Freeway Fighters Digest (weeks of 12/25 and 1/1)

Lauren MayerWeekly News Digest

Hi all,

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

Freeway Fighters News

New Orleans Residents Fight Freeways With Science | Planetizen News
Planetizen December 24, 2023
In a story for NPR, Drew Hawkins describes the toxic legacy of a New Orleans highway that mars a neighborhood in the city’s 7th Ward.

Streetsblog’s Best and Worst of 2023 Transportation | Planetizen News
Planetizen December 25, 2023
Sustainable transportation had its ups and downs this year, and Streetsblog has compiled a comprehensive list of both.

States, We Need Your Vision to Get to ‘Zero’ – Streetsblog USA
Streetsblog USA December 26, 2023
As local, regional and tribal communities in the U.S. commit to Vision Zero in record numbers, the national Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and stepped-up federal strategies are bringing more funding and attention to safe infrastructure and public transportation than ever. 

Puget Sound Leaders Debate a Pivot Away from Highway Expansion – The Urbanist
The Urbanist December 27, 2023
A small change around regional grant funding criteria could prove a bellwether for transportation policy in Puget Sound.

2023 Was the Year of Metro Freeway Widening – Streetsblog Los Angeles
Streetsblog LA December 28, 2023
2023 was the year of Metro freeway expansion. Metro, in partnership with Caltrans District 7, finished more than $3 billion worth of freeway widening projects, yet there’s no end in sight for continued massive L.A. County freeway widening.

TxDOT is ready to expand I-45. Organizers still want to stop it. What comes next?
Houston Landing December 30, 2023
When the Texas Department of Transportation reached an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration in March over the planned expansion of Interstate 45, grassroots organizers thought the project would become more responsive to community concerns.

Why Miami’s newest road expansion project won’t fix traffic | Biscayne Bay Tribune#
Miami’s Community News January 1, 2024
If you’ve driven through Miami’s traffic-choked Midtown motorways, you’ve probably noticed and scowled at the massive development closing down several lanes and blighting our skyline. 

GDOT to study potential removal of Savannah’s I-16 flyover from historically Black neighborhood
Georgia Public Broadcasting January 1, 2024
The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to conduct a feasibility study on the possible removal of the Interstate 16 flyover from the west side of downtown Savannah.

From Austin to Anchorage, U.S. cities opt to ditch their off-street parking minimums – KUT.org
KUT.org January 3, 2024
The city council in Austin, Texas recently proposed something that could seem like political Kryptonite: getting rid of parking minimums.

New poll reveals a vast majority of Americans want to steer clear of highway expansions
Yahoo News January 4, 2024
Highways have long faced chronic congestion issues, prompting Americans to seek alternative modes of transportation over driving alone.

I-45 rebuild: A timeline of the massive Houston freeway project
Houston Chronicle January 4, 2024
Getting to an approved plan for rebuilding Interstate 45 was a lot like driving on the roadway itself: bumpy, taking a lot longer than it should and requiring navigation around multiple people with different ideas of what should be done.

Removing roads less traveled like I-794 can work. Just look at the Fiserv Forum. | Letters
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 4, 2024
The land beneath Interstate 794 is more valuable with tax-paying commercial and residential development than it is with a non-tax-paying freeway.