The life cycle of Detroit's freeways

[Airforceguy]

Pretty cool article in today's Free Press about freeway construction in Detroit...
Free Press Flashback: The life cycle of Detroit's freeways

Freeways cutting through American cities are an endangered species these days, as the movement picks up steam to remove urban highways and replace them with people-friendly features.


Even in Detroit, Interstate 375 downtown appears doomed, likely to be filled in and replaced by a grade-level boulevard.


It is difficult to imagine the Motor City without freeways: Two million residents crowding on streetcars and buses; city officials constantly tweaking streets to alleviate traffic jams. Driving from Dearborn to Grosse Pointe? Before the ditches, motorists had no alternative but to spend an hour or more in crosstown traffic.You might remember those days — if you’re pushing 90. In 1942, the first freeway, tiny Davison, opened in the hope it would relieve traffic congestion in central Detroit.


The big push for freeways came after World War II. Rejecting streetcars and plans for subways, officials decided that making Detroit hospitable for automobiles would be, not surprisingly, a top priority. In 1944, a slick city publication told residents: “Of all the various projects now under consideration, perhaps none is of greater importance to Detroiters than the proposed system of expressways, wider and straighter streets, and the elimination of traffic bottlenecks.”

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...n/70039370007/

[Richard]

To elaborate a bit more,in the late 20s early 30s the federal government sent a crew from the military in order to look at the road system which was basically a muddy path traversing the country,the goal was to see how our military could move troops across country should we be invaded.

One on those guys sent in that mission was a young soldier named Eisenhower,a system was devised but put on hold with the onset of the war,Eisenhowers visits to Germany and driving on the autobahn gave him the vision to create an interstate system in the U.S.

The height of the bridge overpass was determined by how much space was needed to haul a tank on a flatbed truck in case we were invaded the military could move freely.

• 1940—58% of all farms had cars, 25% had telephones, 33% had electricity
• If you think about it until the 1950s a majority of trucks and cars still drove a top speed of 45 mph due to the road network.

Everybody knows they did not reject street cars,GM systematically bought up street car lines and then shut them down in order to sell their busses.

They were found guilty and had to pay a fine but the damage was already done.

[stasu1213]

To elaborate a bit more,in the late 20s early 30s the federal government sent a crew from the military in order to look at the road system which was basically a muddy path traversing the country,the goal was to see how our military could move troops across country should we be invaded.

One on those guys sent in that mission was a young soldier named Eisenhower,a system was devised but put on hold with the onset of the war,Eisenhowers visits to Germany and driving on the autobahn gave him the vision to create an interstate system in the U.S.

The height of the bridge overpass was determined by how much space was needed to haul a tank on a flatbed truck in case we were invaded the military could move freely.

• 1940—58% of all farms had cars, 25% had telephones, 33% had electricity
• If you think about it until the 1950s a majority of trucks and cars still drove a top speed of 45 mph due to the road network.

Everybody knows they did not reject street cars,GM systematically bought up street car lines and then shut them down in order to sell their busses.

They were found guilty and had to pay a fine but the damage was already done.

GM's busses became crappy especially when DRS became DDOT. I always wondered did General Motors fell in line with the Defense Highways idea to make America more car dependent. Many suburban communities were established around these defense Highways. These Highways not only became an uninterrupted way to move military vehicles throughout the country in cade of a national emergency; they also because uninterrupted ways for commuters to get to and from their jobs back to their homes without going through city traffics and blight

[expatriate]

Urban freeways have been the death knell for American Cities. When Detroit allowed automobile interests to dictate transportation policy it sowed the seeds of its own destruction.

[Richard]

Urban freeways have been the death knell for American Cities. When Detroit allowed automobile interests to dictate transportation policy it sowed the seeds of its own destruction.

As did other cities across the country,somebody somewhere weighed the cost factor of those who it would benefit and those who it would destroy for generations to come.

When you also factor in all of the thousands of small towns across the country that also literally evaporated overnight after they were bypassed by the freeway system,they could have found another way.

Cause and effect,I kinda think when it comes to doing things in the best interests of the greater good it was one of the worst things to happen in this country by far,only to be topped by whats to come,because we never learn from our past mistakes.

[stasu1213]

So are these freeways still considered to be Defense Highways eventhough it benefits the automobile? Did the U.S. Military had the automobile in mind especially easier commute by civilians when these Defense Highways were being concieved?

[Richard]

I guess it depends on who one talks to,Eisenhower wanted a way to evacuate quickly in case of a nuclear attack - so his intent was majority military.

The engineers of the system only looked at the shortest distance between point A and B.

They had no concerns about anything else really.

The supporters were the ones that would profit from it,it was free to the cities but they had to follow the route laid out by the feds.

They looked at it as a way to remove blight for free at a time when there was a mass exodus from the cities of people and money,it became a part of their stoned on crack urban renewal programs of scorch n burn so people would come back to the city.

Or at least visit it on the shiny new concrete highway.

The Lachoy building is being demolished today to make room for the greenway.

When you look back at the arguments used back then,they are no different then today when it comes to “blight removal”

DETROIT – People are happy they will soon no longer have to look at this abandoned La Choy factory on Detroit’s west side, as it’s been a major eyesore for years.

The demolition department is excited to continue to take down yet another structure in our plan to move in our blight to beauty efforts,” said Detroit Demolition Director LaJuan Counts.

The demolition is making way for a new project as it borders the incoming Joe Louis Greenway.

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/...s-west-side-2/

Can you imagine that exact same argument happening in the 1950s when it came to “those” neighborhoods that were downtrodden and how many were happy to see them go away so they did not have to look at the blight anymore.

They would rather look at a highway then people and it is so much easier to destroy them to build.

Next thing you know they will be wanting to level another “downtrodden” neighborhood and build a new bridge and sell it the same way they sold the highway running through the center of cities.

It free and we get to get rid of all of that blight.

Free is expensive long term.

Like they could not have made that building into a stop on the trail,bike rentals,coffee shop etc.

Such a defeatist attitude.