Jul. 13--ST. LOUIS -- Protesters briefly blocked Interstate 70 downtown this afternoon in an effort to draw attention to the number of minority-owned businesses hired for public projects in the area.

Cars driven by protesters blocked I-70 at the depressed section near the Gateway Arch grounds for about a minute at about 4:40 p.m. as fellow drivers honked and police looked on. Seventeen protesters held signs on the Chestnut Street overpass over I-70.

The cars soon moved on and traffic flowed again. There did not appear to be any arrests.

Today's demonstration was 10 years and one day after a similar protest brought motorists to a halt on I-70 at Goodfellow Boulevard. In that protest, 125 were arrested. It vaulted tension over the lack of highway contracts for minority businesses onto a national stage.

Currently, state goals for disadvantaged business enterprises combine women and minority contractors. But firms owned by white women are getting most of the disadvantaged-business work -- 88 percent in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. That leaves minority contractors with 12 percent. In Illinois, about 70 percent of contracts to disadvantaged businesses have gone to women contractors, and 30 percent to minorities.

Discussions are under way about minority participation in the $640 million Mississippi River bridge between downtown and the Metro East area. Construction is scheduled to begin in January.

Missouri and Illinois transportation officials have been meeting with minority contractors since February, and both sides characterize the talks as going well. The state departments plan to ask the U.S. Department of Transportation for a waiver so they could set separate goals for women- and minority-owned businesses in the bridge work.

The request isn't to reduce participation by women-owned businesses, only to bring minority contractors up to the same participation, said Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

<< -- 07/14/2009>>