One-Way Streets and when they became 1W

[mtburb]

This is to talk about one-way streets like Warren, Forest, John R., Brush, etc. including when they became one-way and why.

[Hermod]

John R and Brush were one way streets back in the early fifties. Prior to the building of the Chrysler Freeway, they were the primary north-south route through town and to downtown. The traffic lights were precisely timed, so that if you went exactly the speed limit you cruised right on through. After we moved to Rochester, we would come down Stephenson Highway, jog over to the John R-Brush duo and cruise right on downtown to JL Hudsons.

[313WX]

For the side streets in the inner-city neighborhoods, most of them became one ways during the snowy 1970s because it was easier for the salt trucks and plows ot handle.

I thought many of those main streets became one ways for better traffic flow in/out of downtown. I don't see the purpose of them now since Detroit no longer has that type of commute and the neighborhods they track through are largely abandoned.

[bartock]

For the side streets in the inner-city neighborhoods, most of them became one ways during the snowy 1970s because it was easier for the salt trucks and plows ot handle.

I thought many of those main streets became one ways for better traffic flow in/out of downtown. I don't see the purpose of them now since Detroit no longer has that type of commute and the neighborhods they track through are largely abandoned.

I agree that the one-way areas of Warren and Charlevoix could go [[there are others, but these are the ones I can think of), but Forest, John R/Brush, Cass, Second, Third are still good for traffic flow, in my opinion, and with "midtown's" continued blossoming, should stay as they are.

[preserve]

Livernois & Dragoon became one way south of Vernor back in the 50's, had to do with truck traffic to and from the bridge and Fort Wayne traffic I believe.

[313WX]

I agree that the one-way areas of Warren and Charlevoix could go [[there are others, but these are the ones I can think of), but Forest, John R/Brush, Cass, Second, Third are still good for traffic flow, in my opinion, and with "midtown's" continued blossoming, should stay as they are.

Personally, even if we don't completely remove them, the 4-6 lane parts of Forest, Second and Third definitely need to be shrunken. Despite the recent development in midtown, it's highly unlikely those streets will ever be used to full capacity in the near future. I would disagree with Warren. It's a crosstown bus route from the lower east sdie and it's used relatively heavily during the morning rush [[although it's only 3 lanes wide).

Now I could always see the midtown portions of Brush, John R, Beaubien, along with Vernor and Charlevoix being converted to two lane two-way streets.

[Gsgeorge]

I don't have too much problem with the one-way streets in Midtown, but the section of Second between I-94 and Baltimore is just plain STUPID. Both sides of a wide boulevard go 1W North? This simply does not make any sense. I see a lot of people making the 'mistake' of thinking the east side of the Boulevard is a Southbound lane [[who would've thought?) and so they turn the 'wrong' way on Second. Why isn't this one, at least, set up like a normal road? It seems like it would actually help with traffic flow if it were normally configured.

[EMG]

A couple of residential streets on the far east side:

1) Meuse, a very short street linking McKinney and Cadieux about half a mile west of I-94, is one way from McKinney to Cadieux. It's been that way ever since I can remember - at least since the mid-60's - and I suspect it was probably made that way to prevent drivers going westbound on Cadieux from turning left onto Meuse as a shortcut to avoid the light at Morang.

2) The block of Payton between Whittier and Yorkshire. [[This is located just northeast of the Houston Whittier and Kelly intersection). This didn't become one way until sometime in the early 80's or possibly very late 70's, and I'm sure was done due to long lines of cars that used to back up on that residential block to go to the Manufacturers-became-Comerica bank on the corner of Houston-Whittier and Kelly.

[bartock]

I don't have too much problem with the one-way streets in Midtown, but the section of Second between I-94 and Baltimore is just plain STUPID. Both sides of a wide boulevard go 1W North? This simply does not make any sense. I see a lot of people making the 'mistake' of thinking the east side of the Boulevard is a Southbound lane [[who would've thought?) and so they turn the 'wrong' way on Second. Why isn't this one, at least, set up like a normal road? It seems like it would actually help with traffic flow if it were normally configured.

Very true, I forgot about that.

[5speedz34]

I think in the past year I've blared my horn 3-4 times from idiots going southbound on Second.

I'm in the midst of moving to Field between E. Vernor and Charlevoix. It's really dumb because only 1 block is one way and it does that for all the North/South streets from the Boulevard to Van Dyke. For the life of me I can't understand why these streets are so mis-mashed, with some blocks being one way and others not.

As for snow plowing, I don't know what city policy is on residential streets, but any of the older streets I don't see how they can blow without blocking in everyone's cars. IE-Commonwealth in Woodbridge has an absurd amount of cars on that street, I'd be surprised if a large truck could even squeeze down that street during peak hours.

[MikeM]

Somewhere I stumbled across a news article reminding readers that Vernor and Charlevoix would soon become one-way streets. Still searching for it but I think it was around 1946 or 1947; definitely before 1950.

[DetroitPlanner]

Second and Third through the corridor and Second N of WSU will soon be 2-way. With blockages at WSU and at Cass Tech, a lot of the reason for them being a one-way pair have gone away. This should provide slightly better access to properties in the area and resolve the one way nightmares folks experience along the boulevarded part of Second.

