The Fallacy of Freeways
Holly Otterbein | Wed, Oct 29th, 2008 | Category: Commentary | City: New Orleans | Tags: congress for new urbanism, freeways
In the heyday of the ‘50s and ‘60s, low gasoline prices and readily available federal money influenced American urban designers to the point of delusion, causing them to make a regrettable decision.
They fell in love with the freeway.
Urban designers took the freeway, which was perfectly suitable as a connector between cities, and tossed it into the city itself. The concrete monolith popped up all across America, in Boston and New York City, San Francisco and New Orleans. It sliced through cities, severing their once-convenient grid systems. It blocked access to lucrative waterfronts and cleaved into neighborhoods. In areas flanking the freeway, crime increased.
“The broken windows theory definitely applies to freeways,” says Steven Filmanowicz, communications director of the Congress for the New Urbanism. “They cause blight, cast shadows and vibrate. There never seems to be a pleasant place to be underneath one, and in neighborhoods surrounding them, crime often goes up.”
Forty years later, the lifespan of most freeways has come to an end. This leaves urban planners and local governments with a choice: Do they demolish the existing infrastructure to make way for surface roads and boulevards? Or do they invest in freeways yet again, when it makes even less sense to do so – given their crummy past and the ever-rising cost of gasoline?
The CNU believes they should be torn down, and has released a list of ten North American freeways that would benefit from the demolition most. Strange as it may sound, 40 cities clamored to be on this list, which was dubbed “Freeways Without Futures.” Urban planners, elected officials and advocacy groups competed for their freeways to earn this unfavorable title so their concerns could gain recognition and legitimacy.
Fight for your infrastructure to be called “futureless,” and maybe it’ll find a purpose.
Hopefully that’ll be the case for Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct, which earned the No. 1 spot on CNU’s list. The future of this elevated freeway has been shaky since the Nisqually Earthquake swept through town in 2001. The Washington State Department of Transportation proposed $4 billion worth of repairs and expansion, to which the citizens responded with a forceful “No, thanks.” In a local referendum, they voted against the freeway reconstruction and opted for surface streets instead. The City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation is now working on another proposal, which should be completed in December.
Another freeway of interest is the Claiborne Expressway in New Orleans, La, which received the list’s No. 5 position. The freeway replaced Claiborne Avenue in the Treme neighborhood, a wealthy black community that was one of the first havens in the country for free African-Americans. When the Claiborne Expressway was erected, oak trees along the avenue were uprooted and the economy weakened. After Hurricane Katrina hit, urban planners proposed the Unified New Orleans Plan, which will eventually remove the freeway – opening up 35-40 city blocks that were once blighted, and 20-25 more blocks of open space.
The remaining eight “Freeways Without Futures” are: Sheridan Expressway in Bronx, N.Y., The Skyway and Route 5 in Buffalo, N.Y., Route 34 in New Haven, Conn., Interstate 81 in Syracuse, N.Y., Interstate 64 in Louisville, Ky., Route 29 in Trenton, N.J., Gardiner Express in Toronto, ON., and the 11th Street Bridges and the Southeast Freeway in Washington, D.C.
Of course, CNU’s list is not exhaustive. Here in Philadelphia, I-95 is a concrete eyesore that stands between the city and its waterfront. I’m sure you can think of some failing freeways you’ve either visited or lived near. What other freeways do you believe should top the list?
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James in Massachusetts
Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 12:33pm
I would argue that Interstate 91 in CT and MA, which disconnects both Hartford and Springfield’s downtowns from their riverfront, should be in the top 20. Of course I doubt funding for such projects will come to Massachusetts any time soon, after what happened with the ‘Big Dig’ (though this project has greatly benefited Downtown Boston).
Erik in New York
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 3:02pm
The Inner Loop Expressway in Rochester, NY is a glaring omission from CNU’s report. The City of Rochester is already engaged in studies to prove the feasibility of dismantling a third of this ill-conceived high-speed bypass around Rochester’s downtown area. At its worst, the Inner Loop and its frontage roads carry only 15,000 vehicles per day on an 11-lane, 180-foot wide chasm separating downtown from some of Rochester’s most thriving residential neighborhoods. Removal of the Loop is consistently identified as one of the most important infrastructure projects in the region. Congress has already allocated $2.4 million for Preliminary Engineering and, pending completion of traffic studies currently underway, a minimum of $25 million will be sought for a 2014 (re)construction start.
Erick in Boston
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 3:03pm
The Mcgrath highway in Somerville, MA
Dave Reid in Milwaukee, WI
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 4:25pm
Well Mayor Norquist already helped Milwaukee tear down the Park East Freeway but there is now discussion of tearing down I794 and replacing the Hoan Bridge with a much lower bridge so it could become a boulevard instead of an elevated freeway.
It’s still really early in the discussion but if it would come down it could open up some very prime land in the Third Ward for redevelopment and connect downtown, the Third Ward, and the lakefront much better.
highway man in the world
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 6:31am
tearing these beautiful structures down, is just as bad as a solution as the original proposals that had them cut through cities. these structures are beautiful and a symbol of modernization.....turn them into public elevated parks and preserve their beauty.
Froggie in Alexandria, VA
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 10:23am
This idea of tearing down existing freeways to replace them with boulevards works best when the freeway in question is a spur and not a through route. Freeways which are through routes (as several on CNU’s list are and also the I-91 example that Mr. James provided) are more difficult situations, especially if there is no viable bypass route (such as the case with I-91 in Hartford...Route 5 bridge notwithstanding).
Kishor in India
Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 1:18am
I think it is the greatest freeway flyover of the world. However, you are talking about that situation which is in the Washington for $4 million which is on transportation department.
Gary Wallace in Seattle
Mon, Dec 01, 2008 at 11:51am
The votes for the Alaska Way Viaduct have not been to demolish the freeway, except from the governing officials. Of the 100,000 that use the viaduct to commute to someplace other than downtown forcing the traffice through the town of Seattle would be disastrous and make commuter traffice through this town even more difficult.
For alternates the City is still stuck with 1890’s technologies (trains) and unable to look to the future with a clear understanding of how to “fix” the problem. The road as a mode of transportation is still going to be required since movement of people and trade requires actual transporation and not virtual. Much of this could be udated using current technologies that are not from the 1890’s.
A system could be developed using cell phones and smaller more efficient busses that transported people base on actual usage requirements. A pick-up location could be “phone in” using the internet, cell phone, or kiosk computer and the destination entered into the data. Bus routes could be then defined upone where people are actually moving to and from and they could become flexible and not stagnet.
The freeway is a “modern” invention, and should not be cofused with the Roman roads. Efficient use of the freeway could get us out of our individual cars and into something that is far more sustainable.