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Highways 250 through 696I-275 | M-294 | I-296 | M-311 | M-331 | M-343 | I-375 | I-475 | I-496 | M-553 | FORMER M-554 | I-675 | I-696 | Jump to Bottom | |||||||||||||
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Southern Terminus: | I-75 at Exit 20 northeast of Monroe | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | Jct I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 on the Novi/Farmington Hills city limit in southern Oakland Co | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 38.216 miles – according to MDOT data* 29.97 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA* |
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| Map: | Route Map of I-275 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | I-275 was never completed to its original destination: I-75 northwest of Clarkston near Davisburg. Since this Interstate is designated with an initial even digit, it implies a connection back to its parent route, which was originally intended. All of I-275 was constructed and opened in the mid-1970s, as far north at I-96 & I-696, but further construction was halted there. While the new M-5/Haggerty Connector was constructed on right-of-way originally intended to be part of I-275, further progress in filling the gap between Walled Lake and Davisburg will likely never occur. Reports have cited weathly suburbanites with teams of lawyers as the primary reason the highway may never be completed. On the other hand, residents of northwest Metro Detroit are now complaining of a lack of highway access to the area—access which would have been amply provided by a completed I-275. MDOT hopes the M-5/Haggerty Connector will relieve some of the pressure on area roads, but others believe it will only bring more congestion to areas near Walled Lake and Commerce, which would then be just that much closer to a 'major highway.' In addition, the decades-old proposed Northwestern Hwy extension will now never be built as intended. | |||||||||||||
| Much of I-275 was constructed in the 1970s with what was termed 'an innovative new concrete technique' called Continuous Reinforced Concrete, which was to eliminate the need for expansion joints in the freeway. After only a few of Michigan's brutal winters, with ample freeze-and-thaw periods, massive longitudnal cracks began developing in the freeway. Years of cracking and patching with asphalt resulted in a freeway surface taking its toll on hundreds of thousands of vehicles each year. Portions of the freeway resembled a war zone, with pock marks and massive cracks at every turn. So, after only twenty years, MDOT decided to reconstruct all of I-275 from Monroe to Novi from top to bottom. The final six miles of reconstruction were completed in late 1999. In comparison, before the M-8/Davison Frwy in Detroit was completely reconstructed, its original road surface had been in constant use since 1944—for 52 years! Needless to say, MDOT no longer uses the Continuous Reinforced Concrete technique! | ||||||||||||||
| *Under the "Length" heading above, two separate and rather different figures are quoted as to the length of I-275, slightly less than five miles apart! This is because the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not share the opinion with MDOT that I-275 continues northerly from the I-96/Jeffries Frwy & M-14 jct concurrently with I-96 to the massive I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange in Novi/Farmington Hills. (The 34.903 mile length is measured to the "I-275 ENDS" sign on nbd I-96/I-275 just shy of 10 Mile Rd.) | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1968 (Mar 29) – The route of I-96/I-275 is officially established as a state trunkline for the 7 miles from 5 Mile Rd on the western edge of Livonia in Wayne Co northerly to jct I-696 and existing I-96 on the City of Novi/Farmington Twp line. It would be 8½ years before the freeway along this route would be completed and opened to traffic, however. | |||||||||||||
| 1968 (Nov 13) – In response to the passage of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968 which, among other things, authorizes an additional 1,500 miles of Interstate highway nationally, the State Highway Commission announces a request containing 600 miles of additional Interstate mileage within the state. Since the entire nationwide allotment for additional Interstate mileage is 1,500 miles, MSHD officials are aware, however, their request is unlikely to be granted in its entirety. One of the requests is to extend the proposed I-275 western bypass of Metropolitan Detroit northerly from its junction with I-96 & I-696 west of Farmington for an additional 21 miles to a new terminus at I-75/US-10 northwest of Clarkston in Oaklanc Co. This request is ultimately not granted by the federal government. | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 (Jan 14) – Even though no portion of I-275 is yet complete and open to traffic, the State Highway Dept holds a public meeting at Brook School in Milford on the proposed construction of am 8.5-mile segment of M-275 freeway from M-59/Highland Rd northerly to I-75/US-10 northwest of Clarkston in Oakland Co. The cost of the segment of freeway is estimated at $20 million with construction expected to begin in late 1974. | ||||||||||||||
| 1972 (July 14) – The remaining 30.16 mile stretch of I-275 from I-75 north of Monroe northerly to 5 Mile Rd on the western limit of Livonia in Wayne Co (at the future I-96 merge) is assumed as a state trunkline routing. As with the 1968 segment above, it would be several years before any of this freeway was complete and open to motorists. | ||||||||||||||
| 1975 – The first 4 miles of I-275 freeway are opened to traffic from M-153/Ford Rd in Canton Twp northerly to temporary ramps constructed at Schoolcraft Ave in Plymouth Twp between Plymouth and Livonia. | ||||||||||||||
| 1976 (Nov 10) – I-96/I-275 is completed and opened to traffic from the not-yet-completed interchange with the future route of I-96/Jeffries Frwy (including a connection with I-275 at Schoolcraft Ave and removal of the temporary ramps there) northerly to the I-96/I-696 interchange on the Novi/Farmington Hills city limit. It is assumed I-96 markers are not erected on this segment of freeway pending the completion of the Jeffries Frwy from Livonia to M-39/Southfield Frwy. | ||||||||||||||
| 1976 (Nov 21, 11:00 am) – The southernmost four miles of I-275 between its southern terminus at I-75 near Newport and US-24/Telegraph Rd southeast of Carleton in Monroe Co is completed and opened to traffic. Bids on this segment, which cost $8.9 million to construct, were originally taken in 1973. The ribbon-cutting ceremonies are held at the I-75 & I-275 interchange with State Rep Raymond Kehres of Monroe the keynote speaker, Miss Michigan Transpo 1976, Barbara Tomak, and other state and local officials. | ||||||||||||||
1977 – Two major milestones for I-275 this year:
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| Freeway: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-275 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-275 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-275 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Interstate 275 Michigan – listing at AARoads' Interstate-Guide. | ||||||||||||||
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Southern Terminus: | I-94 at Exit 100 southeast of Battle Creek | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | M-96/E Columbia Ave southeast of downtown Battle Creek | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 1.532 miles | |||||||||||||
| Map: | Route Map of M-294 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | One of the many changes occurring as part of the short-lived Rationalization process in the late-1990s was the addition of more than 50 miles of formerly county roads and city streets in Calhoun Co into the state highway system. The actual transfers took place October 31, 1998. Among other changes in the Battle Creek area, a brand-new trunkline routing was established and assigned M-294, in reference to its relation to I-94. The new M-294 begins at I-94 and continues northerly via Beadle Lake Rd, merging with Main St several hundred feet south of its northern terminus at E Columbia Ave, also designated as an extension of M-96 in the Rationalization process. | |||||||||||||
