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| Western Terminus: | US-23 at Exit 37 (jct US-23, BUS US-23 & BL I-94) on the east side of Ann Arbor |
| Eastern Terminus: | US-12 southeast of Ypsilanti, west of Willow Run Airport |
| Length: | 6.432 miles |
| Map: | Route Map of M-17 |
| Notes: | Prior to the debut of the US Highway system in the mid-1920s, M-17 ran across the entire Lower Peninsula, beginning in Watervliet in northeastern Berrien Co and running easterly through Paw Paw, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, ending in downtown Detroit. In 1926, US-12 was designated along a majority of M-17—from St Joseph east to Ann Arbor. M-17 remained untouched between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, but from Ypsilanti easterly into Detroit, the M-17 routing was replaced by US-112, which is now ironically part of modern-day US-12. |
| In "State Trunkline Needs, 1960–1980," a set of maps prepared by the State Highway Dept's Office of Planning, Programming Division in 1960 showing possible additions, upgrades and improvements to the state trunkline system over the ensuing twenty years, State Highway Dept staff were not kind to the route of M-17. Indeed, the planners recommended transferring ALL of the route which did not run concurrently with other trunkline routes (e.g. BUS US-112 in downtown Ypsilanti and M-39 along Southfield Rd in Allen Park) to local control. While all of M-17 in Wayne Co was turned back to local control in 1969 and the concurrent portion with US-12 east in the Willow Run was removed, the remainder of M-17 from US-12 westerly to US-23 remains on the trunkline system to this day. | |
| History: | 1913 – While M-17 itself is signed as a state highway across the southern Lower Peninsula, beginning at M-11 (later US-31, now M-140) in downtown Watervliet and progressing easterly across the entire Lower Peninsula, via Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, ending in downtown Detroit (roughly following the route of what would become US-12 in the present-day I-94 corridor), the majority of the route of M-17 is officially established as state trunkline highway over the course of the year:
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| 1914 (Apr 23) – The 4.7-mile segment of M-17 in Paw Paw Twp in Van Buren Co that was, for some reason, not officially established as a state trunkline highway segment the previous year is assumed into the trunkline system on this date from the west limit of the township to the east limit at the west limit of the village of Paw Paw. | |
1920 – Six additional segments of M-17 are officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system during 1920, although they've been signed as part of M-17 for seven years:
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1921 (Oct 31)  – The Benton Harbor City Commission approve a resolution altering the routing of trunkline traffic through the downtown area. Eastbound M-11/M-17 traffic from the St Joseph River bridge continues easterly via Main St to Fair Ave, then northerly one block on Fair Ave to Territorial Rd where the trunklines turn easterly again via Territorial. Westbound traffic coming into the city along Territorial Rd continue through along Territorial to Water St, then turn southerly one block via Water to Main St where M-11/M-17 traffic rejoins the eastbound traffic coming from St Joseph. The City Manager is instructed to communicate the change to the State Highway Commission in order to make the routing official. (This resolution seems to imply the M-17 designation continues concurrently with M-11 from its jct in Watervliet through Benton Harbor to a likely western terminus at Saint Joseph where M-11 turns southerly along the Lake Michigan shoreline toward Indiana.) |
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| 1922 (Apr 21) – An additional 0.52 mile of M-17 within the City of Ypsilanti in Washtenaw Co is officially established as a state trunkline highway, although it has been signed as part of the route for nine years. The segment runs from the west city limit at Cornell Rd easterly along Washtenaw Ave to Forest Ave (between the present-day intersections of Oakwood and Cross Sts). | |
| 1922 (Nov 15) – At the suggestion of the Calhoun Historical Society, M-17 in the county is given the name Pioneer Trail to "honor of the many early settlers who traveled that way in the early days when they settled Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and other western states." | |
