Recent Streetsblog LA posts about highway expansion

Language Matters: Mind the Gap

By Damien Newton | Feb 14, 2011 | 25 Comments

As long time Streetsblog readers are well aware, our editorial team believes that language matters. It’s why there’s a slew of stories arguing that using the word “accident” as a synonym for “crash” is both incorrect and insidious. Last week, a reader pointed out to me that Metro, in both press materials and on The […]

As Number of Carpool Riders Fall, Why Is L.A. Doubling Down on New Lanes?

By Damien Newton | Feb 1, 2011 | 35 Comments

Los Angeles County has one of the most extensive and far-reaching carpool lane networks in the country. And it’s still growing. Between 1997 and 2010, the County added 244 lane miles of HOV lanes bringing the total system to 513 lane miles. Pretty much every highway expansion project in the county is an HOV project […]

A Sustainable Ending for the 710 Tunnel Debate – Let’s Build Light Rail for Everyone

By James Rojas | Jan 27, 2011 | 17 Comments

The never-ending debate over whether or not to “complete” SR-710 so that it connects with the 210 provides a great opportunity to create a sustainable option for the 710 Tunnel. Instead of a tunnel designed to move trucks and cars, we need to create a light rail alternative that connects the region’s biggest job centers […]

CA Rep. Hunter: Roads Constitutionally Mandated, Transit Must Pay For Itself

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 27, 2011 | No Comments

Streetsblog Capitol Hill caught up with Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) yesterday after the T&I Committee meeting wrapped up. He’s the only new Republican on the committee who’s not also a new member of Congress. He followed his father, also named Duncan Hunter, into the seat in 2008. Hunter is on the Republican Study Committee that […]

Actually, Highway Builders, Roads Don’t Pay For Themselves

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 4, 2011 | No Comments

You’ve heard it a thousand times from the highway lobby: Roads pay for themselves through “user fees” — a.k.a. gas taxes and tolls — whereas transit is a drain on the taxpayer. They use this argument to push for new roads, instead of transit, as fiscally prudent investments. The myth of the self-financed road meets […]

Freeway Expansion Coverage Focusing on Construction Delays, Still Missing the Magic Question

By Damien Newton | Dec 15, 2010 | 4 Comments

Three years of construction. Massive Delays. Circuitous detours. A $277 million price tag. Unfortunately, arguments about sprawl and damage to the environment haven’t proven to be winners when convincing the larger public that massive highway widening projects are hurting, not helping congestion. However, a shift in how these widening projects are covered, with a sharp […]

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