Why is 3rd Ave downtown so wide?

[gratiotfaced]

Specifically the stretch between Michigan and Lafayette, where the road reaches 8[[!!) lanes in width for just those three blocks.

Just curious if anyone knows the history of this. It's so odd because the wide boulevard doesn't really connect to anything over there. Even by the larger complexes [[DTE, MGM, Huntington Place) it goes back down to a more normal 4 lanes wide.

Was something planned here at one point that was expected to bring lots of traffic, but never came to fruition? That's the only reason I can think of.

[Jason]

It was also done with Beaubien on the other side of downtown, and they were supposed to be connected north of Grand Circus Park [[idk which side street, maybe Columbia) to make a loop around downtown.

There was also going to be some loops through midtown. Look at 3rd around WSU, and then St. Antoine around the DMC, and then imagine continuing those boulevards around the cultural center. Then the bottom end of the loop would go through Brush Park and Cass Park, I think using Temple, Edmund, and Wilkins.

I don't remember if Warren, and Mack/MLK being turned into boulevards was part of the same plan or not, but they seem like they are.

These were all done as part of urban renewal projects. WSU, DMC, BCBS, the Civic Center, and the DTE campus. This was also when they urban renewal around Campus Martius and widened Woodward south of it.

Later today I can share one image of it. I've seen others but I can't find them right now.

[masterblaster]

Specifically the stretch between Michigan and Lafayette, where the road reaches 8[[!!) lanes in width for just those three blocks.

Just curious if anyone knows the history of this. It's so odd because the wide boulevard doesn't really connect to anything over there. Even by the larger complexes [[DTE, MGM, Huntington Place) it goes back down to a more normal 4 lanes wide.

Was something planned here at one point that was expected to bring lots of traffic, but never came to fruition? That's the only reason I can think of.

The widening of 3rd street was a part of the urban renewal project that demolished the 'Skid Row' that was centered on Michigan Avenue around 2nd and 3rd streets. 3rd Street was Detroit's original Chinatown. This was demolished and the Chinatown was relocated to the Cass Corridor in the 1950s-60s [[Cass & Peterboro).

Skid Row Michigan Avenue
https://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:vmc4647_2

Articles and photos of the Chinatown on 3rd Street

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/the-...ebirth-2394144

https://detroitography.com/2022/04/2...nal-chinatown/

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/showth...irst-Chinatown

[gratiotfaced]

I just found this post showing that boulevard loop you described.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Detroit/com...unbuilt_super/

[Gistok]

^ Thanks! Yup Jason was right, it looks like Columbia St. was where it crosses Woodward. But it would have decimated some buildings [[Blenheim Apartments for one)... and likely some that went down for the Stadia district anyway. But it would have been bulldozing its' way thru downtown...

It looks like it also would have taken the half circle that is GCP, and turned it into an oval up by Columbia St.

[Jason]

Yes that's what I was thinking of.

This is the midtown part: https://i.imgur.com/OiH2dUP.jpg

The general concept existed for at least the 50s through 1970, so there are different versions of it.

[Sehv313]

You can ask the same about a lot of Detroit streets; Hamilton Ave, Woodrow Wilson [[south of Davison), etc. A lot of these areas were major streets before the decline of the 1970’s and 60’s.

[Lowell]

I happened to be on East Outer Drive south of Harper this morning and was marveling at how wide it was—3 lanes each side with large grassy islands between. It indicated to me Detroit’s sense of confidence and grandeur from the days these avenues were laid.

[CassTechGrad]

From the 1930's Cass & Commerce, 2nd & 3rd down to Columbia and Plumb st.

[royce]

It's interesting that the "I Am Temple" was in the picture, yet they were still able to put in the Fisher Freeway without moving it, or did they?