| 1923 (Feb 27) – An additional 0.443 mile of M-17 within the City of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw Co is officially established as a state trunkline highway, although it has been signed as part of the route for a decade. The segment runs from the east city limit at Tuomy Rd northwesterly along Washtenaw Ave to Oxford Rd. | |
| 1924 – M-17 is realigned in 1924 between Paw Paw and Lawrence in central Van Buren Co to run along present-day Red Arrow Hwy between 41st St and 56th Ave, although the new alignment is not yet officially established as a state trunkline route. (M-40 is scheduled to run concurrently with M-17 from 43rd St easterly once the new segement between Paw Paw Rd and M-17 is completed and opened to traffic.) This new 2.3-mile section of M-17 is not yet officially established as a state trunkline route, however, and will not be until after it has been redesignated as part of US-12 in 1927. |
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| 1925 (Sept 1) – With traffic volumes through Ann Arbor's downtown core increasing, plans are formulated to construct a southern bypass of the city, referred to as the "Ann Arbor Cut-Off," to remove through traffic, especially heavy trucks, from the center of the city. During this timeframe, "cut-offs" often did not bear a separate route number from the parent highway which continued to run through the central business district. On this date, two disconnected segments of the new "cut-off" are officially established as state trunkline highway. The first segment begins at M-17/Washtenaw Ave (present-day BL I-94/BUS US-23) southeast of downtown and continues westerly along the proposed Boulevard Drive (now Stadium Blvd) for 1.2 miles to 1,000 ft west of Packard St (at present-day Ferndale Pl), while the second segment runs for 2.3 miles from S Main St westerly and northwesterly to W Huron St at Maple Rd on the western edge of the city. The portion in between involves an overpass to be constructed spanning the Ann Arbor Railroad and S State St. The "cut-off" is not yet constructed or open to traffic at this point. | |
| 1925 (Sept 1) – Also on this same date, an additional 0.8 mile of M-17 in the Village of Hartford in Van Buren Co is officially established as state trunkline highway, although it has been signed as such since 1913. It involves the 0.3 mile immediately east of the west village limit and the 0.5 mile immediately west of the east limit, leaving the 0.4 mile through the downtown district still signed as M-17 but under the jurisdiction of the Village. | |
| 1926 (May 1) – While remaining signed as part of M-17, the 1¼ mile portion of Michigan Ave from Miller Rd in Dearborn easterly to Lonyo Ave in Detroit is actually cancelled as a state trunkline highway by the State Highway Dept. From Lonyo Ave easterly into downtown Detroit, M-17 remains under the jurisdiction and maintenance of the City of Detroit. | |
| 1926 (Nov) – The initial plans for the the proposed US Highway system have M-17 being replaced by the US-10 designation in its entirety. This is likely due to M-17 being the major route connecting Detroit with Chicago via some of Michigan's larger cities in the Lower Peninsula. (A US-110 designation is proposed to replace the M-23 designation along the Great Sauk Trail via Sturgis, Coldwater, the Irish Hills to Ypsilanti then east to Ecorse and then northeasterly into downtown Detroit.) After readjusting some of the routes as originally proposed, the US Highway System is adopted in November and significant parts of M-17 will be replaced by two different US Highway designations, instead of just the single US-10 designation as originally proposed. From Watervliet (or possibly Saint Joseph) to Ann Arbor, M-17 will be replaced by US-12, while US-112 will replace M-17 from Ypsilanti into downtown Detroit. This initially reduces the original portion of M-17 from a route running across the entire Lower Peninusla to just the approximately 8 miles between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, or 4.41% of its existing length! However, with nearly all of M-23 to be redesignated as part of US-112, the State Highway Dept decides to extend M-17 easterly from Ypsilanti to replace the M-23 designation along Ecorse Rd into Wayne Co to Lincoln Park where it will turn northeasterly, concurrently with the future US-25, into downtown Detroit. (By doing this, the MSHD will elminiate any potential confusion which may have been caused by having an "M-23" number route in such close proximity to the new US-23 routing.) |
