Why do so many small Kansas towns have brick streets?

Started by STLmapboy, November 02, 2020, 01:03:22 PM

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STLmapboy

Recently, I noticed something odd from Google Maps. Several small KS towns have minor and major streets laid in brick. These include Kingman, Harper, Pratt, and Augusta--and those are just the ones near Wichita. Why is this?
Teenage STL area roadgeek.
Missouri>>>>>Illinois


edwaleni

Quote from: STLmapboy on November 02, 2020, 01:03:22 PM
Recently, I noticed something odd from Google Maps. Several small KS towns have minor and major streets laid in brick. These include Kingman, Harper, Pratt, and Augusta--and those are just the ones near Wichita. Why is this?

Bricks were cheap to make, with local materials and could be used for buildings.

It was way more durable during the change in seasons.

Rain could be more readily be absorbed through the brick cracks.

Before limestone chip and oil were commonly available, brick was considered the more viable street surface.

Horse drawn wagons and early cars could use them easily.

Bricks didn't scale well. Great for local streets, not good for long distance roads, unless you had large amounts of labor at your disposal (like the Roman stone roads were made).

Once the pouring of reinforced concrete became viable around 1915, bricks became less used for rural roads.

kphoger

Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Scott5114

Another question–why do so many small Kansas towns have tourism billboards as you approach them on non-freeway state highways? You rarely see this in other states, but in Kansas just about every town has a big-ish sign listing things to do in town or what they consider the town notable for.
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KeithE4Phx

Quote from: Scott5114 on November 02, 2020, 04:42:47 PM
Another question–why do so many small Kansas towns have tourism billboards as you approach them on non-freeway state highways? You rarely see this in other states, but in Kansas just about every town has a big-ish sign listing things to do in town or what they consider the town notable for.

So they made a thousand copies of a sign that says "Wheat?"  :)
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MCRoads

Hmmm, I saw this in one town when we decided to take a detour to se the Largest Ball of Sisal Twine and the Geographic Center of the Continental US, but didn't think much of it at the time. Now that I think about it, it was kind of interesting, but it does make sense, as some of these towns were probably settled when the railroads were just built, and it was probably cheaper just to repair any parts of the road that deteriorated with brick, rather than tearing up all the bricks and repacking than. Main roads may have been paved with asphalt, but only out of necessity.
I build roads on Minecraft. Like, really good roads.
Interstates traveled:
4/5/10*/11**/12**/15/25*/29*/35(E/W[TX])/40*/44**/49(LA**)/55*/64**/65/66*/70°/71*76(PA*,CO*)/78*°/80*/95°/99(PA**,NY**)

*/** indicates a terminus/termini being traveled
° Indicates a gap (I.E Breezwood, PA.)

more room plz

Henry

Maybe those inspired the Yellow Brick Road from the Wizard of Oz? If so, there had to be an obvious connection.
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dchristy

Ponca City, OK (20 miles south of the KS border) also has many brick streets.  I haven't seen that in any other Oklahoma towns, at least to that extent.

rte66man

Quote from: dchristy on November 03, 2020, 10:38:08 AM
Ponca City, OK (20 miles south of the KS border) also has many brick streets.  I haven't seen that in any other Oklahoma towns, at least to that extent.

Guthrie has quite a few
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

Route66Fan

Quote from: STLmapboy on November 02, 2020, 01:03:22 PM
Recently, I noticed something odd from Google Maps. Several small KS towns have minor and major streets laid in brick. These include Kingman, Harper, Pratt, and Augusta--and those are just the ones near Wichita. Why is this?
Not in Kansas, but Carrollton, MO has a few brick streets, not major ones though (Heidel St. between S. Folger St. & S. Jefferson St. & 7th & 8th Sts. between N. Main St. & N. Jefferson St.).
Quote from: Scott5114 on November 02, 2020, 04:42:47 PM
Another question–why do so many small Kansas towns have tourism billboards as you approach them on non-freeway state highways?
Also not in Kansas, but Higginsville, MO has, or used to have a couple of big signs pointing in the direction of the town (I forget one sign was, but the other was near the junction of US 24 & MO 213, West of Dover, MO.).

edwaleni

Many people forget that the Indianapolis Speedway, home of the Indy 500 used to be paved in brick.  Hence the nickname, "The Brickyard".

