>>1682222I'm not sure about their effect on the urban landscape in America, but I'd say they've made an overall improvement in Glasgow, which hosts the only American-style urban motorway in the UK.
The urban core of the M8 is elevated in the eastern end to accommodate a junction for an unbuilt motorway to the north, but swoops down into a cutting to avoid the busy Charing Cross road junction in the west end of the city centre.
This arrangement allows traffic to cross the city centre without causing excess congestion of the streets within it, thereby allowing the once busy Buchanan Street to be pedestrianised, that street is now incredibly busy with shoppers and tourists.
The one downside is that the eastern elevated section is ghastly, the noise is too much for any regular developments and the road underneath is busy for local traffic as well so it's eerily quiet despite being teeming with cars.
