Duke Undergraduate Faculty Coaltion on the East-West Expressway

Duke Undergraduate Faculty Coaltion on the East-West Expressway

The 1973 plan to expand the East-West Expressway—now the Durham Freeway—westward threatened to destroy the predominantly Black Crest Street community while also cutting through Duke’s campus. Initially, President Sanford wrote in a letter that "Duke University supports without reservation the completion of [the] Expressway.” Afterwards, the Board of Trustees clarified Duke’s position to be one of “non-opposition.” The Duke Faculty Coalition circulated a petition to urge Durham to pursue an alternative to the extension. The Crest Street community, home to many of Duke’s labor employees, would embark on a 13-year campaign for proper compensation for their homes.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED

1979

Duke Undergraduate Faculty Coalition on the East-West Expressway, Town and Gown Reference Collection, box 1, East-West Expressway [Durham Freeway] 1979-1983, Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Three pieces of black text on white paper about faculty concerns over the East-West Expressway

transportation

1979