MORE THAN 40 years ago, people in the southwest neighborhoods of Boston were confronted with plans for a massive interstate highway that would take some 1,300 homes, churches, and businesses and further isolate neighborhoods from the city. When people began to question the plan, the Department of Public Works said, essentially, “Get over it. Get ready. We’re coming.’’ Instead, a broad-based coalition was formed in the city and suburbs to find more neighborhood- and transit-friendly options.
Today, the Southwest Corridor provides public transit to downtown and beyond, and has supported healthy development along the way. Now come the auto-centric folks who want to rehabilitate the Longfellow Bridge, a Boston-Cambridge treasure, with continued emphasis on car and bus lanes that squeeze pedestrians and cyclists to the side. There are alternatives, as the Globe suggests (“Linking cities and eras,’’ Page A1, July 25); it’s not too late to organize for a more people-friendly, forward-looking facility that will enhance this longstanding landmark. Go for it.
Thomas D. Corrigan
Farmington, Conn. 