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| 1927 (May 2) – Road crews erect temporary cardboard route markers over the existing state trunkline route markers for all new US Highways and changed state highways as a result of the new US Highways. For M-17, all route markers from the former M-11 (now becoming US-31) at Watervliet (or possibly Saint Joseph) easterly through Kalamzoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Albion and Jackson into downtown Ann Arbor at the former M-65 (now becoming US-23) are covered over with new US-12 route markers. From downtown Ann Arbor southeastly into downtown Ypsilanti, M-17 remains as-is with no changes along its existing 1913—1927 routing between the two cities. From downtown Ypsilanti at the former M-23 (now becoming US-112), the M-17 route markers along Michigan Ave easterly into Wayne Co and on into downtown Detroit are covered over with temporary US-112 markers. However, the M-23 markers are changed out for M-17 signs along Ecorse Rd from Ypsilanti easterly to Allen Park, then north-northeasterly through downtown Allen Park via Allen Rd into downtown Melvindale where M-17 and the newly-christened US-25 turn northeasterly via Oakwood Blvd to Fort St in Oakwood Heights where both routes continues northeasterly via Fort St into downtown Detroit. (The State Highway Dept plans to have permanent markers in place by midsummer.) | |
| 1927 – Major portions of a new southern Ann Arbor bypass, referred to locally as the "Ann Arbor Cut-Off," are opened as M-17 along present-day Stadium Blvd from US-23/Washtenaw Ave (formerly M-17) southeast of downtown westerly to E Park Place (Industrial Hwy), then from a point along a roadway known as either South Blvd or Boulevard Dr immediately southeast of the brand-new Michigan Stadium westerly and northwesterly to US-12/Jackson Rd (also formerly M-17) west of downtown. Unfortunately, the bridge spanning the Ann Arbor Railroad and State St just southeast of the Michigan Stadium is not yet constructed, leaving a gap in the route. Through traffic is temporarily detoured through the gap from E Park Place (Industrial Hwy) westerly via Henry St to S State St, northerly via S State, westerly via South Blvd/Boulevard Dr crossing the railroad (present-day UofM access roadway partially obliterated in c.2018 by an expanded UofM football practice field west of the present-day Glick Fieldhouse) merging back with the M-17 "cut-off" near the new stadium. This missing link in the M-17 bypass presents major traffic issues in getting spectators to and from football games at the new Michigan Stadium in its first years. The route of M-17 now begins at the cnr of US-12/Jackson Rd & Maple Rd west of downtown Ann Arbor, bypasses the city to the south, then heads easterly through Ypsilanti, picking up the former route of M-23 there into Wayne Co via Ecorse Rd, then through Allen Park and Melvindale, terminating in downtown Detrout. | |
| 1928 (June 28) – While M-17 has linked Ypsilanti and Allen Park, then continuing concurrently with US-25 through Melvindale and into downtown Detroit since M-23 route markers were replaced by M-17 signs more than a year earlier, none of the route from US-112 in Ypsilanti easterly had yet been officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system—it has been a "marked and maintained" route using roadways still under local jurisdiction. However, ont this date, the 3.2 miles of Ecorse Rd between US-112 in Ypsilanti and the Washtenaw/Wayne Co line and the 17.7 miles of Ecorse Rd from the county line easterly across western Wayne Co to Allen Rd in Allendale as well as Allen Rd between Ecorse Rd and Southfield Rd and Southfield Rd from there to Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd) are officially established as part of M-17 and transferred to state control. Interestingly, the signed route of M-17 does not turn easterly from Allen Rd onto Southfield Rd to Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd), but remains on the Allen Rd–Oakwood Blvd routing instead, assumedly as a "marked and maintained" route, leaving Southfield Rd between Allen Rd and Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd) as an unsigned trunkline for now. | |
| 1930 – The M-17/Stadium Dr overpass of the Ann Arbor Railroad on the "Ann Arbor Cut-Off" bypass of downtown Ann Arbor that was approved in 1927 is completed and opened to traffic, filling the final gap in the bypass route. The former "marked and maintained" route along Henry St, S State St, South Blvd/Boulevard Dr remains under local jurisdiction with any M-17 route markers removed. | |
1931 (June 14) – Act 131 of 1931—the Dykstra Act—is passed allowing the State Highway Dept to take over control of state highways running into and through incorporated cities, thereby officially incorporating them as state trunkline highways. For M-17, four segments of of the route are affected, totalling 8.15 miles:
