California transportation officials approved funding for six highway construction projects Thursday that have become a source of tension between labor unions and environmental groups.
What happened: The California Transportation Commission signed off on over $600 million in funding for six highway expansion projects ranging from the Bay Area to Los Angeles County, following heated debate between union construction workers and clean transportation groups during public comments.
Why it matters: Environmental groups have increasingly organized opposition against highway expansion projects over the last year, arguing that the construction is a waste of taxpayer money that won’t solve congestion issues and that the state needs to more aggressively reduce emissions to meet its climate goals.
That opposition has drawn the ire of construction unions, which say they support building public transit and infrastructure for walking and biking, but that canceling highway projects would cost workers jobs.
