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Articles by Gideon Weissman
Boston Has a Choice Between Two Transportation Futures
In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water. In this bonus installment, Gideon Weissman and Matt Casale explore Boston, Mass. project that has Beantown at a crossroads between yet another car-centric boondoggle and a true multimodal transformation.
Highway Boondoggles 2020: S.E. Connector, Texas
A visualization of the proposed connector, via Youtube In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water. Below is the last of seven installments detailing these harmful projects. It’s our annual December donation drive.
Highway Boondoggles 2020: M-CORES, Florida
Florida’s M-CORES highway project would threaten the habitat and the survival of the endangered Florida Panther. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water.
Highway Boondoggles 2020: I-526 Extension in S.C.
The I-526 Extension would connect to the James Island Expressway, above. Image: Wikimedia Commons In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water. Below is the fifth of seven installments detailing these harmful projects.
Highway Boondoggles 2020: Birmingham’s Northern Beltline
Construction on the Birmingham Northern Beltline was forced to pause after initial funding ran out. Credit: Alabama Department of Transportation In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water.
Highway Boondoggles 2020: Illinois’s I-57 Interchange
The proposed interchange would be built in farmland near Peotone in Will County, Illinois. Credit: Ken Lund via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water. Below is the third of seven installments detailing these harmful projects.
Meet 2020’s Worst Highway Boondoggles: The Loop 1604 Expansion, Texas
The Loop 1604/I-10 interchange would be five levels high. Credit: Texas Department of Transportation via Youtube In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water. Below is the second of seven installments detailing these harmful projects.
Meet 2020’s Worst Highway Boondoggles: The Cincinnati Eastern Bypass
Cincinnati's Eastern Bypass boondoggle was proposed as a possible alternative to replacing the aging Brent Spence Bridge, above. Image: Landline via Creative Commons In this year’s installment of its annual Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group warn of billions of dollars in proposed spending on unnecessary highway projects that would divide our communities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our air and water.
Can COVID-19 Finally Kill the Highway Boondoggle?
We kick off our annual boondoggles series with US PIRG with an overview story that sets up in-depth analysis pieces that will follow over the next few weeks. The series will explore why it’s incumbent upon the next administration to quash them once and for all. Check back soon, and don’t forget to tag your elected officials if a bad highway project near you makes the list. It’s our annual December donation drive. Please give from the heart (and wallet!) by clicking here. Thanks.
Op Ed: We Shouldn’t Fix Some “Crumbling” Highways
Editor’s Note: The following article originally appeared on the Frontier Group blog and is republished here with permission. As the Senate considers a revolutionary new infrastructure bill that would require states to repair the highways they already have before build new ones or add lanes, Gideon Weissman offers a timely reminder that some of our roadways deserve to be decommissioned — because they never should have been built in the first place. Gideon Weissman.
Another bailout for U.S. car makers may be coming. Here’s how to get it right this time
Outside the Box Published: May 11, 2020 at 6:55 a.m. ET Any rescue plan for America’s Big Three automakers must also protect consumers and the environment Associated Press The coronavirus pandemic has hit automakers hard. With U.S. car dealerships shutting down and consumers holding tightly onto their savings, car sales have plummeted. So, as with many other troubled industries, talk is swirling from businesses and lawmakers alike about a bailout for the Big Three U.S. automakers.
Highway Boondoggle: Virginia’s Unlovable I-81 Expansion
Virginia will expand Interstate 81, changes that will cost a whopping $2.2 billion and affect Civil War landscapes. In this year’s installment of its annual “Highway Boondoggles” report, Gideon Weissman of Frontier Group and Matthew Casale of U.S. PIRG Education Fund deliver a stark warning about the billions of dollars states spend on unnecessary highways that fracture our cities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our environment.
Boondoggle: Portland Takes a Step Backward
I-5 in Portland, as it goes through the downtown. Oregon's Department of Transportation wants to widen the road in the Rose Quarter. Photo: Sounder Bruce/Flickr In this year’s installment of its annual “Highway Boondoggles” report, Gideon Weissman of Frontier Group and Matthew Casale of U.S. PIRG Education Fund deliver a stark warning about the billions of dollars states spend on unnecessary highways that fracture our cities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our environment.
Highway Boondoggle: Keystone State’s 1-83 Expansion
Pennsylvania seeks to widen I-83 in York County, but funds for the costly project would be better spent on operational improvements such as crash prevention.
Highway Boondoggles: More Mistakes in Miami
Rendering of a proposed park under the expanded I-395 highway project, showing parkgoers strolling just feet from high-speed traffic.
Highway Boondoggles: Chicago’s Congestion Magnet
By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale Jun 25, 2019 0 No amount of pavement can alleviate the traffic in Chicago, because any amount of roadway just attracts more people in cars.
Highway Boondoggle: Golden State’s Desert Destruction
The High Desert Freeway could overburden desert ecosystems, altering the landscape and straining scarce water resources. Image: California Dept. of Transportation In this year’s installment of its annual “Highway Boondoggles” report, Gideon Weissman of Frontier Group and Matthew Casale of U.S. PIRG Education Fund deliver a stark warning about the billions of dollars states spend on unnecessary highways that fracture our cities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our environment.
