Widening Main Street 1947--Photo of the Day

  
 The photo above shows workmen tearing out the old curb and sidewalks in front of the old City Library and Central Market in 1947.  Not the outside stairway in front of the old Library.  The stairs to the basement was moved inside the building.  They became the entrance to the Children’s Library that year.  Today, We find Eli’s on the main floor and the Book Vault in the old Junior Library area of the building.
    When the pioneers staked out the streets for this city nearly 160 years ago they figured Main Street would be where First East Street now is, so they took precautions to make that street the widest in the new community.
    However, the early merchants built their shops on what was then First West Street and it was not long until the town fathers had to move Main Street to First West, upsetting the original plans of the settlers. As a result, Main Street was set up on one of the city's narrowest streets and in this modern age of several cars for every family, this has brought along its problems.
    There has been no four-lane driving, such as the Main Streets in Salt Lake, Springville and Spanish Fork provide. The state saw this early and rerouted the main highway through the city other than down the main thoroughfare. It was enough for two cars, going in opposite directions, to pass when cars were parked on either side of Main Street.
    In 1947, Main Street got  its face lifted. The street was  pushed wider by ,four feet, a big four feet when you consider you used to scratch fenders with your neighbors as you passed in the busy thoroughfare.
    The street widening was finished within two weeks, then a brand new hard surface, sidewalk to sidewalk, blacktop was put down to give Payson, one of Utah's smoothest Main streets.  Payson Main Street was changed to a one-way street almost 50 years ago to accommodate the traffic at that time.