The I-10 Project

(Contributed by Herman Gooding, Jr.)

Is there anyone that remembers when the Interstate 10 project began? I don't remember the year but I was probably 10 or 11. I remember that all the houses that were in the path of it were sold, to be moved or demolished. My father bought one of them for the lumber. We would go on weekends and take it apart and load the lumber into his truck and take it home. He used it to build a garage on our house. I am not sure that he knew what he was doing, but I passed by the house in mid 90's. It was for sale, and my brother and I walked around the yard and looked through the windows. There were many changes, but the main layout was the same, and most important, the garage was still attached and standing. I guess my father did something right.

After all the demolition was finished, the path for the freeway was there. I remember walking there and watching all the big machines do their thing. When construction really got underway, I got older. I remember playing in the dirt after all the workers went home. We played king of the hill, and there were many hills between Kress and Lathrop. There were a lot of kids playing in the strip of dirt and mud. As the freeway began to grow, so did I. After the concrete phase of the project began, I would sneak close to write my name in the wet concrete. The freeway has been over hauled so many times since then, my name has probably been long lost. How many others did the same thing?

I remember using the freeway as a fun place to play. I also remember using it for a short cut to my friend's house. He lived off Lathrop on the south side of the freeway and I lived on the north side off Kress. Walking the freeway was the quickest way to get to each other's house. By this time, the freeway was concrete, with bridges over Kress and Lathrop. At this time in my life the thing was to play on the slopes of the bridges. We would take cardboard boxes and slide down the slope at Kress...then when that got too popular, we went to Lathrop. I am sure the construction company loved us. Each time they would sod the hills with grass, that made it perfect for us to slide the slope. Finally, the freeway opened and walking down the middle was over. It didn't seem to matter too much to us because we were beginning to drive and the distance didn't matter. The freeway that dead ended at Wayside, was now open to almost downtown. 45 and 59 were under construction, so all the connections that are there now, were not available.

Every time I drive through the I-10 corridor that goes through Denver Harbor, I look and I don't see much that I remember, but I do see, I remember what was there. A few years ago, I drove on I-10 and I noticed the tower of the Venus Theater. I was surprised that it was still there. I don't know what kind of business it was, but the structure was still there. I wondered if it had been at night, would there be lights? Probably not, but I would loved to have seen that again.

The I-10 project was so much a part of my growing up. I sometimes think that if I had not lived in Denver Harbor, the freeway would not be there. I feel that I had a major part of the whole thing. I probably didn't have that much of an influence on it, but I was there and it was a part of my life that I will never forget!

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