[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by artdutra04

But here on the East Coast, simply adding a single lane onto existing highways would be a multi-billion dollar eminent domain nightmare, as many highways out here only acquired just enough space for two or three lanes in each direction, sometimes with no median save Jersey barriers, and they've been way over capacity for the past two decades or so.

Yep. I had always thought that CalTrans (the California Department of Transportation) did a pretty good job until taxpayers voted for the sales tax increase which resulted in the widening of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5). That's when I found out that they had done eminent domain condemnation proceedings in the 1950s for all the land along the new freeway. To go from 6 lanes to 12, they simply evicted everyone who had been renting property that had been owned by the state for more than 30 years, tore down the structures and widened the freeway. Since everyone in those rental properties knew they were renting from CalTrans (or whichever was the responsible state agency) there were few lawsuits or other problems. That's planning ahead. I am now officially in awe of CalTrans.