Changes in travel patterns due to freeway teardown for three North American case studies

Abstract

As our road infrastructure ages, more cities will be faced with the decision of what to do with freeways within their urban core. With local budgets tightening, more cities will begin considering the removal of these roads as a way to save on maintenance and rebuilding costs. In many cases, however, people fear that reducing road capacity will cause traffic gridlock or adversely affect the economy of a city. Limited empirical evidence exists to explain how removing a link affects travel behavior. Understanding how people adjust their transportation choices when faced with the removal of a high-capacity link is critical to planning efforts for future projects. In this study, we examine three case studies of urban freeway removal: two within San Francisco and one within Milwaukee. We performed a comprehensive assessment of travel patterns in the surrounding area, and in the city as a whole, to better assess how travel is impacted after a freeway is removed. The evidence presented in this analysis suggests that many of the fears involved with removing freeways are unwarranted. When this is coupled with the other positive impacts of freeway removal, the results show that freeway removal has very little downside for cities.