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| 1932 (Aug 26) – A sharper double-curve on M-17/Ecorse Rd on the Van Buren/Romulus Twp line in western Wayne Co between Hannan Rd and Cogswell St is "smoothed-out" via a set of gentler curves on a new alignment. The former route is abandoned on this date. The portion of the former Ecorse Rd north of the alignment (immediately west of Cogswell St) is obliterated, while the loop to the south of the new alignment is retained as an access road. (That access road exists as such until c.1980 while much of the original concrete remains in place into the 2020s, even though most of the original Ecorse Rd is no longer used as a roadway.) | |
| 1936 (Aug–Dec) – At some point in the last half of 1936, M-17 is realigned at Allen Park and Melvindale, removing it from the Allen Rd–Oakwood Blvd "marked and maintained" route through downtown Melvindale and transferring it onto Southfield Rd between Allen Rd and US-25/Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd), which has officially been a state trunkline highway since 1928 but not signed as part of M-17 for some reason. From Southfield Rd & Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd), M-17 now joins US-25 to run northeasterly along Dix Hwy (Toledo Rd) back to its former route at Oakwood Blvd, then continuing together into downtown Detroit where M-17 terminates. | |
 1941 (Oct 1) – Even though the U.S. was not officially at war—the Attack on Pearl Harbor won't occur for more than two months—a massive bomber plant is constructed at Willow Run, straddling the Washtenaw/Wayne Co line east of Ypsilanti. With the primary supply of labor for the bomber plant living 15–20 miles to the east in the Detroit area, getting workers to the new plant quickly becomes a major headache. (Many workers were unwilling or unable to live in temporary housing constructed at Willow Run during the week, commuting home to Detroit on the weekends. Worker turnover became a problem early on.) Roads and highways connecting Detroit with Willow Run were narrow and not built to handle the amount of traffic they received almost overnight. To get the bomber plant workers to their jobs and allow them to return home each night, the Michigan State Highway Dept, the U.S. War Department and Ford Motor Company—the company that constructed and operated the plant on behalf of the federal government—decide to construct a system of ultra-modern access highways encircling the Willow Run facility and reaching toward Detroit. Not only does part of M-17/Ecorse Rd traverse part of the area to be used for parking for the massive bomber plant—which will necessitate its relocation—but M-17 itself is to be incorporated, in part, into the system of highways surrounding the plant. Work begins on the Willow Run Expressway System on Oct 1. A ceremonial kick-off to start the work on the Willow Run Expressway was held on Sept 10. |
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  1942 (Jan 28) – A portion of the Willow Run Expressway System from a point along M-17/Ecorse Rd 1¾ miles south and east of US-112/Michigan Ave at Ypsilanti (at the present-day jct of US-12 & M-17) then continuing east-northeasterly just to the north of the existing alignment of M-17/Ecorse Rd for 1.86 miles to the Wayne Co line, including both "triple-decker" freeway-to-freeway interchanges. When opened to traffic, this becomes the new alignment for M-17/Ecorse Rd and will also become part of BYP US-112 when the southern bypass of Ypslianti is completed. (The former route of M-17 is turned back to local control with portions obliterated by the new highway construction.) |
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 1942 (June 17) – The U.S. War Department officially authorizes construction of the Detroit Industrial Expwy under the provisions of the Defense Highway Act of 1941. Part of the freeway is already constructed, which illustrates the speed at which improvements were being implemented during wartime. |
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| 1942 (July 1) – The first mile of the Willow Run Expwy is completed and opened to traffic. (The exact limits of this segment are not clear, as information relating to military production efforts is considered sensitive and is often generalized, if not censored altogether. As construction of the Willow Run and Detroit Industrial Expwys are directly related to the Willow Run bomber plant, detailed information on those highways is sometimes difficult to come by.) |
