Right blinker on, getting off at exit 11, highway I-290. When I first arrived at Holy Cross highway, I-290 was just another highway to me, now when looking out my dorm window and knowing some of its history, the road means so much more. Having an extensive ecological and societal impact on the community the construction of I-290 began in 1958 and continued until 1970. The construction had rippling effects on the surrounding neighborhoods and still does till this day.
Cutting through the “heart” of Worcester, highway I-290 caused many businesses to shut down, be torn down, or had their land stripped from them due to the major construction and mass amount of space needed. One building/business that fell victim to this conflict is the Pernet Family House. The Pernet House serves as a food pantry as well as a place for families to bring their children to play. However with the highway practically being the house’s backyard there is very limited space for the children to play outside. Sheila Dooley, head of the Pernet House stated, “ I can practically touch the cars from my office window”. She also added that older residents still have “hard feelings” because they remember what the highway did to the area. It literally put a wall between neighbors. Old friends could no longer just walk up the street for a visit, or to borrow eggs.
While Sheilah Dooley may wish her office did not look out onto the highway, she also understands the importance of it. With about 70,000 cars utilizing the highway each day for commuting, the highway is a major form of transportation for the city of Worcester. The highway serves as a fast route to work, school, and connections to the wider region. All of these confirm the highway’s importance. The highway contributes greatly to Worcester’s economy, connecting rail and truck shipping, and bringing people into the city’s many attractions including the DCU Center and Polar Park.
In her history of Green Island, Lorraine Laurie describes how the neighborhood fought to stop the highway. There were many efforts from the community to put a stop to this construction. State Representatives, State Senators, the mayor, and City Councillors, all came together in hopes of persuading these plans to change. Unfortunately their efforts weren’t enough and highway I-290 tore through their city. Laurie states, “No longer did “all the roads lead to…” Millbury Street” (Laurie, 47). The highway caused a major disruption to residents’ traveling habits, removing all of the “shortcuts” usually taken on a daily basis which Laurie noted these days as “grim for the “island”.
With the highway being a convenient and fast use for transportation this attracts a lot of drivers on their everyday routes. With this mass amount of vehicles and traffic, the highway provides environmental detriments. The hefty amount of exhaust sends a large amount of pollution into the air affecting the surrounding environment. With rush hour stand still traffic at least once everyday excessive amounts of gas is polluted into the air due to this increased amount of vehicles. Also with the highway taking up such a vast amount of space this eliminates the amount of green in green island. Due to the highway there are less planting sites for trees to be planted. With the absence of trees, temperatures around the highway will be higher (HERO presentation). Also with there being no trees this means less rainfall is absorbed, ultimately increasing the amount of rain and runoff projected onto the highway itself (HERO presentation). Spanning farther into the surrounding land and neighborhoods this pollution, and runoff could be dangerous for people constantly near it. For example the children that go to play at the Pernet house may fall victim to excessive pollution inhalation. Unfortunately for the city of Worcestwer highway I-290 isn’t going anywhere if anything just expands further. This proposes the question of how the city can work with what it’s got and help take care of these issues.
While the highway has its negative effects, Worcester is built for the car, making it the number one use for transport. However, this means of transport discourages other types of transportation. One can no longer just bike or walk across the neighborhood without running into the obstacle of the highway. With this highway being a major obstacle for other forms of transportation, residents have no other choice but to own a car and more often than not use the highway to get to their destination. Those residents without cars may find it very difficult to travel without resorting to options such as a bus or train.
Now looking out my dorm window I don’t just see highway I-290 as just a highway. I see it as the dividing line between the city, knowing that either side is possibly living a completely different lifestyle than the other; which may not have been the case if such a construction was completed. Now knowing the effects the highway has on both the environment and the community I understand how certain residents’ lives were impacted so greatly. As the city of Worcester experiences revitalization as time goes on, other major constructions such as the highway may be implicated, thus affecting the lives of the residents to an even higher degree.
Reference list
Lorraine Laurie, The Island That Became a Neighborhood
Class discussion with Sheila Dooley
HERO team presentation