| History: | 1998 (Oct 31) – As one of several state trunkline transfers in the Rationalization program, Beadle Lake Rd from I-94 to M-96/Columbia Ave in the Battle Creek area is transferred to state control and designated M-294. | |||||||||||||
| 2001 (Jan) – During the second week of January, M-294 route markers are erected along the new highway. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway/Expwy: | No portion of M-294 is freeway or expressway. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • none | |||||||||||||
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PLEASE NOTE: The I-296 route information has moved to its own page: I-296 Route Listing. | |||||||||||||
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Southern Terminus: | M-60 in downtown Burlington at the cnr of Marshall & Leroy Sts | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | I-94 at Exit 104 east of Battle Creek | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 13.717 miles | |||||||||||||
| Map: | Route Map of M-311 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | One of the many changes occurring as part of the short-loved Rationalization process in the late-1990s was the addition of more than 50 miles of formerly county roads and city streets in Calhoun Co into the state highway system. The actual transfers took place October 31, 1998. Among other changes in the Battle Creek area, a brand-new trunkline routing was established and assigned M-311, in reference to a large portion of the route travelling via 11 Mile Rd. The new M-311 was originally shaped like an upside-down and backward letter "J" (see description in the "History" section below), but was later shortened to its present length. | |||||||||||||
| Until December 2009, M-311 was an unsigned state trunkline, one of three such routes to come out of the Rationalization process in the late-1990s. It could be assumed M-311 was originally to remain an unsigned trunkline due to its rather convoluted routing via several roads making many turns and actually intersecting Michigan Ave twice within a short distance. Nine years after the route was shortened to run via a rather straight course using only 11 Mile Rd, MDOT began erecting M-311 route markers along the course of the highway. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1998 (Oct 31) – As one of several state trunkline transfers in the Rationalization process, a new rather convoluted route in Calhoun Co is transferred from county to state control and designated M-311. The route begins at BL I-94/E Michigan Ave east of Battle Creek and heads northerly via Raymond Ave to Emmet St, easterly via Emmet to Cooper Ave, northerly again via Cooper to N Dr North, easterly along N Dr North to 11 Mile Rd and southerly via 11 Mile from N Dr North to M-60 in Burlington. None of this highway is signed in the field, however. | |||||||||||||
| 2000 (Oct 18) – All of the "U-shaped" northern portion of M-311 from the routes northern terminus at BL I-94/E Michigan Ave via Raymond St, Emmet St, Cooper Ave, N Dr North and the portion of 11 Mile Rd north of I-94 at Exit 104 is turned back to the Calhoun Co Road Commission and is cancelled as a state trunkline highway. The portion of 11 Mile Rd from I-94 southerly to M-60 in Burlington remains as unsigned M-311. | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 (Dec) – More than nine years after shortening M-311 to its present length, MDOT begins erecting route markers along the entire length of the highway, thus ending its existence as an unsigned state trunline highway. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway/Expwy: | No portion of M-311 is freeway or expressway. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • none | |||||||||||||
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Fmr. So. Terminus: | Cnr Westnedge Ave & Kilgore Rd on the Kalamazoo/Portage city limit | ||||||||||||
| Fmr. No. Terminus: | BL I-94/M-43/Michigan Ave in downtown Kalamazoo; cnr Park St & Michigan Ave for nbd M-331, cnr Westnedge Ave & Michigan Ave for sbd M-331 | |||||||||||||
| Former Length: | 3.228 miles | |||||||||||||
| Map: | Route Map of FORMER M-331 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | One of the many changes occurring as part of the short-loved Rationalization process in the late-1990s was the addition of all of Westnedge Ave and Park St south of Michigan Ave in downtown Kalamazoo into the state highway system, designated M-331. The actual transfers took place October 31, 1998. The M-331 designation was chosen in reference to the route following the pre-freeway route of US-131. | |||||||||||||
| M-331 was an unsigned state trunkline for its entire existence, one of three such routes to come out of the Rationalization process in the late-1990s. It could be assumed M-331 was not signed in the field because it terminated at the Kalamazoo city limit instead of a more logical ending place, such as I-94. Since the City of Portage never transferred control of any of their portion of Westnedge Ave to state control, M-331 remained unsigned for its entire 21-year existence. | ||||||||||||||
| In 2019, every through trunkline route in Kalamazoo—BL I-94, BUS US-131 and M-43—as well as the unsigned M-331 were all turned back to local control by MDOT after many, many years of discussion between City and MDOT planners and engineers. City staffers had long sought to eliminate what they termed as "confusing" one-way streets through the heart of downtown Kalamazoo as well as trying to limit or eliminate large trucks from traversing through the city. MDOT, on the other hand, had long stuck to its mandate to provide a smoothly-operating network of arteries, minimizing delays and congestion. The two sides could never come to a satisfactory solution so, in 2018, MDOT staff in Southwest Region finally gave up and acquiesced to the City's demands by agreeing to transfer all downtown trunkline highway routes to local control. As of January 14, 2019, the downtown trunklines became city streets. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1998 (Oct 31) – As one of several state trunkline transfers in the Rationalization program, the portion of Westnedge Ave from ebd BL I-94/M-43/Michigan Ave in downtown Kalamazoo southerly to Kilgore Rd on the Kalamazoo/Portage city limit is transferred to state control along with Park St from ebd BL I-94/M-43/Michigan Ave southerly to where that street merges with Westnedge Ave south of downtown. This route is designated M-331 although it is never signed in the field. | |||||||||||||
| 2000s–2010s – For many years, disagreement about the proper function of the major thoroughfares through downtown Kalamazoo, the most major of which were state trunkline highway routes, existed between City planners and engineers and the planners and engineering staffs at the MDOT regional office. Several attempts were made to find common ground with little to no success. A push in the mid- to late-2010s resulted in City staff members making headway while MDOT staff grew tired of the impass, resulting in the state agreeing to simply turn back all downtown Kalamazoo state highway routes to the City. | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 (Jan 7–14) – After the Kalamazoo City Commission agrees to the Memorandum of Understanding from MDOT on the conditions of the trasfer of the affected streets in the city a week earlier on January 7, MDOT approves the changes on January 14, thereby removing them from the state trunkline highway system and transferring them to the city primary street system. This included the entirety of the unsigned M-331 routing along S Westnedge Ave and S Park St. | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 (June 3–7) – MDOT crews remove the state trunkline route markers from both the transferred roadways in dowtown Kalamazoo as well as along those segments which will remain as unsigned state trunkline routes. However, as M-331 was never actually signed in the field, no signage changes took place along the route. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway/Expwy: | No portion of M-331 was freeway or expressway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
