Freeway Fighters Digest (week of 10/23)

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.

The Congress for the New Urbanism’s 2024 Charter Awards are open for submissions through December 31, 2023. Previous award winners include the Albany Riverfront Collaborative’s Re-Envision Albany campaign so consider submitting your campaign or project for consideration.

Freeway Fighters News

Detroit Today: MDOT explains why it’s replacing I-375 with a boulevard – WDET 101.9 FM
WDET October 21, 2023
“Reckoning 375,” a new miniseries from “Detroit Today,” will explore the history behind — and repercussions of — the freeway’s construction, and what the replacement project will entail.

‘Amazing’ footage of this city’s highway transformation has people envious – Yahoo Finance
Yahoo Finance October 21, 2023
Keeping the planet from warming more than 2.7 degrees will require plenty of innovation.

Los Angeles Mayor Takes Stand Against Marina 90 Freeway Removal as Dispute Intensifies
Hoodline October 22, 2023
After the Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ declaration against the removal of the 90 freeway yesterday, the dispute over the proposed Marina 90 Freeway project intensifies. 

Mayor Karen Bass Reverses Stance on Marina 90 Freeway Removal – Westside Current
Westside Current October 23, 2023
In response to the escalating debate surrounding the proposed removal of the Marina 90 Freeway, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered the following message on Friday, October 20:

Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group Plays Key Role in Pasadena’s …
Pasadena Now October 24, 2023
The Reconnecting Communities 710 Advisory Group is convening for a special meeting on Thursday, Oct. 26, to listen to a recap of the “One Year Update on Relinquished Area” presentation made to the California Transportation Commission last week, and to a planning presentation, titled “Specific Plans as an Implementation Tool for the 710 Study Area.” 

I-475 Neighborhood Coalition meets ahead of Wednesday’s ODOT meeting on highway expansion
WTVG October 25, 2023
First presented to the public back in 2020, The Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) I-475 expansion project for West Toledo is still receiving pushback from some residents living alongside the highway.

Wielding Data to Fight Freeway Expansions in Toledo | Planetizen News
Planetizen October 25, 2023
Residents in Toledo, Ohio are using data from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to counter the department’s own narrative about its freeway expansion projects, reports Asia  Mieleszko in Strong Towns.

Austinites rally to hit the brakes on I-35 expansion project
CultureMap Austin October 25, 2023
here are more and more people coming into Austin, and their cars need somewhere to go, too.

Roads, Cars, and Cities – CT Examiner
CT Examiner October 25, 2023
There was a time in the early 1960s when Connecticut transportation planners decided they had to destroy cities in order to save them.

Maryland Department of Transportation Pursuing Federal Grants as Part of Commitment to …
WGMD October 26, 2023
The Maryland Department of Transportation has submitted five funding requests for nearly $24 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program for projects that will restore community connections and address transportation facilities that have historically divided neighborhoods.

UDOT’s plans to expand I-15 through the west side echo the fights over its initial construction
Salt Lake City Weekly October 26, 2023
In July 1946, the Utah State Road Commission called for a meeting between themselves, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and members of the Salt Lake City and County Commissions to ensure cooperation on a new transportation “master plan.”

ODOT pledge to minimize property takes doesn’t mollify I-475 project critics – Toledo Blade
Toledo Blade October 26, 2023
Conceptual plans for widening I-475 in West Toledo and neighboring Sylvania Township no longer involve any full property condemnations, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said Wednesday.

Q&A with Susan Handy, Director of the National Center for Sustainable Transportation at UC Davis
Sactown Magazine October 27, 2023
Ever since her days peering out the window of her family’s station wagon as a little girl, Susan Handy has carried a fascination with the roads that move people from point A to point B in California.