Printable View
Are there any dirt roads left in the city of Detroit? I grew up in rural Commerce Twp on a dirt road until 1996, when it was paved. I recall going to Southfield in the early 90's to visit family friends and was surprised they lived on a dirt road. At that young age, I just assumed all urban areas had paved roads. I currently live in Pontiac and can only think of one unpaved road here off the top of my head.
Puritan- between Telegraph and 5 Points, 5 and 6 Mile.
Years past, Wayne County and Redford Twp elected not to pay a portion of the paving costs, Puritan is the boundary with Detroit.
In recent years, Redford got grants to pave mostof their roads. Detroit did not offer to pay their share of paving Puritan.
When I was young growing up in Detroit, a lot of the roads in the far northeast were still oiled gravel. Near our house, Grayton and Yorkshire were gravel with swale ditches. I walked on Yorkshire going to and from school. Periodically, they would oil the road to keep dust down and we kids would track the oil into the house [[my mother would not be happy).. Periodically, they would spread new gravel and make bike riding treacherous.
Hermod... many of the sidestreets in farthest eastern parts of Detroit had that type pavement... especially near Balduck Park. Finally the city paved them over with asphalt around the 1970s. Minerva, Berden, Linville, Southampton and Frankfort come to mind.
Another unpaved road, only a short north/south block, exists near 14th/W Buena Vista, Ellen Ave.
My grandparents lived on St Clair just south of Warren there was a little stub of E. Forest that ran between St Clair and Garland [[Forest didn't start again til west of Cadillac Blvd). When we went to their house, we always had to cross the DTRR yard tracks on Warren and get held up by switchers shifting cuts of railroad cars [[13 tracks as i recall). In the forties, you could still see some 0-6-0 steam switchers, but the little 1000hp diesel switchers soon replaced them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gistok
.
My friend in Farmington Hills lives on a dirt road. And there are some streets I know of that is still dirt in Royal Oak, south of Gardenia, east of Main.
West Jefferson west of 12th Street is pretty much a dirt road. More like offroading than even a dirt road!