End Highway Expansion - Case Studies and Examples

Hear how local leaders in Louisiana are fighting the I-49 Connector, an urban highway expansion project that is threatening the vibrant, predominantly Black neighborhood of Allendale.

Series: The Economics of the I-49 Connector (Shreveport)

Austin, Texas

"Strong Towns on CNN: Going 'Big' on Road Projects Won't Fix American Cities"

The new infrastructure bill will have big goals. But big new road projects won’t actually help us meet those goals.

"A $7.5 Billion Boondoggle Advances in Austin"

The State of Texas is prepared to fully fund a massive freeway widening project through the heart of Austin. Have we learned nothing? (Answer: apparently not.)

"A Better I-35"

Austin needs to demand a better I-35, where the health and well-being of our neighborhoods and communities are prioritized just as much as long distance vehicle trips.

"The Bottom-Up Revolution Is…Fighting Freeway Widening in Austin"

Adam Greenfield and Miriam Schoenfield are doing some of the most challenging work an advocate can take on in their city: fighting a massive highway expansion project.

"Meet the Freeway Fighters Who Are Suing the Texas Department of Transportation"

Adam Greenfield and Bobby Levinski are part of the grassroots movement Rethink35, which is filing a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Transportation over their plans to expand I-35 in Austin.

Other Case Studies & Examples

"The Highway Expansion Project is Dead: Long Live the Highway Expansion Project"

Highway expansion projects have a devastating impact of city finances while only providing minor benefits. This case study explores the financial details of a highway expansion project in Winnipeg, Canada, and discusses how people can take action to stop this kind of project.

"The Fight For #NoNewRoads Is Alive and Well in Washington State"

Veteran advocates for a sane and financially sustainable transportation policy in Washington State see a chance to turn crisis into opportunity. And they're hoping to get state leaders to see it too.

"The Bottom-Up Revolution is...Residents Fighting Back Against a Highway Project"

One vision is for a place where people can walk, bike, and spend time (and dollars at local businesses). The other is for a busy road expansion that will move a lot of traffic. Hear how two Strong Towns advocates are fighting the good fight in Erie, Pennsylvania.

"75-Year-Old Houston Advocate Refuses To Surrender to Highway Expansion Project"

At 75, she didn’t think she’d spend her time fighting freeways, but that’s exactly where Susan Graham finds herself. Founder of Stop TxDOT I-45, Graham has been fighting highway expansion in Houston for almost five years — and she’s nowhere near done.

"The Bottom-Up Revolution is...Unexpected Allies Fighting a Highway Expansion Project"

Susan Graham and Ally Smither have very different life experiences — one as a former nurse and the other as an opera singer — but they’ve come together to pursue the same goal: Stopping highway expansion in Houston. 

"Still Pursuing Classic Approaches. Still Going Nowhere."

While new transportation funding is needed, more money without significant reform is worse than no funding at all. We need to continue to oppose all of these funding efforts until serious reform is on the table.

"#NoNewRoads in Wisconsin"

In this presentation from our 2017 Summit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ashwat Anandanarayanan discusses his organization's work to fight expensive and wasteful highway projects using legal action and community organizing.

"Megan Kimble: The Toll Urban Highways Take and the People Fighting Back"

Megan Kimble, journalist and author of “City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways,” joins the Strong Towns Podcast to talk about highway expansion in Texas and the groups fighting to stop it.

"The Mayor Who Tried to Stop a Highway"

When Mike McGinn didn’t see any other mayoral candidates challenging a proposed highway expansion project in Seattle, he stepped up to the plate and won the election. This is the story of his ensuing fight to stop his city from making a costly mistake.

"The Phantom Freeway Project that Won't Stop Haunting Alabama"

The Northern Beltline project has been haunting Alabama for over 50 years, draining money, time and energy from other more productive and desired projects. Here’s how it came about — and why it refuses to stay dead.