Originally Posted by
Hermod
When I worked for the City of Detroit, Bureau of Expressway Design in 1961, the freeways had hardly extended beyond the city. They were looked at by the city as essential elements in reducing traffic congestion within the city. The close-in suburbs of Warren, Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Southfield were already growing without the expressways. Subdivisions were being created all the way out to Rochester. The grid network of section line roads in Oakland and Macomb were amenable to commuter traffic even without expressways.
Remember that downtown was not a major destination for most workers. Detroit was unique in that the commuter destinations were scattered around. Most commuters were going to Rouge, to Yipsilanti, to Highland Park, and other industrial destinations. Downtown was mostly banks, retail, and professional offices. If we had built light rail up the expressway rights of way in 1961, it would have made little difference to what Detroit became.