Highway Expansion
Streetsblog Basics
Meet the $4.7 Billion Birmingham Highway Only Cronyism Could Build
It is really a testament to how dominant the highway industrial complex has become that we even have to talk about Birmingham's Northern Beltline, a $4.7 billion outerbelt first proposed in the 1960s. But with backing from big companies that would reap windfall real estate profits from the highway -- and with a U.S. Senator working to secure federal funding -- this boondoggle might actually get built.
January 28, 2013
What Do Anti-Density NIMBYs and Road-Wideners Have in Common?
Matt Yglesias made an excellent point about anti-density NIMBYs over at Slate yesterday. Writing about opposition to multifamily residential construction in the tony neighborhood near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Yglesias wondered how much value residents really place on keeping the area a "single-family residential community."
December 19, 2012
Here They Are: The Best and Worst American Transportation Projects
Which transportation projects are the smartest investments, and which are the most ridiculous boondoggles? The Sierra Club has put together a solid list in a new report titled "Smart Choices, Less Traffic: The 50 Best and Worst Transportation Projects in the United States."
December 12, 2012
Will Transportation Investments Keep Up With the Way Americans Travel?
Phineas Baxandall is a senior analyst at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
October 22, 2012
WisDOT Faces Civil Rights Suit Over $1.7 Billion “Zoo Interchange”
In the politically polarized Milwaukee region, there are two widely divergent visions of what transportation should do.
August 17, 2012
There’s a Lot Riding on U.S. DOT’s Definition of “Congestion”
Congress has done its job, such as it is, and passed a transportation bill. Now it's handed off the policymaking to U.S. DOT, which must issue a raft of rules, definitions, and guidance to accompany the new law, known as MAP-21.
August 15, 2012
Cuomo Admin Applies Double Standard to Cars and Buses on Tappan Zee
When it comes to building a new Tappan Zee Bridge for drivers, the Cuomo administration says there's no time to waste and only a gold-plated, super-wide span will do. But don't ask them how they plan to pay for it, or how high tolls will be.
July 25, 2012
Under the Economic Microscope, Highway Expansion Loses Appeal
Despite the common refrains about transportation spending creating jobs, most states don't actually give serious thought to the economic impact of transportation projects. More often than not, they're content to sink money into freeways despite a wealth of research that shows that transit, bikeways, and sidewalks deliver a much bigger economic bang for the taxpayer's buck.
June 12, 2012
This Week: Road Builders and Cyclists Convene in the Capital
The House of Representatives is back in town, and its members still don't have a transportation bill. In fact, they probably won't have one for weeks. But two groups holding conferences in Washington this week would be more than happy to help them out in the meantime.
March 19, 2012
Cuomo Primed to Splurge on Jumbo-Sized Tappan Zee With Extra Lanes
The Cuomo administration's plan for the new Tappan Zee Bridge, described in yesterday's draft environmental impact statement, is more than a missed opportunity to provide New Yorkers with faster and greener commutes using transit. It also foreshadows a potential environmental disaster, as the state prepares to spend huge sums on a span that can funnel much more traffic than the current bridge.
January 25, 2012