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Road Crews Unearth Wood Blocks Used in 1800's for Road

Downtown Grand Rapids
Courtesy
/
City of Grand Rapids, Planning Dept.
Grand Rapids' downtown riverfront.

Construction in a neighborhood in western Michigan has revealed blocks made of wood that were used to build roads in the late 1800s. 

The Grand Rapids Press reports crews removing asphalt on Fountain Street in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill neighborhood this week unearthed the blocks that look like bricks. Rochelle Wieber-Omland, who lives in the area, took some photos before they were removed on Thursday.

The Grand Rapids Historical Commission says cedar blocks were used starting in 1894 in Grand Rapids as the city's Board of Public Works improved Fountain Street. Construction work in 2015 also exposed some of the blocks in the Heritage Hill neighborhood.

Wood was used for a time for roads instead of cobblestone before more durable construction methods were developed.

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