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PLEASE NOTE: The M-343 route information can be found on its own page: M-343 Route Listing. | |||||||||||||
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Southern Terminus: | Jefferson Ave halfway between St Antoine St & Beaubien St in Downtown Detroit, at connection w/BS I-375 | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | I-75 at Exit 51 (jct Fisher Frwy & Walter P Chrysler Frwy) north of downtown Detroit | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 1.147 miles – according to MDOT data 1.06 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA |
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| Maps: | Route Map of I-375 Future I-375 Replacement Boulevard Map (c.2030) |
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| Notes: | I-375 is known as the southernmost portion of the Walter P Chrysler Frwy for its entire length. I-75 beginning at I-375 and heading northerly out of Detroit carries the Walter P Chrysler name toward Pontiac. The freeway is named, of course, for automobile pioneer Walter P Chrysler, founder of Chrysler. | |||||||||||||
| I-375 is the shortest Interstate highway in the state, beating I-194 and I-296 by approximately 2¼ miles. | ||||||||||||||
| In the first decade of the 2000s, planners studied the possibility of extending I-375 south past Jefferson Ave and looping it west around the Renaissance Center—General Motors' worldwide headquarters—to provide better waterfront access to the freeway system, as well as eliminate a very sharp curve in the freeway at Jefferson. General Motors expressed much interest in improving the area around its world headquarters at the Renaissance Center. However, nothing ever came of those freeway expansion plans. Then, in the next decade, with I-375 showing its age and potentially requiring major upgrades or a complete reconstruction, MDOT began studying wether to completely rebuild the freeway from the I-75/Fisher Frwy interchange southerly to Jefferson Ave or to convert some or all of it to an uncontrolled-access, surface boulevard with traffic signals and pedestrian crossings. Proponents of the latter touted the outdated design of the freeway, its high crash rates and supposed pedestrian-unfriendliness, while others pointed out the freeway in its depressed configuration keeps most vehicles away from pedestrians at the surface, increasing the safety factor and allowing for safer transit of vehicles into and out of the downtown core, as they do not mingle with pedestrians or local traffic at street level. The original price tag of reconstructing I-375 was pegged at approximately $80 million in the early-2000s, while the eventual cost of completely removing the freeway and replacing it with a six-lane surface boulevard—the final plan approved by the City of Detroit, MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration—will cost $360 million and will be complete in c.2027, later revised to 2030 or later. The I-375 replacement project will cause the loss of the I-375 designation, create a boulevard in place of the existing freeway, upgrade the existing I-75 Walter P Chrysler/Fisher Freeway interchange and make other area surface street improvements as well. The new boulevard is scheduled to remain a state trunkline highway, although the new route designation has not yet been announced. It could potentially be M-375 (most likely), M-175 or BS I-75. | ||||||||||||||
| Some sources have stated I-375 was originally intended to be the route of I-75 into downtown Detroit under early proposals. However, the federal government forced Detroit and the State of Michigan to route I-75 further away from the river, so the remnant spur was designated I-375. This would explain why I-75 currently has to make a 90° change from the Fisher Frwy to the Walter P Chrysler Frwy north of downtown. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1964 (June 12) – A new 1.163-mile long state trunkline route from I-75 at the proposed Walter P Chrysler Frwy & Fisher Frwy interchange southerly to Jefferson Ave, then westerly via Jefferson to Randolph St in downtown Detroit is established as a state trunkline, although it wouldn't open to traffic for another five months. The freeway portion of the route, approximately one-mile in length from Jefferson Ave merge (at St Antoine St) northerly to the proposed Fisher Frwy interchange, is designated as I-375, while the remainder of the route via Jefferson Ave from St Antoine St westerly three blocks to Randolph St is designated BS I-375, but likely never signed as such in the field. | |||||||||||||
| 1964 (Nov 25) – The freeway segment of I-375 officially assumed into the trunkline system five months earlier officially opens to traffic from the Jefferson Ave merge (at St Antoine St) northerly to a completed segment of the I-75/W P Chrysler Frwy from Congress St to I-94/Edsel Ford Frwy. | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 – A portion of the I-75/Fisher Frwy freeway from the I-75/I-375 "transition" westerly across the north side of downtown Detroit is completed, bringing the odd transition of I-75 into I-375 at the site of the present-day Chrysler/Fisher interchange to an end. | ||||||||||||||
| 2020 (Feb) – After four years of study and public engagement in the project to potentially replace exiting I-375 with a surface boulevard with intersections and traffic signals, according to MDOT, "the Technical Team, comprised of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the City of Detroit, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), met to select the Preferred Alternative. The Preferred Alternative was selected from the four Practical Alternatives presented to the Local Advisory Committee (LAC) and Government Advisory Committee (GAC) in September 2019. ... The screening process focused on criteria developed around the project’s Purpose and Need statement. Through this process, the Technical Team selected Practical Alternative 5B with Direct Lefts as the Preferred Alternative." | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 (Mar 29) – MDOT submits a request to eliminate the route of I-375 from the Interstate Highway System to the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as a consequence of the pending I-375 "Improvement" Project, initially scheduled for completion in 2027, later revised to 2030 or later. The application asks AASHTO to approve the elimination effective 2027 once the project is complete. Specifically, MDOT states "I-375 ... is being removed and replaced with a non-freeway facility. The new roadway, since it will not be a freeway, will no longer support an Interstate designation and will be signed as a state highway." | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway: | Entire length of I-375 is freeway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire length. | |||||||||||||
| Business Connection: | BS I-375 - Detroit. From the southern terminus of I-375 westerly via Jefferson Ave to jct M-3/Randolph St & M-10. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-375 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-375 at Dan Garnell's arcived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-375 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Downtown Detroit Trunklines Map – PDF map showing the official routings and termini of all state trunklines in downtown Detroit. Many of these termini and some of the trunklines themselves are unsigned, making this map particularly helpful. | ||||||||||||||
•  Interstate 375 Michigan – listing at AARoads' Interstate-Guide. |
