© 2024 WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting
Member-Supported Public Media from Southern Illinois University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In Tennessee, Undoing A Roadway That Divided A City

This undated photo shows flooding in the Murfreesboro Bottoms, an area cleared in the early 1950s for Broad Street. Officials now seek to reconnect the area to downtown. (Courtesy Rutherford County Archives via WPLN)
This undated photo shows flooding in the Murfreesboro Bottoms, an area cleared in the early 1950s for Broad Street. Officials now seek to reconnect the area to downtown. (Courtesy Rutherford County Archives via WPLN)

Roadways, once paved, shape cities for decades. In many places, road projects cut through the core of the community — and its history.

That’s the case in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 35 miles southeast of Nashville. An effort is underway to undo one highway decision from the 1950s that altered the landscape and divided the city. Tony Gonzalez (@tgonzalez) from Here & Now contributor WPLN, reports.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

As a WSIU donor, you don’t simply watch or listen to public media programs, you are a partner. By making a gift, you help WSIU produce, purchase, and broadcast programs you care about and enjoy – every day of the year.