On April 20, 1909, construction of the world’s first mile of concrete highway was begun in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In 1906, the Michigan Legislature created the state’s first road commission in Wayne County, and Henry Ford was a charter member—however, he served only one year to avoid a conflict of interest due to his role in the automobile industry. Within just three years, the Wayne County Road Commission embarked on an experiment that would revolutionize the way roads were built and create a new standard that has endured right up to the present day. The History of the World’s First Mile of Concrete Highway from the Wayne County Road Commission begins:
The year was 1909, and it was a big year in Detroit. Ty Cobb led the Detroit Tigers to a League Pennant at Bennett Park, Henry Ford introduced the Model T [car], and J.L. Hudson was scouting out a location at Woodward and Farmer for his department store’s new location.
Also that year, the Wayne County Road Commission introduced the world to a new kind of road: CONCRETE. The only place it could be found that year was Woodward Avenue between Six and Seven Mile Roads in Greenfield Township, which is now northwest Detroit.
Roads up to that point – if they were paved at all – had been built with brick, cobblestone, or a material called macadam, which was not much more than stones sprayed with a tar to form some kind of wear resistant surface. Unfortunately, brick and cobblestone were uneven and labor intensive, while macadam didn’t last long.
HISTORY of DETROIT:
Detroit was incorporated as a city in 1815, Woodward Avenue was established as a primary transportation path by Native Americans. It was known as the “Saginaw Trail” and later became a wood planked “corduroy road” for wagon travel. In the 1820s, Woodward included toll booths, and a road composed of gravel, mud, and cedar blocks.
In 1909, the first mile of concrete highway in the world was built between Six and Seven Mile roads by Wayne County. The commission’s 1909 report reads: “This road has attracted a great deal of attention among the road builders of the entire country, and numerous delegations have visited it during the past summer. We have also been the recipients of many inquiries for information concerning it.”
In 1916, the 27-mile length to Pontiac was paved, and in 1919 the nation’s first three-color traffic light appeared on the thoroughfare. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of miles of concrete road throughout the world. And despite all of the technological advances of the past few decades, no one has come up with a more reliable, cost effective material to build roads with than concrete. To read more, please click on the links below. Includes a 10-minute PODCAST!
LINKS:
ARTICLE titled “APRIL 20, 1909: THE WORLD’S FIRST MILE OF CONCRETE HIGHWAY”: michpics.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/april-20-1909-the-worlds-first-mile-of-concrete-highway/
2-page PDF on Woodward Avenue and HISTORY, click on image above or here: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Woodward_Heart_and_Soul_170072_7.pdf
PODCAST 10-minutes (2016):“‘One Mile:’ The history of Detroit’s first concrete road”:
www.wkar.org/post/one-mile-history-detroits-first-concrete-road#stream/0
ARTICLE “‘One Mile:’ The history of Detroit’s first concrete road”: www.wkar.org/post/one-mile-history-detroits-first-concrete-road#stream/0
Wayne County Road Commission’s The History of the World’s First Mile of Concrete Highway: www.waynecounty.com/departments/publicservices/roads/woodward-ave-history.aspx
“Woodward Road”: www.woodwardavenue.org
PHOTOS and MAP on the Historical Concrete Pavement Explorer:
www.explorer.acpa.org/explorer/places/united-states/michigan/detroit/street/first-mile-of-concrete-pavement-woodward-avenue-detroit-mi/
MANY ARCHIVAL PHOTOS: “Detroit’s Woodward Avenue is one of America’s most iconic roads”: www.mlive.com/entertainment/erry-2018/04/57da31c03d/woodward_avenue_detroit.html
For ISCP ARTICLES ON THE FIRST CONCRETE PAVEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD, please see links:
2019: “110-Year-Old Concrete Road, Pair of 1925 Concrete Narrow Roads, & Historical Concrete Pavements Archives”: www.concretepavements.org/2016/04/25/the-110-year-old-road-pair-of-historic-1925-narrow-roads-historical-concrete-pavements-archives/
2017: “Rock Solid History of Concrete—How Limestone, Rocks, and Volcanic Ash Built the Modern World”: www.concretepavements.org/2017/10/18/rock-solid-history-of-concrete-how-limestone-rocks-and-volcanic-ash-built-the-modern-world/
2016: “Short Street in Oklahoma City has Long 106-Year History”: www.concretepavements.org/2016/02/16/short-street-in-oklahoma-city-has-long-106-year-history/
2015: “2015 Marks 150th Anniversary of the World’s First Concrete Pavement”: https://www.concretepavements.org/2015/07/06/2015-marks-150th-anniversary-of-the-worlds-first-concrete-pavement/
Home page photo: Paving Woodward Avenue in 1909, courtesy of Woodward Avenue Action Association