Highway Boondoggles
Report: Biden Infrastructure Bill Spurred Increase in State and Local Highway Spending
The Urban Institute found an overall increase in capital investment in ground transportation — mostly on highways — and flat investment in public transit.
November 17, 2025
Book Excerpt Special: The Incomplete Freeway Revolt
A new book looks the destructive 20th-century urban development style — freeways, downtown office towers, suburban housing developments — that keeps Americans so dependent on their cars. Here's an excerpt.
November 6, 2025
America Has a Golden Opportunity to End the ‘Highway Boondoggle’ Crisis
America's wasteful highway spending has gotten out of control — and if President Trump really wants to promote efficient government, he'll urge Congress to stop it.
October 9, 2025
Op Ed: It’s Time to Pause Highway Construction Nationwide and Try Something New
We don't have to swear off highway construction forever to make a dent in car dependency. A new report calls for a temporary moratorium on asphalt — and outlines how to get there.
July 28, 2025
Another Reason We Have a Housing Crisis? Highways!
In urban neighborhoods — especially Black ones — land once set aside for homes was decimated for car drivers.
September 18, 2024
Oregon Highway Expansion Facing Second Lawsuit for ‘Cumulative Impacts’
The Beaver State Department of Transportation doubly violated federal law, a new lawsuit charges.
August 16, 2024
‘A Petition, a Website, and a T-shirt’: Ann Arbor Advocates Share Tips for Fighting Highway Expansions
Ann Arbor advocates helped get a destructive and wasteful highway expansion thrown out — and they have some ideas on how you can, too.
June 10, 2024
How to Fight a Texas-Sized Freeway Battle
A new book explores how Texas advocates are fighting back against destructive highway expansions. But what happened to those projects since it was sent to the printer?
May 7, 2024
Boondoggle: Oregon Highway Widening Gets ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Cash
The US Department of Transportation just awarded $450 million to the $1.9-billion Rose Quarter 1-5 project, which opponents have long called one of America’s most-notorious highway boondoggles.
April 8, 2024
