- [Narrator] Democrats led by President Biden say

now is the time to build back better.

- The American Jobs Plan will modernize 20,000 miles

on highways, roads, and main street that are in difficult,

difficult shape right now.

- [Narrator] But leaders don't just want to build and update

roads, in some cases they want highways torn down.

Democrats would like to provide funding to tear

down highways that had a damaging effect

on urban minority communities.

- Federal funds created

the damage done here and federal funds should be used

to help remedy it.

- [Narrator] Activists in cities like Tampa, Austin, Texas,

New Orleans, Detroit, and Tulsa, Oklahoma are calling

for the removal of highways that they say segregate

communities and harm minorities.

Leaders say there are many more examples like this road

in West Baltimore.

This is the Franklin-Mulberry Expressway,

Baltimore locals call it the highway to nowhere

and some policymakers want to tear it down.

The road cuts through 1.4 miles of the city

providing a speedy route for cars traveling east to west.

Like other parts of the country's Interstate System,

the road was built to provide fast access for traffic

from ports and downtown offices to the suburbs,

but locals like Baltimore City Councilman John Bullock

say it's a scar running through the city's west side.

- The reality is that you did have intact, businesses,

churches, families, community networks that were literally

torn asunder with this highway going through.

And yes, there are examples of cities across the country

and Baltimore is no different that during urban renewal

you saw the disproportionate effects in neighborhoods

that had African-American populations.

- [Narrator] Planning for this road dates back to the 1950s

when President Eisenhower called for cities to build

better connections to the Interstate System.

His goal was to give the military, traders, and commuters

quick routes through the nation.

In Baltimore the first round of demolition displaced

hundreds of families,

that sparked a wave of opposition from locals

like then City Councilwoman Barbara Mikulski who would go on

to represent Maryland in Congress as a Democrat.

- [Barbara] New government under eminent domain tucked

their house and cleared that land without any relocation

benefits but they have a fair market value in showing.

- [Narrator] Senator Chris Van Hollen is Mikulski's

successor.

- What you see here is a part of the highway that was built

decades ago but was never completed because Senator Mikulski

and other activists rallied to stop it,

and they were successful at stopping the highway

but not before this one and a half mile segment

had been built displacing over 900 people from their homes,

splitting an African American community that had been stable

and vibrant and so here you see this scar.

- [Narrator] Since then researchers have found that highways

create challenging conditions within cities.

Data collected in Baltimore suggests that air quality

is poorest and the sections of the city that are near

Interstate connections.

The Environmental Protection Agency says that poor air

quality can worsen health conditions like asthma.

The Interstate also contributed to out migration,

not only in Baltimore but in cities across the country

like Detroit.

Economists say that the highway building in majority Black

Detroit contributed to the city's economic decline.

Maintenance costs for these roads continue to weigh

on the city which filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

This form of structural inequity is what leaders

in Washington say they are trying to address.

- Too often investments have failed to meet the needs

of marginalized communities left behind.

- [Narrator] Developers today say that tearing down parts

of the Interstate System could correct a wave

of past failures.

One 2018 review of West Baltimore calls for the demolition

of two bridges at the Eastern stub of the highway

opening more land for development.

The plan says the new space could be used

for athletic fields, parks, and a new retail center.

The panel also called for the rehabilitation of vacant lots

in nearby row homes and wider sidewalks for pedestrians.

If Congress passes an infrastructure bill

the federal funding could help turn some

of these ideas into reality.

West Baltimore Community Organizer, Ashiah Parker

says she would welcome changes in her part of the city

but she wants to make sure the community has a seat

at the table.

- We definitely don't want our federal partners putting

up large condos that people aren't able,

well that current residents aren't able to occupy.

And then we also wanna make sure that economic development

is done.

So produce stores are other types of small businesses

for people who are already in a neighborhood

that can utilize.

- [Narrator] Other residents said that they would like

for the government to focus on rehabilitating homes

in the area before focusing on the roads.

The national movement to tear down highways is picking up

steam as leaders in Congress from both sides of the aisle

signal that they're open to the idea.

The movement got a boost from President Biden

when he called for $20 billion to redress inequities created

by past investments in transportation.

That's just one part of the bigger American Jobs Plan

which the White House says would cost $1.7 trillion.

Senate Republicans now say that they are open

to a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

In short, both parties want to invest more

in infrastructure but they're far apart on the details

of how it should be done.

Republican senators say they're open to using federal funds

to remove highways but they want to leave the decision

to state lawmakers.

- There are multiple examples of poor planning decisions

that have led to adverse consequences for specific

communities.

None of us denying that and I think we all agree

they should be rectified.

I believe it should be done at the local

and state level where decision-makers are closest

to the people and able to make a balanced decision.

- [Narrator] The call to fund highway removal breaks

from years of American transportation philosophy.

If a bill materializes highway tear downs could unfold

in cities across the country.

(upbeat music)