Editing Interstate 91 (section)

=== Impact in Springfield, MA ===
[[File:I-91 Springfield viaduct meets completion, Massachusetts Dept of Public Works.jpg|thumb|right|I-91 in 1969, just after completion of the viaduct which would separate Springfield from the Connecticut River. [[St. Joseph's Church (Springfield, Massachusetts)|St. Joseph's Church]] and the Campanile can be seen in the foreground, as well as an incomplete Tower Square.]]

During its construction in the 1960s, I-91 sliced through three Springfield neighborhoods: the [[North End, Springfield, Massachusetts|North End]], [[Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts|Metro Center]], and [[South End, Springfield, Massachusetts|South End]], which led to [[urban decay]] in the highway's vicinity. Springfield's portion of the Interstate was widely regarded as positive progress when it was built. However, by the 2010s, it would come to be perceived as disrupting the urban fabric of riverfront neighborhoods while effectively disconnecting the [[Connecticut River]], the [[Connecticut River Walk Park]] and the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] from everything east of the highway—the majority of the city. I-91 was erected without tunnels, footbridges or other paths, a design choice which poses logistical problems for travel between the riverfront and the remainder of the city. This, in turn, poses problems for businesses that would like to set up along the riverfront. The placement of I-91 has left Springfield's riverfront virtually undeveloped, aside from the sliver of land surrounding the Basketball Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news |author = The Republican Editorials |date = February 26, 2010 |title = Editorial: Tapping Potential of Springfield's Riverfront |work = MassLive |url = http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/editorial_tapping_potential_of.html |access-date = December 17, 2011 |archive-date = September 25, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120925032705/http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/editorial_tapping_potential_of.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2010, the [[Urban Land Institute]] made recommendations for how Springfield might reconnect with its riverfront, in order to revitalize the area through [[urban renewal]], suggesting the most cost-effective but also the most development-limiting strategy (constructing pathways beneath I-91). No decision has been reached regarding those recommendations.<ref>{{cite web |author = Office of Planning and Economic Development |date = 2008 |title = River's Landing Project |url = http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/riverfront-proj.0.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703195451/http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/riverfront-proj.0.html |archive-date = July 3, 2008 |access-date = December 17, 2011 |publisher = City of Springfield, MA }}</ref> {{As of|2011}}, academic and civic studies are still underway. Preliminary findings indicate that I-91's placement negatively impacts tourism in Springfield's Metro Center—the site of many of Springfield's historic, cultural, and entertainment venues. Springfield's most popular tourist attraction, the riverfront Basketball Hall of Fame, is separated from Metro Center by a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}} stone wall, buttressing an elevated portion of the six-lane I-91 and greatly discouraging travel between the two areas. Academic suggestions that involve the demolition of the current highway and moving it to a less obtrusive site in the city have been proposed, including the demolition of the highway and following the original path suggested, Riverdale Road, and, least obtrusive but still requiring a great deal of work, a plan to construct numerous walkways beneath the elevated highway to better integrate the neighborhoods with the waterfront despite the highway's presence.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Fay |first1 = Tony |date = January 29, 2016 |title = Long term solutions: What could become of I-91 in Springfield? |url = https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/long-term-solutions-what-could-become-of-i-91-in-springfield/1043655415 |access-date = August 15, 2018 |location = Springfield, Massachusetts |publisher = WWLP-TV |archive-date = October 1, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201001060252/https://www.wwlp.com/news/local-news/hampden-county/long-term-solutions-what-could-become-of-i-91-in-springfield/1043655415/ |url-status = live }}</ref>