ODOT Proposes That Commuters Pay $600–2,200 per Year for Highway Expansion

ODOT’s expansion of I-205—and subsequent tolling—might make it so that the average household will be spending 8.7% of their household income on transportation needs.

End Highway Expansion, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightFebruary 28, 2023End Highway Expansion, highways, highway spending, Infrastructure, transportation, transportation spending, Oregon, toll roads, freeway widening

“Free Parking” Isn’t Green

No matter how many solar panels it has, your parking garage isn’t green, and especially if you don’t charge parking.

City Observatory, Parking, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 28, 2022Parking, parking, parking pricing, parking landing page, End Parking Mandates and Subsidies, Donald Shoup, Parking Reform Network, garages, environment, climate, Climate Change, City Observatory

Flying Blind: Why Public Leaders Need an Investment Grade Analysis

Portland and Oregon leaders shouldn’t commit to a $5-billion project without an investment grade analysis (IGA) of toll revenues.

#DotheMath, #InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, City Observatory, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 17, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, Oregon, Washington, DOT, #DoTheMath, City Observatory

Yet Another Exploding Whale: ODOT’s Freeway-Widening Cost Doubles

The Oregon DOT has experienced massive cost overruns on all of its largest construction projects…and has systematically concealed and understated the frequency and scale of those cost overruns.

#InfrastructureCrisis, Infrastructure, City Observatory, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightJune 3, 2022Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure cult, infrastructure cost, infrastructure spending, Oregon, DOT, City Observatory, Joe Cortright, transportation

The NIMBYs Made $6.9 Trillion Last Year

We keep looking for villains to blame for the housing affordability crisis—but are we pointing fingers at the wrong culprits?

City Observatory, Housing, Top StoryJoe CortrightApril 20, 2022housing, housing cost, housing affordability, housing crisis, Housing Crisis, housing market, Housing, homeowners, Homeownership, homeownership, race, Race, City Observatory, Joe Cortright

Freeway Widening for Whomst?

Widening freeways is no way to promote equity.

How to Solve Traffic Congestion: A Miracle in Louisville?

Kentucky and Indiana wasted a billion dollars on highway capacity that people don’t use or value.

#NoNewRoads, City Observatory, Infrastructure, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightDecember 1, 2021traffic congestion, traffic engineering, toll roads, freeways, freeway widening, City Observatory, highways, highway spending, kentucky, Indiana

ODOT Needs to Stop the I-5 Bridge Con

Next month, the Portland Metro government is being asked to approve $36 million in additional funds for further planning of a massive freeway project. It should say no.

City Observatory, Environment, Infrastructure, Transportation, #NoNewRoads, Top StoryJoe CortrightNovember 12, 2021DOT, Portland OR, Oregon, transportation, transportation spending, highways, highway spending, freeways, freeway widening, City Observatory, Infrastructure

10 Reasons to Not Trust ODOT's Environmental Claims

Oregon’s Department of Transportation is making phony claims that widening highways reduces pollution. Here’s why they’re wrong.

Where We Embrace Socialism in the U.S.: Parking Lots

How we embrace socialism for car storage in the public right of way.

City Observatory, Parking, Top StoryJoe CortrightOctober 12, 2021Parking, parking, parking landing page, Joe Cortright, City Observatory, politics, car dependency, car culture

Freeway-Widening Grifters: Woke-Washing, Fraud, and Incompetence

ODOT has resorted to some truly cheap and deceptive marketing tactics to promote their new freeway-widening project.

Selling Oregon into Highway Bondage

The Oregon Department of Transportation has been authorized to issue revenue bonds to finance potentially billions of dollars of highway widening projects.

#InfrastructureCrisis, #NoNewRoads, City Observatory, Infrastructure, Top StoryJoe CortrightAugust 3, 2021debt, Oregon, #NoNewRoads, Infrastructure, infrastructure cost, highways, highway spending, Joe Cortright, City Observatory, toll roads

How Highways Finally Crushed Black Tulsa

Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood survived the 1921 race massacre, only to be ultimately destroyed by a more unrelenting foe: interstate highways.

Race, City Observatory, Top StoryJoe CortrightJuly 9, 2021tulsa, race, history, highways, Joe Cortright, Reparations

Wholly Moses: Pave Now, Pay Later

A malignant legacy lives on through a recent bill proposed in Oregon.

City Observatory, #NoNewRoads, Local Government, Transportation, Top StoryJoe CortrightApril 23, 2021Robert Moses, Oregon, City Observatory, Joe Cortright, Portland OR

The "Diverging Diamond": Greenwashing Auto Infrastructure

A proposed new “diverging diamond” interchange in Massachusetts is being sold as pedestrian-friendly. In truth, it is a profoundly pedestrian-hostile design.

#SlowtheCars, City Observatory, Top StoryJoe CortrightMarch 29, 2021Diverging Diamond, cars, #SlowTheCars, Joe Cortright, City Observatory, Massachusetts

The Fundamental, Global Law of Road Congestion

It goes by many names — the Jevons Paradox, Braess Paradox, Marchetti’s Constant or Downs’ Triple Convergence — but the science is clear: expanding freeway capacity makes traffic worse.

City Observatory, Transportation, Roads and Streets, Top StoryJoe CortrightMarch 4, 2021congestion, toll roads, highways, City Observatory, Joe Cortright

Most “Pedestrian Infrastructure” Is Really Car Infrastructure

Houston’s “Energy Corridor” gets a pedestrian makeover, but just one thing seems to be missing: Pedestrians.

#SlowtheCars, Walkability, City Observatory, Top StoryJoe CortrightFebruary 1, 2021Pedestrian Safety, pedestrians, pedestrian crossing, Houston, Texas, #SlowTheCars, Joe Cortright, City Observatory, walkability

Why Parking Should Pay Its Way Instead of Getting a Free Ride

Hartford, Connecticut is considering a pioneering move to make parking pay its way.

Parking, City Observatory, Top Story 2, Top StoryJoe CortrightJanuary 22, 2021Connecticut, Parking

Is There Anything "Smart" about Smart Cities?

Big data and new technology make bold promises about solving urban problems. Not only do they fall well short of solutions, but can actually make things worse.