"Of course there were concerns over traffic, but some commercial use had to go there or the building might have been lost."
But people who just came here from Los Angeles laugh at all the headlines over traffic.
A three-mile drive took an hour and 10 minutes on a recent afternoon; hostility over traffic can be overt.
On the highway running past Mahawil, two policemen watching over traffic were preparing to end their shift.
Officials expressed concern over possible noise pollution and traffic.
Concerns have been raised over mounting traffic due to "bad urban design" and that the growing rate of car ownership is affecting air quality.
Like last night, he went up over traffic even though he was overmatched while playing at small forward.
He flew over traffic but slammed into the window of a bank and then hit a nearby mall.
But that project, too, was abandoned because of objections, mainly over traffic, from nearby residents.
Most are speaking loudly, if not actually shouting, to be heard over the music, traffic or the sounds of other people.