Megan Kimble, journalist and author of City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways, dives into the perplexing issue of highway expansion and its failures to ease traffic. She discusses how more lanes often lead to increased congestion and pollution, particularly affecting marginalized communities. The conversation highlights the movement to remove highways in favor of greener, community-focused designs. Kimble advocates for prioritizing public transit as a solution for better urban living and reveals shifting perspectives to create more walkable neighborhoods.
17:48
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Induced Demand
Widening highways often increases traffic due to induced demand.
More lanes attract more drivers, negating the intended effect.
insights INSIGHT
Environmental Impact
Highway widening increases greenhouse gas emissions, contradicting climate goals.
Texas on-road emissions alone represent a significant portion of global CO2 emissions.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Eisenhower's Intention
Eisenhower's highway program was intended for national defense and interstate trade, not urban congestion.
John Bragdon, appointed by Eisenhower, found states misused funds for urban highways against Eisenhower's wishes.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
Ben Goldfarb
In 'Crossings,' Ben Goldfarb delves into the burgeoning field of road ecology, detailing how roads have transformed the planet and the lives of both humans and wildlife. The book highlights the extensive ecological damage caused by roads, including roadkill, habitat fragmentation, and noise pollution. Goldfarb travels globally to investigate how roads affect various species and ecosystems, and he introduces readers to the scientists and conservationists working to develop innovative solutions such as wildlife crossing structures. The book also explores the social and environmental impacts of roads on human communities, particularly in urban areas, and discusses potential remedies like demolishing harmful urban highways and implementing more sustainable infrastructure designs.
City Limits
Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways
Megan Kimble
In City Limits, journalist Megan Kimble combines the history of urban highways with the personal stories of people affected by the failed transportation system. The book highlights cases in Austin, Houston, and Dallas, where highway expansions threaten homes, child care facilities, and neighborhoods. Kimble argues for rethinking our reliance on highways, citing examples of successful highway removals in cities like San Francisco and Rochester. The book is a call to action, urging a shift towards more sustainable and people-centric urban planning, and it delves into issues such as affordable housing, environmental racism, pedestrian safety, and climate change.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic and thought, if only this highway was a little wider so it could fit more cars? You aren’t alone.
Many states have been expanding their highways. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced a $1.3 billion project to expand one of the state’s highways for an estimated maximum six-minute travel savings. Other highway-widening projects are underway in Texas, California, and Maryland. In 2022, federal, state, and local governments in the US spent $127 billion on highway construction. Some departments of transportation say expanding highways is necessary to reduce congestion, especially in areas with growing populations, and to encourage economic development.
But decades of research shows the opposite effects when highways are expanded—that travel times actually increase when more lanes are added. So how does this happen, and why do we keep expanding highways even though the research says it doesn’t work?
Megan Kimble, journalist and author of City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, And The Future Of America’s Highways, joins Ira to break down the research behind highway widening and discuss how increasing funding for public transit could help make traffic better, and why some cities are deciding to remove their highways entirely.
Science Friday 
