A bid to stop freeway expansions in California hits a roadblock: Organized labor
After more than 60 years and 15,000 miles of highway and interstate construction in California, momentum is growing to end the state’s freeway expansion era.
Top state transportation officials recently pulled the plug on a $6-billion interstate widening in L.A. County and are pledging to funnel billions of dollars toward mass transit and road repairs. Multiple state lawmakers want to do the same, including one proposal that would prohibit freeway expansions in underserved communities across California, an effort that would be the first of its kind in the country.
Supporters of this approach cite freeways’ legacy of displacement and pollution in Black and Latino communities, the need to fight climate change and research showing that widening freeways in cities doesn’t ultimately ease congestion.
No longer will the state add freeway lanes solely to allow more cars and trucks to use them, said Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, which oversees the state’s transportation network.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2022-05-06/freeway-expansions-california-organized-labor
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