I-496 and the changing landscape of Lansing

In the mid-1960s, engineers, city planners and federal officials plotted a course through downtown Lansing for Interstate 496. It surprised few that the course ran straight through Lansing's largest black neighborhood.

Note: Some 1960 census blocks were combined to facilitate comparison to 2000 census data. 1960 census tracts 18 and 15 were combined into a single tract, tract 15, in the 2000 census, of which the overall borders remained the same.
Sources: Photographs from Lansing State Journal archives and the Capital Area District Library. Voices of Donna Hall-Eikner, Lonnie Johnson, Clinton Canady Jr. and Albert Kelley recorded by Matt Miller.