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- Sign Noting Toll Rates for the Detroit and Birmingham Plank Road, 1844-1850 - In the mid-19th century, road builders experimented with "plank roads" consisting of wood planks laid across longitudinal wood beams. Wood provided a smoother surface than dirt or gravel, especially in wet weather, but it deteriorated quickly. Maintenance costs, financed by user tolls, were prohibitively expensive and most plank roads were gradually resurfaced with gravel.
- 1844-1850
- Collections - Artifact
Sign Noting Toll Rates for the Detroit and Birmingham Plank Road, 1844-1850
In the mid-19th century, road builders experimented with "plank roads" consisting of wood planks laid across longitudinal wood beams. Wood provided a smoother surface than dirt or gravel, especially in wet weather, but it deteriorated quickly. Maintenance costs, financed by user tolls, were prohibitively expensive and most plank roads were gradually resurfaced with gravel.