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207-682: M-1 , also known as Woodward Avenue , is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Metro Detroit area of the US state of Michigan . The highway, called "Detroit's Main Street", runs from Detroit north-northwesterly to Pontiac . It is one of the five principal avenues of Detroit, along with Michigan , Grand River , Gratiot , and Jefferson avenues. These streets were platted in 1805 by Judge Augustus B. Woodward , namesake to Woodward Avenue. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has listed

414-662: A boulevard , a divided street with a median; left turns along this section of roadway are made by performing a Michigan left maneuver using the U-turn crossovers in the median. Between McNichols and 7 Mile Road, Woodward Avenue travels to the east of the Detroit Golf Club in the Palmer Park area. North of 7 Mile, the highway runs to the west of the Michigan State Fairgrounds and to

621-514: A non-motorized highway on Mackinac Island where cars are forbidden. The longest highway is nearly 400 miles (640 km) long, while the shortest is about three-quarters of a mile (about 1.2 km). Some roads are unsigned highways , lacking signage to indicate their maintenance by MDOT; these may be remnants of highways that are still under state control whose designations were decommissioned or roadway segments left over from realignment projects. Predecessors to today's modern highways include

828-598: A 1957 state law, the department sold $ 700 million in bonds (equivalent to $ 5.81 billion in 2023 ) in the late 1950s and early 1960s to finance land purchases and construction of the new freeways. The first Interstate Highway in the state was signposted in October 1959 when I-75 signs were first installed along the Detroit–Toledo Expressway. These signs replaced US 24A signage in the Monroe area, after

1035-478: A 3.4-mile (5.5 km) line in the downtown area only. Suggestions to unify the two plans were made in late 2008, and the Detroit City Council approved the sale of $ 125 million in bonds on April 11, 2011, for the longer system. Through various approvals in 2011, and subsequent changes including a bus rapid transit system with a dedicated Woodward Avenue bus lane, private investors who supported

1242-424: A burgeoning music scene in the early days of rock 'n roll, and the area also had plenty of bars and burlesque shows as late as the 1970s. One local journalist called the mix of churches, clubs, and bars along Woodward Avenue "a precarious balance between the sacred and the profane". As well as music clubs, many of Detroit's other major entertainment venues are located on or near Woodward in downtown Detroit, including

1449-414: A distance of 220 miles (350 km) from Zilwaukee to Mackinaw City by way of Traverse City ; the shortest was a mile (1.6 km) near Sault Ste. Marie . Townships continued to maintain and build local roads using the "statute labor system". An able-bodied man residing in a local road district was expected to pay his road taxes by performing 30 days of labor on the roads in his district. If he

1656-465: A full business loop numbered Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ), it followed what is now M-84 back to end at I-75/US 23 at exit 160 south of downtown. The business route also follows streets that previously were numbered Business US Highway 23 ( Bus. US 23 ). The spur starts at exit 162 on I-75 / US 23 at the same interchange where M-25 and US 10 end. BS I-75 runs concurrently along M-25, and for about

1863-562: A grant for $ 45,000 (equivalent to $ 60,000 in 2023) from the FHWA in 2011 to install a set of 50 custom road signs along M-1 between Detroit and Pontiac. WA3 sells replicas of these signs to discourage theft. Profits are also being used along with money from clothing and other merchandise to support the Woodward Avenue Beautification Fund, a special endowment created in 2010 to aid the 11 communities along

2070-518: A herd of cattle. Tolls along some segments of Woodward Avenue remained in place as late as 1908. The first automobile in Detroit was driven by Charles Brady King along Woodward Avenue on March 3, 1896, a few weeks before Henry Ford drove his first car in the city. In 1909, the first mile (1.6 km) of concrete roadway in the country was paved between 6 and 7 Mile roads at a cost of $ 14,000 (equivalent to $ 340,000 in 2023). On May 13, 1913,

2277-481: A loop called Wide Track Drive was created to route traffic around the downtown area. The former routing of BL I-75 on Perry Street in the downtown core was replaced by routing the business loops on Wide Track Drive. Then in 1966, an interchange was built to replace the intersection at Opdyke Road and Square Lake Road. In 1985, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) received permission from

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2484-482: A minor business area along the four-lane Perry Street. Outside of the downtown area, Perry Street widens to include a center turn lane. North of Walton Boulevard in Auburn Hills, the street name changes to Lapeer Road. BL I-75 intersects Opdyke Road a couple hundred feet west of I-75 before crossing the freeway. Lapeer Road continues as a six-lane, divided roadway to the ramps of a double trumpet interchange , where

2691-622: A network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. As well as the sections of Woodward Avenue in Pontiac that are part of Business Loop I-75 (BL I-75) and Business US 24 (Bus. US 24), all of M-1 is a Pure Michigan Byway and an All-American Road . Woodward Avenue is considered to be the divider between the East and West sides of the city of Detroit. Woodward Avenue starts at an intersection with Jefferson Avenue next to Hart Plaza about 750 feet (230 m) from

2898-455: A non-motorized road restricted to bicycles, horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians. The highest numbers used for highway designations include M-553 in the UP and Interstate 696 (I-696) running along the northern Detroit suburbs. The lowest numbers in use are M-1 along Woodward Avenue in the Detroit area and US Highway 2 (US 2) across the UP. Most M-numbered trunkline designations are in

3105-670: A northern extension of Woodward Avenue, while Wide Track Drive through downtown was renamed as the Woodward Avenue Loop, both in 2000. The section of BL I-75 that follows Woodward Avenue has a pair of special designations attached to it. In 1999, it was designated by MDOT as what is now called a Pure Michigan Byway . Three years later, it was named a National Scenic Byway by the Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways Program on June 13, 2002,

3312-409: A parade was held when the last streetcars stopped running along Woodward Avenue and in Detroit; the remaining cars were sent to Mexico City . In the first decade of the 21st century, local business and government officials proposed two projects to add modern streetcars to M-1, an approximately nine-mile-long (14 km) line from the transit center at Michigan Avenue north to the state fairgrounds, or

3519-531: A population of more than 50,000 people with a network of roads that would accommodate traffic at 70 mph (110 km/h). Following the start of these highway improvements, the MSHD adopted a policy to allow traffic to use the state's trunklines every day of the year regardless of the weather. The state also invested in improving non-freeway roads in the highway system; better materials and construction methods were used to improve safety and traffic flow throughout

3726-459: A reputation for the competition. The numerous drive-ins , each with its dedicated local teenaged clientele, were also popular. Woodward had numerous car dealerships and automobile accessory shops in the age of the muscle car which completed the formula for young adults to " cruise ", race and hang out along the road. The Woodward Dream Cruise takes place on Woodward Avenue between Pontiac and Ferndale during August of each year, evoking nostalgia of

3933-677: A separate electrified line, the Highland Park Railway, was added that ran along Woodward Avenue through Highland Park. In mid-December 1893, the main streetcar line was electrified by the DCRC. In 1901, the various lines throughout the city were consolidated as the Detroit United Railway . Detroit took control of the Detroit Unified Railway on May 15, 1922; afterwards, the streetcar system became

4140-504: A special green version of the standard Interstate marker which places the word "Business" at the top where "Interstate" would otherwise appears. These business loops and spurs connect downtown districts to main highways after realignments and bypasses have routed the main highway out of the downtown area. Another category, connector routes, serve to connect two highways as their names suggest; most of these connectors are unsigned. The highways names for special routes are formulated by prefacing

4347-523: A state-financed system. The system comprised 10  divisions , several of which had associated branches , that ran along existing roads throughout the state. After the creation of the system, the Huron Shore Road Association scheduled a Road Bee Day on June 13, 1913; some 5,000 men, 200 women, 3,000 teams of horses and 750 automobiles participated in the effort that improved 200 miles (320 km) of roads in

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4554-613: Is a part of the Strategic Highway Network, a component of the National Highway System , a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. On average each day in 2013, 1,407 vehicles use the business loop between Old 27 and I-75, and 18,467 vehicles do so in downtown Grayling south of the M-72 junction, the lowest and highest traffic counts, respectively. When

4761-550: Is at a partial interchange at exit 254 on I-75 ; only northbound I-75 traffic can access northbound BL I-75, and southbound BL I-75 traffic can only access southbound I-75. From this interchange, the business loop runs northward as a five-lane divided roadway through a commercial area and past the Grayling Golf Club. At the intersection with Huron Street (South Down River Road), BL I-75 merges with M-72 . The two highways run concurrently and turn northwesterly along

4968-449: Is considered the second largest in the country. An adjacent sports and entertainment district has been created near Woodward Avenue in the 21st century. "District Detroit" as it is called includes Comerica Park (2000), Ford Field (2002) and Little Caesars Arena (2017), which are the home venues for all four of Detroit's professional sports teams. The district is the most compact collection in any American city, according to Patrick Rishe,

5175-483: Is looking at improvements to US 131 in St. Joseph County , which includes the bypass of Constantine that opened in October 2013. MDOT continues to purchase parcels for right-of-way to be used for future upgrades of US 127 along the expressway section between Ithaca and St. Johns . The United States Congress legislated a highway proposal in 1991 known as I-73 . Originally set to run along I-75 to Detroit,

5382-514: Is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and comprises 9,669 miles (15,561 km) of trunklines in all 83 counties of the state on both the Upper and Lower peninsulas (UP, LP), which are linked by the Mackinac Bridge . Components of the system range in scale from 10-lane urban freeways with local-express lanes to two-lane rural undivided highways to

