With more evidence pointing to the futility of expanding freeways, the state could take a creative approach to improving travel times and providing additional transportation options.
An article by Megan Banta in The Salt Lake Tribune describes the growing opposition to the widening of Interstate 15 in Salt Lake and Davis counties, with some local residents and advocates including Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall questioning the utility of adding roadway capacity.
DOT projections show that travel times would, in the long term, be reduced or grow by less than they would without road expansion. “But study after study has shown that while widening highways reduces travel times at first, traffic returns as people change their behaviors,” Banta notes. “Meanwhile, Salt Lake City’s west-side residents are continuing to question the wisdom of I-15 expansion at the expense of air quality and possible razing of homes to accommodate the project.”
The Utah Department of Transportation claims its plans to expand Interstate 15 are “part of a comprehensive approach to meeting transportation demand through the year 2050 that includes added capacity to FrontRunner, additional bus service, local and regional roadway improvements and new facilities for those who walk and bike.” Pointing to evidence about induced demand and other ways that expanding freeways often fails to reduce traffic, Banta writes that Utah officials could instead implement congestion pricing and improve transit to give people accessible and reliable options for opting out of their cars.
If You Build It, Cars Will Come: the Common-Sense Logic of 'Induced Demand'
Highway expansion has been shown, time and again, to increase traffic and congestion. Cities are finally getting the message.
California Commission Approves Freeway Expansion
The state Transportation Commission ultimately voted to move a controversial Inland Empire interstate project forward.
El Paso Freeway Cap Linked to Road Expansion
A deck reconnecting neighborhoods divided by the interstate is part of a controversial freeway expansion proposal.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service