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Freeway removal is apublic policy ofurban planning to demolishfreeways and createmixed-use urban areas, parks, residential, commercial, or other land uses. Such highway removal is often part of a policy to promotesmart growth,transit-oriented development, andpedestrian- andbicycle-friendly cities. In addition to outright removals, some freeways are reconstituted asboulevards, rebuilt below grade viatunnelling orcaps and stitches, or are 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 theNational 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 ofdisplacement 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. SenatorChuck 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 acontrolled-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 theWest Side Elevated Highway into anurban boulevard inNew York City. In 1971, theUrban Development Corporation proposed replacing the aging elevated highway with a new interstate highway inManhattan.^[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^[10] 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 60 acres (24 ha) $100 million park on the highway's western periphery.^[11]

Another early freeway-to-boulevard conversion involved San Francisco's double-deckedEmbarcadero Freeway andCentral Freeway, which were damaged during theLoma Prieta earthquake in 1989.^[12] The Central Freeway was replaced by the multi-modal, landscaped surface-levelOctavia 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 inPortland, Oregon andMilwaukee, Wisconsin that ultimately reduced traffic, spurred economic development, and allowed for the creation of new neighborhoods and commercial districts. TheHarbor Drive Freeway in Portland was replaced byTom McCall Waterfront Park, while thePark East Freeway in Milwaukee recovered prime land for development in the urban core. InToronto,Ontario, the easternmost portion of theGardiner 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 abike 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 buildingfreeway lids to reclaim the space previously occupied by the surface highway.^[14][15]

InBoston, Massachusetts, theCentral 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 "otherGreen Monster." During the 1990s and early 2000s, a $15 billion project known as theBig 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.

TheAlaskan Way Viaduct inSeattle, Washington, was replaced with the tunnel that carries theSR-99 freeway underneath the city.

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(December 2014)

• Highway revolts
• Road diet
• Cyclability
• Transit mall – Urban street reserved for public transit, bicycles, and pedestrians
• Unused highway – Roads that were closed or never used
• Urban vitality
• 8664

• Popovich, Nadja; Williams, Josh; Lu, Denise (May 27, 2021)."Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?".The New York Times. RetrievedMay 30, 2021.

• Preservenet
• Congress for the New Urbanism
• Six Case Studies in Urban Freeway Removal
• Removing Urban Freeway

• Road transport
• Transportation planning
• Urban planning

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