5589-474: Is now M-10 ) and the portion of Jefferson Avenue between the Lodge Freeway and Randolph Street (then US 25 , now M-3 ). The M-1 designation was applied to the section of Woodward Avenue from Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit to Square Lake Road along the southern border of Pontiac. Woodward north of Square Lake Road was designated as a business route of both US 10 and I-75. When US 10

5796-475: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to truncate US 10 to Bay City , and when the change was made the following year, US 24 replaced US 10 on Telegraph Road north of Square Lake Road, and Bus. US 10 through downtown was redesignated Bus. US 24, including the segment concurrent with BL I-75. Saginaw Street south of downtown was renamed as

6003-617: The BL I-94 interchange just south of the I-196/US ;31 interchange. In the interim, MDOT built a 9.1-mile (14.6 km) freeway segment north to Napier Avenue that was opened on August 27, 2003, at a cost of $ 97 million (equivalent to $ 154 million in 2023 ). In 2020, work began on the final link to connect the US ;31 freeway to I-94 east of Benton Harbor. The project cost $ 121.5 million dollars and involved relocating

6210-573: The Camp Grayling Airfield. North of the airfield, the highway narrows to two lanes and curves to the northwest, exiting the city. At the intersection with Old 27 and Hartwick Pines Road, BL I-75/M-93 turns northeasterly onto the latter. They continue running concurrently to exit 259 on I-75 where the BL I-75 designation terminates. M-93 continues along Hartwick Pines Road north of the interchange. All of BL I-75 through Grayling

6417-692: The Detroit River . The plaza is regarded as the birthplace of the Ford Motor Company , and it is located near Huntington Plaza and the Renaissance Center , headquarters for General Motors (GM). The first block of Woodward Avenue, between Jefferson Avenue and Larned Street, is a pedestrian plaza, the Spirit of Detroit Plaza , home of the namesake statue used to symbolize the city. Woodward Avenue runs north-northwesterly away from

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6624-571: The Fox Theatre , Majestic Theater , and the rest of the theater district , the second-largest in the country. During World War II , the area was likewise home to 24-hour movie theaters and bowling alleys. Curfews across the river in Windsor, Ontario , meant that many patrons during the war years were Canadian. They frequented the establishments along with the Americans, many of whom worked in

6831-566: The Interstate Highway System and United States Numbered Highway System (US Highways), and the regular state trunklines; the fourth type, special routes , are variations of the other three types of highway, and are distinguished by special plates placed above the route marker. The plates indicate the routes as business or connector routes. Business loops and spurs of the Interstate Highway System use

7038-497: The M -numbered highway designations existed on state highways throughout Michigan, while the creation of the US Highway System in 1926 caused several existing designations to be either reassigned or retired altogether. Public Act 131 of 1931 allowed the MSHD to take control over the city and village streets that carried state highways through cities and villages in the state. The 1932 McNitt Act consolidated all of

7245-612: The National Highway System , which are highways selected for their importance to the country's economy, defense, and mobility. The state trunkline highways in Michigan carry approximately 51 percent of the state's traffic, as of 2007 . The highways in the system range in length from the unsigned Business Spur Interstate 375 (BS I-375) at 0.170 miles (0.274 km) and signed M-212 at 0.732 miles (1.178 km) to I-75 at 395.40 miles (636.33 km). Some trunklines in Michigan are maintained by MDOT but bear no signage along

7452-499: The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). After that historic district, the avenue travels through the middle of Grand Circus Park ; the northern edge of the park is bounded by Adams Avenue, where state maintenance begins. North of Adams Avenue, Woodward Avenue is a state trunkline designated M-1. The highway crosses to the west of Comerica Park and Ford Field , home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers and

7659-602: The North Central State Trail near the Sturgeon River . In the community of Indian River, M-68 turns southwesterly on South Straits Highway, and BL I-75 would turn northward into downtown. The business loop would run through downtown, passing several businesses, and cross the Indian River on the north side of the business district. North of the river, South Straits Highway continues to parallel

7866-542: The River Rouge and returns to its original routing north of Maple (15 Mile) Road. North of Birmingham, Woodward crosses through part of Bloomfield Township for the first time before entering Bloomfield Hills . That suburb's downtown is centered on the intersection with Long Lake Road; Woodward passes between a pair of golf courses north of there. The highway enters the south side of Pontiac's residential neighborhoods after crossing back into Bloomfield Township. At

8073-737: The US ;131 freeway northward. The final segment of the M-5 Haggerty Connector opened to traffic on November 1, 2002. Another venture was the construction of a new bridge over the Grand River in Ottawa County for a highway designated M-231 ; that highway opened in October 2015. Another project completed the St. Joseph Valley Parkway , a section of US 31 in Berrien County . The original plan for

8280-625: The 1950s and 1960s, when it was common for young drivers to cruise with their cars on Woodward Avenue. The event attracts huge crowds of classic car owners and admirers from around the world to the Metro Detroit area in celebration of Detroit's automotive history; an estimated one million spectators attended the 2009 event. The cruise was founded in 1995 as a fundraiser for a soccer field in Ferndale. Neighboring cities joined in, and by 1997, auto manufacturers and other vendors had begun sponsoring

8487-562: The 1950s, the state aborted an effort to build the Michigan Turnpike , a tolled freeway in the southeast corner of the LP. Construction on Michigan's Interstates started in the latter part of that decade and continued until 1992. During that period, several freeways were canceled in the 1960s and 1970s, while others were delayed or modified over environmental and political concerns. Since 1992, few additional freeways have been built, and in

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8694-430: The 20th and the start of the 21st centuries. A bypass of St. Johns along US 27 (now US 127 ) opened on August 31, 1998. M-6 , a southern freeway bypass of Grand Rapids first proposed in the 1960s, was built between 1997 and 2004; that freeway was controversial based on the choice of a minority-owned subcontractor and route location. Bypasses of Cadillac and Manton opened in 2001 and 2003, extending

8901-625: The Aldrich Act; combined with the approval of the Bond Issue Act during an election that April, the MSHD was authorized to assume responsibility over the roadways that composed the State Trunkline Highway System. The state highway commissioner was required to sign the state trunkline highways, and Michigan became the second state after Wisconsin to do so. Alan Williams, Ionia County engineer, helped to design

9108-425: The BL I-75 designation ends. The roadway however, continues as M-24 . On average each day in 2013, 9,829 vehicles use the business loop between the two M-59 junctions, and 73,795 vehicles do so on the freeway stub east of Opdyke Road, the lowest and highest traffic counts. In 1919 when the state highway system was first numbered, the main north–south highway through Pontiac was numbered M-10 , and it

9315-650: The Grayling area. I-75 in the Grayling area opened in 1961 and, the former routing of US 27 through Grayling northward to Hartwick Pines Road back to I-75 was redesignated BL I-75. Major intersections The entire highway is in Crawford County . Business Loop Interstate 75 , or BL I-75 is a business loop running through Gaylord . The loop starts at exit 279 on I-75 in Bagley Township south of Gaylord. The highway follows

9522-466: The Highland Park plant adjacent to Woodward Avenue in 1910. Employees at the plant used the streetcar system along Woodward to get to work; these lines also provided transportation options to assembly plant workers affected by gas rationing during World War II. During the 1950s and 1960s, automobile engineers street tested their cars along Woodward Avenue between 8 Mile and Square Lake roads;

9729-529: The I-296 designation was "a potential source of confusion for motorists." FHWA agreed with the department's proposal to eliminate all signage and public map references to the designation in April 1979. MDOT then received permission from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on October 13, and from the FHWA on December 3, 1979, on the condition that MDOT would continue to use

9936-466: The Indian River area. In November 1960, sections of I-75 freeway opened from Indian River north to the southern Mackinac Bridge approaches in Mackinaw City, By the end of the following year, I-75 was completed between Gaylord and Grayling . US 27 was truncated to terminate south of Grayling, and the former route through Indian River and Gaylord was redesignated "To I-75" on maps. In 1962,

10143-502: The Interior reviewed the state's environmental impact study of the project and stated the project "will cause irreparable damages on recreation lands, wetlands, surface waters and wildlife habitat." The total project to link Farmington Hills with Davisburg with the 24-mile (39 km) freeway would have cost $ 69.5 million (equivalent to $ 273 million in 2023 ) and saved drivers an estimated eight minutes off travel time around

10350-540: The Interstates in 1963, and later expanded the practice to other freeways and used the mileages to number the interchanges along I-94. Freeway construction continued through the 1970s. On April 6, 1972, the New Buffalo Welcome Center was relocated from its previous location next to US 12 to one adjacent to I-94. Later that year, the state switched paint colors for its centerlines; yellow

10557-488: The Legislature created the state's highway system ; Woodward Avenue was included as part of "Division 2". The full length was paved in 1916. The first crow's nest traffic tower in the US was installed at the intersection of Woodward and Michigan avenues on October 9, 1917; the tower elevated a police officer above the center of the intersection to direct traffic before the structure was replaced in October 1920 with

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10764-522: The M-55 junction and 5th Street in downtown West Branch, the lowest and highest traffic counts. When the state highway system was signposted in 1919, the highway running northwest–southeast through West Branch was numbered M-76 and the east–west highway was M-55. In the early 1970s, M-76 was being converted into a freeway between Standish and the Grayling area. In 1970, the freeway was built as far as

