The Independence disaster (continued)

The paragraph that stuck out to me in this Observer article about Eastside residents losing patience with what's happening (or not happening) with Independence Boulevard was the one that began:

In the 1980s, the state began widening Independence Boulevard to ease traffic between Matthews and the center city.

Why should Charlotte neighborhoods have to be cleaved in two and forced to deal with the abomination that Independence has become just so people who choose to live far away from downtown can get downtown quicker? Why?

If you want to see what the people who brought us this mess have up their sleeves next, there will be an "informational workshop" in the Activity Center Room at Eastland Mall Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. The end result: East Independence will be a freeway from downtown to Conference Drive. I guess it's too late to tear it up.