Why was the construction of I-496 controversial?

The construction of the highway I-496 set forth a controversy in the city of Lansing. The highway cut through the cities largest black community destroying the houses and business in its path. The fact that a close knit community was being leveled could make anyone upset. Their histories and childhoods are being demolished and they are left nowhere to go back to. I feel the time period and housing circumstances during this period caused more controversy. This was all occurring in the 1960’s when segregation was still highly present whether talked about or not.

I found it interesting to read about why this neighborhood was chosen. After reading Matt Miller’s article in the Lansing State Journal titled "Looking back: I-496 Construction: A Complicated Legacy", I read that the construction of new roads often occurred down “the paths of least resistance” where the community could not fight for their homes. The community did fight for better housing circumstances and relocation assistance although these efforts were not always successful.

What was most unsettling to me was that this community was losing their homes and businesses and had great trouble relocating due to the segregation. The black community could not move anywhere they wanted, whether they did not have the money or would not be sold houses in certain neighborhoods.

Some overall questions that arose while I was reading and thinking about the situation were:
- It was difficult for the black community find new housing, if the construction of the highway was occurring today would the same controversy exist?
- The leaders of the city proposed that the destruction of this community would help with the integration of the rest of city. Was this really the case?
- What did the city leaders think about the construction of the highway? Did they see any downfalls or negatives?
- What other factors go into deciding where a highway in constructed?
- What implications did this have for the people who could not find housing? Did they move elsewhere?
- What implications did this have on businesses that were demolished? Were they able to start the business up elsewhere or were they forced to seek new employment?
- The highway cut through the largest black community in Lansing, what did this mean for the white community? Were they affected at all and why not if they were not affected?
- Does this situation tell us anything about the relationship between the black community and white community at this time?