History: Facts about the World's First Mile of Concrete Highway

Road: Woodward Avenue between Six Mile Road and Seven Mile Road
Location: Greenfield Township [now NW Detroit)
Year: 1909
Length: 1.2 miles
Width: 24 feet
Thickness: 6 1/2 Inches
Agency: Wayne County Road Commission
Commissioners: Edward Hines, John Haggerty, William Murdoch
Engineer: George Dingman
Cost: $13,492.83
Contractor: Baker & Clancy
Concrete Mix:
First course - 1:2 1/2:5 mix of Portland cement, sand and limestone, 4 inches deep,
Second course - 1:2:3 mix of Portland cement, sand and crushed cobblestone, 2 1/2 inches deep. Road laid in 25-ft. sections.

Examples of Worker Pay:
William Carbary, Foreman: $3 per day
George Curtiss, Engineer: $3 per day
Henry Trombly, Teamster: $4.50 per day
J.S. Addison, Inspector: $3 per day
Thomas O’Brien, Laborer: $1.80 per day
Joe Pindar, Laborer: $2.25 per day

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