Looking north.  The first grade separated intersection in Dayton.  Part of one of the first four-lane divided highways in the city, with the northbound lane on a former interurban right-of-way.

 

 

The buildings in the background formed a little business corner around the interurban stop.  They are both gone.

 

The 1948 Thoroughfare Plan.  This interchange and four-lane was to be incorporated into the “US 25 Expressway”, with a series of interchanges running south to Moraine.  This was going to be part of what was later to become the interstate system.

 

 

The interstate was aligned elsewhere and this remained a local highway south out of Dayton. 

 

The interchange from the air, and the original street pattern and interurban, showing how much was changed here. 

 

 

 

 

Cincinnati's first cloverleaf was built a few years earlier, around 1937, where Columbia Parkway crosses Linwood Ave.

I think I know where that is at. 

 

I guess Columbia would have been the first attempt to do a somewhat limited access auto-oriented highway in Cincy?

 

Yeah it bas built in the late 30's as a WPA project. There is a traffic light at Wm H Taft/Torrence pkwy and a part where Columbia pkway dips down to flood plain level in Columbia-Tusculem with a pair of lights, but aside from that it's grade separated.  The part where it dips down is the remaining part of Columbia Ave., which the parkway replaced. 

 

 

Oh Neil's Heritage House.  That dump.

    Columbia Parkway, Central Parkway, and Victory Parkway were all conceived by 1907 when the Kessler Plan was published. Of course, that was even prior to the Model T!

 

    The grade separated interchanges were not conceived in 1907, but separated traffic was.

Interesting. I always thought Kettering had dreamed this up years later.

What's sad is that the older commercial buildings have been torn down for parking lots and that dreary Neils building.  I think they must have torn down some houses when they built this, too (not to mention reorienting the entrance to Calvary Cemetary).

 

But heres an interesting thought.  That pix is from  1943-44.  Only 3 or 4 years earlier there was commuter rail service on that route (the northbound lanes) as this was still being operated as a rapid transit line to Moraine as the Dayton & Sububran Railway, a sucessor to the old C&LE.

Always thought the traffic pattern in that area was a little odd, but never realized it was so OLD!!!!

 

As always, thanks for digging this up, Jeffery. Very interesting.