Freeways that should be demolished

[HighwayStar]

I-35 through Duluth removed nasty railyards and demolished decaying industrial buildings while adding greenspace and a path along the shore. I'd argue it made the local waterfront very much more accessible than it was before.

Depends on which section you mean.  West Side took a big hit when it was built into the city.  I-35 took hundreds of homes.

Old run down housing can be replaced, not much of a loss.

The neighborhood was quite a loss, insomuch that it affected the routing of I-35 as it continued north due to public blowback.

That is pretzel logic. It was not the loss of the neighborhood that did that, but a weak an ineffective political system that is easily hijacked by NIMBYs and their lawyers.

[Rothman]

I-35 through Duluth removed nasty railyards and demolished decaying industrial buildings while adding greenspace and a path along the shore. I'd argue it made the local waterfront very much more accessible than it was before.

Depends on which section you mean.  West Side took a big hit when it was built into the city.  I-35 took hundreds of homes.

Old run down housing can be replaced, not much of a loss.

The neighborhood was quite a loss, insomuch that it affected the routing of I-35 as it continued north due to public blowback.

That is pretzel logic. It was not the loss of the neighborhood that did that, but a weak an ineffective political system that is easily hijacked by NIMBYs and their lawyers.

Somebody had to do the hijacking for there to be one.

[HighwayStar]

I-35 through Duluth removed nasty railyards and demolished decaying industrial buildings while adding greenspace and a path along the shore. I'd argue it made the local waterfront very much more accessible than it was before.

Depends on which section you mean.  West Side took a big hit when it was built into the city.  I-35 took hundreds of homes.

Old run down housing can be replaced, not much of a loss.

The neighborhood was quite a loss, insomuch that it affected the routing of I-35 as it continued north due to public blowback.

That is pretzel logic. It was not the loss of the neighborhood that did that, but a weak an ineffective political system that is easily hijacked by NIMBYs and their lawyers.

Somebody had to do the hijacking for there to be one.

That is beside the point, the system is broke, the fix is to keep those people on the sidelines where they belong and let the roads be built to serve the nation. China does this well, if they say a road is getting built there then it gets built, and no NIMBYs with their sleazeball lawyers get in the way.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-35 through Duluth removed nasty railyards and demolished decaying industrial buildings while adding greenspace and a path along the shore. I'd argue it made the local waterfront very much more accessible than it was before.

Depends on which section you mean.  West Side took a big hit when it was built into the city.  I-35 took hundreds of homes.

Old run down housing can be replaced, not much of a loss.

The neighborhood was quite a loss, insomuch that it affected the routing of I-35 as it continued north due to public blowback.

That is pretzel logic. It was not the loss of the neighborhood that did that, but a weak an ineffective political system that is easily hijacked by NIMBYs and their lawyers.

Somebody had to do the hijacking for there to be one.

That is beside the point, the system is broke, the fix is to keep those people on the sidelines where they belong and let the roads be built to serve the nation. China does this well, if they say a road is getting built there then it gets built, and no NIMBYs with their sleazeball lawyers get in the way.

Do we really want to follow China's examples...

[SkyPesos]

Do we really want to follow China's examples...

China actually pays displaced households in land that would go towards development or transportation projects really well. I know someone in my extended family that got their old, aesthetically unpleasing looking house bought by the government for a redevelopment project (which included a public park, apartment buildings, a hotel, a shopping center, and a subway station), and they got paid enough to move into a much nicer looking apartment room in a prime location.

[skluth]

Pretty much any highway between a city and the waterfront.

I-64 in Louisville meets this, and I'd argue it shouldn't be demolished.

Ive never been to Louisville, but looking at Google Maps, that absolutely looks like a great candidate to go.

Take a look at the traffic volumes on that segment of I-64. It's not going anywhere.

Whats really great about cars is that its exceptionally easy to go another route. Youre inside, sitting, climate controlled, with radio.

So yeah, if that highway just magically disappeared one day, everyone would still get to where theyre going, in pretty high comfort. There are a ton of alternatives in every single direction. Are those alternatives as direct? Maybe not, but again, thats ok. All one has to do is press lightly on the accelerator and they will be fine.

When waterfront highways were built, rivers were literally sewage lines. Some were even on fire. They were nasty, nasty places. Building a highway along them was probably the right choice.

Fortunately, thats no longer the case, and the economic value of an accessible waterfront is much higher. It is time we start moving those highways to other locations so cities can capitalize on their waterfronts. Turning that space into condos, parks, tourists attractions etc will do locals and the regional economy a whole lot more than a highway.

The "economic value" of an accessible waterway is largely fictitious. Hipsters being able to walk by the river and drink their Starbucks is inconsequential compared to the value of highways that can transport goods and people with efficiency and comfort.

You should make a CD and call it "That's What I Call Trolling". Your "analysis" is entirely garbage.

[vdeane]

Do we really want to follow China's examples...

China actually pays displaced households in land that would go towards development or transportation projects really well. I know someone in my extended family that got their old, aesthetically unpleasing looking house bought by the government for a redevelopment project (which included a public park, apartment buildings, a hotel, a shopping center, and a subway station), and they got paid enough to move into a much nicer looking apartment room in a prime location.

Of course, they do occasionally have "nail houses" when people refuse to sell.

[Avalanchez71]

I-20/I-59 through Meridian MS
I-59 through Laurel, MS

Sam Cooper Boulevard   Memphis, TN

I-75 across Alligator Alley

SR 878 FL

[andrepoiy]

Pretty much any highway between a city and the waterfront.

I-64 in Louisville meets this, and I'd argue it shouldn't be demolished.

Ive never been to Louisville, but looking at Google Maps, that absolutely looks like a great candidate to go.

Take a look at the traffic volumes on that segment of I-64. It's not going anywhere.

Whats really great about cars is that its exceptionally easy to go another route. Youre inside, sitting, climate controlled, with radio.

So yeah, if that highway just magically disappeared one day, everyone would still get to where theyre going, in pretty high comfort. There are a ton of alternatives in every single direction. Are those alternatives as direct? Maybe not, but again, thats ok. All one has to do is press lightly on the accelerator and they will be fine.

When waterfront highways were built, rivers were literally sewage lines. Some were even on fire. They were nasty, nasty places. Building a highway along them was probably the right choice.

Fortunately, thats no longer the case, and the economic value of an accessible waterfront is much higher. It is time we start moving those highways to other locations so cities can capitalize on their waterfronts. Turning that space into condos, parks, tourists attractions etc will do locals and the regional economy a whole lot more than a highway.

The "economic value" of an accessible waterway is largely fictitious. Hipsters being able to walk by the river and drink their Starbucks is inconsequential compared to the value of highways that can transport goods and people with efficiency and comfort.

You should make a CD and call it "That's What I Call Trolling". Your "analysis" is entirely garbage.

Just take a look at Toronto. Toronto's waterfront before 1980 was entirely an industrial wasteland, with a lot of railway yards, factories, etc.

Now, pretty much 90% is gone, and the waterfront is a central part of the Toronto skyline

[sprjus4]

I-20/I-59 through Meridian MS
I-59 through Laurel, MS

Sam Cooper Boulevard   Memphis, TN

I-75 across Alligator Alley

SR 878 FL

You're trying to be funny, and no one laughed.