Freeway Fighters Digest (week of 8/21)

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.

Join us next week for our Freeway Fighters Monthly Meetup. The meeting is on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 4:00 – 5:00pm ET. Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84259004521.

Freeway Fighters News

From Highways to Healthy Communities, Transforming How California Invests in Transportation
CleanTechnica August 20, 2023
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 proposed the audacious goal of connecting the United States with a 41,000 mile federal interstate system.

City Seeks $800M from Feds to ‘Repair and Enhance’ Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
Streetsblog NYC – Streetsblog USA August 21, 2023
“It’s sad to see the city’s text invoking the negative history of urban highway construction while seeking to cement that legacy for the rest of the 21st century,” said one activist.

Potential Peña Boulevard Expansion Gets $5 Million Study Grant Over Objections
Denver Westword August 21, 2023
A controversial $5 million grant aimed at funding the potential expansion of Peña Boulevard was approved last week by the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

How a New Program is Helping Small Cities Transform Their Transportation Systems
Streetsblog USA August 22, 2023
A groundbreaking new effort to give small cities the tools they need to compete for federal grants is shining a light on how hard it can be to transform transportation outside of America’s biggest communities — and how much potential there is to end the national car dependency crisis if mini-metros get the resources they deserve.

Project to transform I-35 through Austin to move forward | kvue.com
KVUE August 22, 2023
The I-35 Capital Express Central Project to relieve congestion on the interstate is getting the go-ahead.

Legacy of urban renewal: What does a church hope for when the Inner Loop gets filled in?
Democrat and Chronicle August 22, 2023
On the corner of Lyndhurst and Scio Street, a brick church with white trim watches over the city, its gaze set on the city skyline and the Inner Loop highway.

Freeway Exit: Decommission – YouTube
YouTube August 22, 2023
A devastating earthquake forces San Francisco to consider the radical notion of tearing a freeway down. 

I-35 expansion clears another step, but not all thrilled by possibility – CBS Austin
CBS Austin August 23, 2023
The expansion of Interstate 35 passes a major hurdle and is now a step closer to construction.

I-35 expansion through downtown Austin gets final green light
Austin Monitor August 23, 2023
The state’s contentious plan to make the biggest road in Central Texas even bigger has cleared a major bureaucratic hurdle, paving the way for the historic expansion of Interstate 35 from Ben White Boulevard to U.S. Highway 290 East.

Maryland Highway Widening Plans Moving Forward Under New Governor – Planetizen
Planetizen August 23, 2023
Observers hopeful that new Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s commitment to the defunct Red Line transit project in Baltimore was a sign of a less auto-centric vision for the future of transportation in Maryland might be disappointed.

‘Completely unacceptable’: Austin group slams final I-35 plan. What TxDOT says
KXAN August 23, 2023
 On Monday, the Texas Department of Transportation announced it completed its final environmental impact statement and record of decision, clearing its last major hurdle ahead of a construction start on its Interstate 35 expansion project.

Texas DOT Approves I-35 Expansion Through Austin | Roads and Bridges
Roads and Bridges August 24, 2023
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced that the $4.5 billion expansion of Interstate 35 in Austin is moving forward, with construction beginning in mid-2024.

With bigger I-35 in cards, Austin still eager to cover highway with ‘cap and stitch’
The Business Journals August 25, 2023
With this week’s big news that the state has gained final environmental approval to redesign I-35 through downtown, the city of Austin is moving forward with its plan to create parks and bridges over the redeveloped highway. 

How a Flooding Crisis Unearthed Another Environmental Injustice in Rural Alabama
Capital B August 25, 2023
Brought on by years of incessant flooding, Timothy Williams’ home is sinking — and fast. 

What the removal of a highway could mean for Black Wall Street in Tulsa – KOSU
KOSU August 25, 2023
Tulsa’s North Peoria Church of Christ used to call Greenwood home. That was before I-244 displaced it and cut through historic Black Wall Street.

How the Past of Southeastern Wisconsin Freeways Affects the I-794 Debate – Milwaukee Magazine
Milwaukee Magazine August 25, 2023
he fix-or-farewell debate over I-794 could help reshape the future of Downtown Milwaukee, but the debate itself is shaped largely by the history of southeastern Wisconsin freeways.