The general introduction to this report is designed to analyze the developments in highway transportation as they relate to the profound economic changes that have taken place in Minnesota and in our nation in the last forty years. This is incorporated into the analysis of the characteristics common to Luverne, Adrian, and Worthington, the specific subjects of the report.
The communities will then be analyzed separately, with the impact of Interstate Freeway 90 serving as the primary focus of the report. The changing traffic and land use patterns in the communities, as a result of the advent of 1-90, will be utilized to examine various developments in Luverne, Adrian, and Worthington during the 1960's. Thus, in analyzing the impact of 1-90 on these communities, the major emphasis will be on past and present economic conditions as a guide for possible future developments.
This study is concerned with the effects of interstate freeways and their bypass routes around typical communities of 10,000 to 20,000 population - specifically Fergus Falls. The diversion of a major share of through traffic around the community rather than along the main thoroughfare through the Central Business District (CBD) carries away one or more potential customers per vehicle. Two logical questions arise from this:
1. What will happen to the downtown merchants in the community, especially along the main thoroughfare?
2. What effect will the decreased volume of traffic have on total gross sales of the area?
