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 CNU’s next On the Park Bench webinar on June 11 at 12pm ET. “Mitigating Harm Through Community-Based Ideas” will explore a 2022 report by the Metropolitan Planning Council that documented the equity and environmental harm transportation infrastructure has historically caused in the Chicago region and how they sought community-generated ideas to mitigate those harms. Register now!
*Reminder: The Freeway Fighters Digest now goes out on Thursday afternoons. All Friday news items will be in next week’s edition.*
Freeway Fighters News
In Colorado, an Ambitious New Highway Policy Is Not Building Them
The New York Times May 31, 2024
When Interstate 25 was constructed through Denver, highway engineers moved a river.
Colorado shifts focus from highways to transit
Environmental Health News May 31, 2024
Colorado is prioritizing transit over highway expansion to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a move that also has environmental justice implications.
Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project adds new adjustments
Spectrum News June 1, 2024
Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, announced that a new “street grid” reconnecting downtown Cincinnati to Queensgate and “reduced impacts” to Goebel Park in Covington are among seven major innovations on the way with the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Corridor Project.
Environmental Groups File Suit Against I-80 Highway Expansion
Streetsblog California June 1, 2024
The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Planning and Conservation League, and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed a lawsuit asking the court to reject Caltrans’ environmental impact report for a highway expansion project in Northern California.
Northern California environmental groups suing Caltrans over Interstate 80 widening project
Yahoo June 3, 2024
Two environmental groups based out of Northern California recently announced they filed a lawsuit against Caltrans to stop the agency from widening a portion of Interstate 80 from six to eight lanes.
TxDOT argues in court that I-35 never caused racial discrimination – contradicting TxDOT
KUT.org June 3, 2024
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is arguing in federal court that I-35 didn’t unfairly disadvantage Black or Latino Austinites, contradicting the state agency’s own historical assessments of the highway that opened in 1962.
Activists Rally Against $11 Billion NJ Turnpike Expansion in Hudson County
Hudson Reporter June 3, 2023
A significant protest took place Tuesday night as activists gathered ahead of a New Jersey Turnpike Authority listening session.
State budget deficit threatens to gut Caltrans ‘Reconnecting Communities’ program
KPBS June 4, 2024
California lawmakers are moving to slash funding for a grant program that aims to reconnect communities divided by freeways, as the legislature and governor work to close a multibillion dollar budget deficit.
How climate change is hitting highways
Construction Dive June 5, 2024
Resilience — essentially risk management — is an increasingly critical consideration for road builders.
Shifting Gears: Towards a New Way of Thinking About Transportation
Streetsblog California June 6, 2024
For more than fifty years, U.S. transportation planners and engineers have focused their energies and our investments on building a transportation system that moves private cars as quickly and efficiently as possible.