10971-680: The MSHD announced plans for a full freeway to run north through the Lower Peninsula and continue across to the Upper Peninsula. This announcement derailed the efforts to build the Michigan Turnpike. The Interstate Highway System was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 , and the state had already designed several freeways for its portion of that system. Seizing the opportunity brought by

11178-590: The MTF is distributed between MDOT, county road commissions, city or village street departments and local public transit agencies. For fiscal year 2013, MDOT has budgeted approximately $ 1.2 billion on the highway system, including $ 273.4 million in routine maintenance. The remainder financed major projects in terms of planning, right-of-way acquisition or construction. In terms of winter maintenance, MDOT classifies all state highways into two priority levels for snow removal, authorizing overtime to clear some highways in

11385-641: The Metro Detroit area, M-5 , M-8 (Davison Freeway), M-10 (Lodge Freeway), M-14 , M-39 (Southfield Freeway), M-53 (Van Dyke Freeway), and M-59 have such sections. In the rest of the state, M-6 near Grand Rapids , Conn. M-13 near Bay City , M-47 near Midland , M-60 near Jackson , and Bus. US 131 near Kalamazoo are also freeways, for all or part of their respective lengths. Sections of US 12 , M-20 , M-37 , M-46 , M-55 , M-66 and US 223 have been routed to run concurrently with other freeways as well. As of January 2013 , there are three sources of revenue that contribute to

11592-516: The Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD), was created on July 1, 1905. At first the department administered rewards to the counties and townships for building roads to state minimum specifications. In 1905, there were 68,000 miles (110,000 km) of roads in Michigan. Of these roads, only 7,700 miles (12,000 km) were improved with gravel and 245 miles (394 km) were macadam . The state's statute labor system

11799-529: The Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF): fuel excise taxes, vehicle registration fees and federal aid. Michigan levies an excise tax of 18.7 cents per gallon on gasoline and 15 cents per gallon on diesel fuel to generate approximately $ 955 million in revenue per year. Vehicle registrations account for about $ 868 million while federal aid from federal fuel taxes accounts for the last third of funding in Michigan. Money from

12006-709: The National Football League's Detroit Lions , respectively. Woodward passes the historic Fox Theatre before it crosses over I-75 (Fisher Freeway) without an interchange; access between the two highways is through the service drives that connect to adjacent interchanges. North of the freeway, M-1 passes Little Caesars Arena , home of the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings and the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons . A six-lane street,

12213-642: The North Central State Trail and passes the Indian River Golf Club. North of the club, the roadway runs through forest land and past the occasional business before meeting I-75 at exit 310. This interchange is the southern terminus of M-27 , and it would serve as the future northern terminus of BL I-75. Prior to the construction of the I-75 freeway, South Straits Highway was the route of US Highway 27 (US 27) through

12420-618: The Straits of Mackinac, following the route of the old Saginaw Trail northward along Woodward Avenue. Since 1924, Woodward Avenue has hosted America's Thanksgiving Parade , the second oldest Thanksgiving Day parade in the United States. In 1925, the intersection between Woodward Avenue and State Street was busier than Times Square . On November 11, 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System

12627-525: The US, fell into decline after World War II . Unlike the streetcar conspiracy alleged in other cities, the decline of Detroit's publicly owned system was related to a multitude of different factors. Increased spending on roads benefitted competing bus lines, and zoning changes coupled with freeway construction shifted the city's population to areas away from the older streetcar lines. During the early 1950s, several lines were converted to buses after labor strikes, and other lines were eliminated. On April 8, 1956,

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12834-429: The United States, whereas M -numbered designations in Michigan simply indicate state trunklines in general and may exist on any type of highway. M -numbered trunklines are designated along a variety of roads, including eight-lane freeways in urban areas, four-lane rural freeways and expressways, principal arterial highways, and two-lane highways in remote rural areas. The system also includes M-185 on Mackinac Island ,

13041-504: The Upper Peninsula and several of today's counties in the Lower Peninsula. Direct supervision over construction was granted to the townships in 1827, and federal involvement in road building ended with the 1837 grant of statehood. The first state constitution encouraged state involvement in internal improvements like roads. The Panic of 1837 devastated the new state's efforts, and the government defaulted on bond payments. Private construction companies built roads starting in 1844 to fill

13248-636: The Woodward Avenue Improvement Association, pledged not to shave his face until he had the necessary permissions in hand. This resolution allowed Woodward to be widened from 66 to 120 feet (20 to 37 m). Several buildings were removed to clear the wider street path, and St. John's Episcopal Church was moved 60 feet (18 m) to avoid demolition. Work started in 1933 and cost $ 7.5 million (equivalent to $ 140 million in 2023) to complete. A bypass of downtown Birmingham opened in 1939, drawing through traffic away from

13455-745: The adjacent properties. Around the same time, single-digit highways like M-9 were renumbered to set aside those numbers for future freeways in the state. During World War II , the Willow Run Expressway , the Detroit Industrial Expressway and the Davison Freeway were built, ushering in the beginnings of the state's freeway system. These highway improvements were financed by the Defense Highway Act of 1941 to aid in national defense. After

13662-402: The agricultural needs of the farming population of the area at the time; they connected farmers with markets in their local communities. The local streets in the individual communities were the responsibility of those communities. At the same time, Detroit created 120-foot-wide (37 m) rights-of-way for the five great avenues in the city following a fire. Outside of Detroit, the situation

13869-406: The amateur nature of the maintenance. An early form of federal aid contributed to the road network in the state starting in the 1850s. Congress granted certain forest and swamp lands to the state in 1850. A stipulation on the grant stated that the proceeds from the lands would be used to reclaim them for use. The Michigan Legislature established several roads to be built by contractors, paid with

14076-427: The automotive industry. Woodward Avenue was created after the Great Fire of 1805 in Detroit. The thoroughfare followed the route of the Saginaw Trail , an Indian trail that linked Detroit with Pontiac, Flint , and Saginaw . The Saginaw Trail connected to the Mackinaw Trail , which ran north to the Straits of Mackinac at the tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan . In the age of the auto trails , Woodward Avenue

14283-443: The avenue retained the judge's name. Detroit was incorporated in 1815, and the initial roadway to connect Detroit north to Pontiac along the Saginaw Trail was started in 1817; this was a corduroy road built by laying down logs and filling in the gaps with clay or sand. The territorial legislature authorized a survey of the roadway to Pontiac on December 7, 1818, and the route was approved by Governor Lewis Cass on December 15, 1819,

14490-452: The business loop east of the M-13 junction, and 29,391 vehicles do so west of the M-84 junction, the lowest and highest traffic counts. When the state highway system was first signposted in 1919, the north–south highway through Bay City was part of the original M-10 , and the east–west highway was numbered as part of M-20 . When the United States Numbered Highway System was created in 1926, M-10 became part of US 23, although it

14697-410: The business loop near the northern I-75 interchange, and 8,819 vehicles do so near the southern I-75 interchange, the lowest and highest traffic counts. The first state highway through St. Ignace was an extension of US 31 that was added by the end of 1927. In 1936, US 2 was realigned to run into downtown St. Ignace from the west and replaced US 31 through town. The business loop

14904-487: The business loop south of the M-32 junction, and 23,436 vehicles do so in downtown Gaylord along the M-32 concurrency, the lowest and highest traffic counts. When the state highway system was first signposted in 1919, the main highway running north–south through Gaylord was part of the original M-14 . This was renumbered as part of US Highway 27 (US 27) in 1926 after the United States Numbered Highway System

15111-469: The business loop terminates while following the county line. On average each day in 2013, 1,531 vehicles use the business loop near the northern I-75 interchange, and 5,987 vehicles do so in downtown Roscommon south of the M-18 junction, the lowest and highest traffic counts. When the state highway system was originally signposted in 1919, the highway running northwest–southeast through Roscommon

15318-464: The business loop that were concurrent with M-13, M-46 or M-81 remained part of those state highways, but the rest of BL I-75 was returned to local control. Major intersections The entire highway was in Saginaw County . Business Spur Interstate 75 ( BS I-75 ) is a business spur running through Bay City following a section of the current routing of M-25 through town. Formerly

15525-402: The busy Woodward Avenue–Maple Road intersection. The bypass was originally named Hunter Boulevard. On September 6, 1997, Birmingham renamed the bypass to Woodward Avenue, with the previous alignment of Woodward signed as Old Woodward Avenue. In October 1969, AASHO approved a realignment of US 10 in the Detroit area; the next year the designation was rerouted to follow the Lodge Freeway (what

15732-498: The byway status in 2002, Norman Mineta , then United States Secretary of Transportation , said that "Woodward Avenue put the world on wheels, and America's automobile heritage is represented along this corridor." The Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3), the local agency that acts as the stewards and advocates for the All-American Road and Pure Michigan Byway designations as well as adjacent historical sites, obtained

15939-545: The city of Detroit for the first time and crosses into Highland Park, an enclave within Detroit. It is within Highland Park that M-1 intersects M-8, the Davison Freeway. Woodward passes over the Davison, which was the first urban, depressed freeway in the US, at an interchange south of Highland Park's downtown business district. M-1 crosses that district and runs next to the historic Highland Park Ford Plant , home of

16146-454: The city of Detroit. Other freeway projects cancelled during the 1970s included an extension of the US 131 freeway northward to Petoskey, an extension of the US 23 freeway from Standish to Alpena , and a freeway running across the southern Lower Peninsula toward Chicago. These ventures, along with the I-275 extension, were dropped over concerns related to rising construction costs,