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| • I-375 Reconnecting Communities Project – project website from MDOT. |
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| • I-375 Improvement Project: A Guide to the Environmental Assessment and Opportunities to Engage – (archived) project brochure from MDOT. | ||||||||||||||
| • I-375 Above-Ground Survey and Impacts Evaluation – from MDOT and prepared in March 2018 by Commonweath Heritage Group, Inc. | ||||||||||||||
| • I-375 Alternatives Study – archived project website from MDOT. | ||||||||||||||
| • Michigan – Interstate 375 South – Full Length – from You Tube | ||||||||||||||
| • Detroit | I-375: Campaign Cities – from the Congress for the New Urbanism | ||||||||||||||
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Southern Terminus: | I-75 at Exit 111 south of Flint and west of Grand Blanc | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | I-75/US-23 at Exit 125 northwest of Flint | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 16.866 miles – according to MDOT data 16.99 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA |
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| Map: | Route Map of I-475 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | I-475 is named the U.A.W. Freeway for its entire length. While the United Auto Workers (U.A.W.) was founded in Detroit in 1935, its first major successes occurred in Flint during the historic 44-day-long "Flint sit-down strike" which occurred at the Fisher Body No.1 plant on S Saginaw St on the south side of Flint and at the Chevrolet Plant No. 4, better known colloquially as "Chevy-in-the-Hole" along the Flint River just west of downtown. In the end, General Motors capitulated and agreed to recognize the U.A.W. as the bargaining representative for all of its plant workers. As Flint is not only the home of the Buick Motor Co., it is also the birthplace of General Motors itself and for many decades, a large percentage of all Buicks and Chevrolets were built in Flint and shipped across the continent. So, it wasn't necessarily peculiar for the genesis of organized labor within the auto industry to begin in Flint. The GM sit-down strike of 1936–37 has been noted as one of the most significant American labor achievements as it "changed the UAW from a collection of isolated local unions on the fringes of the industry into a major labor union and led to the unionization of the domestic automobile industry." So, when in April 1980, Flint State Rep. Joe Conroy announced he was introducing a resolution to rename the I-475/Buick Freeway to honor those original auto workers from 1936–37 as well those who continue to labor in the many auto and truck plants in the area, one would have thought it would have been extremely well-received across the region. While the U.A.W. and much of its membership did embrace the new name, there was also a significant backlash by many in the community—a community often referred to as "Buicktown" and the "Buick City" due to its significant connection with the corporation which had been headquartered in the city since 1903. I-475 had been actually named for David Dunbar Buick himself and many thought it a direct affront to a man who had started a company which had brought so much prosperity to the city in the past. Some also still recalled the attempt in 1973 by then-State Sen. Garland Lane of Flint to rename the yet-to-open freeway in honor of Charles Stewart Mott, the Flint industrialist, philanthropist and a co-founder of General Motors, even though the freeway had already been named by the Legislature after Buick four years earlier. Lane's effort failed and I-475 was known as the Buick Freeway for the first seven years of its existence. As construction neared completion on the remaining central segment of the freeway, however, Conroy's effort succeeded where Lane's had not, and I-475 was to officially become the U.A.W. Freeway upon its completion on Labor Day 1981. The original arrangement from 1969 had the north-south I-475, which passed by the massive Buick manufacturing complex on the city's north side, named for David Dunbar Buick, and the east-west M-78/M-21 (later I-69) which passed near several Chevrolet plants named for auto pioneer Louis Chevrolet. However, to keep Buick's name on an important artery in the county, Rep. Conroy's resolution simultaneously modified the name of I-69 through Flint to the Chevrolet-Buick Freeway (which, itself, angered some who felt David Dunbar Buick's contributions to Flint outweighed those of Louis Chevrolet's). |
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| As originally envisioned in the late 1950s and 1960s, I-475 would have continued southwesterly from I-75 to hook into US-23 southwest of Flint, to provide a better access route into downtown Flint from the south via US-23. This proposal was never acted upon when I-475 was constructed. As recently as 2009, The Flint Journal ran an editoral stating "I-475 connector to US-23 south of Flint is a no-brainer" to help spur redevelopment of some of Flints many desolate former factory sites, especially the demolished Buick City property. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1958 – As the Interstate Highway System is being initially laid out, the State Highway Dept selects the designation I-175 for the proposed urban freeway loop serving downtown Flint from I-75 . | |||||||||||||
| 1958 (Aug 15–29) – The American Association of State Highway Highway Officials (today's AASHTO) finalizes its policy on route numbering rules for auxillary Interstate loops ans spurs, with spurs having a preceeding odd digit while loops would begin with a preceeding even digit. With this guidance, the State Highway Dept notifies AASHO on August 15 they are revising the Flint urban loop from I-175 to I-475, which AASHO concurs two weeks later on August 29, 1958. | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 (Nov 4) – The Flint City Commission passes a resolution naming the two freeways under construction through the heart of the city after two automotive pioneers: the north-south I-475 will be named for David Dunbar Buick and the east-west M-78 freeway will be named for Louis Chevrolet. Interestingly, the I-475/Buick Frwy will pass close by the massive Buick City manufacturing facility and many of its 21,000 workers will use that freeway to reach their jobs, while the M-78/Chevrolet Frwy runs near the five Chevrolet plants currently in operation in Flint and many of the 29,000 Chevrolet plant employees will likely use that route to reach their jobs. Other names proposed include the late, former mayor George M. Algoe and the infamous founder and two-time president of General Motors, William C. Durant, but the concensus of the commission is that the names Buick and Chevrolet are the most desirable. | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 (Apr 10) – A new 17.487-mile long freeway loop through Flint is established as a state trunkline highway and assigned the I-475 designation. | ||||||||||||||
| 1973 (Nov 8, 11:00 am) – The first segment of the I-475/Buick Frwy is completed and opened to traffic north of Flint, from I-75/US-10/US-23 easterly to BUS M-54/Saginaw St south of Mount Morris. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held at the Clio Rd interchange with State Highway Department and local government officials as well as the General Manager of Buick in attendance. The first vehicles to traverse the 3½-mile long, $9.75 million freeway segment are a group of Buick automobiles. | ||||||||||||||
| 1974 (Sept 26, 11:30 am) – The southern leg of the I-475/Buick Frwy opens to traffic from I-75/US-10 south of the city northerly to the massive multi-level interchange with I-69/M-21/Chevrolet Frwy in downtown Flint, with opening ceremonies for the $16.2 million freeway held at the M-121/Bristol Rd interchange and will include the Grand Blanc Highway School marching band and a bicycle race along the new highway. Northbound I-475 traffic can access both wbd I-69/M-21 and ebd M-21 at the multi-level interchange as well as Fifth St and Court St for access downtown. Southbound I-475 traffic can enter the freeway from Court St and Fifth St as well as from both directions of the Chevrolet Frwy. | ||||||||||||||
