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History: Road Commission Report on Woodward Avenue Paving Woodward Avenue
Road Paving - The work on this road was started at the northerly line of Highland Park village. One mile, or 5,280 feet of concrete was built, and one mile graded, holes and ruts repaired with stone, and the whole oiled to keep down the dust.  We
believe the stretch of concrete on this road will prove the most
satisfactory piece of road constructed in Michigan up to date.
After noting the wear on the two principal roads comparable to
Woodward, viz: Grand River and Gratiot, your Commission was of
the opinion that a better form of construction was needed than
macadam, on a road called up to carry the enormous traffic, which
finds an outlet over Woodward Avenue to Palmer Park, the golf
grounds, the state fair, and the hills and gravel of Oakland
County. After thoroughly investigating the subject and the experiences
of nearby smaller towns in the matter of concrete crosswalks,
inspection of concrete bridge decks, inspection of the concrete
streets in Windsor, Ont., noting the grades of material used,
the light form of construction, and the general satisfaction
these were fiving, we decided that a concrete road would come
more nearly realizing the ideal than any other form. The points
considered were comparatively low first cost, low maintenance
cost, freedom from dirt and dust [there being no detritus from
a concrete road itself] its comparative noiselessness, and ease
of traction for vehicles of all descriptions.
The one weak feature of a concrete road is the matter of expansion, and in order to properly cope with this phase of the question we made several kinds of experimental joints. Two thicknesses of 3-ply tar paper were used in some sections, a southern pine board 1/2-inch wide was used in other sections, a composition of asphalt, still wax and pitch was tried in still other sections, and in other sections the edges were protected by an angle iron embedded in the concrete and filled with the above composition. This road has attracted a great deal of attention among the road builders of the entire country, and numerous delegations have visited it during the past summer. We have also been the recipient of many inquiries for information concerning it. The cost of this piece of work is considerably lower than the average cost of macacam roads constructed in New York and Pennsylvania as taken from detailed reports of these states, and we believe it to be superior in every feature to the best macadam road that can be built. However, time alone can justify our judgment in the matter. The following is a summary of the cost of the concrete road. Contract: $10,200.70 Inspection, building shoulders and all other items entering into the road $2,494.81. Total cost of concrete road $13,537.59.
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Wayne County Road Commission
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The
road is laid in two courses, 24 feet in its narrowest width,
with 18 feet of concrete, 6-1/2 inches deep. The first course
is made of a 1-21/2-5 mix of Portland cement, sand and limestone,
4 inches deep, and the second course of a 1-2-3 mix of Portland
cement, sand and crushed cobblestone, 2-1/2 inches deep. It is
laid in 25-ft. sections.