16353-541: The city's Department of Street Railways . Following the change in control, the city also formed the Detroit Rapid Transit Commission to build a subway system. Early proposals included a station under Woodward Avenue next to Detroit City Hall . In 1926, a four-line system encompassing 47 miles (76 km) of lines was proposed at a cost of $ 280 million (equivalent to $ 3.86 billion in 2023). By 1929, plans were scaled back further in

16560-414: The city's automotive history. North of I-94, Woodward passes through New Center ; this district is home to Cadillac Place , the former headquarters of GM. The neighborhoods on either side of the highway transition in composition north of New Center; this area is mostly residential in nature. Between the intersections with Webb Street/Woodland Street and Tuxedo Street/Tennyson Street, Woodward Avenue leaves

16767-537: The city's major freeways like Interstate 94 (I-94, Edsel Ford Freeway) and M-8 (Davison Freeway). Woodward Avenue exits Detroit at M-102 (8 Mile Road) and runs through the city's northern suburbs in Oakland County on its way to Pontiac. In between, Woodward Avenue passes through several historic districts in Detroit and provides access to many businesses in the area. The name Woodward Avenue has become synonymous with Detroit, cruising culture and

16974-458: The construction of a toll freeway to run north–south in the state. The original termini for the Michigan Turnpike were Bridgeport and Rockwood . The state highway commissioner at the time, Charles Ziegler , distrusted a separate agency dealing with statewide road building at the time and worked to stall progress on any proposed turnpikes. He also opposed the idea because the state had three freeways under planning or construction. Ziegler and

17181-503: The construction of the Detroit–Fort Meigs Road to Toledo as a response to transportation needs. More roads were built with Congressional appropriations in the 1820s and 1830s connecting Detroit to Port Huron , Saginaw , Grand Rapids and Chicago . Townships were given authority to construct roads under the supervision of county commissioners in 1817. This supervision was difficult since in one case, one county covered all of

17388-495: The continuation of US Highway 2 (US 2) into downtown. The highway carries the Lake Huron Circle Tour (LHCT). It runs along a four-lane roadway on the north side of Straits State Park and curves northward into downtown St. Ignace along State Street. BL I-75 has three lanes and runs along the lakefront past the marina and docks for Mackinac Island ferry services. It widens back to four lanes to follow

17595-669: The curve of East Moran Bay and then turns inland past several hotels situated on a point jutting into the bay. North of the point, BL I-75 follows the Lake Huron shoreline past the Mackinac County Airport . North of the airport, the adjacent properties are primarily residential with a few tourist-oriented businesses. The business loop intersects County Road H-63 (Mackinac Trail) and comes to an end near Castle Rock at exit 348 on I-75 in St. Ignace Township . On average each day in 2013, 4,327 vehicles use

17802-415: The definition was amended in 1995 to include a branch that would run along US 223 and US 127 to Grayling , then on a continuation along I-75 to Sault Ste. Marie . MDOT examined three options to build the freeway, but abandoned further study after June 12, 2001, diverting remaining funds to improvement of safety along the corridor. The department stated there was a "lack of need" for sections of

18009-440: The department's Trunkline Numbering Committee and the district traffic and safety engineers on October 19, 1982, for proposals to reduce or eliminate the various overlapping designations to "avoid driver confusion and save funds". When the unit released its final recommendations on March 17, 1983, the memo recommended 19 changes to eliminate various concurrent routings, including the truncation of US 2 to St. Ignace , changes to

18216-486: The designation M-275 instead. Opposition to construction came from various citizen's groups, different levels of local government, and both The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press . The Detroit City Council, led by then-Chairman Carl Levin , opposed the plan as well. Levin said at the time, "At last I think people are waking up to the dangers of more and more expressways. At some point we've got to say enough. And I think we've reached it." The United States Department of

18423-577: The designation on official documents. The approval explicitly retained the highway in the Interstate system for funding and other purposes. The last state map to show the I-296 designation was published in 1979, as the 1980 map lacks any reference to the designation. Following this program, the Reflective Systems Unit at MDOT reviewed the state of two- and three-way concurrencies along the highway system in Michigan. They approached

18630-415: The diamond marker used to sign the highways; he is also known for placing a picnic table alongside US 16 (Grand River Avenue) in 1929 south of Saranac , considered the first in the country. Other sources say that the first roadside park in the country was created by Herbert Larson near what is now US 2 near Iron River in 1919–20. The first crows nest traffic tower in the US was installed at

18837-647: The director of the Sports Business Program at Washington University in St. Louis . Woodward Avenue's connection to Detroit's automobile culture dates to the early 20th century. Around 100 automobile companies were founded along the roadway. Henry Ford developed and first produced the Model T in 1907–08 at his Piquette Avenue Plant to the east of Woodward Avenue. The first 12,000 Model Ts were built there, before Ford moved production of his cars to

19044-523: The downtown area. At an intersection between Genesee Avenue, Janes Street and 2nd Avenue, the northbound BL I-75 followed 2nd Avenue while southbound continued on Genesee Avenue. Northbound traffic traveled along 2nd Avenue and Johnson Street to Washington Avenue near the Saginaw River , where the two directions of traffic reunited. Washington Avenue also carried M-13 / M-81 , and the three designations ran concurrently together northward and parallel to

19251-510: The early 20th century, the constitutional prohibition on state involvement in roads was removed. The Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD) was created in 1905, and the department paid counties and townships to improve roads to state standards. On May 13, 1913, the State Reward Trunk Line Highways Act was passed, creating the State Trunkline Highway System. The MSHD assigned internal highway numbers to roads in

19458-495: The early roads meant that most transportation in the state was by way of the lakes and rivers at first. Commerce was limited to trade to and from Canada. These roads proved inadequate to the needs of the military during the War of 1812 . Territorial Governor Lewis Cass lobbied the federal government for road construction funding to bolster defensive needs as well as aid in settlement of the territory. Military roads debuted in 1816 with

19665-480: The early years of the 21st century, projects are underway to bypass cities with new highways. The letter M in the state highway numbers is an integral part of the designation and included on the diamond-shaped reassurance markers posted alongside the highways. The state's highways are referred to using an M-n syntax as opposed to Route n or Highway n , which are common elsewhere. This usage dates from 1919, when Michigan's state trunklines were first signed along

19872-534: The east of the Palmer Woods Historic District . The northern edge of the fairgrounds is at M-102 (8 Mile Road), which is also where Woodward Avenue exits Detroit for the second time; the two boulevards cross in a large interchange . Crossing the border into the suburb of Ferndale in Oakland County , the highway runs through residential neighborhoods but is lined with adjacent businesses. The intersection with 9 Mile Road marks

20079-537: The east of the campus of Lake Superior State University , crossing the Edison Sault Power Canal . At Portage Avenue south of the Soo Locks , BS I-75 turns southeasterly to follow Portage Avenue along the St. Marys River . The business spur crosses the canal again just upstream from its mouth. Portage Avenue continues through residential neighborhoods on the east side of Sault Ste. Marie, following

20286-600: The east. The highway passes the Roseland Park Cemetery north of 12 Mile Road before crossing fully into Royal Oak. Near 13 Mile Road, the trunkline passes through a commercial district anchored by a shopping center and Beaumont Hospital . North of 14 Mile Road in Birmingham , M-1 and Woodward Avenue leaves the original route, which is named Old Woodward Avenue, and runs to the east of it to bypass that suburb's downtown area. The highway crosses

20493-417: The eastern side. In 1953, the initial eastern bypass of Saginaw was built as a two-lane highway, and the former routing through downtown was redesignated Bus. US 23. This bypass was upgraded in 1961 to a full freeway as part of I-75/US 23, and the business loop through downtown was redesignated BL I-75. In 1971, I-675 was completed, and BL I-75 was decommissioned through Saginaw. The segments of

20700-696: The environment and the Arab Oil Embargo . Even with these cancelled highways, several proposals were left to be completed. At the end of the 1970s, MDOT took part in a FHWA-backed initiative called the Positive Guidance Demonstration Project, and the two agencies audited signage practices in the vicinity of the I-96/M-37 and I-296 /US 131 interchange in Walker near Grand Rapids. MDOT determined that usage of

20907-585: The event. In 1701, the first transportation routes through what became the state of Michigan were the lakes, rivers and Indian trails. One of these, the Saginaw Trail , followed what is now Woodward Avenue from the Detroit area north to Saginaw , where it connected with the Mackinaw Trail north to the Straits of Mackinac . The Town of Detroit created 120-foot-wide (37 m) rights-of-way for

21114-404: The face of tough local economic conditions; the plan submitted to voters included one line of 13.3 miles (21.4 km) that interconnected with the city's streetcar system by way of two 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km) streetcar tunnels. The bond proposal failed by a 2.5:1 margin that year, killing any proposal for a city subway system in Detroit. The streetcar system, like those in other cities across

21321-585: The factories of the Detroit area. The theater district has undergone a renaissance after renovations and improvements during the 1980s and 1990s, leading to a resurgence in the performing arts in the city. In 2002, the Fox Theatre outsold the larger Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, earning the "No. 1 theater in North America" title from Pollstar , an industry trade journal, and the district

21528-491: The federal government and local counties. There are frequent overlaps between designations when different types of highways share the same stretch of pavement in concurrencies . As just one example of the phenomenon, the freeway between Flint and Standish carries both the I-75 and US 23 designations for around 75 miles (121 km). The State Trunkline Highway System comprises four types of highways: Michigan's portions of

