Major highway projects can bring prosperity, ease of travel but can also cut through the soul of a community and make it vanish. In this episode we learn about how the Turnpike Authority cleared out swaths of homes in West Newton and Auburndale Mass. Myrtle Village formed around the Myrtle Baptist Church, which still stands today as a testament to the perseverance and faith of a community. However the construction of the Pike left visible scars on the neighborhood which can still be seen with a careful eye. A jumble confusing traffic patterns, dead ends and oddly configured streets make it obvious that the area used to look completely different.

We also discuss what a "Turnpike" is anyway and how the famous Star Market ended up straddling the highway.

By the late 1940’s routes 9, 20 and 30 were already completely congested with traffic. In an attempt to address the growing need for roads, one of the greatest monsters in Massachusetts history was created. Like most monsters this was a hybrid of two things. The key power of this monster is Eminent domain which gives the government the authority to seize private property in the public interest if they compensate the owner.

Sources, credits, photos, links and more information at LostMassachusetts.com

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