Freeway Fighters Digest (week of 9/5)

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.

Thank you to everyone who has already submitted local campaigns for the 2023 Freeways Without Futures report. Now is the time to address this watershed moment in the history of our transportation infrastructure. The goal of this report is to promote the idea of urban highway removal at the national level and garner exposure for the local campaigns that could use this momentum to advance them to the next step. Submit your nominations by October 3, 2022.

Freeway Fighters news

Pelosi in Georgia to plug funding reuniting Black communities split by 1950s highway projects
WABE September 3, 2022
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid a visit to Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood Thursday to promote a provision of the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act intended to stitch together communities divided by racist transportation policy.

Speaker Pelosi visits Atlanta to tout ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ funding
FOX 5 Atlanta September 3, 2022
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toured Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn District Thursday and took part in a roundtable discussion with community leaders about how they can use new grant funding set aside as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Stop I-45 group cries foul over restarted demolition of Lofts at the Ballpark
Houston Chronicle September 3, 2022
A group protesting the planned expansion of Interstate 45 on Friday night accused the Texas Department of Transportation of ignoring the city of Houston and acting in bad faith after the agency restarted its demolition of an apartment complex near Minute Maid Ballpark.

Federal funds offer green solutions for divided Atlanta neighborhoods
Georgia Public Broadcasting September 4, 2022
Residents of Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood are looking for solutions after facing decades of environmental harm caused by a highway dividing the neighborhood in the 1950s.

Why Are Highways Literally Always Under Construction? – Digg
Digg September 6, 2022
It seems like at any given time, every highway in the US is either undergoing repair or expansion. Here’s why that is.

Atlanta council seeks federal funds for Downtown’s ‘The Stitch’ – Reporter Newspapers
Reporter Newspapers September 8, 2022
Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi introduced legislation Sept. 6 that would seek federal funding for preliminary engineering for The Stitch, the long talked about vision to cap the Downtown Connector.

Sender ’25: The highway divided Providence. A cap over I-95 can fix it.
The Brown Daily Herald September 8, 2022
In the 1950s and 60s, Interstate 95 was constructed through Providence, displacing more than 2,000 residents throughout the state.

Opinion | Mr. Biden, Tear Down This Highway – The New York Times
The New York Times September 8, 2022
Since the mid-20th century, urban highway construction has worked as a powerful tool to segregate American cities and demolish communities of color. 

Against federal guidance, states plan to expand highways | Grist
Grist September 8, 2022
When President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Package into law last November, many saw it as an opportunity to combat climate change.

UTC calls TxDOT proposal to expand I-35 ‘just so weak’ – Austin Monitor
Austin Monitor September 9, 2022
Urban Transportation commissioners voiced their continuing concerns Tuesday about the Texas Department of Transportation’s plans to reconstruct and expand the portion of Interstate 35 that goes through Austin’s downtown.

States wasting billions on new highways, rather than fixing old ones: report
The Hill September 9, 2022
State use of federal infrastructure dollars to prioritize highway expansions over repairs could waste billions of dollars and worsen the impacts of climate change, a new report has found.

State to keep I-45 expansion project in infrastructure plans
Theleadernews.com September 9, 2022
State leaders are moving forward with a $7 billion plan to expand Interstate 45 through Houston, despite stiff opposition from some area residents.