"Racist roads" is not a new concept.
When I was living in Austin, in the late 90s, I read that the construction of I-35 through the center of town (decades earlier)- cut many of the links that connected East Austin with the rest of Austin. With most of those roads cut, and only a relatively few roads to cross over the interstate from one side of the city to the other, the East side slid into a greater state of economic disadvantage. Not surprising, the East side is predominantly minority.
Another example- from when I was living in New Have CT. At one time (70s?) there was a low income neighborhood in and around "Orange Street." The area was crime and drug infested, and predominantly minority. The area was declared a blight and condemned, and the area residences were leveled. In its place was built the "Orange Street Connector"- a multi-lane highway that connects I-95 to, nothing. It just sort of peters out after a mile or so. But, no more orange street blight...
Are these stories apocryphal? I don't know. But, I will say that when, where, how, and why roads are built affect much more than those lines drawn on a map.