| 1980 (Apr) – Flint State Representative Joe Conroy introduces a resolution in the Michigan House to change the name of the I-475 freeway through Flint from the Buick Freeway, honoring David Dunbar Buick, an automobile industry pioneer and founder of the Buick Motor Co , to the U.A.W. Freeway, honoring the United Auto Workers and their historic 1936–37 sit-down strike at the Fisher Body No.1 plant on S Saginaw St. Accordingly, the name of the I-69/M-21 freeway through Flint is changed from the Chevrolet Freeway to the Chevrolet-Buick Freeway. See the lengthy note above for more information on the naming issue. | ||||||||||||||
| 1981 (Sept 7) – The final segment of the I-475/UAW Frwy is completed and opened to traffic from I-69/M-21/Chevrolet-Buick Frwy in downtown Flint northerly to Saginaw St (Exit 13) just south of Mount Morris. This final portion of I-475 opens as the U.A.W. Freeway on Labor Day and includes a 10,000-meter run, copious politicians and their speeches at 9:30 am. The newly-completed 6.2-mile long segment cost $50 million to construct, 500 residences to be removed and 2,000 people to be relocated. The entire I-475 freeway was originally projected to only cost $35 million in 1962 with an anticipated opening date of 1970. Numerous delays over the years resulted in its opening 11 years after originally planned, including bad weather, soil issues, escalating costs, strikes, Vietnam War-related funding shortages and environmental concerns. | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 – A major reconstruction project brings several significant changes to the route I-475 on the north side of Flint. The $44 million project beginning August 27, 2018 involves completely rebuilding the three miles of the freeway from Carpenter Rd and just east of Clio Rd with the I-475 undergoing a "freeway diet," reducing it from three lanes in each direction to two between Carpenter Rd and Saginaw St, a reflection of so-called "right-sizing" of the freeway, noting the reality of the region and its lower traffic volumes since the freeway was first designed and opened in the 1960s and 1980s. Within the Saginaw St interchange (Exit 13), the two loop ramps—from nbd Saginaw St to nbd I-475 and from sbd Saginaw St to sbd I-475—are removed, leaving the interchange as a simple diamond interchange instead of the parclo (partial cloverleaf) it had been since the freeway was originally opened. The pedestrian bridges just west and southeast of the Saginaw St interchange are also removed. Sbd I-475, with its standard "20-year hot mix asphalt pavement design," reopens to traffic on November 8, 2019, while nbd I-475 reopens on June 27, 2020, in part due to its "50-year hot mix asphalt pavement design" utilizing deeper layers of pavement and aggregate that is projected to last a half-century with proper maintenance. Overall, this project reflects the changing circumstances of the area. Future I-475 reconstruction projects to the south may involve similar modifications. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway: | The entire length of I-475 is freeway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | The entire route of I-475 is on the National Highway System. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-475 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-475 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-475 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Interstate 475 Michigan – listing at AARoads' Interstate-Guide. |
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| • David Dunbar Buick – informative page from the Genesee County Historical Society. | ||||||||||||||
| • Michigan – Interstate 475 North – Mile Marker 0 to 10 – driving video from CrossCountryRoads on YouTube | ||||||||||||||
| • Michigan – Interstate 475 North – Mile Marker 10 to 17 – driving video from CrossCountryRoads on YouTube | ||||||||||||||
 |
Western Terminus: | I-96/I-69 at Exit 95 west of Lansing | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Terminus: | I-96 at Exit 106A-B southeast of Lansing (at jct I-96, I-496 & US-127) | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 12.052 miles – according to MDOT data 11.78 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA |
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| Map: | Route Map of I-496 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | I-496 is known as the Ransom E Olds Frwy, named in honor of the founder of both the Oldsmobile Motor Car Co and the REO Motor Co. Oldsmobile, later acquired by General Motors, was headquartered in Lansing (½ block south of I-496 on Townsend St) for more than 100 years until 1998, when it was moved into GM's new world headquarters in downtown Detroit. The REO Motor Co may be familiar to some, especially those fans of the rock group REO Speedwagon, named after one of REO's vehicles. Incidentally, Ransom E. Olds' magnificent home was torn down to make way for the freeway which now bears his name. | |||||||||||||
| I-496 is concurrently designated with US-127 between EXIT 8 and its eastern terminus. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1963 (Dec 20–23) – The 3.8-mile long "Pine Tree Connector" freeway opens to traffic on December 20 from I-96 (at present-day Exit 106) northerly to the Red Cedar River between Lansing and East Lansing. Traffic from the connector continues via the one-way pair of Homer & Howard Sts between the northern end of the completed freeway and M-43/M-78 at Saginaw St & Grand River Ave. The new freeway is designated as I-496/M-78/BL I-96 while the Homer–Howard one-way pair of streets becomes part of M-78/BL I-96. (One State Highway Dept source shows the Homer–Howard one-way pair designated as BS I-496, but the existence of this designation cannot be otherwise verified.) With this new $8.8 million freeway spur, M-78 is routed out of downtown Lansing and now bypasses the city via I-96 from US-27 easterly to I-496, then runs northerly along I-496 and Homer–Howard Sts to its existing route along Saginaw St (ebd) and Grand River Ave (wbd). The former M-78 route through Lansing is designated BUS M-78. The BL I-96 routing follows the new I-496 spur northerly to Saginaw–Grand River, then westerly via Saginaw–Grand River and Saginaw-Oakland Sts, northerly via Cedar–Larch Sts, then northwesterly via Grand River Ave back to I-96 northwest of the city. The entire "Pine Tree Connector" and the Homer–Howard Sts pair are officially established as a state trunkline highway route three days after opening on December 23. | |||||||||||||
| 1964 (Feb 26) – The State Highway Dept okays an engineering report on a proposed $26 million, 8.9-mile long east-west freeway through the heart of Lansing. This freeway is the continuation and completion of the I-496 route. | ||||||||||||||
| 1966 (Nov 18) – The new US-127 freeway from Cedar St at Mason to jct I-96 & I-496 is established as a state trunkline and opened to traffic. The US-127 designation travels northerly from Mason via the new freeway to I-96, then continues northerly via I-496/M-78 into Lansing/East Lansing, where the freeway ends and US-127/M-78 utilize the one-way pair of Homer–Holmes Sts northerly to M-43/BUS M-78 at Grand River Ave–Saginaw St. There, US-127 turns westerly via M-43/BUS M-78/Grand River Ave–Saginaw St to a terminus at US-27 at Cedar-Larch Sts. Essentially, the US-127 designation along I-496 (and Homer–Holmes) supplants the BL I-96 designation on that route and BL I-96 itself is moved westerly to utilize the former US-127 routing along Cedar St. | ||||||||||||||
1968 – Two developments for I-496 this year:
