were common. But during the road's first 30 years, the area around it transformed into a major industrial corridor. The economic dislocations of the 1970s, however, led to rapid deindustrialization along New York Avenue. By the late 1970s, many industrial businesses along the route were closed or abandoned, and retail was relatively nonexistent. The residents in the surrounding neighborhoods were very poor, unemployment was high, and environmental problems were severe. In 1980, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry announced a major effort to redevelop the New York Avenue Extended industrial and retail corridor. Little action was taken to implement the plan's goals. Barry's successor, Sharon Pratt Dixon, announced another redevelopment effort in late 1993. Once more, redevelopment efforts failed to materialize. Barry defeated Dixon in her attempt to win renomination for mayor, and Barry won the general elected held in November 1994. Barry announced his second effort to redevelop the New York Avenue Extended corridor in July 1995. A more thorough analysis of the corridor found several problems: The roadway was poorly maintained and traffic was far too heavy; the intersection of New York Avenue and Bladensburg Road was a confusing mass of exit and on ramps, medians, and underpasses; poor zoning laws had allowed businesses to erect bright, visually distracting signs; and an excessive number of curb cuts permitted too many motorists to access the road and slow traffic. Barry's plan for the street included plans to induce light manufacturing and blue-collar service businesses to return to the area, adding hundreds of trees to the streetscape to make it more appealing, and reducing traffic congestion. DDOT officials said they were ready to replace the bridge over the railroad tracks near South Dakota Avenue NE but that the city lacked the $16 million ($ in dollars) for the project because federal highway funding had not been forthcoming. DDOT also said it planned to widen the street to four lanes between Bladensburg Road and the District line, and reduce the steepness of the approaches to the overpass over the railroad tracks near Florida Avenue. Business executives said reducing congestion on the road was the key to reviving retail and industry. But once more, little revitalization occurred. In 2002, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams announced yet another New York Avenue Extended redevelopment initiative. Transportation and economic development officials announced that they were studying plans to reduced congestion on New York Avenue by adding more