This group of roadways could soon meet the wrecking ball A new national report advocates tearing down ten aging highways in order to improve cities across the United States. Released by the nonprofit Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the report Freeways Without Futures 2017?now in its fifth edition?says that removing highways would fight pollution, ease traffic, and improve walkability and health.
Much of the U.S.?s 200,000 miles of freeways and bridges are falling apart. The most recent Infrastructure Report Card from the American Society of Civil Engineers, for example, said the country would need to spend $3.6 trillion to repair our country?s crumbling roads, rails, pipes, power grids.
From alternative highway designs to making cities safer for pedestrians, the future of urban planning is very much in flux. Central to the problem is how to fix aging interstates. Some cities are reclaiming elevated highways by renovating their underpasses into art installations and parks. But organizations like CNU want to go even further and remove the highways entirely.
Courtesy of CNU
A map of the 10 highways identified for teardown by the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Tearing down highways isn?t as crazy at it sounds. Research from cities like San Francisco has shown that demolishing elevated freeways can have positive effects on development without negative effects on transportation.
For many city planners, replacing highways with helps reconn...