Steve Brandt wrote: "In an era when large public projects almost invariably create opposition, it's startling to look back with several decades of perspective on the relative paucity of protest against 35W. Although there were large public meetings, the issue was not so much whether to build, but where. One antifreeway meeting drew only 80 people."The general civic consensus was that unless the city built freeways, it would be choked in its growth," said Richard Heath, a former city planner. Another former planner, Weiming Lu, recalled, "The highway resources were so strong, with the backing of the federal government, that it was hard to resist."
Well, I remember the process when the section through SE Mpls was considered (remember how they wanted to make it subterranean with a park over it?) It wasn't meek and mild at all. Perhaps the S. Minneapolis part involved displacing poor people whereas the SE Minneapolis part drove straight through the heart of University-land. Or maybe it was just the fact that civil rights and the battle to end Vietnam had produced knowledgeable community organizers. NE Minneapolis totally STOPPED an inaterstate through their neighborhood. But highway interests won the battle to extend 35 through SE Minneapolis. -------------- Jim Mork--Cooper "Save yourself from this corrupt generation....All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need". Acts 2:4-45 "The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers". Acts 11:29 "From each according to his ability...to each according to his need." Karl Marx Get your free Web-based E-mail at http://www.startribune.com/stribmail TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
