Highway Construction

An aerial view of Austin, Texas, showing the Colorado River and Interstate 35.

$138 billion Texas transportation plan to prioritize “Clear Lanes” congestion relief, highway construction

The plan includes $95 billion for transportation projects using existing state and federal revenue sources and $45 billion for project development and maintenance.

August 28, 2026 - The Dallas Express

Aerial Texas Hill Country at sunset, with an aerial view of a highway interchange and Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas.

Texas Approves Plan that Calls for $104B for Roads and Highways

The latest iteration of Texas’s 10-year unified transportation plan sets a record for highway spending in the state.

August 28, 2024 - Jalopnik

Green highway signs on Highway 23 for Ann Arbor and Flint, Michigan.

Michigan DOT Nixes Ann Arbor Highway Expansion

In response to public feedback, the Michigan Department of Transportation is no longer considering options to widen U.S. 23 on Ann Arbor’s east side.

May 28, 2024 - MLive

Concrete highway overpasses under construction, view from below

Highway Construction Costs Grow for 11th Straight Quarter

FHWA data shows a 23.9 percent rise in costs in the last year.

April 5, 2024 - Eno Center for Transportation

Aerial view of 238 freeway in Oakland, California cutting through neighborhood with small houses

The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’

The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.

May 26, 2023 - The New York Times

Highway Construction

Federal Report: Highway Construction 50 Percent More Expensive Than in 2020

An FHWA index that tracks the costs of highway building shows a sharp increase in materials and fuel costs.

April 19, 2023 - Eno Center for Transportation

Nighttime view of downtown Columbus, Ohio over freeways with fast-moving traffic

Visualizing Columbus Before Freeways

A new project uses historical records to reconstruct what Columbus neighborhoods looked like before freeways displaced them.

October 19, 2022 - The Columbus Dispatch

A view of the Cross Bronx Expressway, an elevated highway that allows cars to drive past apartment buildings.

The Case for Urban Highway Removal

Instead of removing urban freeways, which have proven to be destructive to communities and economies—in some cases deliberately so—many cities are expanding freeways in and around cities.

September 12, 2022 - The New York Times

Freeway Interchange Construction

Infrastructure Funding Could Lead to Higher Carbon Emissions

Billions in federal infrastructure funding slated to go to states with few strings attached could fund roadway construction and widening projects that will raise greenhouse gas emissions and worsen climate change.

February 13, 2022 - The New York Times

Detroit Freeway

How Policymakers Are Grappling With the Racist Legacy of Urban Freeways

In Michigan, the state's Department of Transportation is looking for ways to mitigate the damage caused by decades of urban renewal policies and reconnect neighborhoods cut off from amenities and opportunities by highway projects.

February 7, 2022 - Deadline Detroit

Pacific Ocean

Santa Monica Offers Affordable Housing to Residents Displaced by Freeway Construction

A new program seeks to make restitution for the damage inflicted on Black communities by highway construction and urban renewal.

January 2, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Highway Construction

Federal Memo 'Gently' Discourages Highway Construction

The Federal Highway Administration is urging states to prioritize climate-friendly projects and put federal funds toward repairs and active transportation infrastructure.

December 21, 2021 - Wired

 Interstate 710 in East Los Angeles, California.

California Bill Could Ban Freeway Expansions in Underserved Neighborhoods

A proposed bill in the California State Legislature would bar the state from funding road construction in communities at risk for displacement and health impacts.

December 20, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Texas Highways

Freeway Expansions Continue to Threaten Black and Brown Communities

Despite calls to center equity in infrastructure projects, highway construction and expansion still disproportionately impacts communities of color, according to a Los Angeles Times investigation.

November 16, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

CN Tower rises above Gardiner Expressway on Toronto Waterfront

Proposed Toronto Highways Raise Environmental Concerns

Opponents of two new planned highways in greater Toronto argue the construction of new roads is 'short-sighted at best' and would threaten the region's greenbelt areas.

November 14, 2021 - blogTO

Map showing I-270 Corridor Improvements Study Area

Colorado DOT To Study Air Quality Near I-270 Project—Residents Are Skeptical

The Colorado Department of Transportation has pledged to evaluate direct mitigation measures to reduce the impact of construction projects on nearby communities.

September 3, 2021 - Colorado Public Radio

Highway Construction

How the Environmental Review Process Privileges Highway Construction Over Transit

U.S. transit projects have a much harder time getting environmental approval than road projects, perpetuating the dominance of cars in U.S. transportation policy.

August 25, 2021 - Slate

Illinois Freeway

Why Infrastructure Spending Should Center Equity

To begin to reverse decades of discrimination and disinvestment, future infrastructure spending must put equity at the forefront.

August 9, 2021 - Fast Company

Florida Roads

Florida Highway Project Faces Opposition From All Sides

Critics worry the proposed 330-mile corridor would encourage sprawl, harm wildlife, and saddle the state with decades of debt.

May 2, 2021 - Grist

Rhode Island Interstate 95

The Foundational Myth of America's Interstate Highway System

The erroneous belief that the negative impacts of interstate highways are simply "unintended consequences" fails to demand accountability for the project's failures.

April 14, 2021 - The Metropole

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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