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Baltimore's East-West Expressway and the Construction of the "Highway to Nowhere." (338 Pp.)

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Baltimore's East-West Expressway and the Construction of the "…and never the twain shall meet": Baltimore's east-west expressway and the construction of the "Highway to Nowhere." A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Andrew M. Giguere June 2009 © 2009 Andrew M. Giguere. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled "…and never the twain shall meet": Baltimore's east-west expressway and the construction of the "Highway to Nowhere." by ANDREW M. GIGUERE has been approved for the Department of Geography and the College of Arts and Sciences by Geoffrey L. Buckley Associate Professor of Geography Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT GIGUERE, ANDREW M., M.A., June 2009, Geography "…and never the twain shall meet": Baltimore's east-west expressway and the construction of the "Highway to Nowhere." (338 pp.) Director of Thesis: Geoffrey L. Buckley Baltimore, Maryland is home to a six-lane super-highway in miniature colloquially known as the “Highway to Nowhere.” Part of a controversial plan to erect an east-west highway through the heart of the city, the “Highway to Nowhere” is a remnant of expressway construction projects halted by a city-wide “freeway revolt” during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Using archival research and resident interviews, this thesis explores the planning and development of the “Highway to Nowhere” and the roles played by anti-highway community organizations such as the Relocation Action Movement (RAM), the Movement Against Destruction (MAD), the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fells Point and the Southeast Council Against the Road (SCAR). Examining the tactics and strategies utilized by these organizations, this thesis highlights the importance of “politics of scale” in achieving political objectives. This study answers calls within the environmental justice literature for case studies examining process equity. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Geoffrey L. Buckley Associate Professor of Geography 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the help of a great many people. I offer my profound thanks to my advisor Geoffrey Buckley. His breadth of knowledge, careful editing skills and good humor were assets beyond measure. I must also offer my gratitude for the advice and critical commentary given to me by my committee members, Drs. Jokisch and Perkins. The historical depth of this thesis is largely a result of the efforts of Thomas Hollowak and other members of the staff at the Langsdale and Enoch Pratt libraries whose unfailing devotion and abyssal knowledge, not only of their own collections, but of Baltimore’s past is unrivaled. I must also offer thanks to my family, in particular, my mother, who daily provides me with an example of inner strength and grace. Lastly, I must acknowledge my fiancé Miss Sarah White (Swhite), without whose love and words of support (“it’ll be ok!”) this thesis could not have been written. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 3 Acknowledgments................................................................................................................. 4 List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... 9 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter One: The Road, The Rhetoric and the Revolt: Urban Highways in the United States ................................................................................................................................... 18 A Brief History of the Interstate Highway System ......................................................... 19 The Vision of Highways ................................................................................................. 24 Neighborhood Destruction .............................................................................................. 29 The Rise of “Second Ghettos.” ....................................................................................... 33 Environmental Consequences of Highway Construction ............................................... 34 The Role of Environmental Justice ................................................................................. 39 The National Freeway Revolt ......................................................................................... 48 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter Two: Data and Methodology................................................................................. 58 Chapter Three: Selecting the Routes: Institutionalization, Negotiation and the Targeting of Harlem Park, Federal Hill, Fells Point. .......................................................................... 70 Early Road Building in Baltimore .................................................................................. 71 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The Planning Commission, 1942 .............. 74 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The Advisory Engineers, 1944 .................. 76 6 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway : The Robert Moses Plan, 1944 .................. 79 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The Smith Plan, 1945 ................................ 81 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The Childs Report, 1946 ........................... 84 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The 1949 Plan ........................................... 87 Early Plans for the East-West Expressway: The 1957 Plan ........................................... 90 A Study for the East-West Expressway .......................................................................... 95 The Expressway Consultants and the 10-D Plan .......................................................... 100 From Public Hearing to Initial Condemnations ............................................................ 112 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 115 Chapter Four: Living “Under The Gun”: Joint Development, Greenspace and Harlem Park ................................................................................................................................... 117 The Emergence of RAM ............................................................................................... 120 The Dual Persona of RAM ........................................................................................... 122 RAM’s Triumph (?) ...................................................................................................... 125 Urban Renewal, “Joint Development” and Greenspace in Harlem Park ...................... 127 Negotiating Highway Routes ........................................................................................ 135 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 142 Chapter Five: “The Professionals Have Forgotten Their Assignments”: The Role of the Urban Design Concept Team ............................................................................................ 144 The 3-C Route ............................................................................................................... 151 The 3-A Route .............................................................................................................. 153 The battle to Select a Route: 3-A Versus 3-C ............................................................... 156 7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 159 Chapter Six: Trapped in the System: The Tactics of the Movement Against Destruction162 The Origins and Composition of MAD ........................................................................ 164 Invading City Hall ........................................................................................................ 166 Politics in Baltimore ..................................................................................................... 168 MAD’s Media Campaign .............................................................................................. 172 The Expensive Road ..................................................................................................... 174 The “Road Gang.” ......................................................................................................... 176 The Environment .......................................................................................................... 177 Historic Preservation ..................................................................................................... 179 MAD, Public Hearings and the Battle Over Rosemont ................................................ 181 MAD Versus 3-A .......................................................................................................... 191 Assessing MAD’s effectiveness ................................................................................... 203 Chapter Seven: The Freeway Revolt in Southeast Baltimore: The Society and SCAR ... 208 The Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill
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