Library of Congress
Triumph: Radial Avenues
Although Judge Woodward often gets credit for Detroit's radial avenues, they don't actually follow his plan. The avenues were actually federal military roads, many of which replaced existing Indian trails: West Jefferson (1809) was a road to Fort Meigs, Ohio; Woodward (1818) replaced the Saginaw Trail to Pontiac; Michigan Ave. (1825) replaced the Great Sauk Trail to Illinois; Gratiot (1827) connected Detroit to Fort Gratiot; and Grand River (1832) opened a path to Lake Michigan. These avenues helped establish Detroit as a regional hub, and are perfectly suited for a rapid transit system (should metro Detroit ever build one).
