Some of the widest highways in the US have more than 20 lanes — but widening them won't solve traffic congestion

• The federal government is providing states with $350 billion to spend on highways to alleviate traffic congestion.
• The US has some of the widest highways in the world, but some states are planning on expanding them.
• But economists have been saying the same thing since the 1960s: more roads often just leads to more traffic.

Some of the widest highways in the US have more than 20 lanes — and traffic is still getting worse.

Last year, the federal government enacted an infrastructure law, providing states with $350 billion for highways. Even though more lanes often just means more traffic, a number of states, including New York, Texas, Oregon, and Maryland, are considering highway widening projects to ease congestion.