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| 1942 (Aug 17) – A 6.1-mile long westerly extension of the Willow Run Expressway System from M-17/Ecorse Rd (at the west end of the expressway complex being constructed around the Wilow Run bomber plant) past the south side of Ypsilanti to a jct with US-112/Michigan Ave southwest of Ypsilanti and then further to a ⊤-intersection with US-23/Carpenter Rd southeast of Ann Arbor is officially assumed into the state trunkline highway system, to be designated as a realigned M-17 and BYP US-112, a new route designation, when opened to traffic. |
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 1942 (Sept 12–22) – On Sept 12, the east tri-level ("triple decker") interchange on the Willow Run Expwy is dedicated and opened to traffic. This interchange allows traffic from the new BYP US-112 (later US-112, now US-12)/M-17 section of the Willow Run Expwy to directly access the Willow Run bomber plant from the north. Then on Sept 22, news accounts report the entire Willow Run Expressway System is "put into service," implying the entire expressway along Chase Rd from Hannan Rd westerly to Wiard Rd, northerly along Wiard Rd from Chase Rd to M-17/Ecorse Rd, then easterly along M-17/Ecorse Rd to M-56/Belleville Rd, with extensions to the northeast connecting with US-112/Michigan Ave and to the west connecting with M-17/Ecorse Rd heading into Ypsilanti is complete and open to traffic. |
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1944 (August 23)  – The 6.1-mile long westerly extension of the Willow Run Expressway System from M-17/Ecorse Rd past the south side of Ypsilanti to a ⊤-intersection with US-23/Carpenter Rd southeast of Ann Arbor officially established as a state trunkline highway route in August 1942 is completed and opened to traffic. The new highway is designated as M-17 throughout, with M-17 traffic directed northerly along US-23/Carpenter Rd back to its former alignment at Washtenaw Ave, while the former route of M-17 through downtown Ypsilanti is designated as BUS M-17. In addition, a new BYP US-112 designation is created, departing from US-112/Michigan Ave just east of the Washtenaw/Wayne Co line and continuing southwesterly along the Willow Run Expwy System, joining with M-17 at Ecorse Rd and continuing westerly along the new bypass back to US-112/Michigan Ave southwest of downtown Ypsilanti, while M-17 continues westerly on its own to US-23. |
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| 1955 (July 9) – The two-lane, undivided segment of the M-17 bypass of Ypsilanti from US-112/Michigan Ave southwest of downtown westerly to US-23/Carpenter Rd is converted to a four-lane divided facility. An interchange is completed and opened to traffic on the site of the former ⊤-intersection at the western end of the M-17 bypass at US-23/Carpenter Rd in preparation for a westerly extension of the highway as the "Ann Arbor South Belt" freeway bypass. |
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 1956 (Oct 6) – The US-12 "Ann Arbor Southbelt" freeway from US-23 west to the existing route of US-12 along Jackson Rd (at present-day Exit 172) west of Ann Arbor is officially opened to traffic in time for the Michigan–Michigan State football game. The "Ann Arbor Southbelt" was initially planned as a westerly extension of M-17 prior to the major route designation swap which will be made official one month later. |
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| 1956 (Nov 1) – The State Highway Dept makes several major route designation changes in the metropolitan Detroit/Ann Arbor area involving the Willow Run, Detroit Industrial and Edsel Ford Expressways and impacting the route of M-17. First, with the complection of the US-12 "Ann Arbor Southbelt" freeway bypassing the city on the south and west sides—similar to what the M-17/Stadium Dr bypass did thirty years earlier—all of Stadium Dr is decommissioned as part of M-17 and the US-23/M-17 concurrency along Washtenaw Ave between the US-23 & M-17 junctions (Stadium Dr & Washtenaw Ave on the west and Carpenter Rd & Washtenaw Ave on the east) becomes just US-23. (While having its M-17 route markers removed, Stadium Dr remains an unsigned state trunkline highway for the time being.) At the same time, US-12, which has used the Plymouth Rd routing between Ann Arbor and northwest Detroit since 1926 is relocated from Plymouth Rd and transferred to a new southerly route. Beginning at the western end of the "Ann Arbor Southbelt," US-12 now runs southeasterly and easterly around Ann Arbor to US-23/Carpenter Rd, then continues easterly supplanting the M-17 designation