Gideon Weissman

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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. Image: PennDOT

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Boondoggle: Keystone State’s 1-83 Expansion

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 27, 2019 | 6 Comments

Pennsylvania is moving forward with a plan to spend $300 million in order to widen I-83 in York County to eight lanes from four. But project documents fail to show how the project will solve any problems or bring clear benefits to the region.

Rendering of a proposed park under the expanded I-395 highway project, showing parkgoers
strolling just feet from high-speed traffic. Image: Florida Department of Transportation

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Highway Boondoggles: More Mistakes in Miami

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 26, 2019 | 5 Comments

In Miami, highways slice through almost every section of the city, cutting neighborhoods off from one another and creating sprawl that threatens the surrounding environment.

No amount of pavement can alleviate the traffic in Chicago, because any amount of roadway just attracts more people in cars. Photo: Ken Lund/Flickr

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Highway Boondoggles: Chicago’s Congestion Magnet

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 25, 2019 | 4 Comments

The Tri-State Tollway through the western Chicago suburbs to O’Hare Airport is a testament to the fact that you can’t build your way out of congestion.

The High Desert Freeway could overburden desert ecosystems, altering the landscape and straining scarce water resources. Image: California Dept. of Transportation

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Highway Boondoggle: Golden State’s Desert Destruction

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 24, 2019 | 8 Comments

California's $8-billion, 63-mile “High Desert Freeway" north of downtown Los Angeles would lead to more driving and more pollution, along with sprawling desert development.

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. Photo: Ken Lund

Highway Boondoggles: Madness in Michigan

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 21, 2019 | 5 Comments

The Great Lakes State is undertaking to expand the capacity of Interstate 75 — a project that is both unnecessary and will exacerbate the region’s problems.

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. of Transportation

Boondoggle: A Texas-Sized Mess of a Highway Plan

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 19, 2019 | 11 Comments

Deadly and sprawling Houston does not need this $7-billion widening and rebuilding highway project.

The proposed “Complete 540” highway through the southern suburbs of Raleigh would divide
neighborhoods and encourage sprawl. Image: North Carolina Dept. of Transportation

Boondoggle: N.C. Road Expansion Disaster

By Gideon Weissman and Matt Casale | Jun 19, 2019 | 7 Comments

It's the first of nine installments! This edition focuses on North Carolina’s plan to complete the southern half of a loop highway around Raleigh. It's a boondoggle with epic environmental repercussions.

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. of Transportation

Boondoggles: Nine Projects That Should Not Happen

By Gideon Weissman and Matthew Casale | Jun 18, 2019 | 10 Comments

Here's the thing with highway expansion projects: They're big. They're expensive. And they have limited benefit. Our friends at US PIRG present their annual report.

Photo: Washington State DOT

Highway Boondoggles: North Spokane Corridor

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 11, 2018 | 7 Comments

Five hundred families will lose their homes to this grossly unjust $1.5 billion highway boondoggle.

The massive new I-285 interchange project will be one of the most expensive road projects in Georgia history. Image: Georgia DOT

Highway Boondoggles: I-285 and SR 400 Interchange Rebuilding in Atlanta, Georgia

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 9, 2018 | 2 Comments

A single interchange project in Atlanta will cost almost as much as the state of Georgia's annual transportation budget.

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

Highway Boondoggles: Pennsylvania Turnpike Expansion

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 6, 2018 | 10 Comments

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is hemorrhaging money. The state's transit riders could end up footing the bill for its expansion.

Image: public domain.

Highway Boondoggles: Interstate 35 Expansion in Austin

By Matt Casale and Gideon Weissman | Jul 5, 2018 | 22 Comments

Magical thinking about congestion makes this one of the top highway boondoggles in the country.

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