21735-418: The first 1 + 1 ⁄ 3 miles (2.1 km), the spur is a four-lane freeway bounded by residential subdivisions on either side. In Bangor Township , the freeway ends and BS I-75/M-25 splits into a one-way pairing of Thomas Street (eastbound) and Jenny Street (westbound). These two three-lane streets continue along a residential area on the west side of Bay City. East of intersections with Henry Street,

21942-418: The first to be done in the future state. The Michigan Legislature authorized the construction of a private plank road with tolls to connect Detroit with Pontiac in 1848. By the next year, 16-foot-wide (4.9 m) and 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) oak planks were laid along the road between the two communities. Tolls were one cent per mile (0.62 ¢/km) for vehicles and two cents per mile (1.2 ¢/km) for

22149-553: The five-lane Otsego Avenue northward from the freeway into the city and though a commercial area. Otsego Avenue jogs eastward slightly south of 2nd Street, and then intersects M-32 (Main Street) in downtown Gaylord. BL I-75 turns west onto the five-lane Main Street and runs concurrently with M-32 through downtown. About five blocks each of that turn, BL I-75/M-32 meets I-75 at exit 282; BL I-75 ends while M-32 continues westward. On average each day in 2013, 8,289 vehicles use

22356-577: The five-lane undivided James Street. BL I-75/M-72 narrows to three lanes and crosses the Au Sable River and runs for about 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) before intersecting Lake Street in downtown Grayling. There, M-72 turns southwesterly onto Lake Street, separating from the business loop. At the same intersection, M-93 turns north and merges with BL I-75 as the two run concurrently on the three-lane McClellan Street. BL I-75/M-93 intersects County Road F-32 (North Down River Road) and then passes

22563-551: The five-lane-wide 3 Mile Road and intersects the northern end of County Road H-63 (Mackinac Trail) before curving northeasterly. The spur runs through commercial areas and intersects the northern end of M-129 ( Dixie Highway ) before turning due north along Ashmun Street near the Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Airport . Ashmun Street narrows to four lanes north of 10th Avenue and regains a center turn lane at Adams Avenue. BS I-75 turns northeasterly past Easterday Avenue and runs to

22770-495: The foot trails used by Native Americans in the time before European settlement. Shortly after the creation of the Michigan Territory in 1805, the new government established the first road districts. The federal government aided in the construction of roads to connect population centers in the territory. At the time, road construction was under the control of the township and county governments. The state government

22977-446: The former routing of US 23 was replaced by M-13 and the former Bus. US 23, including connections along the former routing of M-47 southwest and M-20 west of Bay City, were redesignated as BL I-75. The BL I-75 designation lasted until 1971 when southern half of BL I-75 was removed, converting the business loop into a business spur; the southern section was renumbered as part of an M-84 extension, and BS I-75 would then run along

23184-529: The freeway would have routed US 31 to connect directly into the I-196/US 31 interchange on I-94. Concerns over the habitat of the Mitchell's satyr butterfly meant this routing would need to be redesigned with a set of bridges to cross the habitat unobtrusively in the Blue Creek Fen. In 2001, MDOT began a study of a new design alternative to route the US 31 freeway to connect with I-94 at

23391-454: The freeway's central segment was delayed over concerns related to its routing through Detroit's northern suburbs. The 1,241-mile (1,997 km) Interstate Highway network in Michigan was completed in 1992 with the last four miles (6.4 km) of I-69 near the Lansing area. Since the completion of these freeways, a handful of major projects have added to the trunkline system and the end of

23598-734: The highway as the Automotive Heritage Trail , an All-American Road in the National Scenic Byways Program. It has also been designated a Pure Michigan Byway by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and was also included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area designated by the US Congress in 1998. The trunkline is the dividing line between Detroit's East and West sides and connects to some of

23805-805: The highway travels through mixed residential and commercial areas of Midtown including the Midtown Woodward Historic District , another district listed on the NRHP. South of I-94, Woodward heads through the Cultural Center Historic District , which includes the campus of Wayne State University , the Detroit Public Library , and the Detroit Institute of Arts ; the institute and the nearby Detroit Historical Museum showcase

24012-404: The highway with maintenance and to defray costs associated with special events on the avenue. As well as the custom signage, WA3 has received FHWA grant funding to erect a series of lighted "tributes": solar-powered, lighted pillars that contain artwork related to the roadway. The $ 150,000 glass and concrete sculptures are being placed in the median along Woodward Avenue to serve as landmarks along

24219-433: The highway's impact to neighboring elementary schools along with larger economic impacts led to the project's cancellation. The Michigan Highway Commission canceled the northern section of I-275 on January 26, 1977, after it spent $ 1.6 million (equivalent to $ 6.67 million in 2023 ) the year before purchasing land for the roadway. This northern section was not planned as an Interstate Highway at that time, bearing

24426-668: The interchange with the eastern terminus of BL I-94 and reconstructing 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of I-94 in the area. Work on that interchange started in September 2020. US 31 was rerouted to follow its new freeway section for 1.8 miles (2.9 km) from the previous end of the freeway at Napier Avenue that opened in 2003 to I-94 at BL I-94, where US 31 then followed I-94 to the I-196 interchange as before. This new routing opened on November 9, 2022. There are several future highway projects current in stages of planning or construction. One

24633-469: The interchange. When the state highway system was signposted in 1919, the north–south highway through Saginaw was part of the original M-10 . This highway was later redesignated as part of US 23 when the United States Numbered Highway System was created in 1926. US 23 was initially routed on the western side of the Saginaw River through the city, but it was moved in 1929 to run along

24840-501: The intersection of Woodward and Michigan avenues in Detroit on October 9, 1917. The tower elevated a police officer above the center of the intersection to direct traffic before it was replaced in October 1920 with the world's first four-way traffic light . While Michigan was the second state to post route designations along its highway system in 1919, Michigan actually began assigning internal trunkline designations for internal inventory purposes as early as 1913. From 1918 to 1926, only

25047-415: The intersection with Square Lake Road, M-1 terminates. Woodward Avenue continues northwesterly into Pontiac carrying the BL I-75 and Bus. US 24 designations; it terminates after the two directions of the boulevard diverge and form a one-way loop around the city's business district. Many historical sites are located along Woodward Avenue, which was included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area when it

25254-499: The low 200s or under, but some have been designated in the low 300s. MDOT has not assigned a designation outside the Interstate System in the 400s at this time. No discernible pattern exists in Michigan's numbering system, although most of the M -numbered routes lower than 15 are typically located in or around the major cities of Detroit and Grand Rapids . Unlike some other states, there are no formal rules prohibiting

25461-420: The mall, the roadway has two lanes, one in each direction plus an intermittent center turn lane, and it curves first to the northeast through a rural section of the townships, and then after intersecting Old 76 Road, it turns northwesterly through a commercial area. On the eastern city limits, BL I-75 turns due west and runs concurrently with M-55 on the four-lane Houghton Avenue through downtown West Branch. On

25668-561: The modern highways in the state follow the path of these old trails, including the Great Trail from Fort Pitt to Fort Detroit which is now US 24 from Detroit to Toledo , Ohio. This trail connected with Braddock's Road which led to the Atlantic Coast . The Michigan Territory was established in 1805, and the territorial governor established the first road districts. The districts built farm-to-market roads to serve

25875-454: The modern routing of Woodward Avenue. The wide avenues, in emulation of the street plan for Washington, DC , were intended to make Detroit look like the "Paris of the West". Augustus Woodward was a judge in the Michigan Territory appointed by his friend, President Thomas Jefferson . He was also a colonel in the territorial militia and a president of one of Detroit's first banks. Woodward named

26082-521: The national standard pentagon-shaped marker in blue and yellow. The letter component of the name corresponds to a zone of the state; zones A–F are in the Lower Peninsula while G and H are in the Upper Peninsula. The numbers correspond to a numbered grid within each lettered zone. Other county systems are designated and maintained in each of the 83 counties, and signage and numbering practices vary. The state's 533 incorporated cities and villages also maintain their own street networks, but townships in

26289-584: The necessary signage should MDOT and the CCRC move forward to apply for the designation from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials . The township board has passed a resolution in support of the BL I-75 designation. Major intersections The entire highway is in Cheboygan County . Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ) is a business loop running through St. Ignace . The loop starts at exit 344 on I-75 as

26496-499: The needs of automobiles at the turn of the century. Horatio S. "Good Roads" Earle , a state senator from Detroit, was elected national president of the League of American Wheelmen in 1901. Earle worked on a committee report that called for the removal of the prohibition on road improvements from the state constitution. That report also recommended the creation of a commission and system for state highways. The first state road agency,

26703-780: The north and south ends of the system. Named QLine in 2016, the system opened in May 2017. The last car of Detroit's previous streetcar system was numbered 286, so the planners numbered the cars for the new line 287–292 to pick up where the old number series had left off. Michigan State Trunkline Highway System The State Trunkline Highway System consists of all the state highways in Michigan , including those designated as Interstate , United States Numbered (US Highways), or State Trunkline highways. In their abbreviated format, these classifications are applied to highway numbers with an I -, US , or M - prefix, respectively. The system