along the Ypsilanti bypass to US-112/Michigan Ave. From there, the BYP US-112 designation on the Ypsilanti bypass is replaced by the mainline US-112 designation and concurrently designated with US-12. M-17 is removed from the bypass routing and replaces the BUS M-17 route through downtown Ypsilanti while US-112 through the city is redesignated as BUS US-112.) US-12/US-112 continues easterly onto the Willow Run Expwy to the west tri-level interchange where US-112 continues northeasterly via the former BYP US-112 back to Michigan Ave east of Ypsilanti while US-12 turns southerly along the Wiard Rd alignment of the Willow Run Expwy supplanting the M-112 designation before turning easterly again along the Chase Rd alignment of the Willow Run, heading into Wayne Co, replacing M-112 in its entirety along the Willow Run and Detroit Industrial Expwys to US-112/Michigan Ave on the western limits of Detroit.The former route of US-12 from the west side of Ann Arbor through downtown then northeasterly through Dixboro and Plymouth then easterly into Detroit to US-16/Grand River Ave is redesignated as M-14. In the end, M-17 now begins at US-23 at the cnr of Washtenaw Ave & Carpenter Rd southeast of downtown Ann Arbor and extends easterly through Ypsilanti and into Wayne Co, ending in downtown Detroit. |
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| 1957 (Nov 4) – The 4.4 miles of Stadium Dr (and the very short segment of Maple Rd) from M-14/Jackson Ave (present-day BL I-94) southeasterly and easterly around the south side of Ann Arbor to BUS US-23/Washtenaw Ave (present-day BL I-94/BUS US-23) is offficially cancelled as a trunkline route and turned back to local control. This had been signed as M-17 for thirty years as a southerly bypass of Ann Arbor, but was superceeded in purpose by the new US-12 "Ann Arbor Southbelt" (present-day I-94) and had its M-17 designation removed one year and three days prior. | |
| 1962 (Nov 2) – With the completion of the new US-23 freeway, the western terminus of M-17 is moved west along Washtenaw Ave several hundred feet from its previous terminus at the former route of US-23 at Carpenter-Hogback Rd to end at the new freeway (present-day US-23 Exit 39). | |
| 1967 (Apr 14) – The route of M-17 in Ypsilanti is split into a one-way couplet between Eastern Michigan Univ and downtown during an era when many other downtown trunkline routes get similar treatments. In this case, M-17 formerly entered downtown Ypsilanti from the northwest along Washtenaw Ave, turning southerly for two blocks via Ballard St then easterly through the central business district with BUS US-12 along Michigan Ave. Now, the two block segment of Ballard St between Washtenaw and Michigan is cancelled as a state trunkline and transferred to city control, while the 0.250 mile segment of Washtenaw Ave from Ballard St easterly to N Hamilton St, and N Hamilton southerly two long blocks to Michigan Ave downtown is established as a trunkline route and transferred to state control. This new mileage, along with the original two-way segment of M-17 along Washtenaw Ave from Cross St to Ballard St, is now the eastbound route of M-17 into downtown Ypsilanti. For the westbound route, the 0.933 miles of N Huron St from BUS US-12/Michigan Ave northerly to Cross St and westerly along Cross St back to Washtenaw Ave are transferrred from city to state control. | |
| 1968 – By 1968, the concurrent designation with US-25 between Allen Park and downtown Detroit is removed and the eastern terminus of M-17 is scaled back to M-39/Southfield Rd in Allen Park. | |
| 1968 (Dec 27) – All of M-17 from US-12 just east of Ypsilanti (in the Willow Run area) easterly into Wayne Co to its former eastern terminus at M-39 (cnr Ecorse Rd & Southfield Hwy) in Allen Park is cancelled as a state trunkline highway and turned back to local control. The new eastern terminus for M-17 is now at US-12 halfway between the I-94 merge and the western triple-deck Willow Run interchange. | |
| Controlled-Access: | No portion of M-17 is freeway or expressway. |
| NHS: | M-17 is part of the National Highway System (NHS) from its western terminus at US-23 on the east side of Ann Arbor to the east jct with BUS US-12 (cnr E Michigan Ave & Ecorse Rd) on the east side of Ypsilanti. (4.5 miles ebd, 4.6 miles wbd) (The segment concurrent with BUS US-12 from downtown Ypsilanti easterly to Ecorse Rd was added in 2012 with the passage of the MAP-21 funding and authorization bill.) |
| Memorial Highway: | At present, no portion of M-17 has been designated as part of a Memorial Highway. |
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