Cedric Glover: Rebuild Infrastructure, Not I-49 Connector [VIDEO]

State Representative Cedric Glover talks about the recent comments by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling for an end to the building of interstate highways through disadvantaged neighborhoods, which seems to include Shreveport's long-proposed I-49 Inner City Connector.

In recent appearances and interviews Secretary Buttigieg has said that the number one goal of his department is ending the systemic racism in America's highway building philosophy. From breitbart.com:

"...Buttigieg is repentant for the federal government’s role in building a federal transportation system that frequently cut through Black and brown neighborhoods in order to build freeways, often cutting off Black and brown populations from economic opportunity.

“We recognize how misguided investments and missed opportunities for federal transportation policies have reinforced racial and economic inequality,” Buttigieg told the mayors’ group, according to Roll Call. “The wrong kind of investment can divide or isolate neighborhoods.”

And while agreeing with the Buttigieg big picture, the former mayor expresses doubt that the 3.6 mile stretch of road would have ever been built anyway. "I think the Secretary correctly details the history of...the impact of the federal interstate system...but there's simply not a business case to be made for spending a billion dollars on an I-49 Inner City Connector. We need to spend a billion dollars on infrastructure, it just doesn't need to be on the interstate."