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The construction and opening of new modes of transportation in Austin has been an exciting event through the city’s whole history, and Interstate Highway 35 was no less anticipated. 1946 saw the purchasing of the right-of-way for the road by a city-wide vote. However, even at the time, public opinion held that the choice of placement for the highway was a racist one. Mayor Tom Miller defends (implicates) himself: They say that the Mayor wants to cut Austin into three parts, and that we wish to build a vast submerged highway that no one could cross. (Humphrey 213)

Construction of IH-35 began in 1952 as a four-lane expressway built to provide transportation to the maximum amount of people and businesses in the area. Positioning of the roadway was unquestioned, as the interstate could not be place on Duval/San Jacinto because it “ran straight through the University of Texas” and Red River was not possible because of its proximity to a country club. The location was thus decided to be along what was East Avenue, which served as a pre-existing physical and social barrier between downtown Austin and “the negro district.” The low value of property in the area and the virtual political silence of its residents provided the state with a perfect route for

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