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M-14 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-14 is a 22.54 miles east–west state trunkline highway
in the southeastern portion of the US state of Michigan
. Entirely freeway, it connects Ann Arbor
with Detroit
by way of connecting with I-96
.
.
Exit 2 - Maple Road and Miller Road. This interchange was renovated in 2007 to feature roundabout
s at Maple Road.
Exit 3 (westbound) - BUS US 23, Main Street in Ann Arbor. There is no access to Main Street from eastbound M-14, and Main Street enters directly onto eastbound M-14, with no access to westbound M-14.
Exit 4 - Barton Drive/Whitmore Lake Road. Originally built as a temporary ramp, this exit ramp is considered to be substandard and extremely dangerous, with a 15 mi/h hairpin turn on the exit from the eastbound lanes. The entrance ramp requires traffic to come to a complete stop
before entering the freeway, with no acceleration lane.
Exit 5 (US 23 Exit 45) - Junction US 23 and BUS US 23 north of Ann Arbor. A rural stacked T interchange, with the highest overpass carrying eastbound M-14 toward northbound US 23.
Exit 8 (US 23 Exit 42) - Junction US 23 northeast of Ann Arbor. Like Exit 5, this is another rural stacked T interchange, with the highest overpass carrying the eastbound lanes of M-14. Domino's Farms, the headquarters of Domino's Pizza
, is located near this interchange, accessible from US 23 exit 41 (Plymouth Road).
Exit 10 - M-153, Ford Road. Although this was the original terminus of the M-14 expressway, the trumpet-style interchange services both directions of M-14. The nearby crossing with former M-14, Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, was upgraded with full traffic lights in the 1990s; otherwise, this remains a rural area.
Exit 15 - Gotfredson Road. The most rural exit off of M-14, basically used to access N. Territorial Road in Salem Township.
Exit 18 - Beck Road. On the western side of Plymouth Township, this once-rural exit has been developed significantly since the 1990s. Industrial parks have expanded westward along the north side of M-14, and are serviced by the Beck Road exit. North of a grade-level railroad crossing, a new United States Postal Service
branch office and the Compuware Arena were constructed. Further development along Beck Road has continued up to 5 Mile Road.
Exit 20 - Sheldon Road. This trumpet-style exit was designed to connect not only with Sheldon Road, but the Ford Motor Company
's Sheldon Road Plant – (operated by Visteon
from 2000–2006 and by Automotive Components Holdings
since 2006.) Sheldon was upgraded to a divided highway along the eastern boundary of the plant to accommodate increased traffic at the interchange. A construction project in the year 2007 closed Sheldon Road immediately south of M-14, for a bridge to be built, replacing an at-grade crossing of the CSX railway.
The eastern terminus is at the interchange of I-96
and I-275
at the border of Plymouth Township
and Livonia
in northwest Wayne County
.
mostly following the path of present-day US 127
to end south of Kalkaska
. It was later realigned and extended to end three miles (5 km) south of downtown Cheboygan
.
From 1931 to 1942, M-14 was designated from Battle Creek to Edmore
before becoming part of M-66
.
from the west side of Ann Arbor into Detroit was rerouted from surface streets to new stretches of expressways running south of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
. The former route of US 12, much of which was known as Plymouth Road, was retained as a trunkline and resigned M-14.
At its initial routing in 1956, M-14 began on Jackson Road west of Ann Arbor, at the junction of US 12. It continued through Ann Arbor, emerging on the northeast side as Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, through Washtenaw County
. As M-14 crossed into Wayne County, it became known as Ann Arbor Road, and followed the southern part of Plymouth Township, forming the south border of the city of Plymouth
. Ann Arbor Road continued into Livonia, turning slightly northward to join with Plymouth Road (which spurs westward into the city of Plymouth). Eastward, M-14 continued along Plymouth Road to its eastern terminus at US 16
, Grand River Avenue
, on Detroit's west side.
In 1964, a northern bypass connecting US 23
with M-153
is completed, and M-14 is rerouted onto the new expressway, still proceeding through Ann Arbor along routes now designated BUS US 23 and BL I-94. The following year, the expressway is extended to its present western terminus at I-94, and M-14 is removed from the business routes and transferred to the expressway.
In 1977, when the Jeffries Freeway (I-96) was completed, M-14 was shortened to have its eastern terminus at I-275
exit 28 in Plymouth Township. The portion of Plymouth Road within the city of Detroit was returned to local control. The portion of Plymouth Road/Ann Arbor Road between I-275 and the city boundary with Redford Township
is retained as an unsigned trunkline, maintained by the state to this day.
In 1979, the final segment of the M-14 freeway, between M-153 and I-275 was completed. The former route of M-14 in Washtenaw County along Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road was returned to local control. The portion of Ann Arbor Road from the Wayne County line east to I-275 also became an unsigned state trunkline, also maintained by the state to this day.
Plymouth Road serves as the 3 Mile alignment in Detroit's Mile Road System.
still reflects Plymouth Road's former M-14 designation. One overhead sign identifying Plymouth Road as M-14, posted above the service drive, is visible to southbound travellers approaching I-96, and at least one JCT M-14 assembly remains approaching the Plymouth Road intersection. Also, as of June 2005, two M-14 signs remain posted along westbound Plymouth Road in Redford Township.
In Plymouth Township, Ann Arbor Road is no longer directly signed as M-14; however, on Sheldon Road, the approach signs for Ann Arbor Road do bear an M-14 shield. This is a curiosity, as the current signs were erected some time after a major reconstruction project along Sheldon Road in the early 1980s, after the M-14 designation had been transferred from Ann Arbor Road.
