Legacies of the Denver Project: The Valley Highway

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Amanda Rees

Abstract or Description

Highways have displaced communities across the United States since the mid-20th century when the federal government began constructing highways and interstates from coast to coast. The process of eminent domain has been used to acquire land for these government transportation projects since since 1897, when the United States Supreme Court determined that the federal government has the power to condemn property “whenever it is necessary or appropriate to use the land in the execution of any of the powers granted to it by the constitution.” (United States v. Gettysburg Electric Railway). Since then eminent domain has been used by governments repeatedly to facilitate the construction of transportation infrastructure.

The Valley Highway is the 11.2 mile section of Interstate 25 that runs through Denver, Colorado from 58th Avenue in the north to Evans Avenue in the south and eminent domain was used to acquire land for the project. Initially constructed from 1948-1958, the interstate created a snaking footprint that displaced hundreds of families and dozens of businesses. Through a combination of archival research and geospatial analysis, this project will explore how the construction of the Valley Highway impacted the individuals and communities in one particular neighborhood adjacent to the highway. Where are the parcels that were impacted and who lived there?