Re: Merlin inspection building question
Posted by Steve203 On 2014/5/24 17:14:47
However, old Detroiters (of which I am one) referred openly to the short section of Edsel Ford Expressway as it squeezed past the Packard Plant as a "ditch." This because unlike the typical expressway sections that had sloping grassy sides down to the roadway, this one required vertical concrete retainlng walls.
A bit ironic that the engineers worked so hard to thread the freeway between the Packard plant and the foundry, relocating Harper, adding the S curve and retaining walls, to minimize the disruption to Packard, but by the time the freeway was complete at that point, Packard was gone. If the Edsel Ford had been delayed 4 years, it could have blown straight through south of building 22. Probably much north of East Grand would have been torn down at that time.
bwy, you are correct, the Davison predates the Edsel Ford and DIE, opening Nov 25th 42. The Willow Run would beat it, opening in Sept 42, but the Willow Run had some local road interections so was not a true limited access freeway in the modern sense.
Fun pic, the DIE interchange with Telegraph. The drive in theatre must be the Jolly Roger. Being 8-10 years old, I didn't care how to get there, that was Dad's job. But I remember looking over the back fence and seeing the freeway.
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A bit ironic that the engineers worked so hard to thread the freeway between the Packard plant and the foundry, relocating Harper, adding the S curve and retaining walls, to minimize the disruption to Packard, but by the time the freeway was complete at that point, Packard was gone. If the Edsel Ford had been delayed 4 years, it could have blown straight through south of building 22. Probably much north of East Grand would have been torn down at that time.
bwy, you are correct, the Davison predates the Edsel Ford and DIE, opening Nov 25th 42. The Willow Run would beat it, opening in Sept 42, but the Willow Run had some local road interections so was not a true limited access freeway in the modern sense.
Fun pic, the DIE interchange with Telegraph. The drive in theatre must be the Jolly Roger. Being 8-10 years old, I didn't care how to get there, that was Dad's job. But I remember looking over the back fence and seeing the freeway.
Attach file:
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