When construction began on Interstate 90 in the late 1950s, hundreds of homes were demolished to make way for the highway.

The East Central neighborhood, home mostly to immigrant and Black residents, was split in half. And as the North Spokane Corridor makes its way through the city, a number of other homes and businesses have been removed.

Now, years later, much of that land – still owned by the Department of Transportation – sits unoccupied.

A bill making its way through the Legislature would require the department to lease that land back to the community, which could use it for affordable housing, new businesses or parks. Another proposal would build a pedestrian land bridge over I-90 near Liberty Park as a way to reconnect the neighborhood.

Both proposals could begin to right the wrongs of the past, supporters say.

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