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| 1970 (Dec 18) – The remainder of I-496 through Lansing—from M-99/Logan St easterly to the northern end of the I-496 freeway opened in 1963—is completed and opened to traffic on this date. The two one-mile long segments of Main St & St Joseph St acting as "service drives" for the new I-496 freeway from the ebd on- and wbd off-ramps just east of M-99/Logan St to the Grand River bridge are turned back to local control, with the US-27 designation formerly using those streets transferred to the newly-completed segment of I-496 from M-99/Logan St easterly to Cedar St. | ||||||||||||||
 1989 (June 15–Oct 13)  – As part of an overall state-sponsored plan to revitalize the state-owned Capitol complex in downtown Lansing, one of the many new enhancements incldue the designation of a business connection off I-496 as a loop through the downtown core to help assist in bringing tourists and visitors from the freeway and into the Capitol Complex as well as the rest of downtown Lansing. While some internal MDOT maps show this new route as "CL I-496" (like a BL I-496, but with "Capitol" in place of "Business"), the route is signed as CAPITOL LOOP with its own, unique route marker esigned by an artist according to MDOT, features an image of the Capitol dome. The new route markers are placed along the route on June 15, while the route itself is officially established and transferred from city to state control on October 13. |
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| 2024 (Mar 26) – The 35-year-old Capitol Loop is cancelled as a state trunkline highway route and all portions of the route not concurrently designated with other rotues (e.g. BL I-96) are transferred to municipal control. The City of Lansing had been slowly converting some of its downtown one-way streets to two-way operation and had been in talks with MDOT to possibly regain control of the Capitol Loop streets to potentially convert those to two-way traffic as well. The Capitol Loop cancellation, interestingly, comes with a "re-establishment" of a portion of M-143 along Michigan Ave from Detroit St (one block west of US-127 at the wbd Michigan Left location) easterly to the Lansing/East Lansing city limit. This segment had been cancelled and turned back to city control in October 1989 when the Capitol Loop was established and transferred to state control! Now, the reverse has ocurred, at least in part. (The portion of the former 1962–1989 route of M-143 along Michigan Ave from downtown Lansing easterly to Detroit St remains a city street.) |
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| Freeway: | Entire length of I-496 is freeway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| Business Connection: | (Former) CAPITOL LOOP – Lansing. From Exit 5 to Exit 7. Cancelled as a state trunkline route on March 26, 2024. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-496 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-496 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-496 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Interstate 496 Michigan – listing at AA Roads' Interstate-Guide. | ||||||||||||||
 |
Southern Terminus: | M-35 approximately 1½ mile east of downtown Gwinn | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | US-41/M-28 (Marquette Bypass) at the McClellan Ave intersection in Marquette, west of downtown | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 19.599 miles | |||||||||||||
| Map: | Route Map of M-553 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | One of the many changes occurring as part of the short-lvied Rationalization process in the late-1990s was the addition of nearly 30 miles of formerly county roads in Marquette Co into the state highway system. The actual transfers took place October 31, 1998. Among other changes in the K.I. Sawyer area, a brand-new trunkline routing was established and assigned M-553, in reference to the former county designation of the roadway: Co Rd 553. The portion of the former Co Rd 553 from McClellan Ave in Marquette to where the former Co Rd 553 ended and City of Marquette jurisdiction begins was not included in the route of M-553. Instead, MDOT assigned the "secret" unsigned M-554 designation to this highway. | |||||||||||||
| Until late 2005, the northern terminus of M-553 fell two miles short of intersecting the major state trunkline in the Marquette area: US-41/M-28. This was because the City of Marquette had not been willing to transfer control of McClellan Ave from the northern terminus of M-553 at FORMER M-554 northerly to US-41/M-28. Since local jurisdictions cannot be forced to transfer a road to the state against their will, the City of Marquette seemed unwilling to simply "give" the state control of a 4- to 5-lane road built by the city at great expense during the 1990s. | ||||||||||||||
| Since the designation of M-553 along what had been Co Rd 553 from the southern portion of Marquette to Gwinn in 1998, MDOT had been attempting to negotiate with the City of Marquette to transfer the last "missing link" portion of McClellan Ave in order to bring M-553 to a logical northern terminus at US-41/M-28 west of downtown. Until 2005 the City seemed unwilling to negotiate when WLUC-TV 6 reported the City was in talks with MDOT to trade McClellan from the northern end of M-553 to US-41/M-28 in exchange for the state turning over jurisdiction of all of BUS US-41 through downtown as well as M-554 over to the City along with a $2.5 million lump sum. These jurisdictional transfers became official on October 10, 2005 and M-553 finally reached what most would call its logical northern terminus. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1998 (Oct 31) – As one of several state trunkline transfers in the short-lived Rationalization program, all of the 18.5-mile long Marquette Co Rd 553 from M-35 at Gwinn northerly to Marquette is transferred to state control. The portion of Co Rd 553 from M-35 at Gwinn to McClellan Ave in southern Marqutte is designated M-553, while the short 0.9-mile long "spur" portion of Co Rd 553 from the M-553 & McClellan Ave intersection northeasterly to the beginning of city maintenance is designated as unsigned M-554. | |||||||||||||
| 1999 (Sept) – During the second half of September, M-553 route markers are erected along the route of the new highway. | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 (Oct 10) – Negotiations between MDOT and the City of Marquette result in several jurisdictional transfers, including the transfer of the 1.95-mile segment of McClellan Ave from the northern terminus of M-553 at (former) M-554 northerly to US-41/M-28 (Marquette Bypass) west of downtown. For the first time since its establishment in 1998, M-553 reaches another through state trunkline route at its nothern end. Also cancelled as a state trunkline route and transferred to the City of Marquette on this date is the 0.918-mile unsigned M-554 and BUS US-41 through downtown. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway/Expwy: | No portion of M-553 is freeway or expressway. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • M-553 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of M-553 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
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Fmr. So. Terminus: | Cnr of McClellan Ave & M-553 in the southern portion of the City of Marquette | ||||||||||||
| Fmr. No. Terminus: | Cnr Pioneer Rd & Division St in the southern portion of the City of Marquette | |||||||||||||
| Former Length: | 0.830 miles | |||||||||||||
| Map: | Route Map of Former M-554 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | One of the many changes occurring as part of the short-lived Rationalization process was the addition of nearly 30 miles of formerly county roads in Marquette Co into the state highway system. The actual transfers took place October 31, 1998. Among other changes in the K.I. Sawyer area, a brand-new trunkline routing was established and assigned M-553, in reference to the former county designation of the roadway: Co Rd 553. The portion of the former Co Rd 553 from McClellan Ave in Marquette to where the former Co Rd 553 ended and City of Marquette jurisdiction begins was not included in the route of M-553. Instead, MDOT assigned the "secret" unposted M-554 designation to this highway. | |||||||||||||
