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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* |
| Maps: |  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 longitudinal 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. | |
1975 (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. |
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| 1976 (Nov 10) – An 8½ mile segment 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 Rd 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. | |
1977 – Two major milestones for I-275 this year:
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| Controlled Access: | The entire length of I-275 is constructed as freeway. |
| NHS: | The entire length of I-275 is on the National Highway System. |
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