There is still a strip of sealed bricks at the finish line. Sealed because the force of cars going 200+ mph would suck them right up.

I think you can go to just about any city in the USA and find in one place or another, brick streets. 

Periodically you will see an article in a newspaper where the street reconstruction ended up finding a forgotten layer of bricks underneath.

For you historians, in Europe they are still finding roads built by the Romans with the predecessor to brick, stones.

What irritates many folks is when a utility has to tear up a brick street, they don't replace it with bricks, they put in concrete. Bricks are subject to settling and they don't want to come back to fix it again.

One town I lived in simply left the abandoned trolley tracks in the brick streets, because to take them out would require removing the brick and they didn't want to.

bmorrill

In San Angelo, Texas, in the late '90s, the city did some serious rebuilding/utility work at the intersection of Beauregard and Chadbourne Streets (two of the oldest major streets in the city), and they found the original wooden paving blocks under the bricks that were used as paving material later. Someplace around here I have examples of both blocks and bricks (at least I think I brought them up to Illinois with us).

The streets along the railroad tracks near the old passenger and freight depots are still bricked.

rte66man

When the City of OKC expanded N Kelley from 2 to 4 lanes between NE 122nd and Hefner, they dug up the original brick paving from when Kelley was US66.  The contractor let anyone come by and haul off the bricks. I remember an article on one of the news sites about a guy who built a backyard patio and barbecue setup with them. I have one in my garage as a memento. 

There is another stretch of old 66 that has an asphalt overlay over the original bricks - Beverly Drive.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

kphoger

Quote from: edwaleni on November 05, 2020, 08:56:37 AM
For you historians, in Europe they are still finding roads built by the Romans with the predecessor to brick, stones.

In Mexico, they're still actively paving roads with the predecessor to brick, stones.

For example, I drove on this road in 2006, while it was half finished being converted from dirt to stone.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

skluth

Quote from: kphoger on November 05, 2020, 04:13:39 PM
Quote from: edwaleni on November 05, 2020, 08:56:37 AM
For you historians, in Europe they are still finding roads built by the Romans with the predecessor to brick, stones.

In Mexico, they're still actively paving roads with the predecessor to brick, stones.

For example, I drove on this road in 2006, while it was half finished being converted from dirt to stone.

You don't have to go to Mexico.  The Laclede's Landing district in St Louis has both brick sidewalks and some cobblestone streets. They've actually gone back to some regular pavement in the last decade. I've seen similar setups in historic neighborhoods in the Atlantic Coast states and Midwest. I think some places try it out as a novelty and slow down car traffic, but revert to regular streets if the hordes of tourists don't come like they expected.

rarnold

Quote from: edwaleni on November 05, 2020, 08:56:37 AM
Many people forget that the Indianapolis Speedway, home of the Indy 500 used to be paved in brick.  Hence the nickname, "The Brickyard".

There is still a strip of sealed bricks at the finish line. Sealed because the force of cars going 200+ mph would suck them right up.

I think you can go to just about any city in the USA and find in one place or another, brick streets. 

Periodically you will see an article in a newspaper where the street reconstruction ended up finding a forgotten layer of bricks underneath.

For you historians, in Europe they are still finding roads built by the Romans with the predecessor to brick, stones.

What irritates many folks is when a utility has to tear up a brick street, they don't replace it with bricks, they put in concrete. Bricks are subject to settling and they don't want to come back to fix it again.

One town I lived in simply left the abandoned trolley tracks in the brick streets, because to take them out would require removing the brick and they didn't want to.


Brick and stone streets are also victims of the freeze/thaw cycle, especially in cold winter climates. The maintenance is hard enough but when adding repair of heaving which can affect large portions it becomes cost-effective to remove or pave over them.

MCRoads

Quote from: rarnold on November 05, 2020, 09:06:08 PM
Quote from: edwaleni on November 05, 2020, 08:56:37 AM
Many people forget that the Indianapolis Speedway, home of the Indy 500 used to be paved in brick.  Hence the nickname, "The Brickyard".

