From 1971 to 1985 battles raged over westway a 42 mile multibillion dollar highway development and park project proposed for placement in the hudson river in new york city this project was on a per mile basis the most expensive highway ever proposed federal interstate funding would have . The successful effort by jane jacobs and other activists to thwart the construction of the lower manhattan expressway in the early 1960s has secured a prominent. Fighting westway environmental law citizen activism and the regulatory war that transformed new york city. From 1971 to 1985 battles raged over westway a multibillion dollar highway development and park project slated for placement in new york city it would have projected far into the hudson river including massive new landfill extending several miles along manhattans lower west side the most expensive highway project ever proposed westway also provoked one of the highest stakes legal . Stanford libraries official online search tool for books media journals databases government documents and more