What are the disadvantages of building a new highway?

Question

I need help on ways that the environment and wildlife, along with the people living around the area would be affected (to name a few). Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Advice on the damage to the land from construction, etc. would be great!

Answer 1

Highways bring lights, noise and pollution.  This can all disrupt wildlife's natural wake and sleep cycles, especially birds.  More animals are killed on the highways trying to move about on what used to be their roaming grounds.  Flooding risks increase because concrete does not absort water like dirt.  Highways usually precede further development, and that wreaks havoc on wildlife via habitat destruction.  

I hope this helps somewhat.

Edit: yes, good idea suggested by Oikos -check out the DOT (Dept of Transportation) for an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)

Answer 2

Contact your state DOT and ask to examine an EIS for a highway. A good one will have a thorough cost-benefit analysis, including some things you might not think of (such as increased crime in the area around intersections). You local library may have a copy of the EIS, as well.

Answer 3

well, there really isn't anything bad about a new highway.  I am a civil engineering student, and have a lot of experience with this.  Everything you can imagine as being bad, has already been thought of, and taken care of.  

noise=sound wall

wildlife=http://www.dot.gov/affairs/fh...

damage to land= construction crews required to return land to proper state.

pretty much everything is already accounted for.  if you think of something else, bring it up, this is what we do.

Answer 4

The chief disadvantage of building a new highway is that it attracts traffic.  There has never been a new auxilliary highway that has ever solved the problem of too much traffic.

EVERY highway and street that is "widened" to accommodate more traffic only attracts more traffic and causes a bigger interlock traffic jam.  Most cities today have found that if they reduce the numbers of streets and highways and NARROW their roadways, that the traffic congestion problem diminishes!

With more traffic comes more development.  Urban sprawl's largest proponent is "better roads".  Lots of highways is never beneficial to agriculture.  People come to the "country" to steal food and destroy crops by playing in them.  It is a much bigger problem than people might think!  In today's society after the 1980s, more highways brings more "off-roaders" to attack the natural environment, which causes huge problems in erosion and deforestation, because easier access creates more incentive to go wherever one wants, like an urban explorer going berserk "in the out-of-doors".

More highways brings more advertising billboards and street lights and traffic lights.  These cause night-blindness to many creatures, or it confuses them.  Mocking birds do not normally sing at night except on a full moon.  Modern street lights make them call out their territory at night all night long all year long, which irritates many people.  Sea turtles lose track of their course and miss their egg-laying beaches.

More highways cause a cutting-off of migratory routes to land animals such as snakes, lizards, rodents and so on, BUT, it also causes the deaths of butterflies and birds who have no cognizance of moving vehicles.  Highways also cut off the migration routes of wolves, mountain lions, oftentimes deer and other animals, particularly with freeways and turn-pikes, but also with secondary roads. It was suggested, and tried on a few highways, to design them with lots of bridges so animals can find a way to migrate to mate and feed and "winter over".  But the cost has been frowned on, so the engineers have simply ignored the wildlife.

The exhaust of cars before the mandate for unleaded fuel was a prime source of lead pollution and sulfer, both of which decimated forests in California.

Unfortunately, road and highway construction seldom takes into account the natural water run-off patterns and erosion problems they create.  Roads and highways often cause a channelization of natural water-ways to re-route water in ways that are hostile to wildlife and plants.  The mentality of "engineering" is to get water out of the area as quickly as possible, hence, concrete lined waterways that are straight and often steep-sided and deep.  There is no method to disperse water naturally to the surrounding ecosystem!

Rip-rap (rock) to protect THE HIGHWAY often changes the water run-off patterns and produces areas of dehydration of the soil, and a major temperature increase of the surrounding area, which goes hand-in-hand with the roadway also attracting sun-caused heat radiation.  And, rip-rap is a stumbling gauntlet that can break the legs of wildlife as well.  

I do not know if Dr. Lee Waian (prounuced "wayne") has retired from the Environmental Studies Department at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California or not, but he is a good source of information if you can contact him.

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