A freeway revolt is an organized protest against the planning, construction, widening or extension of freeways, expressways and other large civil engineering projects that favor road transport at the expense of the environment and the quality of life. Many freeway revolts took place particularly in the United States and other developed countries during the 1960s and 1970s, and, as a result, a large number of such projects were abandoned or significantly scaled back. Subsequent to the revolts has been a growing trend towards freeway removal.
Major objections to the construction, widening and extension of freeways include increased air pollution and noise and the consequent lower property values. Others include disruption of long-established neighborhoods, the displacement of residents and businesses and the destruction of historic structures. Also, many opponents have argued that the vast amounts of money would be better spent for other purposes, especially constructing and improving alternative forms of transportation which require much less land and have less severe environmental and health effects. Moreover, there is no evidence that widening of freeways actually reduces traffic congestion, except temporarily, because of induced demand.
In addition, freeways can be viewed as another form of racial and income discrimination in some countries, such as the U.S. This is because there has been a strong tendency to route them through lower income and minority neighborhoods because property acquisition costs are lower in those areas and because the residents do not have the political power to oppose freeways that residents of higher income areas have.