THE HIGHWAY’S LEGACY

Historic East Avenue

Before the construction of the I-35 highway, East Avenue or La Calle Ancha ("the wide street") was a boulevard known for its park-like, tree-lined medians. In 1928, the city's Master Plan identified East Avenue as a dividing line, forcing people of color to live east of the avenue. This was one of many segregation-based policies, commonly known as 'redlining,' to divide communities by race.

Construction of I-35

The construction of I-35 transformed this invisible divide into a physical barrier and disrupted the cohesion of Austin's communities. The highway and the long-standing impacts of redlining displaced homes and businesses while decimating spaces once used for family picnics, conversations, musical performances, and sports.

I-35 Today

There are many places in the US where a road or a railroad divided a community - today, I-35 is one of them and stands as a distinct physical, racial, and socioeconomic divide. Highways are supposed to connect people, but in Austin they have been used to do the exact opposite.