Henry B. Joy Blvd. (Former M-160)
Henry B. Joy Boulevard, referred to generally as "Joy Boulevard" by locals, was temporarily a state trunkline highway designated as M-160, albeit unsigned, from 1941 until January 1942. Nearly every foot of Henry B. Joy Blvd, as reconstructed as M-160, still exists today, although almost 58 percent of the roadway is closed to the public as it lies within the confines of Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mount Clemens.
A shot of Henry B. Joy Boulevard near Lenfesty Dr on the northern edge of Mount Clemens taken in 2019. The roadway surface, which is obviously in rough shape, has only been overlaid with asphalt since its reconstruction in 1941! In fact, the original concrete of the two-lane version of Henry B. Joy Blvd constructed in 1917 is still under the center two lanes! Those two lanes were "capped" with new concrete when the two outer lanes were added in 1941, all of which remains below the layer(s) of asphalt added by the Macomb Co Dept of Roads since that time. |
The entirety of Henry B. Joy Boulevard is shown on the above aerial image, even though over 57% of the roadway is no longer accessible to the public and, in fact, directly intersects with several Selfridge Air National Guard Base runways and taxiways. The section of the roadway to the right (east) the red "X" was closed to civiian traffic starting in September 1942. With only very minor exceptions, the entirety of the four-lane concrete laid in 1941 is still extant in this image, with the publicly-accessible portion overlaid with asphalt in the decades since. The portion within the confines of the ANG base, however, consists of the original concrete surface. (See images below for details.) |
The original Henry B. Joy Boulevard intersecting Taxiway A. Here, Henry B. Joy Blvd is actually used as a taxiway itself from Taxiway A to a pair of aircraft hangars ot the west (the apron of which can be seen in the extreme upper left-hand corner of the image above). The hangar-access taxiway consists solely of the 1941 Henry B. Joy Blvd four-lane concrete to the left (west) of Taxiway A. On the right (east) side of Taxiway A, the two eastbound lanes of the 1941 concrete have been removed, leaving just the two original westbound lanes, which are now in derelict condition. |
The original Henry B. Joy Boulevard intersecting Taxiway B, just south of Taxiway H (the curving western end of Taxiway H can be seen at upper right in the image above). As with the prior image, the original 1941 concrete is still in place here. The angling runway at the upper left is now permanentaly closed. |