Are highway widening projects really infrastructure improvements? State transportation agencies would want you to believe the answer is yes, but a closer look at the effects of road widenings and how these agencies defend them point to a different answer.

The Freeway Fighters Network is an advocacy group committed to transportation infrastructure that focuses of the improvement of equity and sustainability. Unsurprisingly, wide highway infrastructure is not a model of these qualities for connecting communities. Let’s address the arguments that state transportation agencies use to convince the public of supposed benefits and the hidden costs of these projects.

One common argument for road widenings is the lightening of heavy traffic. Transportation officials claim that creating more lanes will decrease traffic, and while this might seem like the truth, a deeper dive in human behavior proves otherwise. Humans respond to changes in their environment, including an increase in vehicle lanes. People will be more likely to use the newer highway, since there is the perceived benefit of more lanes. The result is similar traffic patterns with more cars on the road, and therefore more emissions. Additionally, the economics point of induced demand applies quite nicely to this scenario and reveals that increasing the number of lanes will result in more people wanting to drive, and thereby increasing traffic.

Transportation officials will also use the argument that road widenings help in the fight against climate change. They assert that more lanes will reduce emissions, since idling cars emit more pollution than faster traveling cars. This, however, does not hold when considering that faster moving cars emit more pollution and many recent car models include stop-start technology, reducing engine idling. State transportation agencies advocate for a HOV or carpool lane, yet these are notoriously hard to enforce, and in most cases, do not actually increase carpooling. Officials also greenwash road widening through increased biking and walking accessibility. Although, these are usually less than ideal conditions when next to wide highways, and connections to other pedestrian infrastructure is necessary for this argument to hold.

Another argument is for the possibility of a hypothetical transit line in the future. Officials can claim that wider roads can serve as place holders for metro lines or bus lanes, but these traditionally do not come to fruition.

State transportation agencies will also use jargon terms such as auxiliary lanes and freeway caps for reducing the negative effects associated with road widenings. Auxiliary lanes are shorter sections of lanes between on-ramps and off-ramps, and officials use them in arguments for expansions to promote driver safety. The truth behind these is the ease in which they can be turned into full additional lanes. Freeway caps are bridge-like structures built over highways, but expanding these highways in the same process is doing nothing to address the issue.

Road widening projects also create significant barriers to wildlife movement by expanding the physical footprint of roads and increasing vehicle speeds and traffic volume. In Virginia, these projects are being completed without mitigation measures like wildlife crossings or fencing to guide animals safely across roadways. This lack of planning exacerbates the already severe wildlife-vehicle conflict problem, putting both human lives and wildlife at greater risk. As roads grow wider and busier, wildlife becomes increasingly isolated, unable to access essential habitats and resources, leading to declines in biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Finally, officials will claim that money was already poured into research, and this cannot be wasted. This simply isn’t the case, and as the public, it is always possible to advocate against these projects.

Wild Virginia is dedicated to addressing this critical issue by advocating for infrastructure designs that incorporate wildlife movement solutions. Join us in becoming an advocate for wildlife connectivity—together, we can push for legislation and projects that protect both wildlife and human communities. Learn more and take action today!