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Abstract

Constructed in the 1960s and rebuilt in the 1980s, the I-490 Interchange situated east of Rochester, New York was a source of constant controversy by the motorists who used the freeway to journey from the suburbs where they lived to the downtown districts where they worked. This infamous interchange became known to Rochesterarians as “the Can of Worms” because of its winding ramps and narrow roads that would often leave those who traversed it confused and at the mercy of other drivers if they had not already experienced its design. To explain why this freeway was so terrible to drive on, those who’ve driven directly on its roads and voiced their dismay have been included in this paper, from newspaper articles before and after the time of the Can of Worms’ existence to blog posts and comments from modern websites, including photographs of the extent of the freeway and even a satire of the Can of Worms printed in a contemporary newspaper. Outside of these first hand accounts of drivers of this freeway, reports and simulations conducted by engineers and Department of Transportation officials have also been included in this paper to provide logistical and structural information on the design of the freeway and how it contributed to its disdain. All of these attestations, testimonies, and reports taken into account and consideration, the Can of Worms was a freeway that was generally unsafe and uninviting to the general public in the 1980s and contributed to an atmosphere of distrust towards the Department of Transportation to the extent that efforts to reform and reconstruct the freeway in the 1980s was resisted.

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