Freeway Fighters Digest (week of 11/11)

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.

Freeway Fighters News

Thousands of Texas bats need to find new home due to highway expansion
Chron November 8, 2024
A highly anticipated Texas highway expansion might mean trouble for one of the state’s most iconic creatures. 

Final environmental report is out for Utah’s I-15 widening project. Here’s what’s in it.
The Salt Lake Tribune November 9, 2024
The Utah Department of Transportation has cleared the road for its Interstate 15 widening project from Farmington to Salt Lake City.

Austin’s Bat Colonies Must Move for I-35 Construction
KFYO November 9, 2024
Austin’s I-35 expansion project is set to impact roughly 100,000 bats currently residing in overpasses along the stretch of highway.

‘Racism’: Black Residents Accuse Alabama of Intentionally Flooding Town
New Pittsburgh Courier November 10, 2024
Residents in Shiloh, a predominantly Black community in southeastern Alabama, are accusing the state of intentionally flooding their town through a highway expansion project, per the Atlanta Black Star.

MnDOT moving to expand Highway 252 despite city, activist opposition
The Minnesota Daily November 11, 2024
Minnesota is planning to expand Highway 252 in the North Metro despite opposition from advocacy groups and city officials in Brooklyn Center and Minneapolis.

I-94’s Milwaukee expansion could be delayed or changed by lawsuit
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel November 12, 2024
I-94’s Milwaukee widening won approval. A pending lawsuit could delay or change the project.

Inside the lawsuit against the Brent Spence project
LINK nky November 12, 2024
There’s a big bridge called the Brent Spence that connects Covington and Cincinnati; maybe you’ve heard of it?

Peer analysis of planned I-375 reconstruction proposes design changes
The Detroit News November 13, 2024
A newly released review of the planned reconstruction of Detroit’s Interstate 375 proposes several alternate designs, including making the area more walkable once the freeway is removed, minimizing displacement and economic impact, while recognizing harms done to Black neighborhoods by the original construction.

The Urban-Rural Divide Over Highway Expansion and Emissions
Bloomberg News November 13, 2024
Three years after the passing of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a new report from the advocacy group Transportation for America has yielded a surprising finding about the landmark Biden administration legislation. 

Austin provides first look at capped I-35 ‘vision plan’ 
KXAN November 13, 2024
With construction underway on the Texas Department of Transportation’s Interstate 35 expansion near downtown Austin, city leaders are setting their sights on how to make a “capped” interstate a reality.

Highway to Hell: Fed Infrastructure Funding, Even Under Biden, Has Been Terrible for the Environment
Streetsblog USA November 13, 2024
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was bad for the climate. Wait ’til you see the Unipartisan version.

Backlash as San Francisco votes to transform stretch of highway into park
The Guardian November 13, 2024</span
Californians have voted to close part of a nearly century-old highway in San Francisco to cars, transforming a two-mile section into a park for pedestrians and cyclists.

I-375 analysis wants fewer lanes on boulevard, revised interchange
Detroit Free Press November 14, 2024
The plan to replace Interstate 375 on the eastern edge of downtown Detroit with an at-grade boulevard has been met with both anticipation for what could come and significant concern that it won’t reflect what the community wants and needs.

How State DOTs Keep the Public In the Dark About How They Spend Our Transportation Dollars
Streetsblog USA November 14, 2024
State departments of transportation across America face disturbingly little public transparency or accountability for how they spend our tax dollars — and as a result, we’re often getting more highway expansions and fewer local projects that could give Americans the real mobility choices they deserve, a new analysis finds.