Never Again Will Mass. Build Superhighways Says DOT Head

At a news conference this week announcing their ambitious "mode shift" campaign, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey boldly announced that the state will "build no more superhighways," and work to get people out of their cars.

1 minute read

October 12, 2012, 7:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


We suppose such a pronouncement from "the only state transportation chief who doesn't own a car," shouldn't be surprising, but to hear the head of a state transportation agency discuss not building highways is still a bit jarring. 

According to Tanya Snyder, the goal of Davey's mode shift campaign "is to triple the share of trips taken by those modes [trains, buses, bikes, and walking], as
opposed to single-occupancy vehicles, by improving transit service and
active transportation amenities like lighting, sidewalks, curb cuts and
rail-trails."

In seeking to reduce congestion, improve the environment, and achieve positive public health outcomes, "[t]he mode shift will be a centerpiece of MassDOT's GreenDOT Implementation
Plan, being finalized this fall, which strives for multi-modalism," says Snyder. 

"'Of
all the state's green policies, this is the one that really counts,'
Marc Draisen, who directs the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, told
the Boston Globe."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 in Streetsblog D.C.

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 14, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Cars driving under automatic congestion pricing toll machines on Broadway next to the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off

After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.

October 13, 2026 - Marcelo Remond

A crane lifts a manufactured house, with is rectangular and does not yet have a roof.

HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework

The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.

October 8, 2026 - Boston Real Estate Times

construction workers on the roof of a house.

California voters weigh $11.25 billion housing bond

Prop. 1, combined with other funding, would support over 40,000 new rental units in California.

October 18 - Cal Matters

MIRA President Tom Kirk gestures at the opening ceremony of the solar array at the Hartford Landfill. There are rows of solar panels behind him.

Connecticut is turning landfills into green infrastructure

Twenty-nine solar arrays have been built, or approved to be built, on top of Connecticut landfills.

October 18 - The CT Mirror

Sheep in a field stand next to solar panels.

Trump guts ‘win-win’ solar energy program for rural farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s changes have made virtually all solar power ineligible for funding through the Rural Energy for America Program.

October 18 - Grist