Freeways are not free. We pay for them in all kinds of ways — with our tax dollars, our time, our environment and our health. While freeways have enabled huge amounts of economic growth, they've also caused displacement and division. Learn the forgotten history of our urban freeway network, and how decades after that network was finished, some communities are still working to heal the wounds that freeways left behind. As climate change threatens to wreak havoc on our cities, freeways are not just a part of the problem. They can also be part of the solution.
Freeway Exit
Freeways are not free. We pay for them in all kinds of ways — with our tax dollars, our time, our environment and our health. While freeways have enabled huge amounts of economic growth, they've also caused displacement and division. Learn the forgotten history of our urban freeway network, and how decades after that network was finished, some communities are still working to heal the wounds that freeways left behind. As climate change threatens to wreak havoc on our cities, freeways are not just a part of the problem. They can also be part of the solution.
Hosted by Andrew Bowen
Episodes
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In a lean budget year, California has shrunk the size of its climate investments while still spending hundreds of millions of dollars on freeway expansions. Carter Rubin, director of state transportation advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, joins the podcast to talk about his research into the state's mixed priorities in transportation spending.Read more research on HOV/toll lanes. -
Traffic is a huge problem in Tijuana and San Diego. If you drive around during the day, you will most certainly be caught in a traffic jam. -
City Limits, a new book from journalist Megan Kimble, chronicles the emergence of a modern wave of freeway revolts in Texas. As the Texas Department of Transportation seizes more and more land to widen its highways, people who had never considered themselves urbanists or activists are joining the movement. This time they're not just fighting displacement, pollution and segregation — they're also fighting climate catastrophe. -
The California legislature is starting a conversation about how to reunite communities that were divided by freeways. For Assembly member David Alvarez, the issue is personal. Alvarez grew up in San Diego's Barrio Logan, one of the most polluted communities in California. He's now chair of a special committee dedicated to correcting the kind of racial and environmental injustices his family has faced for decades. -
Former Caltrans executive Jeanie Ward-Waller shares her story of getting fired after speaking out against a freeway project near Sacramento. She says Caltrans is driven by a "mindless impulse to add more freeway lanes," and that reform-minded people at the agency are often sidelined and dismissed. -
Gustavo Dallarda, director of Caltrans District 11, explains some of the engineering behind freeways and makes the case that they provide an efficient means of travel compared to surface roads. He acknowledges the need to reduce vehicle travel, but says infrastructure doesn't get built overnight and that our transition away from cars and freeways has to be slow and gradual. -
Our methods for measuring the economic impact of freeways are rooted in 1950s logic. A new report, "Divided by Design" from Smart Growth America, uncovers just how much they leave out. Co-author Beth Osborne says we tend to overestimate how much time and money we'll save on freeways. And we ignore the ways in which freeways can sometimes make trips longer.Notes:Read "Divided by Design." Watch an explainer on the value of time. -
Chuck Marohn, the founder of Strong Towns, has a bone to pick with the field of engineering: Too often, it uses freeway design standards on local streets. Marohn spoke with Andrew as he was promoting his book "Confessions of a Recovering Engineer." He argues engineers need to stop prioritizing speed over safety, and that cities need to stop trying to “solve” congestion. -
As the CEO of San Diego County's transportation planning agency, SANDAG, Hasan Ikhrata has done more than anyone else to shake up the conversation around our freeways. Ikhrata has pushed his own board of directors to let go of long standing plans to widen certain freeways. And he's jump-started a debate over charging drivers by the mile to fund a more sustainable system. -
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The event, which will feature music, art and a fashion show, is meant to help residents reimagine the space as a neighborhood. -
The latest budget proposal out of Sacramento would cut the program to a third of its original size. -
The funds could help plan and build affordable housing, parks and sustainable transportation infrastructure, in communities that were devastated by freeway construction. -
Expanding the capacity of San Diego County's freeway network would increase driving — and could make it impossible to achieve state and local climate goals. -
Kiosks and public bathrooms built over the freeway were supposed to help reconnect the community. They've never been put to use. -
At the center of Southcrest Trails Neighborhood Park sits a public art project inspired by the community's decades-long battle to stop a freeway. -
Few San Diegans today remember the fight over Highway 252, which would have torn through the Southcrest neighborhood. -
State Route 15 was one of the last freeways to get built in San Diego. See what City Heights looked like before it was built. -
Climate activists protested the widening, saying it would not fix congestion but rather put more cars on the road, pushing the city's goal of net zero emissions further from reach.
Share Your Thoughts on Freeway Exit
We value your feedback! Tell us what you liked about the podcast and what you would like to hear more of. What questions do you still have about freeways? What should we look into next?
Submit your questions and feedback here or leave us a voicemail at (619) 452-0228.
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Freeway Exit Team
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Andrew Bowen
Host -
Andrew Bowen is the KPBS metro reporter covering San Diego County, with a focus on local government, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and climate change. He's won several awards, including the Gloria Penner Award and the Walk the Walk Award. Andrew previously worked in Germany as a translator, radio reporter, and TV news producer, covering stories across Europe for Deutsche Welle and Der Spiegel. He holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism with a minor in Spanish from Northwestern University and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and German fluently.
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David Washburn
Editor -
David is KPBS' Investigations Editor since 2019, with 25 years of experience in investigative and explanatory news. He has won awards for stories on officer-involved shootings, Iraq's contractor corruption, and misuse of funds at the Red Cross. David has also worked with Voice of San Diego, Voice of OC, and EdSource. He holds a B.A. from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has previously worked for Dateline NBC.
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Claire Trageser
Assistant Editor -
Claire is KPBS' deputy editor leading digital-first content development and training for award-winning journalists. She has produced radio, TV, and podcast series, and created a police shootings database. Claire won San Diego Society of Professional Journalists' Journalist of the Year in 2020 and two Diversity Prizes. She studied chemistry at Reed College and earned a master's degree in journalism at UC Berkeley.
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Emily Jankowski
Mix and sound designer -
Emily Jankowski is a sound designer based in Boston. Previously, Emily was director of sound design for the cross-border podcast Port of Entry for KPBS in San Diego. Emily was first introduced to Boston in 2019 when Port of Entry was selected for PRX’s Project Catapult, a podcast accelerator and training program for public media stations. Before designing for podcasts, Emily was radio operations assistant at KPBS. She holds a MFA in Sound Design for Theatre from UC San Diego, and a BFA from UC San Diego in Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts, Music.
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