Unlike some other projects in this report, there is no escaping the need for major investment in transportation infrastructure in this section of Boston. The question is how.

The $5.3-billion project is a 52-mile, six-lane expressway that's almost entirely reliant on intermittent and insufficient federal funding, and scheduled to take at least 40 years to complete.

Estimated cost: $1.36 billion

America was already faced with the need to make critical transportation investments. And then COVID-19 hit, upending travel patterns and undercutting the traditional sources of government transportation revenue.

Officials have pointed to safety as a key reason for the need to expand the highway. Yet, in 2010, state officials raised speed limits to 70 mph along much of I-81, a move that likely made the road more dangerous.

Portland has made bold moves toward becoming a good place to get around without a car. But it's about to make a huge mistake in the Rose Quarter.

Pennsylvania is moving forward with a plan to spend $300 million in order to widen I-83 in York County to eight lanes from four. But project documents fail to show how the project will solve any problems or bring clear benefits to the region.

In Miami, highways slice through almost every section of the city, cutting neighborhoods off from one another and creating sprawl that threatens the surrounding environment.

The Tri-State Tollway through the western Chicago suburbs to O’Hare Airport is a testament to the fact that you can’t build your way out of congestion.

California's $8-billion, 63-mile “High Desert Freeway" north of downtown Los Angeles would lead to more driving and more pollution, along with sprawling desert development.

The Great Lakes State is undertaking to expand the capacity of Interstate 75 — a project that is both unnecessary and will exacerbate the region’s problems.