******** LIVE INTRO and LIVE BACK-ANNOUNCE ******* INTRO: The Twin Cities' most notorius traffic bottleneck was created 34 years ago this month. It's where Crosstown 62 and interstate 35-W join on the border between Minneapolis and Richfield. Officials want to re-construct that common stretch of the highway to increase capacity and make it safer. But to do that, they'll have to close parts of it for several years starting in 2002. The state senate transportation committee will hold a hearing on that plan today. Joining us to talk about the history of the Crosstown and 35-W is Dick Braun (BRAWN), former MINN-DOT commissioner. He was a deputy district engineer at the time the combined highway opened in 1967. He says any discussion of that stretch of roadway has to start with 35-W.