Communities are rethinking their transportation networks to prioritize pedestrian safety, promote urban revitalization and social equity, enhance connectivity, and create more vibrant, people-centered spaces.
Infrastructure plays a crucial role in supporting economic development, facilitating mobility, and ensuring public safety. However, many of the roadways in cities and towns around the country were designed decades ago and are struggling to meet the current demands of society. Highways are characterized by high speeds, limited access points, and physical barriers that disrupt the urban fabric. Traffic congestion, road accidents, and socioeconomic concerns are some of the pressing issues that are driving the need to retrofit many of these roadways. Today, more and more communities are reimagining their transportation networks to re-connect neighborhoods and offer a people-centric approach to mobility.
Converting highways to boulevards is a progressive way that communities are working to address issues associated with aging infrastructure, past injustices, and the needs of all users (including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and public transit users). This paradigm shift is leading communities to adapt existing infrastructure to meet current and anticipated future needs. By right-sizing roadways, cities can achieve a more balanced, equitable and sustainable transportation system that prioritizes safety, access, social justice, and promotes environmental stewardship.
Challenges and Considerations
While the benefits of reimagining roadways may be considerable, there are also challenges that must be addressed throughout the planning and implementation process. Some key considerations include:
Existing Autocentric Infrastructure and Mindsets: In many areas, transportation infrastructure favors vehicles over pedestrians or other alternative forms of transportation. These designs have fostered congested roadways, contributed to autodependency, segregated communities and degraded public spaces. Overcoming these challenges requires a paradigm shift towards sustainable and inclusive urban planning, prioritizing active transportation, public transit, and community-centered design.
- Reconnecting Communities – Social Equity: Over construction of highways and thoroughfares in some areas often divided neighborhoods and disproportionately displaced marginalized communities. This unintended consequence exacerbated economic segregation, limiting access to opportunities and resources for those most in need. The design and planning of roadway transformations will need to carefully consider accessibility and equitable investment and distribution of resources to address past injustices.
- Traffic Management: Retrofitting roadways can lead to changes in traffic patterns, congestion levels and travel time. These considerations require careful coordination with transportation agencies, local governments, and community stakeholders. Education is key in communicating the alternatives and their benefits to these stakeholders.
- Land Use Planning: Modifying transportation networks often requires rethinking land use policies, zoning regulations, and urban design standards to create a more walkable, mixed-use environment that supports multi-modal transportation and embraces smart growth principles.
- Public Engagement: Community engagement is paramount to roadway transformation projects. Municipalities often face competing demands for limited resources to fund education, healthcare and public safety. Convincing policymakers and taxpayers to prioritize roadway conversions can often be challenging. In addition, local resident and stakeholders should have a voice in the planning process to ensure the redesign reflects the unique character and needs of the communities they serve.
- Funding and Financing: The financial costs associated with such projects can be substantial, requiring investments in and long-term maintenance of infrastructure, landscaping, and urban design. It is important that cities consider a variety of funding opportunities, including public-private partnerships, grants, or bond financing.
The Fisher Advantage
Fisher Associates is a National leader in highway right-sizing, having been involved in high-profile projects such as: the Inner Loop North, in Rochester, NY; the I-81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse, NY; Region Central in Buffalo, NY; partners in the award winning team for the Buffalo Skyway Corridor Competition in Buffalo, NY, among many others. Fisher’s involvement with highway right-sizing projects has included planning, public engagement and outreach, landscape architecture, preliminary design, build outs, land disposition strategies, among others.
Fisher Associates possesses unique strengths ideally suited for projects of this type. Our team of transportation engineers allows us to navigate the complexities of redesigning infrastructure, optimizing traffic flow while also integrating multi-modal transportation options. Our planners support this work, enabling communities to envision and execute holistic urban redevelopment strategies that prioritize sustainability, community engagement, and economic vitality. Our deep understanding of the technical and social aspects of urban transformation enable us to help our clients to navigate challenges associated with financing, stakeholder coordination, and long-term maintenance. As a result, we are able to effectively deliver transformative outcomes that enhance the livability and vibrancy of our clients’ communities.
