Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Highway Plan Update, Draft, 1986
File — Box: 3, Folder: 5
Scope and Contents
From the Collection:
The material in this collection consists of newspaper clippings, meeting minutes, journals, engineering plans, and planning manuals. An article by Elaine Lindgren about the bridge controversy is also included. The collection is divided into five series: Background, Citizens Organized for Residential Protection (CORP), Newspaper Clippings, Manuals/Planning Guides, and Public Hearings.
The Background Series contains H. Elaine Lindgren‟s article “The Informal-Intermittent Organization: A Vehicle for Successful Citizen Protest,” in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science (vol. 23, no. 3, 1987). In her article, Lindgren traces the development of the 12th-15th Avenue Association as well as the development of CORP through their various stages. Different names for people, places and organizations are used in the article but it does pertain specifically to the Fargo-Moorhead bridge. The article gives a good overview of what is contained in the collection. The Sociological Inventory issue, a sample issue, contains an article on citizen protest movements titled “Evolution of Community Power Research,” written by John Walton.
The Citizens Organized for Residential Protection (CORP) Series includes a wide range of material. The 12th-15th Avenue Association is included in this series. There are documents relating to the Association‟s alternative plan for a 12th Avenue North bridge and why an alternative elsewhere would be more feasible. There is correspondence from citizens who supported and opposed the Association‟s goals. The Association did extensive research into what the property values and tax revenues would be if the bridge was built. A press release from Eddie Gall, Jr., Co-Chairman of the 12th-15th Avenue Association, contains a paragraph stating its purpose. The majority of the material in this series involves CORP. The organization continued the work started by the 12th-15th Avenue Association and expanded it in some cases. There are flyers and notices CORP sent out informing the voters about what the bridge meant to them and its possible effects on the environment. CORP‟s lawsuit against the city is included. The newspaper clippings detail CORP‟s struggles against the city and shows the gains the organization made in making people more aware of the situation that the bridge controversy created.
The Newspaper Clippings Series documents the protest movement, critics of the bridge, and supporters of the bridge. The clippings cover 1961, 1963, 1965-69 and 1970-1972, 1974-1976, 1978-1979 and 1987. The issue was not dormant during the gaps and other clippings have been incorporated into the CORP Series. Many of the articles inform the people of the benefits of the proposed bridges and in some cases ignore the adverse affects. Others are editorials that blast the protest organizations telling them to be quiet and let the bridge be built because it will do more good than harm. The articles also show the change in attitude the city officials had about CORP over the years. Overall the articles provide a good understanding of both sides of the issue.
The Manuals/ Planning Guide Series contains all the manuals and planning guides gathered by CORP and the 12th-15th Avenue Association. Some detail population and traffic projections for the future of the Fargo-Moorhead area. Others are environmental studies and problems the Department of Natural Resources or the Army Corps of Engineers found with the engineering plans. The majority of the manuals cover highway planning and the engineering studies of the 12th Avenue North bridge. The last manual is from 1986 and details a new plan for the 12th Avenue North Bridge. This series also includes a map with aerial image of „Fargo/Moorhead Proposed 12th/15th Ave. Improvements,‟ dated June 27, 1979.
The Public Hearings Series contains transcripts from two of the public hearings held by the North Dakota State Highway Department and the Bid Proposal of one of the companies interested in constructing the 12th Avenue Bridge. The public hearings were held after much protest by CORP that the project was being forced through and the public interest was being ignored. The hearings detail citizens‟ concern over the proposed bridge. The Bid Proposal was obtained by Fargo mayor Jon Lindgren from Walter Hjelle, the North Dakota Highway Commissioner, to see what the projected cost of the bridge would be. The Bid Proposal details the cost for every aspect of building the bridge, labor, material cost, electricity, etc.
Dates
- 1961-1987
Access
The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.6 Linear Feet (1.6 linear feet)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Creator
- From the Collection: Lindgren, H. Elaine. (Person)
- From the Collection: Citizens Organized for Residential Protection. (Organization)
- From the Collection: 12th-15th Avenue Association. (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Institute for Regional Studies Repository
Contact:
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu
West Building N
3551 7th Avenue North
Fargo North Dakota 58102 United States
ndsu.archives@ndsu.edu