This was on 35E highway (which is known as Stemmons Freeway) in Downtown Dallas. In the video it is commented that we are at IH45/US75, which would be about a mile from the Commerce exit in Downtown Dallas, Texas. We were going in a southerly direction and getting off on Commerce street, since when you exit Commerce street and go into downtown,you go east on Commerce- then it goes into Downtown Dallas and Dealey Plaza. When going east on Commerce from Stemmons freeway (which is the exit you take to go east into downtown Dallas), you can go from Commerce street (going east) and slide over to Main street (going east) and enter Dealey Plaza- (since Commerce goes only one way which is east). Main goes both east and west. So you can enter Dealey Plaza from both Main and Commerce streets, but you cannot enter Dealey Plaza going east on Elm Street since Elm street only goes west (the direction President Kennedy's motorcade went down Elm Street). Commerce and Elm (where President Kennedy was shot) are one way since they are both on either side of Dealey Plaza, but Main street goes both west and east since it is the center of Dealey Plaza, and is in the middle between Elm and Commerce streets (hence the name triple underpass - 3 streets).Main is the only street you can go both ways. That is why you can go to Main street east from Commerce east after exiting Stemmons Freeway and not collide with any traffic coming west since the west traffic is north of the mid-line of Main street. I have seen pictures of Dealey Plaza in the 1940s, and Elm Street was a two way street at that time I think. So probably Commerce was also. I surmise that maybe Dallas officials (post-1940's) figured that it was too dangerous to have two way traffic on Commerce and Elm streets since both those streets curve up and away going east- and two way traffic visability might be a problem on a curved street with a 3 degree incline like Dealey Plaza is. Main street is the only straight street in Dealey Plaza and this makes visability easier. That is just a guess why they would change it. Also, when Stemmons Freeway was put in, maybe Elm street could not be a two way street since that would confuse drivers going onto the Stemmons ramp in a westerly direction. To get back to Main street-Main street was the street President Kennedy's limousine was on during the main downtown Dallas parade route. From the intersection of Harwood/Main streets to the Houston/Main streets intersection the motorcade was on Main street going right through the middle of downtown Dallas (west). Then at Main and Houston street his limousine turned right on Houston street (which borders Dealey Plaza on the east). If President Kennedy's limousine kept going on Main street (west) though Dealey Plaza and under the underpass, his limousine would have had to go around a barrier and then swing around and enter Stemmons freeway. Sort of an awkward maneuver. It was figured better to just turn right on Houston street(north) when they got to Dealey Plaza and then left on Elm street (west)- then proceed down Elm to the underpass- and then under the underpass which then goes a short distance and enters the Stemmons Freeway ramp without going around a curb or barrier.
Ещё видео!