Question

Use the article to complete the activity.

Vote No on the Highway 85 Extension

by Victoria Vail, Tribune staff writer

Next week, the city council will consider a proposal to extend Highway 85 by 10 miles. A small coalition of real estate developers have hurried this proposal forward, hoping to capitalize on state tax breaks and reassuring the city that their intentions are good. In truth, however, the proposed extension would hurt our community. It would be bad for downtown businesses, bad for families, and bad for the environment.

Bad for Downtown Businesses

Developers claim that the land west of town is ripe to be turned into a combined retail/residential area. They say that the extension of Highway 85 would give shoppers access to a greater variety of stores. In truth, though, we already have a great variety of stores downtown—over 200 of them. Many of these businesses have been hurting for several years due to the neglect of the Exit 10 overpass, which has made driving difficult. Extending Highway 85 would give shoppers a reason to avoid downtown altogether—likely dooming many small businesses and leaving buildings vacant. However, the overpass could be repaired at a fraction of the cost of the highway extension. This small investment in city infrastructure would be good for businesses and shoppers alike.

In 1-2 sentences, identify the author's perspective and the author's purpose.

Answer 1

The author’s perspective is opposed to the proposed Highway 85 extension and skeptical of the developers pushing it. Her purpose is to persuade readers (and the city council) to vote against the extension by arguing it will harm downtown businesses, families, and the environment and that repairing the overpass is a better alternative.