At some point, in places all over the country, freeways stopped working as they were intended. What can be done to improve one of the great frustrations of life with a car?

Rick Paulus examines a provocative question at the heart of the contemporary experience: "Highways are created with the purpose of allowing masses to move to distant places in relatively stress-free conditions….There isn't a city in the country that doesn't have some version of a congested stretch like this. So why does a highway go bad? And what can be done to fix it?"
Paulus calls on a series of experts to answer the question. Blair Barnhardt, an expert in pavement management and author of the Book on Better Roads, notes how long it takes to build roads and a particularly scary consequence of that delivery timeline: "By the time of its design, it's already out of date."
The article examines the research of Matthew Turner of the University of Toronto and Gilles Duranton from the University of Pennsylvania who found evidence of induced demand. Or, as Sean Nozzari, deputy district director at Caltrans, puts it: "We can no longer build our way out of congestion."
In the end, Paulus argues in favor of technology-driven solutions like traffic management systems and congestion pricing as the solution for those challenges.
FULL STORY: When a Highway Goes Bad

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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