[Hermod]

Any time you have a square grid of streets, making alternate streets one way really smooths the traffic. You eliminate the conflicts with oncoming traffic for cars making a left turn and cars queuing up to make a left turn don't block traffic. Once people get used to alternating one-way streets and going around the block to a destination, they work really well.

[313WX]

As for snow plowing, I don't know what city policy is on residential streets, but any of the older streets I don't see how they can blow without blocking in everyone's cars. IE-Commonwealth in Woodbridge has an absurd amount of cars on that street, I'd be surprised if a large truck could even squeeze down that street during peak hours.

Does the city of Detroit even bother to issue snow emergencies anymore?

I know back then [[in the denser neighborhoods) folks would utilize their back alleyways and garages to allow for street clearing.

[unclefrank]

Part of downsizing should be getting rid of the one way streets. To someone who does not drive much in Detroit, they are confusing as all hell.

[EastsideAl]

Somewhere I stumbled across a news article reminding readers that Vernor and Charlevoix would soon become one-way streets. Still searching for it but I think it was around 1946 or 1947; definitely before 1950.

That was done immediately after the Charlevoix streetcar line was taken out in 1949. When my father was a kid Charlevoix was 2 way with a streetcar in the center. It was narrow and had little room for automobile traffic.

That was all right at the time though because a block to the south Vernor had been widened to be a 4 lane, 2-way "highway" back in the 1920s. This was done as part of the Vernor Highway project that cobbled together, mostly out of previously existing streets, a continuous crosstown auto route between the east and west sides and downtown to ease some of the bottlenecks and congestion caused by the sudden rise in car ownership and the quick growth of the city. Before that was done, back when my grandparents were young, what became Vernor on the east side had mostly been Waterloo [[and Dix on the west side, and High St. just north of downtown).

According to my father's account, during and after WWII with the increased auto traffic to the Chrysler plants, Budd Wheel, Hudson, etc., as well as to downtown, there were traffic jams on Vernor [[hard to believe now...). And with the overflow streaming onto it, Charlevoix became positively dangerous. By 1949 a decision was made to take out the Charlevoix streetcar and make Vernor and Charlevoix a one-way pair with timed lights.

[Bearinabox]

Part of downsizing should be getting rid of the one way streets. To someone who does not drive much in Detroit, they are confusing as all hell.

Okay, for you and anyone else who doesn't drive much in Detroit, here's the secret to driving on one-way streets. This is how all the locals do it.

First, look for a sign like this:

Then follow the arrow.

Works every time.

[unclefrank]

Okay, for you and anyone else who doesn't drive much in Detroit, here's the secret to driving on one-way streets. This is how all the locals do it.

First, look for a sign like this:

Then follow the arrow.

Works every time.

Gee, thanks

[Bearinabox]

Gee, thanks

Glad to help. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[bc_n_dtown]

This is to talk about one-way streets like Warren, Forest, John R., Brush, etc. including when they became one-way and why.

Since buses operated along many of the streets you listed, the rerouting of a number of bus routes can help to shed some light on when a few of these streets were established as one way. According to DSR records archived by the late Jack Schramm, the following dates are listed as changes in bus routes due to the launching of one-way streets.

The Second Avenue bus line, along with the Woodrow Wilson line, which also traveled along Second, had to be rerouted along Second Ave. [[northbound) and Third [[southbound) effective October 13, 1939 because of one-way streets.

The former John R.-Oakland bus line, which originally operated both ways along John R., from Manchester in Highland Park to Broadway downtown, had to be rerouted via John R. [[southbound) and Brush [[northbound) effective September 15, 1939.

However, changing Warren and Forest Avenues to one-way streets wasn't so simple. Since both streets at that time offered the only suitable through-route across the city between the Davison and Vernor Avenue, the city was anxious to convert both streets to one-way traffic back in 1942. But according to the Journal of the Common Council from 1947, there was one major problem....the streetcars along Warren and Forest Avenues.

The Crosstown line streetcar operation between 14th and Cadillac—particularly where the line operated both ways along Forest between Beaubien and Cadillac—posed a problem. Since the DSR wasn't allowed to reduce streetcar service during WWII the Warren Avenue one-way plans had to be placed on hold. It wasn't until the Crosstown and the Harper [[which also operated along Forest on the east-side) rail lines were converted to motor buses, effective October 26, 1947, that work could begin to cover the rails and repave the streets. According to a later update in that same Council Journal, Warren and Forest Avenues were scheduled to begin one-way street operation effective January 5, 1948.

[Bearinabox]

Why couldn't the streetcars operate on parallel one-way routes too? Was it just that the tracks would have had to be rebuilt?

[bc_n_dtown]

Yes Bearinabox, they could have, but would it have been feasible to do so. Since there was no rail or overhead along Warren Avenue, between Beaubien and Cadillac, it would have been quite an expensive venture to lay new trackage and overhead, especially in light of the fact that the DSR had already begun to phase out its street railway system. The new one-way traffic pattern would just have to wait until the cars were removed.

[mtburb]

I know it has been a week since the last post, I do agree to "de-one-way-ize" Second and Third. Interrupted by the new park surrounding DTE Energy's headquarters, Cass Tech and WSU, they have no purpose of being one-way streets any more. Plus the boulevard portion of 2nd between I-94 and the CN/NS [[Conrail) railroad tracks needs to be two-way like all boulevards.