council's approval of the agreement and other plans, which were required under federal law. The protests coincided with the growing opposition to other freeway projects in the Portland area, including the Laurelhurst Freeway (I-205), at the onset of the region's freeway revolts. A pair of downtown businessmen formed the Citizens for Sane Freeways Committee and attempted to lobby the Bureau of Public Roads to adopt Harbor Drive as its route for I-405, but they were rejected because it did not meet modern freeway standards. The group later circulated a public petition with 3,000 signatures opposing the construction of the 13th–14th avenues section of the freeway between US 26 and Burnside Street. On March 22, the city council voted unanimously to approve its agreements with the state highway commission after a four-hour public hearing with 35 speakers, allowing the state government to resume property acquisition. The Stadium Freeway project was divided into several stages to reduce long-term disruption to cross-town access, beginning with the trenched roadway in the Foothills area with 19 overpasses and working northward. The project required the demolition of 282 homes, 138 businesses, and 131 apartment buildings, costing $25 million (equivalent to $ in dollars) in condemnations and land purchases. The state highway commission awarded the first construction contract for the Stadium Freeway project in August 1963, accepting a $4.4 million bid (equivalent to $ in dollars) from the Donald M. Drake Company to build the section from the Ross Island Bridge to Southwest Broadway with connections to the Marquam Bridge and the new freeway which became I-5. Construction began with utility relocation and the construction of temporary street detours in October 1963, ahead of work on the Vista Ridge Tunnels (part of US 26), which began the following month. Demolition and site clearing began by the end of 1963, with the St. Joseph's Catholic Church (built in 1887) among the oldest buildings to be demolished for the project; other buildings were saved from demolition and moved to new locations, including the two-story Century Building (which suffered fire damage during its month-long move), the former home of territorial governor George Law Curry, and St. Helen's Hall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. The broadcast studios of KGW-TV were also demolished for the project, requiring a $865,000 settlement from the state government for its property. The Stadium Freeway's first completed overpass, carrying Southwest 4th Avenue, opened to traffic in March 1965