Highway Expansion
Streetsblog Basics
It’s Time to Stop Pretending That Roads Pay for Themselves
If nothing else, the current round of federal transportation legislating should end the myth that highways are a uniquely self-sufficient form of infrastructure paid for by "user fees," a.k.a. gas taxes and tolls.
November 25, 2015
Will Texas Voters Enshrine Failed Transpo Policy in the State’s Constitution?
When Texas voters go to the polls this November they will decide an issue of enormous consequence to the future of the state.
October 20, 2015
Do Environmental Reviews for Road Projects Help the Environment?
It's been more than 40 years since the National Environmental Policy Act was enacted. In that time, America has built a lot of emissions-inducing, land-devouring highway infrastructure despite the environmental review process mandated by NEPA. It's fair to ask: When it comes to transportation infrastructure, does environmental review make a difference for the environment?
October 19, 2015
3 White Elephants That Help Explain America’s Infrastructure Crisis
A new report by the Center for American Progress zeros in on an under-appreciated culprit in America's much ballyhooed infrastructure crisis: All the money we waste on useless roads.
September 30, 2015
Scott Walker’s Own Party Rejects His Milwaukee Highway Boondoggle
Governor Scott Walker might be too busy campaigning for president to care, but the Wisconsin legislature handed him a rebuke last week, rejecting his plans for debt-fueled highway expansion.
July 6, 2015
The Pendulum Swings Away From Highways on the Dallas City Council
A runoff election Saturday has solidified who's in and who's out of the Dallas City Council. At stake were the future of two highway projects: the construction of the Trinity Toll Road and the removal of I-345 to make way for walkable development. Highway opponents gained ground, though not enough for a majority.
June 17, 2015
Is the Lord For or Against a Texas County Road Bond? Opinions Mixed
Things are really getting heated in Montgomery County, Texas, just outside Houston, over a proposal to issue $350 million in bonds to maintain and expand roads. Like fire-and-brimstone heated.
April 9, 2015
Ohio Cities to State DOT: No More New Roads, Just Fix What We Have
Given that the federal Highway Trust Fund is broke and the Interstate Highway System is more or less complete, maybe -- just maybe! -- it doesn't make sense to keep expanding highways. And if there's one place in the country where it's especially urgent to stop building more highways, it's northeast Ohio.
April 2, 2015
How the Lure of Spending Keeps Dumb Highway Projects Alive
Decades ago, Ohio officials drew a line on a map -- the Eastern Corridor, a highway for commuters living in Cincinnati's eastern suburbs. No matter how much time has passed and how little sense it makes to build that highway today, that line can still seem like destiny.
March 2, 2015
Cincinnati’s Highway Revolt on the Verge of Victory
Could the end be near for the $1.4 billion Eastern Corridor highway project proposed for eastern Cincinnati? Language added to Ohio's transportation budget, which is being debated right now, would specifically "prohibit [Ohio DOT] from funding the Eastern Corridor Project in Hamilton County."
February 25, 2015