| M-554 was earmarked by MDOT has a "turnback candidate," whereby the department hoped to be able to transfer control of the route to the local authorities, likely in exchange for assuming control of McClellan Ave to complete the route of M-553 northerly to US-41/M-28. Thus, MDOT chose not to erect M-554 route markers along this highway, although the locally-installed street name signs clearly indicate the existence of M-554. | ||||||||||||||
| Since the designation of M-553 along what had been Co Rd 553 from the southern portion of Marquette to Gwinn in 1998, MDOT had attempted to negotiate with the City of Marquette to transfer the last "missing link" portion of McClellan Ave in order to bring M-553 to a logical northern terminus at US-41/M-28 west of downtown. Until 2005 the City seemed unwilling to negotiate when WLUC-TV 6 reported the City was in talks with MDOT to trade McClellan from the northern end of M-553 to US-41/M-28 in exchange for the state turning over jurisdiction of all of BUS US-41 through downtown as well as M-554 over to the City along with a $2.5 million lump sum. These jurisdictional transfers became official on October 10, 2005 and M-554 was turned back to local control and ceased to be a state trunkline highway. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1998 (Oct 31) – As one of several state trunkline transfers in the Rationalization program, all of the 18.5-mile long Marquette Co Rd 553 from M-35 at Gwinn northerly to Marquette is transferred to state control. The portion of Co Rd 553 from M-35 at Gwinn to McClellan Ave in southern Marqutte is designated M-553, while the short 0.9-mile long "spur" portion of Co Rd 553 from the M-553 & McClellan Ave intersection northeasterly to the beginning of city maintenance is designated as unsigned M-554. | |||||||||||||
| c.2002 – The City of Marquette erects all new street name signs along the route of M-554. These signs indicate that to the City, the official name of M-554 is "M-554 Hwy." | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 (Oct 10) – Negotiations between MDOT and the City of Marquette result in several jurisdictional transfers today, including the transfer of the 0.918-mile unsigned M-554 from M-553/McClellan Ave northeasterly to the northern terminus of M-554 at Pioneer Rd. Also established today is McClellan Ave from M-554 to US-41/M-28 (Marquette Bypass) as a northerly extension of M-5553 and the cancellation of BUS US-41 through downtown as a state trunkline route and its transfer to city control. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway/Expwy: | No portion of M-554 was freeway or expressway. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • M-554 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of M-554 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
 |
Southern Terminus: | I-75/US-23 at Exit 150 east of Saginaw | ||||||||||||
| Northern Terminus: | I-75/US-23 at Exit 155 north of Saginaw near Zilwaukee | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 7.729 miles – according to MDOT data 7.72 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA |
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| Map: | Route Map of I-675 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | When originally constructed, the I-75/US-10/US-23 freeway bypassing Saginaw crossed the Saginaw River on a narrow, four-lane, low-level bascule brridge (drawbridge), which caused nothing but massive traffic jams and headaches for motorists each time the bridge was opened to let a ship pass through. When considering the alternatives to replacing the bridge, one proposal was put forth to reroute all I-75 freeway traffic onto I-675 through downtown Saginaw. Fortunately for the city of Saginaw, this idea was eventually dismissed for a variety of reasons, and the new I-75/US-23 Zilwaukee high-level bridge was constructed instead. | |||||||||||||
| History: | 1969 (Jan 24) – A new 7.930-mile long Interstate freeway loop through Saginaw is officially assumed into the state trunkline system, designated I-675. The freeway will not be completed for another 2-1/2 years, however. | |||||||||||||
| 1971 (Oct 22) – Several jurisdictional transfers of state trunklines to local control occur on this day for routes effectively replaced by I-675, so it is assumed the I-675 freeway is completed and opened to traffic about this time. Other evidence supports this theory as well. | ||||||||||||||
| Freeway: | Entire length of I-675 is freeway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-675 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-675 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-675 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Interstate 675 Michigan – listing at AARoads' Interstate-Guide. |
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| • The Zilwaukee Bridge – details the history of both Saginaw River crossings at Zilwaukee, including information on the old bascule bridge, the new high-level bridge and the infamous August 1982 construction accident. | ||||||||||||||
 |
Western Terminus: | Jct I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 on the Novi/Farmington Hills city limt in southern Oakland Co | ||||||||||||
| Eastern Terminus: | I-94 at Exit 229 on the Roseville/Saint Clair Shores city limit | |||||||||||||
| Length: | 29.292 miles – according to MDOT data 29.39 miles – according to Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highways, FHWA |
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| Map: | Route Map of I-696 | |||||||||||||
| Notes: | I-696 is known as the Walter P Reuther Frwy for its entire length. Reuther was an early leader in the United Auto Workers union, campaigning for the rights of the line workers at the many automobile factories in Detroit. When originally opened, I-696 was more commonly referred to as "The Reuther", but "I-696" is becoming equally popular today when referring to the highway. Even though recent sign rehab projects by MDOT have been slowly removing signs with the "Walter P Reuther Frwy" legend on them, the name will likely not fade from use. | |||||||||||||
| The first portion of the Reuther to be completed was the stretch from I-96 in Novi to US-24/Telegraph Rd and M-10/John C. Lodge Frwy (then called US-10/Northwestern Hwy). For several years, a BS I-696 designation ran down the Lodge Frwy from the end of I-696 into downtown Detroit. The next portion of I-696 to open to traffic was the I-75 to I-94 stretch on Metro Detroit's east side, leaving a 7 mile gap in the freeway for almost 15 years. In 1989, the final portion of I-696 was completed between US-24/Telegraph Rd in Southfield and I-75/Walter P. Chrysler Frwy in Madison Heights, using a variety of techniques, including extensive use of retaining walls and cut-and-cover tunnels. I-696 today is a major east-west thoroughfare in Metro Detroit. | ||||||||||||||
Several site visitors have written asking if 11 Mile Rd in Macomb Co was designated M-6 prior to the completion of the I-696/Walter P Reuther Frwy between I-75 and I-94 in the mid-1970s. At that time, the only source available which showed an M-6 running along 11 Mile Rd was the AAA road map of Michigan from that time period—it never appeared on any of the Official highway maps of Michigan. It seemed doubtful that the M-6 on the AAA map was anything but a simple cartographic error. This is until Mike Austerman, webmaster of the (former) Michigan Broadcast Guide website wrote in with the following: When construction of phase II of I-696 was going on (between I-94 and I-75, primarily in Macomb county) during the 1970's, the service drive was designated as M-6. Throughout much of Macomb county, I-696 lies directly on what was 11 Mile Rd. Today, the service drive is known as 11 Mile Rd. I remember riding my bicycle on the new concrete on yet-to-be opened freeway- and the road signs with M-6 on them. As soon as 696 opened to traffic, the M-6 signs were gone. They never used them for phase III – between I-75 and the 'Mixing Bowl' (then US-10, US-24, and M-4). |
