Unused roadways provide opportunities for exploration and recreation.
In a slideshow on Jalopnik, Erin Marquis highlights some of the most scenic stretches of abandoned roads in the United States. Although now closed to cars for various reasons, these roads have, in some cases, become beloved community assets.
No two stretches of abandoned road are alike. Some have returned to nature, some serve as historic sites and other sit silently and forgotten besides busy roads, looking on at a future they never had or a past long removed.
The roads featured include parts of the former Route 66, which stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles and features kitschy diners and abandoned ghost towns, a stunning former highway that winds through red rocks in Arizona, Pennsylvania’s ‘Goat Path Expressway,’ a defunct suspension bridge in Arizona, and a former highway and popular biking destination above Los Angeles.
FULL STORY: America’s Lost Highways Are Beautiful Monuments To Our Garbage Infrastructure
Study: Cost of Expanding Roads Outweighs Benefits
New research shows that the economic benefits of roadbuilding projects don’t come close to exceeding most projects’ costs.
Anchorage High-Speed Highway Project Met With Skepticism
The Alaska Department of Transportation and its consultants are working on a Planning and Environmental Linkages study of the Glenn-Seward Highway that bisects the middle of Anchorage, Alaska.
On the Political Effects of Transportation Infrastructure
A comparison of road conditions in Rwanda and Mali—the former an autocracy with sterling roads, the latter a democracy where poor road conditions reveal a deep divide in the country.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research