Apparently to galvanize public support, the Colorado Department of Transportation and an Ohio chamber of commerce have produced videos touting the benefits of widening projects for low-income communities.
In what Angie Schmitt has dubbed "highway propaganda," the Colorado DOT has spent over $80,000 to produce a half-hour promo video for its I-70 expansion project. A shorter production has also emerged from an Ohio chamber of commerce, promoting the Opportunity Corridor.
In Colorado, "the I-70 project will replace 12 miles of aging highway with a new highway, adding four lanes in the process. Because 900 feet of the new highway trench will be covered with a park, the CDOT video helpfully explains that the widening is really all about doing right by immigrant neighborhoods — not moving traffic. Many residents affected by the project beg to differ."
After their widespread vilification in many circles, big roads are resorting to overt public relations. The argumentative thrust of these videos is something like: "This highway isn't like the bad highways of the past — a new breed of road builder has figured out how to make asphalt and traffic lanes work wonders for struggling neighborhoods."
See the full story to watch the videos.
FULL STORY: Highway Propaganda Vids Sell City Residents on the Wonders of Wider Roads
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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