Which Urban Freeways Are Ready to Go? [View all]

Which Urban Freeways Are Ready to Go?

Seattle | 08/30/2012 1:22pm |
Alex Vuocolo | Next American City





To many city-dwellers, the obsolescence of aging urban highways is obvious. Here in Philadelphia, for instance, I-95 is fast-approaching the end of its design life. What will become of it — particularly a three-mile stretch along the Delaware River that divides the city from its waterfront — has occupied the concern and imagination of residents and city planners alike.

It’s an issue that many U.S. cities face as they still reel from the legacy of mid-20th century highway construction and the present threat of infrastructural failure.

But wholesale demolition of urban highways remains unlikely, and the cities that have succeeded in removal have awaited a critical mass, such as pressing safety issues, or spent years fighting for political consensus.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), which has long been a proponent of more walkable and less automobile-oriented cities, hopes to quicken the process by identifying urban freeways primed for demolition crews. Following a similar report in 2010, CNU’s 2012 Freeways Without a Futures report lists 12 urban freeways throughout North America based on the following factors: “The age and design of structures, redevelopment potential, potential cost savings, ability to improve both overall mobility and local access, existence of pending infrastructure decisions, and community support.”

Here are the freeways listed:

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The complete piece is at: http://americancity.org/daily/entry/urban-freeways-ready-to-go