Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Highway Removal

Washington DOT Chief: Seattle’s Big Highway Tunnel Might Not Get Built

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 30, 2014 | No Comments

Nearly five months after coming to a halt beneath the city of Seattle, Bertha — the largest tunnel boring machine in the world — is still immobilized. It had barely begun to clear space for the underground highway meant to replace the aging Alaskan Way Viaduct when it broke down late last year. Construction crews are […]

Goodbye Downtown New Haven Highway, Hello 1,300 Parking Spaces?

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 29, 2014 | 2 Comments

Advocates for livable streets in New Haven have high hopes for the Downtown Crossing/Route 34 West projects, made possible by a highway teardown that will open 16 acres of prime, center-city land. But the opportunity to create a better connected, more people-friendly place is off to a disappointing start. Last week, the New Haven Board […]

You Can Now Bring Street Transformations to Life With Google Street View

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 25, 2014 | 6 Comments

If you ever want to show someone that it’s possible to change streets and cities for the better, Google Street View can now help you do it. Google recently made it possible to view archived Street View images. This means it’s easier than ever to show what streets looked like before and after a redesign. […]

Talking Headways Podcast: Escobar’s Escalator

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 17, 2014 | 1 Comment

Did you go to the World Urban Forum in Medellín, Colombia, last week? Neither did your hosts Jeff Wood and I, but we sure found a lot to say about it anyway on this week’s Talking Headways podcast. Medellín’s remarkable urban transformation — undertaken in the midst of war — has gotten a lot of […]

Talking Headways Podcast: Let Them Drive Cars

By Tanya Snyder | Apr 9, 2014 | 8 Comments

Quick quiz: What city is the world leader in highway teardowns? San Francisco? Portland? Madrid? Wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s Seoul, South Korea, which has removed 15 urban highways — and is about to remove another. In this week’s Talking Headways episode, Jeff and I talk about what can take the place of a freeway in […]

Talking Headways Podcast: One More Freeway Without a Future

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 26, 2014 | 3 Comments

So, Bertha is stuck digging an enormous highway tunnel underneath Seattle. Jeff Wood and I ask the essential question: Does Seattle really need to spend $2.8 billion on a new traffic sewer, when traffic on the Alaskan Way Viaduct has been plummeting? We also highlight this week’s public conversation about CNU’s big report calling out highways just […]

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