Freeway Fighters Digest (week of 8/22)

Lauren MayerWeekly News Digest

Hi all,

Here is what is being said about freeway fighting this week. If you come across any articles, feel free to share and please let me know if you have any questions.

Attention all freeway fighters! The call for nominations for the biannual Freeways Without Futures report opens next week on Thursday, September 1, 2022. We welcome submissions from previously featured campaigns, brand new campaigns and everything in between. This is a great way to generate momentum, build coalitions, and hone messaging while getting your campaigns in the national spotlight. Nominations will open here and are due October 3, 2022.

Freeway Fighters news

The Claiborne Expressway: David Waggonner on New Orleans’ ‘Hulking Mess’
The Lens August 20, 2022
Architect David Waggonner calls the effort to tear down the Claiborne Expressway in New Orleans — an elevated urban highway that cuts through the historic neighborhood of Treme — a “hero’s project,” and he’s right: removing it is a monumental political, cultural, and logistical challenge. 

Here’s Why Cities Across America Are Spending a Fortune to Tear Down Their Public Highways
Foundation for Economic Education August 22, 2022
A growing movement of local governments and communities across the United States is beginning to grapple with an unfortunate realization: The highway boom of the 1950s and ’60s produced a massive amount of infrastructure that seems to have done more harm than good.

Project targets removal of ramps at Eddy Street Bridge cloverleaf interchanges – WNDU
WNDU August 22, 2022
The City of South Bend is ramping up for some ramp removal. The project targets the cloverleaf interchanges on both sides of the Eddy Street Bridge.

Grassroots effort to remove Highway 99 in South Park goes mainstream
The Seattle Times August 22, 2022
In a wood-floored hall above and behind a South Park coffee shop, 10 or so residents discuss what it will take to tear out part of a major American highway.

Houston-area leaders continue to push for ‘genuine negotiations’ over proposed I-45 expansion
Houston Public Media August 23, 2022
Houston-area leaders are again pleading with the federal government to help with negotiations over a controversial I-45 expansion project.

Questions remain regarding I-45 expansion project, which is currently on hold
FOX 26 Houston August 23, 2022
Plans to expand the northbound Gulf Freeway between I-10 and Loop 610 have been on hold.

TxDOT plan to expand US 281 worries Blanco neighbors as they work to create own route
KXAN August 23, 2022
As Central Texas continues to grow, one small Hill Country town is getting together to ensure it can keep its history alive and intact.  

Inflation Reduction Act includes $3B to improve roads | Construction Dive
Construction Dive August 24, 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act contains $3 billion to fund Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants, a new program that aims to rework overbuilt arterial roads and make them safer and more accessible for various modes of transportation. 

D.C. region leaders want to halve transportation emissions by 2030 despite road widening plans
Virginia Mercury August 24, 2022
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board has pledged to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks despite also pursuing projects that could hinder those reductions.

Push for a ‘Capped and Stitched’ I-35 Through Downtown Austin This Saturday – TOWERS
Austin Towers – TOWERS.net August 25, 2022
The future of Interstate 35 through downtown Austin hasn’t looked particularly bright over the last few years, as the slow development of plans by state transportation agency TxDOT to widen the highway come into unflattering focus. 

Meet the New Group Opposing TxDOT’s Plan for I-345 – D Magazine
D Magazine August 26, 2022
A new collection of organizers is pushing for the Dallas City Council to request that the state slow down its plans for Interstate 345. 

Colorado Proposes Shift from Highway Expansion to Transit – NRDC
NRDC August 26, 2022
When we talk about highways, we need to consider their impact on surrounding communities, often communities of color and low-income communities.