10 Uncompleted Transportation Schemes That Might Have Altered the Nation's Landscape
Big, Bold Projects Left Unfinished: Ten Abandoned Transportation Dreams
Ever since the dawn of America, grandiose transportation projects have been proposed, aiming to reshape the nation's landscape and spark economic growth. These projects ranged from revolutionizing urban transit, linking remote regions, to modernizing infrastructure on an unprecedented scale. However, not all of these ambitious endeavors saw the light of day, as funding issues, politics, or public opposition often brought them to a grinding halt. Let's explore ten of these abandoned transportation dreams and ponder how the US might look today if they had come to fruition.
- The Phantom Tracks of Queen City, Ohio: Cincinnati’s Subterranean Ghost Train
In the early 20th century, Cincinnati embarked on a mission to create a subway system and alleviate congested streetcar traffic. Construction started in 1920, and by 1925, nearly seven miles of tunnels and multiple stations were almost complete. The subway was designed to accommodate both streetcars and future electric trains, with engineers envisioning a sprawling transit network rivaling larger cities. Unfortunately, the project ran out of funds due to war-time inflation, and subsequent attempts to restart construction were foiled by the Great Depression and political resistance. Efforts to repurpose the tunnels for freight or highway use also fizzled out, leaving the project abandoned and the subway tunnels to serve no practical purpose. If completed, the subway could have significantly transformed transit in Cincinnati, creating a vibrant, transit-oriented urban core.
- The Snarled Freeway that Refused to Connect: L.A.'s Abandoned I-710 Extension
Interstate 710, otherwise known as the Long Beach Freeway, was initially conceived as a key north-south artery connecting the ports of Long Beach to the 210 Freeway in Pasadena. However, communities along the proposed route fiercely opposed the project. Residents in South Pasadena, a historic neighborhood, argued that the freeway would destroy homes, increase pollution, and disrupt local businesses. Lawsuits, protests, and environmental reviews delayed the project for decades. By the 1990s, political resistance and public outcry had effectively halted the extension indefinitely. Though preserving South Pasadena's character has been celebrated, the trade-off has been decades of inefficiency in Southern California, where drivers still navigate congested surface streets instead of a direct highway route.
- New York City’s Frustrated East Side Rails: The Unfinished Second Avenue Subway (Original Plan)
Before the Second Avenue Subway opened in 2017, plans called for a full-length line stretching from Harlem to Lower Manhattan to ease congestion on the Lexington Avenue Line, the only subway line serving Manhattan's East Side. Construction was sporadic, with brief progress in the 1970s before funding dried up again. Decades of political gridlock, economic downturns, and shifting priorities left the project in limbo. Had the full line been completed as planned, it could have transformed transit on Manhattan’s East Side, easing congestion and reducing reliance on buses.
- The Beach Town Turned Gridlock Hellhole: Florida's Unrealized High-Speed Rail System
In 2000, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment to construct a statewide high-speed rail network connecting major cities like Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. However, the project faced significant political opposition, eventually leading to its cancellation. The cancellation left Florida with one of the country's most reliant-on-cars transportation systems and severely limited public transit options.
- Chicago’s Vaporized Skytrain: The Unbuilt O'Hare Supertrain
During the 1990s, Chicago proposed building a high-speed rail system to link O'Hare International Airport, Midway Airport, and downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, numerous hurdles, including cost overruns, political disagreements, and questioning the passenger demand justification, led to the project's shelving. If implemented, the supertrain could have revolutionized air travel for Chicago residents, but without it, city-dwellers are still reliant on taxis, rideshares, and ground transportation to traverse between airports.
- Baltimore's Broken Red Line: A Dream Left Behind
The Baltimore Red Line was a proposed 14-mile east-west light rail line designed to connect underserved neighborhoods with job centers and existing transit networks. However, in 2015, its cancellation left Baltimore with one of the weakest transit systems among major US cities, further isolating low-income communities.
- Lost in Translation: The Pacific Electric Railway Expansion
Once touted as the largest interurban railway system in the world, the Pacific Electric Railway connected Los Angeles to surrounding cities and suburbs in the early 20th century. Expansion plans in the 1920s aimed to further integrate Southern California's transit network, but the rise of automobile culture and aggressive lobbying by car manufacturers led to the dismantling of the system. The loss of the railway left Los Angeles dependent on cars with notorious traffic problems and sprawling development patterns.
- A Borderless Dream Unrealized: Texas's Trans-Texas Corridor
Proposed in the early 2000s, the Trans-Texas Corridor aimed to create a massive network of superhighways, freight rail, and pipelines spanning the state. However, political complications between the US and Canada, coupled with intense opposition from local communities, halted the project in 2010. The corridor's absence has left Texas grappling with its transportation challenges, as the state's population continues to grow and congestion worsens.
- Icy Challenges That Never Met Steel: Alaska-Canada Rail Link
First proposed in the 1950s, the Alaska-Canada Rail Link aimed to connect Alaska's railway network to North America through Canada. Renewed discussions in the early 2000s envisioned a route to facilitate trade, tourism, and resource extraction. Despite its estimated $20 billion cost and logistical difficulties building across rugged terrain and permafrost, the project had supposedly garnered political support from both the US and Canada. However, it remained a borderless dream, as the project was ultimately abandoned.
- The Secret Tunnel at the Heart of America's Boom Town: Denver’s Failed Suburban Tram System
In the 1970s, Denver planned to build an underground tram system to ease traffic congestion and encourage sustainable urban growth. Construction began in 1978 but was halted in 1987. Today, the unused tunnels lie beneath the city streets, a testament to a transportation system that never lived up to its promise.
These abandoned transportation dreams reveal the complexities and challenges faced when pursuing large-scale infrastructure projects. As the United States continues to grapple with its transportation needs, it's worth remembering these failed projects and pondering what might have been, had they been completed.
- Science and Engineering Marvels Underground: The Unfinished Subterranean Rail Systems
astonishing transport advancements in the 20th century involved imaginative plans to create subterranean rail networks in cities like Denver, Cincinnati, and New York, aiming to streamline urban mobility.
- A Historically Significant Railroad Lacking Completion: The Trans-Texas Corridor
Proposed in the early 2000s, the vision of a borderless economic and transport link between the United States and Canada via Texas - the Trans-Texas Corridor - has remained unrealized due to political complications, another bizarre instance in the annals of transportation history.
- The Financial and Environmental Implications of Abandoned Infrastructure Dreams
Considering the estimated $20 billion cost of the Alaska-Canada Rail Link and the billions allocated for several other abandoned transportation projects, it is interesting to contemplate the industry, finance, and environmental consequences of unfinished projects on a national scale. If completed, these projects might have spectacularly changed the face of transportation, reshaping the way Americans move about, and spurring growth in their respective regions.
