With the recent construction on Hines Drive it brought to mind a question…
You most certainly have heard of Hines Drive. You’ve likely driven on Hines Drive (when it’s not flooded from rainfall). You might have spent an afternoon in one of the many playground and picnic areas along the drive in Hines Park. You possibly have even ridden your bike along the 17.5-mile Hines Park Trail. But who was Edward N. Hines? Why does he have a county park and road named after him?
Edward N. Hines (January 13, 1870 – June 4, 1938) was a member of the Wayne County Road Commission from 1906 to 1938. As a cyclist in 1890, Hines formed a Good Roads organization in Michigan which advocated for the development of county roads. This led to the passage of the County Road Law in 1893, and a change to Michigan’s Constitution in 1894. When the Wayne County Board of Roads was created in 1906, Hines was appointed to the board along with Henry Ford and Cassius R. Benton. In 1909, Hines was responsible for the construction of the first full mile of concrete road pavement in the world, the stretch of Woodward Avenue between Six Mile Road and Seven Mile Road in Detroit.
In 1911 Hines came up with possibly one of the greatest innovations in road development with the idea of a line down the middle of the road to separate two-way traffic. It is said he got this idea while watching a horse-drawn milk wagon leaking a line of milk down the street. Painted center lines were first used in 1911 on River Road in Trenton, in Wayne County. One of Hines’ other innovations was snow removal from public roads.
Hines was a national leader in the concept of landscaping highway rights-of-way. He was instrumental in movements to beautify highways by eliminating power lines and billboards. In the 1920s, Hines was a leader in the movement to acquire land along the Huron River and the Rouge River for the purpose of converting them into parks. In 1937, the Middle Rouge Parkway was renamed the Edward N. Hines Parkway, in his honor.
The next time you’re out riding and notice that painted line on the street, think of Edward N. Hines and how the simplest of ideas can make all the difference.
