Stim-Funded Highways to Nowhere

The Obama administration has warned that misuse of stimulus funds will
lower a state’s chances of receiving federal help in the future. Today
on the Streetsblog Network, however, The Infrastructurist
has identified seven road projects in six states (Kentucky has two)
that it calls “the most ridiculous new roads being built with stimulus
money.” In Texas, for example:

Photo via Infrastructurist

Houston,
it seems, wants to be like Beijing. With six ring roads, the Chinese
government has made it clear it doesn’t mind letting sprawl continue
without limits around its capital. Houston’s Grand Parkway, at 184
miles in length and a projected cost of $5.1 billion, will be the
city’s fourth outer loop.

The next stretch of the road to be
built, funded by $181 million of stimulus money, would be a 14-mile
corridor running through the traces of Texas’ famous — and now almost
completely destroyed — Katy Prairie, as well as a number of other
uninhabited areas, including a swath of Lake Houston State Park.

Other, similarly egregious projects are planned for North Carolina, Indiana, New Hampshire and Maryland.

In more encouraging news, Milwaukee Rising reports on a state effort to outlaw dooring, Matthew Yglesias talks about how congestion pricing would benefit low-income Californians, and Bike Portland follows up on Transpo Secretary Ray LaHood’s positive comments at last week’s National Bike Summit.