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| M-2 is a former unsigned state trunkline route existing from c.March 29, 1968 to c.1977* and as a proposed route from the c.1990 to 2002.* |
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| Western Terminus*: | Schoolcraft Rd in western Livonia, approximately ⅔ mile west of Newburgh Rd |
| Eastern Terminus*: | Cnr Schoolcraft Rd & Patton St on the west side of Detroit, ⅓ mile west of Evergreen Rd |
| Final Length*: | 9.38 miles* |
| Maps: |  Route Maps of Unsigned & Proposed M-2 |
| Notes: | * The termini and final length for M-2 reflect the approximate beginning and ending of the route and its assumed length as of the time of the route's presumed decommissioning in 1977. (This does not include the Proposed M-2 route from c.1990–2002 which was never constructed.) |
| The M-2 route designation is one of the oddest enigmas in the Michigan State Trunkline highway system, having been the only state highway designation from 1 through 126 to have never been publicly designated along a roadway in the state, although even this is up for question. While single-digit state trunkline route numbers were not used in the initial years of the highway system from 1913–1927, with the coming of the U.S. Highway System in 1927, routes M-4, M-5, M-6, M-7, and M-9 were designated until 1939–40 when all existing single-digit routes were given new numbers so the single-digit designations could be re-assigned to a projected system of "superhighways." When this became unnecessary due to the introduction of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s, routes M-1, M-3, M-4, and M-5 were assigned to highways in the Detroit area in the 1970s with M-6 and M-8 assigned to the Grand Rapids South Beltline and Davison Freeway, respectively, in the mid- to late-1990s. However, M-2 has not been publicly assigned to any route since 1913. |
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| The first iteration of M-2, and the one which came the closest to being considered publicly designated along a highway route, consisted of Schoolcraft Rd in Detroit and Livonia in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. The State took over the county-maintained Schoolcraft Rd through Livonia and Redford Twp and, likely, a portion of the city-maintained roadway in western Detroit, to help facilitiate the construction of the I-96/Jeffries Frwy through the Detroit suburbs in the 1970s. The new freeway was constructed along the Schoolcraft Rd corridor with Schoolcraft itself becoming the new one-way service drives on either side of the freeway. M-2 along Schoolcraft Rd was never marked on official state highway maps and most commercially-produced maps (e.g. Rand McNally, etc.), it was included on at least one suburban Detroit street map produced by AAA Michigan in the 1970s. Additionally, some have stated M-2 was signed from guide signs posted along US-24/Telegraph Rd as well as included on some reassurance route marker assemblies posted alongside Schoolcraft Rd in the mid-1970s as well. This has not been verified, nor has any photographic evidence been uncovered to date. (See map showing M-2 along Schoolcraft Rd in the 1970s.) |
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| It is assumed the first iteration of M-2 ceased to exist once the I-96/Jeffries Frwy was completed and opened to traffic in November 1977, or soon thereafter, when the Schoolcraft Rd service drives were handed back to local control. Thus, the cancellation date here is November 21, 1977—the day the Jeffries Frwy opens to traffic—however the actual jurisdictional transfer date(s) may be many months or years afterward. |
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| A second M-2 routing was proposed by MDOT and SEMCOG, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in the Greater Detroit area that coordinates regional transportation planning, around 1990 as an east-west connector route in southern Wayne Co. It would connect I-75 with I-275 within the West Rd corridor—either as an upgrade of the existing county road or a newly-constructed road nearby—with a potential westerly extension from I-275 to US-23 south of Ann Arbor at some future date. MDOT proposed a seven-mile-long, four-lane boulevard as a new state trunkline route and gave it the M-2 designation. However, after numerous studies and public involvement meetings, MDOT asked SEMCOG in 2002 to delete the M-2 project from their 2025 Long-Range Transportation Plan, because, as was stated by transportation planners "MDOT’s most recent activities in conjunction with this project were met with substantial citizen opposition and mixed local jurisdictional support." Thus, the (potential) second iteration of M-2 faded into history. (See map showing Proposed M-2 corridor from c.1990–2002.) |
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| While information in these route listings such as the route termini, route length, establishment and cancellation dates, etc., use official (MSHD/MDSH/MDSH&T/MDOT) sources which are generaly quite precise and detailed, there is very little information about this iteration of M-2 available. As such, the information presented here is the best available and some of it has, necessarily, been interpolated or approximated, when needed. The dates, termini and length of M-2 are, therefore, necessarily approximate. |
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| History: | 1968 (Mar 29) – The final 11.958-mile segment of I-96 in Michigan is officially established as a state trunkline route in Wayne Co's Redford Twp, City of Livonia and a small corner of Plymouth Twp, with the east-west portion running along Schoolcraft Rd and the north-south section running concurrently with I-275 between Newburgh Rd and Haggerty Hwy. For the purposes of this route listing, it is assumed the portion of Schoolcraft Rd running from west of Evergreen Rd to west of Newburgh Rd is transferred to state control to facilitate the construction of the freeway and its attendant service drives. At some point, it also apparently is internally designated as M-2, albeit unsigned. |
| 1977 (Nov 21) – The Jeffries Frwy is completed and opened to traffic from M-39/Southfield Frwy in Detroit, westerly through Redford Twp and Livonia, to I-275 near Plymouth. The I-96 designation is applied to this freeway, then runs northerly concurrently with I-275 to the former route of I-96 in Farmington Hills. IF any of Schoolcraft Rd had any M-2 route markers, they are likely removed at this point and the route is jurisdictionally-transferred back to local control at some point, although the exact date of transfer is unclear at present. |
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| c1990 – Sometime around 1990-ish, local and regional transportation agencies along with MDOT began studying a new east-west trunkline in southern Wayne Co to be constructed somewhere in the "West Road Corridor" connecting I-275 south of New Boston on the west with I-75/Detroit-Toledo Frwy in Woodhaven on the east. At the outset of the study, planners noted the highway could be either uncontrolled access or some sort of control of access and could potentially be extended westerly from I-275 to a connection with US-23 north of Milan. |
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| 2000 (June 28) – The Proposed M-2 project is included in SEMCOG's 2020-2025 Regional Transportation Plan with the Early Preliminary Engineering budgeted at $1.368 million. |
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2002 (May 17) – MDOT proposes to SEMCOG to delete the proposed M-2 project from their 2020–2025 regional long-range transportation planning process because:
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| Controlled Access: | Operating under the assumption that the unsigned M-2 designation applied only to Schoolcraft Rd itself, no portion of former unsigned M-2 existed as freeway or expressway. |
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