There is still a strip of sealed bricks at the finish line. Sealed because the force of cars going 200+ mph would suck them right up.

I think you can go to just about any city in the USA and find in one place or another, brick streets. 

Periodically you will see an article in a newspaper where the street reconstruction ended up finding a forgotten layer of bricks underneath.

For you historians, in Europe they are still finding roads built by the Romans with the predecessor to brick, stones.

What irritates many folks is when a utility has to tear up a brick street, they don't replace it with bricks, they put in concrete. Bricks are subject to settling and they don't want to come back to fix it again.

One town I lived in simply left the abandoned trolley tracks in the brick streets, because to take them out would require removing the brick and they didn't want to.


Brick and stone streets are also victims of the freeze/thaw cycle, especially in cold winter climates. The maintenance is hard enough but when adding repair of heaving which can affect large portions it becomes cost-effective to remove or pave over them.

Main St in Norman, OK has a brick stripe the middle of the road, possibly from trolly tracks, from where the road gets a median (near 27th Ave) to about Berry Rd. It used to continue to DT Norman, however it looks like they redid the road further East and removed it.
I build roads on Minecraft. Like, really good roads.
Interstates traveled:
4/5/10*/11**/12**/15/25*/29*/35(E/W[TX])/40*/44**/49(LA**)/55*/64**/65/66*/70°/71*76(PA*,CO*)/78*°/80*/95°/99(PA**,NY**)

*/** indicates a terminus/termini being traveled
° Indicates a gap (I.E Breezwood, PA.)

more room plz

capt.ron

McLean, TX has their Main St. in brick, from 2nd street to Railroad street.

edwaleni

Here is how many DOT's retired brick paving. Here is a brick pulverizer crushing a brick street (in this case US-66).


rte66man

Quote from: edwaleni on November 11, 2020, 08:31:23 AM
Here is how many DOT's retired brick paving. Here is a brick pulverizer crushing a brick street (in this case US-66).



Where was this taken?  Did they leave the pulverized brick as a sublayer for asphalt/concrete?
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

edwaleni

Quote from: rte66man on November 11, 2020, 01:29:01 PM
Quote from: edwaleni on November 11, 2020, 08:31:23 AM
Here is how many DOT's retired brick paving. Here is a brick pulverizer crushing a brick street (in this case US-66).



Where was this taken?  Did they leave the pulverized brick as a sublayer for asphalt/concrete?

Madison, Illinois.

The scraper would come along and level the pulverized brick for the sublayer.

That is a train station in the background, but I don't know which railroad. Madison in those days had a lot of railroads.

rte66man

^^^^

I looked at a modern map of Madison and tried to determine where the station might have stood.  I know one of the routes 66 took through Madison was up Broadway/Madison Ave.  Didn't see anything promising there.  A more modern route was up Edwardsville Road. Didn't see anything there either.

I realize this was 100 years ago but these things intrigue me. WIll have to keep digging.
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

edwaleni

Quote from: rte66man on November 12, 2020, 03:35:58 PM
^^^^

I looked at a modern map of Madison and tried to determine where the station might have stood.  I know one of the routes 66 took through Madison was up Broadway/Madison Ave.  Didn't see anything promising there.  A more modern route was up Edwardsville Road. Didn't see anything there either.

I realize this was 100 years ago but these things intrigue me. WIll have to keep digging.

I did the same. I even zoomed the photo to 500% to read that street sign.

I will probably have to look at an old city map from the era.

edwaleni

Quote from: rte66man on November 12, 2020, 03:35:58 PM
^^^^

I looked at a modern map of Madison and tried to determine where the station might have stood.  I know one of the routes 66 took through Madison was up Broadway/Madison Ave.  Didn't see anything promising there.  A more modern route was up Edwardsville Road. Didn't see anything there either.

I realize this was 100 years ago but these things intrigue me. WIll have to keep digging.

I found the photo source: "Madison County", not Madison, Illinois. My mistake.

https://madison-historical.siue.edu/archive

"This 1939 photograph shows a construction truck for the Madison Construction Company pulverizing brick paving in preparation for repaving Route 66/Vandalia Street through Edwardsville."



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