For over 20 years, CNU’s Highways to Boulevards work has been at the vanguard of removing unnecessary freeways from cities. Ramming freeways through city neighborhoods did astronomical damage to cities in the 20th Century and continue to burden communities with the significant health hazards of vehicle exhaust, a loss of local businesses and services, and streets that are hostile to pedestrians. Many of these freeways could be removed and replaced with surface streets or capped. Whenever this has happened—whether in San Francisco, New York City, Rochester, Milwaukee, or Seoul, South Korea—the city always has improved economically and environmentally. In short, freeway removals, halts to expansion, and highway caps reduce state and federal infrastructure costs while boosting local economies by strengthening urban places and are a win-win for in-city transformation.
We are at a time where much of this infrastructure is nearing the end of its functional life. Now is a great opportunity to choose differently and learn from the successful examples of replacement of in-city highways with street networks and caps. The campaigns featured in this report illustrate the evolution of the Highways to Boulevards movement and envision reparative infrastructure that reknits communities, addresses the damage caused by these highways, and centers community priorities.
The 2025 report exists in a context far different from where this report began in 2007. Thanks to the hard work of local campaigners and the backing of state and federal governments, more and more city highways are being considered for removal. Today’s campaigners can look at the success stories of freeway removals nationwide to inspire change in their communities.