Urban highway removal projects are on the rise across America

Removing outdated highways can have a tremendous impact on a city. In Rochester, New York, a portion of a sunken 1960s highway was transformed, spurring new development and adding Complete Streets.

The B1M, the world’s largest video channel for construction, looks at why cities across America are following Rochester’s lead and what’s ahead for the remainder of the highway. View the full video.

In addition, transportation engineer Jim Hofmann was interviewed last year by Fast Company about the design challenges of rebuilding with a clean slate once the highway was removed.

“The focus ended up being on pedestrian and bicycle access,” Jim said. In fact, since the project started in 2014, a report from the Congress for the New Urbanism states that walking in the Rochester area has increased by 50%, and biking by 60%.

Read the full story in Fast Company.