26910-487: The only urban road at the time with that classification. It was later upgraded to All-American Road status on October 16, 2009. In 2017, MDOT reconstructed the southern terminus, by replacing the left exit and entrance ramps by right exit and entrance ramps from northbound I-75. Major intersections The entire highway is in Oakland County . Business Loop I-75 ( BL I-75 ) was a business loop in Saginaw that

27117-493: The opposing sides of traffic merge back together near Veterans Memorial Park to cross the Saginaw River on the four-lane Veterans Memorial Bridge . On the eastern side of the river, BS I-75/M-25 splits again into the one-way pairing of the three-lane McKinley Street (westbound) and 7th Street (eastbound). Just three blocks east of the river, BS I-75 ends at the intersections with M-84 (Washington Avenue) in downtown Bay City. On average each day in 2013, 11,678 vehicles use

27324-439: The original moving assembly line used to produce Model Ts ; opened in 1910, the plant's assembly line dropped the time needed to build a car from 12 hours to 93 minutes and allowed Ford to meet demand for the car. M-1 crosses back into Detroit at the intersection with McNichols Road; the latter street occupies the 6 Mile location in Detroit's Mile Road System . North of this intersection, Woodward Avenue widens into

27531-451: The parent highway with the type of special route. The full names are commonly abbreviated like other highways: Business Loop Interstate 196 (BL I-196), Business M-60 (Bus. M-60) or Connector M-44 (Conn. M-44). As of 2010 there are 9,669 miles (15,561 km) of state trunklines in Michigan, making up about eight percent of the state's roadways. Of that mileage, some 4,415 miles (7,105 km) of state-maintained highways are included in

27738-446: The plank roads were generally abandoned. While a few were still in good repair, most consisted of rotting logs with intermittent patches of gravel. Toll houses were empty shacks, and the ditches were clogged with duck ponds. Only 23 of the original 202 plank roads chartered by the state were still in operation. The Good Roads Movement , borne out of the needs of the bicycle craze of the 1880s and 1890s, turned its attention towards

27945-400: The planks would warp and rot. The tolls were insufficient to fund the maintenance necessary to keep the roads in good repair. Even Mark Twain remarked, "The road could not have been bad if some unconscionable scoundrel had not now and then dropped a plank across it," after a trip to Grand Rapids. The planks were removed over time and replaced with gravel roads. The longest chartered road was

28152-481: The planks. Starting with the enactment of a new state constitution in 1850, the state was prohibited from being "a part to, or interested in, any work of internal improvement"; this provision ended the state government's involvement in Michigan's roads. The early plank roads were funded by tolls; these fares were collected at turnstiles every few miles along the roads, at rates of $ 0.02/mile for wagons pulled by two animals (equivalent to $ 0.73 in 2023 ). As time passed,

28359-465: The present-day exit 212, and the connection along Cook Road was built to allow M-76 to connect between the new freeway and its former routing. The next year, this freeway was completed to bypass West Branch to the south and west. The former route of M-76 through town with the connection along Cook Road was renumbered Bus. M-76. Two years later, I-75 was finished in the state, and the M-76 designation

28566-403: The principal streets of the city in 1805. This street plan was devised by Augustus Woodward and others following a devastating fire in Detroit, with a mandate from the territorial governor to improve on the previous plan. Two of these principal streets were established by the territorial government on September 18, 1805, as "permanent public roads, avenues or highways", one of which was to run along

28773-403: The proceeds from the sale of the land adjoining the roads, or with land itself. Despite these efforts, only 1,179 miles (1,897 km) of the 5,082 miles (8,179 km) of plank roads authorized by the state were ever built by 89 of the 202 chartered plank road companies. The tax system was partially reformed in 1881, allowing for direct payment of road taxes instead of relying totally on

28980-429: The proposal involved MDOT assuming control over a section of Woodward Avenue from Adams Avenue south to Grand River Avenue. These transfers were completed the following year. In 2004, the southern terminus was moved north three blocks to Adams Avenue. A massive address renumbering project ensued along Woodward Avenue in 1997, creating a consistent numbering system from downtown Detroit to Pontiac. Previously, each city along

29187-940: The proposed freeway, and the project's website was taken offline in 2002. According to 2011 press reports, a group advocating on behalf of the freeway is working to revive the I-73 proposal in Michigan, but state and local governments continue to express disinterest in resurrecting the freeway. Interstate 75 Business (Pontiac, Michigan) Business Loop I-75 ( BL I-75 ) is a business loop serving Pontiac and Auburn Hills . It uses portions of former Business M-24 ( Bus. M-24 ) through town. The highway starts as an eight-lane freeway at an interchange on I-75 in Bloomfield Township running westerly. The freeway continues past an interchange with Opdyke Road to end at Square Lake Road, dropping to six lanes. BL I-75 continues to M-1 at Woodward Avenue. Square Lake Road continues to

29394-558: The remaining freeway bypass of Indian River was completed. At that time, South Straits Highway through Indian River between M-68 and M-27 was turned over to local control as a county road. M-68 was first designated between Indian River and Alanson by 1936, and eastward by 1946 toward Afton . A business loop for Indian River was first proposed to the Cheboygan County Road Commission (CCRC) in June 2015. At

29601-650: The river through the heart of downtown Detroit and the Financial District . Along the way, it passes several important and historic sites, including notable buildings like One Woodward Avenue , the Guardian Building , and The Qube . Further north, Woodward Avenue runs around Campus Martius Park and enters the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District , a retail, commercial, and residential district listed on

29808-496: The river. BL I-75/M-13/M-81 curved northeasterly north of downtown, and M-81 left the business loop at an intersection with Veterans Memorial Parkway; BL I-75/M-13 turned north on the parkway and M-81 continued easterly on Washington Avenue. The business loop proceeded northward running parallel to the river and ended at an interchange with I-75/US 23 in Zilwaukee Township ; M-13 continued along Bay City Road north of

30015-619: The river. BS I-75 ends at the entrance to the Sugar Island Ferry Dock across from the Sault Ste. Marie Country Club. On average each day in 2013, 1,433 vehicles used the business spur near the I-75 interchange, and 19,962 vehicles do so north of the M-129 junction, the lowest and highest traffic counts. When the state highway system was first signposted in 1919, the north–south state highway in Sault Ste. Marie

30222-521: The roadway was included, numbered as part of M-10 in 1919. Later, it was part of US Highway 10 (US 10) following the creation of the United States Numbered Highway System . Since 1970, it has borne the M-1 designation. The roadway carried streetcar lines from the 1860s until the 1950s; a new streetcar line known as the QLine opened along part of M-1 in 2017. Like other state highways in Michigan,

30429-430: The roadway was the only such location where this activity was practiced. Young carriage drivers raced one another along Woodward Avenue after the roadway was converted from logs to planks in 1848. They placed bets on each other's carriages while racing from tavern to tavern. By 1958, the roadway was used for unofficial street racing with cars. The wide width, median and sections lacking a large commercial presence attracted

30636-516: The roadways, and continues to this day in official and unofficial contexts. Michigan is one of only two states following this syntax, the other one being Kansas . Although M-n outside of Michigan could conceivably refer to other state, provincial, local, or national highways, local usage in those areas does not mimic the Michigan usage in most cases. In countries like the United Kingdom, M refers to motorways , analogous to freeways in

30843-570: The route had its own address system. In June 2017, the southernmost block of Woodward Avenue south of Larned Street closed to automobiles to create a temporary pedestrian plaza. This closure was made permanent the following November. On August 27, 1863, the Detroit City Railway Company (DCRC) established streetcar service along Woodward from Jefferson to Adams avenues. The company was formed by investors from Syracuse, New York , earlier that year. Later, on September 18, 1886,

31050-549: The route of the roadway and to brand it for tourists. A total of 10 to 12 installations are planned for the length of the highway in Wayne and Oakland counties. The art project received a 2011 National Scenic Byway Award for the Byways interpretation category. The area around Woodward was once nicknamed "Piety Hill". There are 22  churches on the NRHP along the street in Detroit and Highland Park. According to The Detroit News ,

31257-646: The route to indicate so. These unsigned trunklines are mostly segments of former highway designations that have been moved or decommissioned . They remain under state control until their respective city or county accepts jurisdiction of the roadway from the state. Highways in the state maintained by MDOT range from two-lane rural highways up to 12-lane freeways . In addition to the Interstates, other trunklines are built to freeway standards. Sections of US 10 , US 23 , US 31 , US 127 and US 131 have been upgraded to freeway standards. All or part of several state trunklines are also freeways. In

31464-481: The routing of US 10, and the removal of US 33 from the state. These changes were implemented October 1983, 1985, and 1986, respectively. Other changes recommended at the time, like the truncation of M-54 to remove it from the wrong-way concurrency with M-83 near Birch Run , has never been implemented. The final section of the controversial I-696 opened at a cost of $ 436 million (equivalent to $ 933 million in 2023 ) on December 15, 1989;

31671-421: The same time, M-18 was realigned to northeasterly out of Roscommon instead of following M-76 toward Grayling. BL I-75 was commissioned at this time to overlap M-18 from the freeway north into Roscommon and to replace the former M-18/M-76 west of the village to the new freeway. Major intersections Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ) is a business loop running through Grayling . The southern end

31878-572: The section concurrent with M-25 only. Major Intersections The entire highway is in Bay County . Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ) is a business loop running through West Branch that was originally numbered Business M-76 ( Bus. M-76 ). It starts at exit 212 south on I-75 south of West Branch. From that interchange, BL I-75 runs northward along Cook Road in Horton and West Branch townships past an outlet mall. North of

