Freeway removal is a public policy of urban planning to demolish freeways and create mixed-use urban areas, parks, residential, commercial, or other land uses. Such highway removal is often part of a policy to promote smart growth, transit-oriented development, walkable and bicycle-friendly cities. In some cases freeways are re-imagined as boulevards, rebuilt as below-grade freeways underneath caps-and-stitches, or relocated through less densely-developed areas.
Freeway removals most often occur in cities where highways were built through dense neighborhoods - a practice common in the 20th Century, particularly in U.S. cities following the 1956 enactment of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act.[1] These highways often created blight that minimized use of land space and reduced the quality of life for city residents. In the United States, the routes for interstate highways were often built through minority neighborhoods in urban centers,[2] which often led to increasing racial segregation by creating physical barriers between neighborhoods.[3]
Beginning in the late 20th century, as many highways reached the end of their lifespans, urban planners and activists began proposing demolishing or transforming highways in lieu of repairing them in an effort to alleviate the symptoms of displacement and lack of neighborhood connectivity.[4] [5] In many cases, there are political battles between citizens' groups who are proponents of freeway removal proposals and suburban drivers that want to keep the freeways.[6]
In early 2021, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer proposed legislation that would offer cities federal money to remove urban highways. The pilot program includes $10 billion to cover the inspection of existing infrastructure and possibly cover costs involved in removal and redevelopment planning.[7]
A freeway-to-boulevard conversion involves demolishing a controlled access highway with an at-grade boulevard. Land formerly devoted to highway lanes and exit ramps are often repurposed into wide sidewalks, bike lanes, green space, or sold for urban development.[8]
One of the earliest examples of a freeway-to-boulevard conversion was the transformation of the West Side Elevated Highway into an urban boulevard in New York City. In 1971, the Urban Development Corporation proposed replacing the aging elevated highway with a new interstate highway in Manhattan.[9] After fierce local opposition, New York City officially gave up on the proposed interstate project in 1985,[10] [9] and allocated 60 percent of its interstate highway funds to mass transit and setting aside $811 million for the "West Side Highway Replacement Project". In 1987, the commission unanimously agreed to build the highway as a six-lane urban boulevard with a parkway-style median and decorative lightposts, along with a 60acres $100 million park on the highway's western periphery.[11]
Another early freeway-to-boulevard conversion involved San Francisco's double-decked Embarcadero Freeway and Central Freeway, which were damaged during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.[12] The Central Freeway was replaced by the multi-modal, landscaped surface-level Octavia Boulevard, and the Embarcadero Freeway was replaced by a boulevard with streetcar and light rail operations in the median, flanked by the restored Beaux-Arts style Ferry Building.[13]
Other early freeway removal projects occurred in Portland, Oregon and Milwaukee, Wisconsin that ultimately reduced traffic, spurred economic development, and allowed for the creation of new neighborhoods and commercial districts. The Harbor Drive Freeway in Portland was replaced by Tom McCall Waterfront Park, while the Park East Freeway in Milwaukee recovered prime land for development in the urban core. In Toronto, Ontario, the easternmost portion of the Gardiner Expressway, which was located between Don Road and Leslie Street, was demolished in 2000 and replaced with an at-grade urban boulevard with traffic lights, railroad crossings and a bike trail.
In situations where removing an urban freeway is believed to exacerbate traffic problems within a city, urban planners may resort to relocating the freeway underground and building freeway lids to reclaim the space previously occupied by the surface highway.[14] [15]
In Boston, Massachusetts, the Central Artery (Interstate 93) ran through the center of the city on an elevated green viaduct from its opening in the 1950s until 2005. The freeway divided historic neighborhoods and business districts in downtown Boston, and it was referred to as Boston's "other Green Monster." During the 1990s and early 2000s, a $15 billion project known as the Big Dig relocated the Central Artery into tunnels underneath downtown Boston; the old viaduct was demolished, and its path was reclaimed for a surface boulevard and park space.
The Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle, Washington, was replaced with the tunnel that carries the SR-99 freeway underneath the city.
