Highway Removal Slowed by Outdated Policy, Lack of Committed Funding

Resistance from state transportation departments and precarious funding sources mean highway removal projects are few and far between, despite their benefits.

1 minute read

January 6, 2025, 5:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Elevated viaduct in Seattle, Washington being demolished.

A viaduct being demolished in Seattle, Washington. | dbvirago / Adobe Stock

Highway removal: why isn’t it happening in more places? Joe Harrington poses this question in Next City, noting that “The benefits [of removal] for the communities living along highways are obvious: People have experienced health, environmental, economic and mobility harms for the last 70 years. Communities originally displaced lost billions in generational wealth opportunities in the ensuing displacement and residents today continue to bear harm.”

Harrington lists several reasons that highway removal is not more popular yet. These include “sluggish policy responses” at the federal level that have failed to keep up with the data. Even the Reconnecting Communities program, which is specifically aimed at removing highways, has not resulted in many actual removals. According to Harrington, “There’s an urgent need for federal guidance to leverage successful highway removal initiatives, enabling more cities to pursue this transformative approach.”

Highway removal projects are also stymied by an outdated mindset pervasive in state transportation departments. “Their entrenched traffic engineering mindsets, earmarked funding and institutional resistance to change impede efforts to promote alternatives to highways, from Minnesota to Texas.” 

For Harrington, “Current procedures and technical practices—built by and for highway projects—need to shift as we focus on restoring divided neighborhoods, advancing our climate resilience and creating equitable cities.”

Friday, January 3, 2025 in Next City

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Downtown Los Angeles skyline viewed from a distance with freeway and trees in foreground.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods

A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

15 minutes ago - USC Dornsife

Aerial view of Claifornia aqueduct with green orchard on one side.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy

California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

1 hour ago - Turlock Journal

Close-up of older woman's hands resting on white modern heating radiator mounted on wall indoors.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program

The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.

2 hours ago - The New York Times