Highway Widening

PIRG Releases Third Highway Boondoggles Report
A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the Frontier Group indicates that highway boondoggles have been getting bigger, more costly, with the benefits more limited. Nine projects are analyzed in "Highway Boondoggles 3."

Benefits Harder to Recognize as Costs to Widen the I-405 Rise
Was the I-405 widening project worth it for Los Angeles? Depends on whom you ask.

Critiquing the $1.9 Billion Project to Widen I-5 in Los Angeles County
Streetsblog slams Caltrans for wasting $1.9 billion on futile freeway widening projects.

'Highway Propaganda' Promotes Widening Projects
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.

Ontario to Double Highway 401 Capacity in the Peel Region
A massive highway widening project will soon begin construction in the city of Mississauga, Ontario.

Against Opposition, Arkansas Highways Expand
Although many local activists and officials oppose the trend, Arkansas state planners are considering major highway expansions in the Little Rock area. The state's highway department has demonstrated a pro-car, pro-suburb agenda.
Legal Spat Over Plan to Widen I-405 in Orange County
Orange County, California transportation officials want to widen the 405 to reduce travel times and ease predicted congestion. The cities of Seal Beach and Long Beach are concerned about how that will impact traffic on surface streets.
Michigan DOT Set to Launch $1 Billion Highway Widening Project
The Michigan Department of Transportation will start a $1 billion, 14-year construction project later this year, on I-75, north of Detroit. Some community members are still wondering if the project is necessary.
Compromise Struck: Virginia Will Widen I-66 Inside the Beltway
Some local advocates and officials had hoped that tolls and transit could salve the congestion on I-66. Now it will be tolls, transit, and an extra lane.
Toll Road Cautionary Tale: Florida's Suncoast Parkway
The Suncoast Parkway has produced $22 million a year in revenue after a consultant said it would bring in $150 million a year. Yet the Florida Department of Transportation wants to expand the road.
Highway Widening Plan Meets Resistance in Birmingham
A petition and a lawsuit are so far the tactics used by local advocates to oppose a plan by the Alabama Department of Transportation to widen an interstate that runs through the heart of Birmingham.
New Houston Mayor Calls for a Paradigm Shift in Highway Planning
On the heels of the #NoNewRoads campaign, new Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a "rousing" speech calling for the state of Texas to change its thinking about highway widening projects.
Funding Expected for TxDOT Road Projects by 2018
The new transportation funding formula approved by voters in Texas will bring new funding to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Report Identifies 12 'Highway Boondoggles'
A new report by U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group identifies the highway projects most likely to break the transportation funding bank.
Georgia Gov. Deal Wants to Spend $10 Billion on Regional Transportation
Commuters in the Atlanta region would benefit most by the $10 billion transportation plan proposed by Governor Nathan Deal.
Maryland Gov. Hogan Pitches Highway Widening
Gov. Larry Hogan spent the week pitching a $152 million improvement project for a highway located at the north end of the state. The announcement comes less than a year after Gov. Hogan killed a light rail plan.
30 Crossing Would Widen I-30 and Remove a Streetcar Line in Little Rock
Advocates at the local and the national level are voicing their concern over a proposal by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to widen the I-30 freeway in Downtown Little Rock.
From the Bridge to Nowhere Files: Florida's West Bay Parkway
An examination of the proposed plan for the West Bay Parkway in Florida reveals many holes, a wasteful project, and the need for more accountability in transportation planning.
Stormwater Improvements Linked to Freeway Project in Northeast Denver
The funding needed to complete the Two Basin Drainage Project in Denver would come as a package deal with a $1.2 billion plan to overhaul I-70. Residents are concerned that they might be getting more than they bargained for.

Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway
After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.
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