Missouri Gov. Mike Parson had a $859 million vision to expand I-70 in key parts of the state. State legislators had an even more ambitious vision.
The state of Missouri is budgeting $2.8 billion to expand Interstate 70 to a minimum of three lanes in each direction across the state.
Sarah Kellogg reports for St. Louis Public Radio on the budget agreement that cleared the way for the funding. “The original House plan called for nearly $860 million that would have expanded the interstate in the St. Louis, Columbia and Kansas City areas,” reports Kellogg.
Additional details on the project are available in a separate article by Kacen Bayless for the Kansas City Star. According to Bayless, the state’s budget for the project is “substantially more ambitious than Gov. Mike Parson’s $859 million proposal earlier this year to extend the highway in three specific spots near Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.” Planetizen shared news of Gov. Parson’s i-70-widening proposal in January 2023.
“Parson and lawmakers have framed the I-70 expansion as necessary to combat high levels of congestion on the major highway that slices through the state,” writes Bayless. “However, researchers have disputed the idea that highway expansions are a long-lasting solution.”
FULL STORY: Missouri lawmakers pass budget with $2.8 billion plan to expand I-70 across the state
A Texas Freeway Revolt
The thirst for urban expansion and new highway capacity hit a roadblock on the fringe of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolis.
Maryland Highway Widening Plans Moving Forward Under New Governor
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is differentiating his new administration from his predecessor’s, but some projects, like the widening of federal highways in the Capital Beltway, stay the same.
I-95 Widening Breaks Ground in Virginia
A mile-and-a-half-long section of Interstate 95, which handles 80,000 vehicle trips a day, will be expanded in Virginia. The project includes a new shoulder, lighting, and noise walls.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association