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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.

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