32085-535: The section of Woodward Avenue designated M-1 is maintained by MDOT. In 2021, the department's traffic surveys showed that on average , 68,359 vehicles used the highway daily south of 14 Mile Road in Royal Oak and 15,909 vehicles did so each day in north of Chicago Boulevard in Detroit , the highest and lowest counts along the highway, respectively. All of M-1 is listed on the National Highway System ,

32292-463: The shorter three-mile line to New Center continued developing that project. On July 28, 2014, construction started for a streetcar line to stretch from downtown Detroit to Grand Boulevard in New Center. The line was to have 20 different stations serving 12 stops, with most of the stations curbside on either side of Woodward Avenue going uptown or downtown. The line will have center road stations at

32499-438: The sounds of church bells and horse hooves were some of the most distinctive sounds on Sundays along Woodward Avenue in the early 20th century. The street was home to jazz clubs starting in the 1910s and 1920s, starting a period of transition. During the 1940s, ministers lobbied for a law to prevent the issuance of additional liquor licenses in their neighborhood; the law was later overturned in 1950. Nightclubs along Woodward hosted

32706-427: The state after passage of legislation in 1848. According to the plank road law, these companies had to build their roads to a set of minimum specifications. These specifications included 2–4 rods (33–66 ft; 10–20 m) in total width, a road surface 16 feet (4.9 m) wide with at least 8 feet (2.4 m) made of 3-inch (8 cm) planks. Later amendments to the law allowed the companies to substitute gravel for

32913-496: The state have no jurisdiction over roads. The U.S. Forest Service and Federal Highway Administration designate Federal Forest Highways providing access to the handful of National Forests in the state. In addition, Michigan participates in the Great Lakes Circle Tour program, signing tours along the state-maintained highway closest to Michigan's Great Lakes shorelines. The Michigan Heritage Route System

33120-414: The state highway system was originally signposted in 1919, the north–south highway through Grayling was part of the original M-14 . At that time, M-93 was only a spur from downtown Grayling to the future Camp Grayling. M-14 was later redesignated as part of US Highway 27 (US 27) in 1926. By 1932, M-93 was extended northward through Grayling to the state park. In 1940, M-72 was extended through

33327-536: The state received final approval for the numbering system to be used in the state. Michigan was the first state to complete a border-to-border Interstate Highway in 1960 with the completion of I-94. The last gravel state highway was paved in the early 1960s as well; bids were let in March 1962 to finish paving M-48 in Chippewa County . The original goal of Michigan's freeways was to connect every city with

33534-411: The state. MDOT assigns the numbers for a parallel system of county-designated highways in the state; the numbers are assigned in a grid system by the department. These highways, while signed from connecting trunklines and shown on the official MDOT map, are maintained by the various counties. They were started in 1970 as a supplement to the main trunkline system and carry a letter-number combination on

33741-405: The state. Many former US Highways in Michigan have left an M -numbered highway with the same number as a relic of their existence. For example, M-27 runs along a portion of former US 27 . In addition, there are two occurrences of original M -numbered state routes which became US Highways with the same designations: all of M-16 became US 16 and most of M-10 from Detroit to Saginaw

33948-613: The state. The post-war years were also a period of major bridge building in the state. The Mackinac Bridge opened on November 1, 1957, the Portage Lake Lift Bridge , the largest double-deck lift bridge was completed in August 1959, and the International Bridge opened across the St. Marys River three years later on October 31, 1962. The State Highway Department started erecting mileposts along

34155-472: The state. Further legislation at the time allowed for special assessment taxing districts for road improvements, taxation of automobiles based on weight and horsepower, and tree-planting along highway roadsides. Congress passed the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and the state passed a constitutional amendment in 1917 to qualify for federal aid with state funding matches. The first centerline

34362-411: The state. In 1974, the state implemented mileage-based exit numbers along the remaining Interstates in Michigan. By late 1977, the state highway department shifted its focus from construction of new highways to improvements of the existing system. During the 1960s and 1970s, various freeway projects in the Detroit area were cancelled or scaled back in scope. The route of I-96 along Grand River Avenue

34569-399: The state. The existing tri-level system was maintained, splitting road jurisdiction between the state, counties and cities, as well as subdividing each level into several classifications. Further legislation redefined the exact distribution, but Act 51 set up a system to distribute road funding from gas taxes from a single funding source, currently the Michigan Transportation Fund. Funding

34776-405: The statute-labor system. The first road district larger than the township level was created in Bay County in 1883 under Public Act 278. This road district encompassed eight townships and provided for better coordination and planning of road construction. Other county systems were created in 1893 with passage of legislation which allowed other counties to follow the lead of Bay County. By 1900,

34983-404: The street for himself, responding whimsically to the resulting criticism: "Not so. The avenue is named Woodward because it runs wood-ward, toward the woods." Other proposals for names included Court House Street or Market Street. For a time, one section was named Congress Street, Witherell Street, Saginaw Road or Saginaw Turnpike, with another section dubbed Pontiac Road. Unlike these other monikers,

35190-588: The suburb's downtown area. Further north in Pleasant Ridge , the north-northwesterly path of Woodward Avenue changes as the road turns to the northwest. After the curve, M-1 meets I-696 (Reuther Freeway); immediately north of this interchange in Huntington Woods is the Detroit Zoo . North of 11 Mile Road, Woodward Avenue forms the border between Berkley to the west and Royal Oak to

35397-500: The system, and in 1919, the numbers were signposted along the roads and marked on maps. The US Highway System was created in 1926, and highways in Michigan were renumbered to account for the new designations. Legislation in the 1930s consolidated control of the state trunklines in the state highway department. During the 1940s, the first freeways were built in Michigan. With the introduction of the Interstate Highway system in

35604-496: The time, the road commission had recently placed the bridge on South Straits Highway over the Indian River with a new structure up to Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) standards and was repaving the roadway north of the river to the I-75 interchange. The CCRC held a community forum in June 2016, and many local residents and businesses supported the designation at the time. The Tuscarora Township Board and Downtown Development Authority have expressed interesting in paying for

35811-419: The township-controlled roads into 83 county road commissions. On May 4, 1935, the state opened the first highway welcome center next to US 12 in New Buffalo near the Indiana state line; Michigan was the first state in the country to do so at the time. The state passed legislation in 1941 that authorized the creation of limited-access roadways; the MSHD could prohibit access to a state trunkline from

36018-433: The two highways. M-131 was an extension of US 131 until US 131 was routed onto the former M-131. There was also once an M-112 that served as an alternate routing for US 112 (both have since been changed to I-94 and US 12, respectively). There are four types of highways maintained by MDOT as part of the overall State Trunkline Highway System. In addition, there are systems of roads maintained by

36225-509: The usage of the same route number under different systems. Motorists using Michigan's highways may encounter I-75 and M-75 , as well as both US 8 and M-8 . Many of the state's US Highways were assigned numbers duplicating those of state trunklines when the US Highway System was created in 1926. The introduction of the Interstate Highway System in the late 1950s further complicated the situation, as each mainline Interstate designation has an unrelated M-n trunkline counterpart elsewhere in

36432-481: The village of Roscommon, it follows Lake Street northeasterly into downtown. At the intersection with 5th Street, BL I-75 turns northwesterly and separates from M-18. In the village, the business loop has three lanes, one in each direction with a center turn lane. The business loop continues past several businesses and exits the village as a two-lane road. BL I-75 curves to run due west along the Roscommon – Crawford county line on Federal Highway. At exit 244 on I-75,

36639-537: The void in long-distance road construction left by the departure of the federal government. The first roads were corduroy roads ; to build these, logs of all sizes were placed across the road. The gaps between the logs were filled in with smaller logs or earth. In swampy or marshy areas, brush was laid down first for drainage. In time, the logs would rot, leaving large gaps to the roadway that would catch wagon wheels or draft animal feet. Later, roads were built with oak planks. The plank road companies had to be chartered by

36846-402: The war, the MSHD and the Good Roads Federation studied the highway needs of the state. Their study reported that road maintenance and improvement deteriorated since the Great Depression . It also stated that funding needed to be increased to deal with pressures from traffic increases after the war. Public Act 51 of 1951 amended and clarified the current system of jurisdiction over roads in

37053-458: The west as Bus. US 24 , and BL I-75 turns northwesterly along the eight-lane divided Woodward Avenue, running concurrently with Bus. US 24 into downtown Pontiac. At the south side of downtown, Woodward drops to six lanes as the two directions of Woodward Avenue split and form a four-lane loop. The Woodward Avenue Loop encircles downtown Pontiac, and it is crossed by the eastbound direction of M-59 running on Huron Street. One block north,

37260-409: The westbound direction of M-59 runs along University Drive and turns to follow BL I-75/Bus. US 24 (Woodward Avenue Loop). The loop intersects Perry Street another block further north, and BL I-75 turns northeasterly onto the two-way Perry Street. (The southbound direction from Perry Street continues around the Woodward Avenue Loop back to Woodward Avenue.) BL I-75 passes through residential areas and

37467-435: The western side of downtown, the business loop intersects the northern end of M-30 and narrows to two lanes. BL I-75/M-55 continues out of town, running past more businesses before meeting I-75 at exit  215. At that interchange, BL I-75 ends, and M-55 merges onto the freeway. On average each day in 2013, 10,682 vehicles use the business loop near the southern I-75 interchange, and 15,399 vehicles do so between

