Detroit took control of the Detroit Unified Railway on May 15, 1922; afterwards, the streetcar system became the city's Department of Street Railways. Following the change in control, the city also formed the Detroit Rapid Transit Commission to build a subway system. Early proposals included a station under Woodward Avenue next to Detroit City Hall. In 1926, a four-line system encompassing of lines was proposed at a cost of $280 million (equivalent to $ in ). By 1929, plans were scaled back further in the face of tough local economic conditions; the plan submitted to voters included one line of that interconnected with the city's streetcar system by way of two streetcar tunnels. The bond proposal failed by a 2.5:1 margin that year, killing any proposal for a city subway system in Detroit.