| Highway | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alaskan Way Viaduct | Seattle, Washington, United States | 2019 - Replaced with State Route 99 Tunnel |
| Autopista de Circunvalación M-30 | Madrid, Spain | 2008 - Partial removal - Southern segment relocated underground as part of the Madrid Río project |
| Bonaventure Expressway | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 2016 - Elevated highway demolished and replaced with an urban boulevard and parkland[16] |
| Ville-Marie Expressway and Décarie Road | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 2018 - Partial demolition only, some ramps reduced along the Turcot Interchange |
| Catharijnebaan | Utrecht, Netherlands | 2010 - Highway demolished and replaced with canal and green space |
| Central Artery | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | 2003 - Relocated underground as part of the Big Dig project |
| Central Freeway and Embarcadero Freeway | San Francisco, California, United States | 1993 - Replaced by at-grade boulevards following 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake |
| Seoul, South Korea | 2003 - Replaced with artificial stream and green space | |
| Cogswell Interchange (Harbour Drive) | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | 2021 - Freeway-to-boulevard conversion |
| Gardiner Expressway | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 2001 - Partial demolition; exit ramps replaced with parkland |
| Harbor Drive | Portland, Oregon, United States | 1974 - Demolished and replaced with Tom McCall Waterfront Park |
| Innerbelt | Akron, Ohio, United States | 2017 - Highway closed and redeveloped into parkland and urban development[17] |
| Inner Loop | Rochester, New York, United States | 2014 - Replaced with surface streets and urban development |
| Fort Worth, Texas, United States | 2001 - Highway rerouted farther from downtown; elevated highway demolished and replaced with parkland and urban development | |
| Interstate 70 | Denver, Colorado, United States | 2022 - CDOT replaced a 1.8miles viaduct with a below-grade highway with a 4adj=onNaNadj=on park being built over it |
| Interstate 170 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | 2010 - Western stub removed for expansion of the West Baltimore station's parking lot and possible Red Line project |
| Interstate 195 | Providence, Rhode Island, United States | 2011 - Highway relocated as part of the Iway project; former highway right-of-way repurposed into urban development |
| NY 895 (Sheridan Expressway) | The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States | 2017 - Freeway-to-boulevard conversion[18] |
| Oak Street Connector | New Haven, Connecticut, United States | 2013 - Highway demolished and replaced with surface streets and urban development; portion of original highway repurposed as entrance to underground parking garage |
| Oklahoma City Crosstown Expressway | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | 2002 - Partial highway-to-boulevard conversion |
| Park East Freeway | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | 2002 - Demolished and repurposed into urban development |
| Niagara Scenic Parkway | Niagara Falls, New York, United States | 2019 - Highway removed and replaced with surface streets and waterfront parkland |
| Southeast Freeway | Washington D.C., United States | 2016 - Partial freeway-to-boulevard conversion |
| Voie Georges-Pompidou | Paris, France | 2016 - Highway removed and replaced with public beaches and urban development |
| West Sacramento Freeway | Sacramento, California, United States | 2014 - Highway removed and replaced with surface streets and urban development |
| West Side Elevated Highway | Manhattan, New York City, New York (state), United States | 1977 - Elevated highway demolished and replaced with urban boulevard |
| Dusseldorf Roadway | Dusseldorf, Germany | 1993 - Surface parkway replaced with tunnel |
| Zhongxiao Elevated Highway | Taipei, Taiwan | 2016 - Elevated highway repurposed from roadway into elevated park. Section next to the North Gate demolished to give an unimpeded view of the gate. |
| Highway | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Interstate 81 | Syracuse, New York | Approved proposal to reroute I-81 traffic around Syracuse via Interstate 481 and downgrade the existing freeway to a business loop boulevard;[19] the plan was halted by judges multiple times and faced strong local opposition, but the construction phase has begun since then[20] |
| Interstate 375 | Detroit, Michigan | Approved proposal to replace portion of freeway with at-grade boulevard; construction is planned to begin 2025[21] |
| Highway | Location | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claiborne Expressway | New Orleans, Louisiana | Proposal to demolish highway (I-10) and replace with at-grade boulevard;[22] the governments of Louisiana and New Orleans have countered with a proposal to improve the elevated freeway and the space beneath it as well as remove four ramps in Tremé instead due to the negative travel congestion impacts that would result from removing the expressway[23] | |
| Downtown Connector | Proposal to rebuild highway underground beneath the city[24] | ||
| Interstate 787 and South Mall Arterial | Albany, New York | Proposal to remove highway and replace with at-grade boulevards, surface streets, urban development, and riverfront green space;[25] a draft report released in May 2019 did not recommend this change,[26] but studies on the freeway's future continue[27] | |
| Interstate 345 | Dallas, Texas | Proposal to demolish highway and replace with an at-grade boulevard;[28] this proposal was rejected by TxDOT due to negative traffic congestion impacts | |
| Interstate 35 | Austin, Texas | Proposal to re-route I-35 traffic around Austin via State Highway 130 and replace existing highway with an at-grade boulevard through Austin;[29] despite widespread opposition, TxDOT instead plans to rebuild and bury the freeway below-grade with some sections possibly covered with caps-and-stitches containing parkland[30] [31] | |
| Interstate 35 | Duluth, Minnesota | Proposal to replace riverfront highway with at-grade boulevard and green space[32] | |
| Interstate 475 | Flint, Michigan | Proposal to replace freeway with at-grade boulevard through downtown Flint[33] | |
| Metropolitan Expressway | Tokyo, Japan | Proposal to demolish viaduct through the city center | |
| Whitehurst Freeway | Washington, D.C. | Proposal to demolish elevated highway; this proposal has been stopped several times[34] | |
| Interstate 794 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Proposal to replace freeway with at-grade boulevard through downtown Milwaukee[35] |