37674-414: The world's first four-way traffic light . The state signposted its highways in 1919, and Woodward Avenue was assigned the M-10 designation. The same year, two auto trail designations were applied to the avenue. The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway was created in February 1919, running from Detroit northward along Woodward Avenue. Later that year, the Dixie Highway was extended through Detroit to

37881-404: Was abolished in 1907. Instead, a property tax system was instituted with the funding only for permanent improvements, not maintenance. Rural farmers opposed the state's efforts, and even Henry Ford was against the idea of reforming road construction and maintenance. In response to this opposition, the department's work was decentralized; standards for road improvement came from the state, but work

38088-438: Was approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO); the M-10 designation along Woodward was replaced with US 10 , a moniker that ran from Detroit to Seattle, Washington . Legal disputes over a plan to widen Woodward Avenue dating back to 1874 were resolved in 1932. Permission was needed from a majority of the landowners along Woodward Avenue to finalize the deal. John W. Chandler, general manager of

38295-420: Was assigned the Bus. US 10 moniker and M-58 was decommissioned as a highway designation. Two years later, I-75 was completed to the east of Pontiac, and the M-24 bypass of the city was turned over to local control. The former Bus. M-24 through downtown was renumbered BL I-75 along with a connection along Square Lake Road out to the freeway. The next year, the streets downtown Pontiac were reconfigured and

38502-453: Was assumed into the route of US 10 in 1926. In fact, each iteration of M-10 has existed in whole or part along a former or future alignment of US 10. There are also instances of M -numbered state highways that once existed as extensions of US Highways. M-25 was originally an extension of US 25 before the latter was decommissioned in Michigan, and M-24 was once an extension of US 24 before routing changes separated

38709-404: Was briefly involved in roads until prohibited by a new constitution in 1850. Private companies constructed plank roads and charged tolls . Local township roads were financed and constructed through a statute labor system that required landowners to make improvements in lieu of taxes. Countywide coordination of road planning, construction and maintenance was enacted in the late 19th century. In

38916-484: Was cancelled in response to freeway revolts in the city, and a new routing along the C&O Railroad right-of-way in Livonia was used instead. Plans to transfer the Davison Freeway in the 1970s to state control and extend it west to I-96 (Jeffries Freeway) and east to a Van Dyke Freeway (extended M-53 ) were dropped. Another freeway project near Lansing, the Van Atta Connector, was proposed in 1961 to provide an eastern freeway beltway around East Lansing, but by 1981

39123-438: Was carried out by the townships and counties. The nation's first mile of concrete roadway was laid along Woodward Avenue in 1909 between Six Mile and Seven Mile roads in Detroit; this section of street was 17 feet 8 inches (5.38 m) wide and cost $ 14,000 (equivalent to $ 339,600 in 2023). Passage of the State Reward Trunk Line Highways Act on May 13, 1913, provided for 3,000 miles (4,828 km) of roadways in

39330-431: Was commissioned in 1960 when the I-75/US 2 freeway opened, and the former route of US 2 through downtown was renumbered BL I-75. Major intersections The entire highway is in Mackinac County . Business Spur Interstate 75 ( BS I-75 ) is a business spur running through Sault Ste. Marie . It starts at exit 392 on I-75 on the south side of the city. From that interchange, it runs eastward along

39537-404: Was created in 1993 to highlight trunklines with historic, recreational or scenic qualities; the name was changed to Pure Michigan Byway on December 30, 2014. The history of the highway system in Michigan dates back to the old Native American trails that crossed the state. These trails were pathways no wider than approximately 12–18 inches (30–46 cm), permitting single-file traffic. Many of

39744-462: Was created on November 6, 1998. The road was designated what is now called a Pure Michigan Byway by MDOT in 1999, and a National Scenic Byway by the FHWA National Scenic Byways Program on June 13, 2002, the only urban road at the time with that classification. It was later upgraded to All-American Road status on October 16, 2009; such roads have highly unique features and are significant enough to be tourist destinations unto themselves. In announcing

39951-459: Was decommissioned. The former Bus. M-76 was redesignated as BL I-75 at the same time. Major intersections The entire highway is in Ogemaw County . Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ) is a business loop running through Roscommon . Starting at exit 239 along I-75 , the business loop runs concurrently with M-18 northward along the two-lane Roscommon Road through rural Northern Michigan woodlands. When BL I-75/M-18 enters

40158-465: Was formed. I-75 was completed and US 27 was removed through the Gaylord area in 1962. The business loop was not created at that time, however. Instead, it was created in 1986. Major intersections The entire highway is in Otsego County . Business Loop Interstate 75 ( BL I-75 ) is a proposed business loop that would run through Indian River . It would start at exit 310 on I-75 in Tuscarora Township and follow M-68 across

40365-463: Was increased during the 1950s as the fuel taxes were increased. Whereas those revenues during the war dropped to levels barely sufficient to keep existing highways in usable condition, they were increased during the following decade to deal with increasing traffic. The state highway department was also authorized to sell bonds to provide funding for the proposed road improvements. The Michigan Turnpike Authority (MTA), an agency created in 1951, proposed

40572-419: Was numbered M-12 in 1919. It was renumbered as part of US 2 in 1926. In 1962, the I-75/US 2 freeway was completed, and the former route of US 2 through downtown along with a connection to I-75/US 2 and the International Bridge was redesignated BS I-75. In 1989, the designation was extended along Portage Avenue to the Sugar Island Ferry Dock. Major intersections The entire highway

40779-416: Was numbered M-76 . In 1949, M-18 was extended north into Roscommon and then west along M-76. During the early 1970s, M-76 was being converted into a freeway to be used as part of I-75. In 1971, I-75 was completed southward from the Grayling area to what is now exit 239. Two years later, I-75 was completed between Roscommon and West Branch , and M-76 between the two communities was decommissioned. At

40986-420: Was painted on a state highway in 1917 along the Marquette–Negaunee Road which was designated Trunkline 15, now County Road 492 in Marquette County . Winter maintenance started during World War I to keep 590 miles (950 km) of strategic highways clear; some $ 13,200 (equivalent to $ 177,600 in 2023 ) was appropriated with partial funding from the War Loan Board . In 1919, the legislature passed

41193-401: Was part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway that connected Portland, Maine , with Portland, Oregon , through Ontario in Canada. It was also part of the Dixie Highway , which connected Michigan with Florida . Woodward Avenue was the location of the first mile (1.6 km) of concrete-paved roadway in the country. When Michigan created the State Trunkline Highway System in 1913,

41400-466: Was previously Business US Highway 23 ( Bus. US 23 ). It started at an interchange between I-75 / US 23 and M-46 (Holland Road) in Buena Vista Township . From there, it ran concurrently with M-46 westward into Saginaw. East of 17th Street, the highway split to form a one-way pairing with Remington Street, which carried westbound traffic. About three blocks farther west, BL I-75 split from M-46 to follow Genesee Avenue northwesterly into

41607-410: Was quite different. Maps of the territory were printed with the words "interminable swamp" across the interior until 1839. Reports of the first explorers and government surveyors crossing the future state only seemed to confirm the assessment that Michigan land was unsuitable for agriculture or other productive activities. The few roads in the area were impassable for half of the year. The poor quality of

41814-432: Was renumbered to US 10 seven years later when the United States Numbered Highway System was created. By the next year, M-24 was designated from downtown Pontiac northward to Lapeer . M-24 was moved to an eastern bypass of town in 1936, and the former routing in town became M-24A. This was redesignated Bus M-24 in 1940. A number of highway designation and routing changes in the Pontiac were made when US 10

42021-427: Was routed on the western side of the Saginaw River. The highway was rerouted to the eastern side of the river in 1929. By early 1941, US 23 was rerouted to cross the Saginaw River on the southern side of Bay City, and the former routing along Washington Avenue and Midland Street through downtown was renumbered Bus. US 23. When the I-75/US 10/US 23 freeway bypass west of Bay City opened in late 1961,

42228-490: Was shifted out of downtown to replace M-58 along Telegraph Road west of downtown by the middle of 1961. Before the change, US 10 followed Dixie Highway and Oakland Avenue southeast into Pontiac to Perry Street and then Perry to Saginaw Street to Woodward while M-58 was routed along Telegraph and Square Lake roads. After the change, US 10 turned south from Dixie Highway onto Telegraph and then east onto Square Lake to connect back to Woodward. The old route through downtown

42435-459: Was truncated to Bay City in 1986, the Bus. US 10 portion of Woodward became Bus. US 24 . In the early 1980s, M-1 was truncated in downtown Detroit, as the Woodward Mall was designated in the area around Cadillac Square. At the end of 2000, MDOT proposed several highway transfers in Detroit. Some of these involved transferring city streets in the Campus Martius Park area under the department's jurisdiction to city control; another part of

42642-405: Was unable to work off the tax, a rate of $ 0.625/day was assessed (equivalent to $ 22.89 in 2023 ). This road maintenance was performed under the guidance of the township road overseer, a separate elected township official, according to the wishes of his constituents, often without any county-level planning or coordination. Often the "improved roads" were in worse condition than unimproved roads due to

42849-400: Was used for the lines separating directions of travel and white for lines separating lanes traveling in the same direction. Also in 1972, a gas tax increase was passed to facilitate US and state highway improvement projects. The final section of I-75 between Alger and Roscommon was opened on November 1, 1973, in a dedication by Governor William G. Milliken , completing the longest highway in

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