flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Feds may fund removal of some urban highways

Codes and Standards

Feds may fund removal of some urban highways

Senate bill proposes pilot program to reknit communities.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | February 16, 2021

Courtesy Pixabay

A new Senate bill includes $10 billion for cities that are considering removing urban freeways that could undo damage these projects inflicted on vulnerable communities decades ago.

Critics say these urban highway projects, often including sections of elevated roadways, were forced upon neighborhoods that lacked political clout during construction of the Interstate Highway System. Many of these roadway projects razed swaths of downtowns and waterfronts often inhabited by minority and low-income people.

The bill provides $10 billion to potentially alter or remove these roadways. It would also help pay for plans to redevelop strips of land reclaimed from their removal.

The concept was demonstrated when San Francisco’s Embarcadero Freeway was removed in 1991 after heavy damage resulting from a 1989 earthquake. That project freed 100 acres of waterfront property for development. Another more recent example is in Rochester, New York, where a segment of a sunken expressway that encircles the city’s downtown was removed, and the city is now considering removal of the rest of the loop.

Related Stories

Codes and Standards | Mar 20, 2019

Codes organizations to develop new guidelines on shipping containers as building components

Intl. Code Council and Modular Building Institute combine forces.

Codes and Standards | Mar 19, 2019

Plan for transformation of Lower Manhattan streetscapes unveiled

Pedestrian-friendly “Slow Streets” pilot starts on Earth Day 2019.

Codes and Standards | Mar 15, 2019

Newly developed building materials could have big impact on sustainability

Transparent wood, self-cooling walls, bricks that filter air pollutants among the technological breakthroughs.

Codes and Standards | Mar 14, 2019

U.S. and Canada differ on how to evaluate field performance of windows, curtain walls

Variations include laboratory test method for determining rate of air leakage.

Codes and Standards | Mar 13, 2019

Climate change can’t be stabilized without addressing urban sprawl

Even if power goes green, transportation will still be a major emissions source.

Codes and Standards | Mar 12, 2019

Virginia county hones new rainwater harvesting standard

Developer prompts new rules to use rainwater for heating and air conditioning.

Codes and Standards | Mar 8, 2019

Portland delays requirement for posted warnings on unreinforced brick and stone buildings

Regulation would mandate signs warning that buildings could be unsafe during earthquakes.

Codes and Standards | Mar 7, 2019

California will allow flame retardant-free building insulation

State also repeals business furniture flammability standard.

Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2019

Persistent flooding having economic impact on coastal cities

Atlantic City, Annapolis among communities affected.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021