Gulfport's Opposition to Raised Highway Meets Resistance

"Don't be blinded by Wayne Brown's lack of vision"

From Today's Sun Herald

Wayne Brown has yet again made it crystal clear to South Mississippians that when it comes to building roads, it's MDOT's way or no highway.

In response to overwhelming opposition to an elevated roadway slicing through the west side of downtown Gulfport, Brown has said, in effect:

• Well, you can't please everybody.

• The west side of downtown Gulfport isn't all that much to look at now, so why not bury the area under a high-rise highway.

• There's no need to bother considering the economic and cultural consequences of such a project because MDOT's mission is to improve traffic, not lives.

• There's no need to consider building a less expensive road that would enrich a community when you've got the tax money to build an extravagant road - even if building it would cheapen a community.

Brown is the elected representative from South Mississippi on the state Transportation Commission, which oversees the Mississippi Department of Transportation. It would be hard to overstate his importance in rebuilding this hurricane-ravaged area. And it would be hard to overstate how misguided he has been in meeting that responsibility.

Brown, himself an engineer, is unwilling or unable to see beyond the widest swath of concrete or asphalt that MDOT can slap down on the face of this state. But more and more South Mississippians are starting to see Brown's lack of vision for what it is - an obstacle to their recovery that must be removed.

posted by Steve Howard @ 3:21 PM