Highway Boondoggles: Madness in Michigan
The Michigan Department of Transportation has pointed to population growth in Oakland County as the reason the area needs a larger Interstate 75 north of Detroit. But projected growth shows the county adding fewer than 100,000 people between 2015 and 2045, across an area nearly four times as large as Chicago.
Boondoggle: A Texas-Sized Mess of a Highway Plan
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project will expand already vast swaths of highway through the middle of Houston, displacing homes and businesses and dividing communities. Image: Texas Dept.
Highway Boondoggles: Tar Heel State’s Road Expansion Disaster
The proposed “Complete 540” highway through the southern suburbs of Raleigh would divide neighborhoods and encourage sprawl. Image: North Carolina Dept. of Transportation In this year’s installment of its annual “Highway Boondoggles” report, Gideon Weissman of Frontier Group and Matthew Casale of U.S. PIRG Education Fund deliver a stark warning about the billions of dollars states spend on unnecessary highways that fracture our cities, deprive transit of scarce funds, and pollute our environment.
Highway Boondoggles 2019: Nine Projects That Should Never Happen
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project will expand already vast swaths of highway through the middle of Houston, displacing homes and businesses and dividing communities.
Wouldn’t it be nice if bus and bikeshare worked together?
BlueBike station at Boston City Hall, with the old statehouse (and State T stop) in the background. Last week I got the call I’d been dreading from my bike shop: My bike, which I’d brought in a few days before, and which I use to get everywhere, was beyond repair.* After stopping by the shop to pick up the pieces, and going through a brief mourning period, I signed up for a monthly membership with BlueBike, Boston’s bikeshare system.
Highway Boondoggles: North Spokane Corridor
In their fourth Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group profile wasteful highway projects that state DOTs are building across the country. Our final boondoggle is the North Spokane Corridor. The proposed highway will slice through a historic Spokane neighborhood and take money from other transportation priorities in order to shave just minutes off the drive to low-density suburbs north of the city.
Highway Boondoggles: I-285 and SR 400 Interchange Rebuilding in Atlanta, Georgia
In their fourth Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group profile wasteful highway projects that state DOTs are building across the country. Today’s boondoggle: the I-285 and SR400 Interchange Rebuilding in Atlanta, Georgia. The expensive interchange project goes far beyond necessary repairs to add miles of new lanes on two highways, and is moving forward even as Atlanta residents clamor for more and better transit.
Highway Boondoggles: Pennsylvania Turnpike Expansion
By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman Jul 6, 2018 10 Pennsylvania’s massive project to widen 470 miles of highway could threaten funding for transit services throughout the state. Image: li2nmd, CC-BY-4.0 In their fourth Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group profile wasteful highway projects that state DOTs are building across the country. Today’s boondoggle: the Pennsylvania Turnpike Expansion.
Highway Boondoggles: Interstate 35 Expansion in Austin
Interstate 35 on its route through the heart of Austin is notoriously congested, and its traffic is a constant topic of complaints and news coverage. Commuters are desperate for a fix. But a proposal to add miles of new lanes will likely only exacerbate the problems that led to congestion in the first place. The proposal being put forth by Texas officials would add four new lanes (two in each direction) along approximately 33 miles of I-35 traveling north-south through Austin.
Highway Boondoggles: I-49 Inner City Connection in Shreveport, Louisiana
In their fourth Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group profile wasteful highway projects that state DOTs are building across the country. Today’s boondoggle is a highway that would slice through the heart of a neighborhood in Shreveport. The cost is being justified with questionable economic growth projections, and the project will divert money away from needed repairs to existing roads and bridges.
Highway Boondoggles: I-94 Expansion in Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, which is groaning under the weight of billions of dollars of highway debt, a major highway construction project is moving forward largely to serve a single business. Wisconsin is spending $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion (in 2009 dollars) to widen the I-94 freeway from Milwaukee to near the Illinois state line from six to eight lanes. The project will involve the replacement of seven interchanges along the route, along with the total rebuilding of many stretches of highway.
Highway Boondoggles: US 101 Expansion in San Mateo, California
Highway 101 in the San Mateo area has suffered from congestion for decades and has undergone many projects to add road capacity – including seven projects to add auxiliary lanes since 1997. Yet today, congestion is as bad as ever, often slowing to a crawl at rush hour. Years of widening projects with little impact signal that a new approach is necessary. Once again, however, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is planning to address congestion with a highway expansion.
Highway Boondoggles: LBJ East Expansion in Dallas, Texas
In their fourth Highway Boondoggles report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group profile wasteful highway projects that state DOTs are building across the country. Today we highlight the LBJ East Expansion project in Dallas, Texas. The costly expansion of an already enormous highway will create a roadway with 14 lanes plus two frontage roads.
Passenger Transport - 12/04/2015
» The Riverside Transit Agency has an opening for an operations supervisor. [More] » The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is looking for a transit master scheduler and run cutter. [More] » The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation seeks proposals for a transit advertising program. [More] TO PLACE AN AD: E-mail the requested date(s) of publication to: ptads@apta.com. Mailing address is: Passenger Transport, 1300 I Street NW, Suite 1200 East, Washington, DC 20005.
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