Story, TrendingAsia MieleszkoOctober 10, 2023end highway expansion, california, department of transportation, environment, highways Be the First to Comment

How One American City Reclaimed a Highway (and It Paid Off Big Time)

Rochester, NY, made the decision to undo a past harmful highway project. Here are the challenges they faced—and the rewards they’ve seen since freeing up that valuable land for development.

Top StoryBen AbramsonOctober 2, 2023end highway expansion, highways, freeway removal, success stories, new york Be the First to Comment

Highway Expansions Aren’t a Thing of the Past—So How Do We Fight Them in 2023?

Challenging multimillion-dollar highway projects is daunting, but thousands of freeway fighters across the country can at least assure you that you’re not alone.

Top StoryAsia MieleszkoSeptember 6, 2023Local-Motive Tour, freeway removal, end highway expansion, advocacy Be the First to Comment

Induced Demand and the Highway Interchange (Part 2)

There is currently a mandate in the new Ohio budget bill that an interchange must be built between Brunswick and Strongsville. But odds are, it’s only going to make traffic problems in the area worse.

Top StoryJustin BoeyAugust 29, 2023induced demand, end highway expansion, local conversations, highways, congestion Be the First to Comment

Induced Demand and the Highway Interchange (Part 1)

Adding an interstate exit will not fix congestion issues for this highway in Ohio. Here’s why.

Top StoryJustin BoeyAugust 25, 2023induced demand, end highway expansion, local conversations, highways, congestion Be the First to Comment

Connect the Dots: What Google Maps Reveals About Dangerous Streets

Google Maps: “Let me tell you where the next freeway will be without telling you where the next freeway will be.”

Edward Erfurt, Top StoryEdward ErfurtAugust 25, 2023Crash Analysis Studio, end highway expansion, safe and productive streets, canada, stroad Be the First to Comment

Inside the On Ramp: This School May Have America’s Worst Location

What do you want in a school for your children? Safe surrounding streets? A quiet environment for learning? Plenty of green space for outdoor play? How about a highway ramp encircling nearly the entire school…?

Top StoryBen AbramsonAugust 17, 2023schools, children, safe and productive streets, highways, ohio, end highway expansion Be the First to Comment

State Overreach of Power Demands Neighborhood Be Torn Down for New Interchange

Despite overwhelming local opposition, the Ohio government is forcing an interchange project on the city of Brunswick, threatening homes and funds that had originally been set aside for walkability projects.

News, Top StorySeairra JonesAugust 9, 2023end highway expansion, ohio, highway spending, freeway widening, infrastructure Be the First to Comment

Re-Imagining the Re-Thinking I-94 Proposals

The Minnesota Department of Transportation says they’re “rethinking” this freeway, but then came up with 10 proposals for roads for automobiles, just of different configurations. How rethought is that, really?

Top StoryPine SalicaAugust 8, 2023end highway expansion, minnesota, infrastructure Be the First to Comment

What We Must Do To Address the Historic Harms of Highways

A compelling new report, Divided by Design, from Smart Growth America examines the tangled history of highway building and so-called urban renewal in the U.S.

Top StoryBen AbramsonJuly 24, 2023highways, race, history, urban renewal, end highway expansion Be the First to Comment

Rethinking the Unthinkable

Why is it so hard to imagine removing a 60-year-old freeway from the heart of my city—even as someone who likes the idea?

Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesJuly 19, 2023freeway removal, history, urban freeways, minnesota, end highway expansion Be the First to Comment

Why Is This Freeway So Expensive? (Hint: Because It’s Too Damn Wide!)

The I-5 Rose Quarter project is proving to be extremely costly, and those costs are directly related to the excessive width of the project—something that ODOT has gone to great lengths to conceal.

Top StoryJoe CortrightJuly 13, 2023DOT, freeway widening, end highway expansion, oregon, infrastructure 17 Comments

In Philadelphia, the I-95 Collapse Is Igniting a Conversation About Transit

On June 11, 2023, a tanker truck caught fire in Northeast Philadelphia, killing its driver and devastating over 100 feet of Interstate 95 above it. Now the city is reconsidering its dependency on the highway.