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.
*Note: Friday is a federal holiday so all 11/10 stories will be featured in next week’s edition.
Freeway Fighters News
Is Detroit ‘Reconnecting Communities,’ or Missing an Opportunity? – Streetsblog USA
Streetsblog USA November 4, 2023
A freeway-to-boulevard project that’s been held up as the poster child for the Biden administration’s transportation equity goals is sparking controversy among residents who worry it’s simply a “highway by another name” — and raising tough questions about what it really means to “reconnect” a community.
Reckoning 375: Community stakeholders discuss potential impact of I-375’s removal
WDET November 4, 2023
In the latest installment of Detroit Today’s special series, Reckoning 375, we continue our conversation about the plan to replace I-375 with a six-lane boulevard, and how the project will affect the neighborhoods and institutions that surround it.
Does Expanding Highways Make Traffic Worse, or Is Induced Demand a Myth?
MotorBiscuit November 4, 2023
Everybody hates traffic. Businesses hate traffic — it slows the flow of customers and wastes time workers could spend on the clock.
Texas plans to move forward with I-35 expansion despite Austin’s call for slowdown
The Business Journals November 4, 2023
Despite a call by the City Council to push the brakes on the $4.5 billion, decade-long expansion of I-35 through Austin, the state shares that its plans remain unchanged as it prepares for the start of construction in 2024.
Officials plan to undo racial divides created by Florida’s highway system – – The Weekly Challenger
The Weekly Challenger November 5, 2023
With the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, highways such as Interstate 275 and 175 in St. Pete were built through Black communities, decimating them by “creating physical barriers to integration or to physically entrench racial inequality.”
Texas could spend federal funds meant to cut carbon emissions on highway projects
The Texas Tribune November 6, 2023
The Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend about half a billion federal dollars on projects that the agency says will lessen the amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide emitted into the air.
Hundreds rally against TxDOT’s plans to expand I-35 through Central Austin
Austin American-Statesman November 6, 2023
More than 300 people gathered Sunday to protest Texas highway officials’ plans to widen Interstate 35 through Central Austin, echoing calls from some local elected leaders to pump the brakes on the generational $4.5 billion highway expansion project.
Austinites, city leaders protest I-35 expansion project | kvue.com
KVUE November 6, 2023
Austin’s Interstate 35 expansion project is closer to becoming a reality, with construction set for 2024.
Rethink35 protests upcoming expansion of I-35 in East Austin – WOAI
WOAI November 6, 2023
Rethink35 protested the planned expansion of I-35 at Sanchez Elementary School on Sunday afternoon during their “Wider Won’t Work” rally.
Residents, UT students protest $4.5 billion I-35 expansion project – The Daily Texan
The Daily Texan November 7, 2023
“Highway expansion is not the solution,” hundreds of Austinites chanted outside of Sanchez Elementary School on Nov. 5 in opposition to the expansion of Interstate-35 with claims it would further divide the city and bring bad air to residents’ lungs.
How a Denver neighborhood became one of the most polluted zip codes in America
Rocky Mountain PBS November 7, 2023
At home in the Swansea neighborhood of Denver, Candi CdeBaca introduces her newborn son to the house where four generations of their family have lived.
Then vs. now: How the story of Rochester’s Inner Loop has changed – Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat and Chronicle November 7, 2023
It is easier for us to see when policies or legislation were racist or unjust when we have the perspective of time.
Austin lining up $800M plan to bridge an expanded I-35 | Community Impact
Community Impact November 8, 2023
As construction on the Texas Department of Transportation’s multibillion-dollar expansion and lowering of I-35 through Central Austin draws closer, city leaders are zeroing in on an $800 million-plus plan for a series of connectors aimed at better bridging communities on both sides of the redesigned highway.
Garden Potty: NJ Reveals That Its Turnpike Widening Will Add Thousands MORE Cars to Canal Street Sewer
Streetsblog USA November 8, 2023
And they’re suing us to stop congestion pricing?!
Detroit council members, citizens voice opposition to proposed I-375 boulevard
FOX 2 Detroit November 8, 2023
Discontent and worry over the proposed I-375 removal reached the Detroit City Council Tuesday with at least two representatives voicing opposition to the remodel, which would convert the mile-long freeway into a boulevard.
Highway Boondoggles 2023: This Year’s Poster Children for Bad Projects – Streetsblog USA
Streetsblog USA November 9, 2023
On Sept. 22, 2011, then-President Barack Obama stood before a crowd in front of the Brent Spence Bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River, connecting Cincinnati and Kentucky.
Hundreds Rally Against I-35 Expansion – The Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle November 9, 2023
On Sunday morning in front of Sanchez Elementary, hundreds gathered in opposition to the Texas Department of Transportation’s increasingly unpopular plan to spend $4.5 billion to expand I-35.