As Some Countries Spurn Cars
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Canada will no longer fund major road expansion, and other countries are looking at ways to lessen dependence on cars.
The billions add up: $3.7 billion for an expansion of the I-15 highway in Utah; up to $4 billion for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway; and $16 billion for the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.
The U.S. continues to fund and expand highways, even as some parts of the world invest in greener infrastructure over concerns about global warming and amid a broader movement away from cars.
As of fiscal year 2023, there were at least seven federally funded highway construction and expansion projects across the country slated to cost nearly $16 billion, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s “Highway Boondoggle” report published in November.
These projects, which include the Gorham Connector in Maine, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the I-15 expansion in Utah, and the I-10 expansion in Texas, among others, will “harm communities and the environment, while likely failing to achieve goals such as reducing congestion or improving safety,” the report states.
And there’s more. Later this year, Austin plans to spend roughly $4.5 billion expanding I-35 through the heart of the city, potentially displacing more than 140 homes and businesses, according to a Texas Department of Transportation evaluation report.
Some efforts are underway to mitigate the harms highways cause to neighborhoods and the environment.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced the winners of more than $3.3 billion in grants to heal neighborhood displacement caused by highway construction. This money, awarded across more than 132 communities, will be used to reconnect communities by “removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
A spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration told NBC News in a statement that it is working with states and communities to invest in safer and cleaner modes of transportation, like walking and biking.
“We are dedicating billions of dollars to plan and build locally-driven solutions to redesign roads, addressing inequities to better meet the needs of all community members and building a more equitable transportation system,” the FHWA said.
According to a paper published last month in the Journal of Transport Geography, transportation accounts for 23% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and 70% of those emissions come from road vehicles.
Some members of Congress seek to address the environmental harm caused by highways. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., introduced a bill in February that aims to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions on the national highway system by creating incentives for reducing vehicle miles traveled.
“It’s urgent because our national highway system is a major contributor to the climate crisis,” Huffman told NBC News. “And the only way we’re going to change that is to reform the priorities we invest in.”
He said the U.S. is “way behind” other countries in terms of these investment priorities.
“Just travel to Europe or other places that have done good planning and you can see just how terribly vehicle-oriented we have been for the past century, and so we’re playing catch-up,” he said.
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