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 call for nominations is open for the ninth biannual Freeways Without Futures report! For campaigns that have graduated from Freeway Without Future nominee or have received Reconnecting Communities financing, please submit updates. FWF nominations and campaign updates are due November 1, 2024.
Freeway Fighters News
Minneapolis City Council wants smaller roadway in I-94 project
Sahan Journal September 20, 2024
The Minneapolis City Council is urging state transportation officials to consider replacing portions of Interstate 94 in the city with a smaller roadway that dedicates space to new housing, transit lanes, pedestrians and bicycles.
Dallas to be greened up with deck parks
Minuteman Press September 20, 2024
Dallas City Council has agreed to allocate $42m to fund the next phase in deck parks.
How one city plans to reconnect a historically Black neighborhood split by a 1950s interstate
Smart Cities Dive September 21, 2024
The city of New Rochelle, New York — split in half by the construction of the New England Thruway in 1958 — is beginning to put itself back together with the aid of the federal Reconnecting Communities Pilot program.
CDOT just adopted ambitious new safety, transit and climate goals. Some local leaders are not happy
Colorado Public Radio September 21, 2024
The Colorado Department of Transportation has new ambitious long-term goals of reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled and traffic deaths, better maintenance of roads and a significant increase in public transit across the state.
Austin to preview I-35 highway covering designs, amenities at September open house
KXAN September 21, 2024
As the city of Austin advances work on highway coverings atop the soon-to-be-expanded Interstate 35, residents will get a glimpse next week into what kinds of amenities those future highway caps could include.
From gray to green, local community groups working to replace highways with parks
San Diego Union-Tribune September 22, 2024
Even when they didn’t realize the work they were doing would have an environmental impact, community organizations in San Diego were so focused on improving living conditions for people decades ago, that their work rippled out into these different areas.
The Risks of Self-Fulfilling Travel Forecasts
Planetizen September 23, 2024
The U.S. Department of Transportation just released its latest Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Forecast which predicts that vehicle travel will grow between 0.4 percent and 0.8 percent annually between now and 2050, depending on economic growth rates.
Highway Boondoggle: State DOT Already Planning Another Piece of Cross Bronx Expansion Project
Streetsblog NYC September 24, 2024
The New York State Department of Transportation, which is already widening the Cross Bronx Expressway by building a service road over a park in the south Bronx, is now planning a second piece of the “Orwellian” project.
$1.35M grant to fund more Reconnect Jackson Ward research
VPM September 25, 2024
The City of Richmond will extend its 2022 feasibility study of the Reconnect Jackson Ward project after council voted Monday to accept a $1.35 million federal grant to support the work.
Minneapolis Leaders Urge State DOT to Rethink Highway Expansion Plans
Planetizen September 25, 2024
Minneapolis city leaders are calling on the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to replace portions of Interstate 94 through the city with smaller roadways as part of its Rethinking I-94 reconstruction project.
A $1.3 Billion Project That Would Save Drivers Six Minutes Max
New York Focus September 25, 2024
A planned highway expansion in the Catskill region championed by Governor Kathy Hochul would save drivers one to six minutes at a cost of at least $1.3 billion, according to a new study from the state Department of Transportation, or DOT.
El Paso City Council kicks in $750000 to advance Downtown deck park
El Paso Matters September 26, 2024
The El Paso City Council on Tuesday agreed to chip in $750,000 to advance the Downtown deck park one step further – but the path toward actually building the project is long and murky.
City Struggles to Obtain Historical Data on Properties Condemned for Abandoned Freeway
Pasadena Now September 26, 2024
City officials and consultants are confronted with ongoing difficulties in obtaining complete data on properties condemned decades ago for the now-abandoned 710 freeway extension project, hindering efforts to gain fuller insights into the “way it was” in that Pasadena neighborhood before swaths of homes and businesses were torn down.
Akron to seek $10 million in federal funding to revitalize Innerbelt corridor
Akron Beacon Journal September 26, 2024
The city of Akron is one step closer to establishing new uses for the decommissioned, 1-mile section of the 4-mile Akron Innerbelt.
NYDOT Planning Further Cross Bronx Highway Expansion
Planetizen September 26, 2024
The New York State Department of Transportation is planning another expansion to the Cross Bronx Expressway, according to an article by Dave Colon in Streetsblog NYC.
34-Mile-Long Tunnel Project Could Add Even More Lanes To Widest Highway In North America
Jalopnik September 26, 2024
Ontario’s Highway 401 is the widest highway in North America, 18 lanes across at its widest point near Toronto Pearson International Airport.
California Law Ends Road Widening Mandates
Planetizen September 26, 2024
Among the raft of bills signed by California Governor Newsom last week is Assembly Bill 3177, which prohibits local governments and agencies from requiring road widening next to new housing developments to achieve higher traffic flow, known as “level of service,” or “to achieve a desired roadway width.”