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| As with much of I-275 in the western Metro Detroit suburbs, portions of I-696 were constructed in the 1970s using the "Continuous Reinforced Concrete" method, which eschewed the common practice of adding expansion joints to the concrete surface in exchange for additional reinforcement in the concrete. As with I-275, long longitudnal cracks developed in the surface due to traffic loads and the yearly freeze-thaw cycles of Michigan weather. In the late-1990s, all of this "CRC" surface was removed and replaced using "normal" construction methods. | ||||||||||||||
| History: | 1956 – An Interstate Highway corridor is earmarked for the northern suburbs of Detroit, from approximately Farmington Twp in south-central Oakland Co on the west to Saint Clair Shores in southeastern Macomb Co on the east, connecting the Interstate route following US-16 Relocated with the Interstate route following the US-25 Relocated. (Route numbers have not yet been assigned at this point.) The State Highway Dept then makes a request to the US Bureau of Public Roads (now FHWA) to site the route of this Interstate Highway in the "Ten-Eleven Mile Road Corridor." This request is supported by available planning studies. | |||||||||||||
| 1962 – Even before any portion of I-696 is complete, the portion of the John C Lodge Expwy currently open to traffic—from downtown Detroit at Cobo Hall northerly to Meyers Rd in northwest Detroit—is designated BS I-696. | ||||||||||||||
| 1963 (July) – Public hearings are held in Oakland and Macomb Cos to report the findings of preliminary planning and engineering studies. Six total alternate routes are presented, with two of them eliminated from any further study soon after. The four remaining alternates are located along the basic 10 Mile–11 Mile corridor. During the remainder of 1963, meetings are to be held with individual communities in order to further explain the various routes. Each city is told the Department would accept any of the four alternates providing there is a consensus among the affected communities. This consensus is needed by the end of December in order to meet the then programmed schedule for the freeway. | ||||||||||||||
| 1963 (July 29) – The first 4½-mile long segment of I-696 is completed and opened to traffic from I-96 between Novi and Farmington easterly to Orchard Lake Rd. The remainder of the first phase of I-696 across northern Metropolitan Detroit is under construction and scheduled to open to traffic in four months. | ||||||||||||||
| 1963 (Dec 2) – The remainder of the first phase of I-696 in Metro Detroit—the 3½-mile long segment from Orchard Lake Rd north of Farmington easterly to the jct of US-24/Telegraph Rd & Northwestern Hwy (present-day M-10/Lodge Frwy) in Southfield—is completed and opened to traffic. The entirety of the completed I-696, from I-96 to Northwestern Hwy, is also officially established as a state trunkline highway route on this date as well. Additionally, the remainder of the BS I-696/John C Lodge Expwy is completed at this time as well, creating one long through freeway route from Novi into downtown Detroit, signed as I-696 to US-24/Telegraph Rd and as BS I-696 via the Lodge from US-24/Telegraph Rd into downtown. | ||||||||||||||
| 1966 (Jan 5) – The Michigan State Highway Commission receives Federal approval for its plans to extend I-696 easterly from the US-24/Telegraph Rd & BS I-696/John C Lodge Frwy interchange easterly through southern Oakland and Macomb Cos, to a terminus at I-94/Edsel Ford Frwy on the Roseville/Saint Clair Shores boundary. The route for the remaining two-thirds of I-696 has been extremely contentious, especially in the southeastern Oakland Co suburbs through which it is proposed to run, since it was announced in 1965. | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 (Mar 29) – The 10.652-mile long eastern third of the I-696 freeway is officially assumed into the state trunkline system on this date, from I-75 on the Madison Heights/Royal Oak city limit easterly to I-94 in Roseville. This section of I-696, however, will not open to traffic for more than a decade. | ||||||||||||||
| 1970 – After eight years, the BS I-696 designation along the John C Lodge Frwy from I-696 at the US-24/Telegraph Rd interchange southerly into downtown Detroit is "decommissioned" as a trunkline designation, being replaced by a rerouting of US-10 in the area. | ||||||||||||||
| 1979 (Jan 4–July 31) – The eastern third of I-696 from I-75/W P Chrysler Frwy to I-94/Edsel Ford Frwy opens to traffic on January 4. However, the freeway will be closed again in early spring for up to two months for some finish work which could not be finished in the cold winter months due to the collapse of two sections of sewer tunnel under the freeway, which is what originally posposted completion of the freeway. This section of the freeway was originally scheduled for completion in late-1976. The full freeway between I-75 and I-94 is fully opened to traffic on July 31. |
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| c.1984 – Work commences on the final middle section of the I-696/Walter P Reuther freeway from US-24/Telegraph Rd in Southfield to I-75 on the Madison Heights/Royal Oak limits. | ||||||||||||||
| 1986 (Spring) – During the spring of this year, the first, albeit short, segment of the middle portion of I-696 is opened to traffic when the eastbound freeway is made available to motorists from Campbell–Hilton in Royal Oak easterly to the I-75 interchange. | ||||||||||||||
| 1988 (June 7) – At its regular meeting at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, the U.S. Route Numbering Subcommittee of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approves a request from the Michigan Dept Transportation for the extension of I-696, "beginning at the present terminus of I-696 at I-75 and a facility being constructed at Hazel Park, then westerly over the new facility to the intersection of U.S. Route 24 and I-696 in Southfield." This last segment of the I-696/Walter P Reuther Frwy would be completed within 18 months. | ||||||||||||||
| 1989 (Dec 14, 5:00pm) – Just in time for the height of the evening rush, the final middle section of I-696 is opened to traffic is opened at 5 pm on this day, finally completing a freeway first envisioned in the late-1950s and where the first segment opened 26 years earlier. The Detroit Free Press notes at 6:21 pm—less than an hour and a half after opening to traffic—the new middle segment of the Reuther Frwy experiences its first automobile accident, when three cars collide on the westbound lanes just east of M-1/Woodward Ave in Royal Oak. | ||||||||||||||
| 1990 (Jan 25) – Based on an agreement reached between MDOT and the City of Lathrup Village in 1984, the various newly-constructed service drives, directional turnarounds and segments of reconstructed or relocated existing city streets having to do with the construction of I-696/Walter P Reuther Frwy through the city, 0.939 mile of various roadways are turned over (or back over) to city control. The longest segment of transferred roadway is the eastbound I-696 service drive, now part of 11 Mile Rd, through the city. |
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| Freeway: | Entire length of I-696 is freeway. | |||||||||||||
| NHS: | Entire route. | |||||||||||||
| Photographs: | ||||||||||||||
| Weblinks: | • I-696 @ Michigan Highway Ends – photos of the termini of I-696 at Dan Garnell's archived Michigan Highway Ends website. | |||||||||||||
| • I-696 Michigan – listing at Kurumi's 3 Digit Interstates website. | ||||||||||||||
| • Interstate 696 Michigan – listing at AARoads' Interstate-Guide. |
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I-275 | M-294 | I-296 | M-311 | M-331 | M-343 | I-375 | I-475 | I-496 | M-553 | FORMER M-554 | I-675 | I-696 | Up to Top |
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