When the M-14 expressway was completed to M-153 in 1964, plans at the time to extend the freeway further east were not in place, as the Jeffries Freeway portion of I-96 was originally planned at the time to be routed alongside Grand River Avenue (then signed as Business Spur I-96) into downtown Detroit. However, studies determined that it was more feasible to reroute I-96 down the proposed I-275 to an alignment along the less-developed Schoolcraft Road through Livonia, Redford, and into Detroit. As construction began on the Jeffries in the 1970s, plans for the M-14 extension to meet I-96 at I-275 went into place. The freeway was opened to traffic in late 1979.
The M-14 freeway was reconstructed in 2006-7 between Gotfredson Road and I-275.
Michigan Highway System
The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Michigan. The system is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation and comprises of trunklines in all 83 counties of Michigan on...
in the southeastern portion of the US state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Entirely freeway, it connects Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
with Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
by way of connecting with I-96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
.
Route description
The western terminus of M-14 is west of Ann Arbor, at exit 171 of I-94Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
.
Exit 2 - Maple Road and Miller Road. This interchange was renovated in 2007 to feature roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s at Maple Road.
Exit 3 (westbound) - BUS US 23, Main Street in Ann Arbor. There is no access to Main Street from eastbound M-14, and Main Street enters directly onto eastbound M-14, with no access to westbound M-14.
Exit 4 - Barton Drive/Whitmore Lake Road. Originally built as a temporary ramp, this exit ramp is considered to be substandard and extremely dangerous, with a 15 mi/h hairpin turn on the exit from the eastbound lanes. The entrance ramp requires traffic to come to a complete stop
Stop sign
A Stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding.-Specifications:The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals proposed standard stop sign diameters of 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 metres. UK and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200 mm, according to sign...
before entering the freeway, with no acceleration lane.
Exit 5 (US 23 Exit 45) - Junction US 23 and BUS US 23 north of Ann Arbor. A rural stacked T interchange, with the highest overpass carrying eastbound M-14 toward northbound US 23.
Exit 8 (US 23 Exit 42) - Junction US 23 northeast of Ann Arbor. Like Exit 5, this is another rural stacked T interchange, with the highest overpass carrying the eastbound lanes of M-14. Domino's Farms, the headquarters of Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
, is located near this interchange, accessible from US 23 exit 41 (Plymouth Road).
Exit 10 - M-153, Ford Road. Although this was the original terminus of the M-14 expressway, the trumpet-style interchange services both directions of M-14. The nearby crossing with former M-14, Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, was upgraded with full traffic lights in the 1990s; otherwise, this remains a rural area.
Exit 15 - Gotfredson Road. The most rural exit off of M-14, basically used to access N. Territorial Road in Salem Township.
Exit 18 - Beck Road. On the western side of Plymouth Township, this once-rural exit has been developed significantly since the 1990s. Industrial parks have expanded westward along the north side of M-14, and are serviced by the Beck Road exit. North of a grade-level railroad crossing, a new United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
branch office and the Compuware Arena were constructed. Further development along Beck Road has continued up to 5 Mile Road.
Exit 20 - Sheldon Road. This trumpet-style exit was designed to connect not only with Sheldon Road, but the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
's Sheldon Road Plant – (operated by Visteon
Visteon
Visteon is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive parts. The company formed in 1997 and spun off from the Ford Motor Company in 2000. In 2005, Visteon moved to new headquarters in Van Buren Township, Michigan...
from 2000–2006 and by Automotive Components Holdings
Automotive Components Holdings
Automotive Components Holdings, LLC is a Ford Motor Company-managed temporary business formed by the 2005 transfer of 17 automotive components factories and 6 research, testing, and other facilities from Visteon Corporation to Ford...
since 2006.) Sheldon was upgraded to a divided highway along the eastern boundary of the plant to accommodate increased traffic at the interchange. A construction project in the year 2007 closed Sheldon Road immediately south of M-14, for a bridge to be built, replacing an at-grade crossing of the CSX railway.
The eastern terminus is at the interchange of I-96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
and I-275
Interstate 275 (Michigan)
Interstate 275 in the US state of Michigan is an Interstate Highway that functions as a western bypass of the Detroit metropolitan area. The Michigan Department of Transportation maintains it as a component of the larger state trunkline highway system. The freeway runs through the western suburbs...
at the border of Plymouth Township
Plymouth Township, Michigan
The Charter Township of Plymouth is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 27,524 at the 2010 census...
and Livonia
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
in northwest Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...
.
History
In the 1920s, M-14 was designated a north–south route that ran most of the length of the Lower Peninsula, beginning at the Ohio state line south of HudsonHudson, Michigan
Hudson is a city in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,307 at the 2010 census. The city is located within Hudson Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
mostly following the path of present-day US 127
U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127 is a long north–south United States highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 near Grayling, Michigan...
to end south of Kalkaska
Kalkaska, Michigan
Kalkaska is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,226. It is the county seat of Kalkaska County.-Geography:...
. It was later realigned and extended to end three miles (5 km) south of downtown Cheboygan
Cheboygan, Michigan
Cheboygan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,295. It is the county seat of Cheboygan County....
.
From 1931 to 1942, M-14 was designated from Battle Creek to Edmore
Edmore, Michigan
Edmore is a village in Montcalm County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,244.Edmore was founded and platted by Edwin B. Moore, a real estate man, in 1878, and named with a contraction of his name. A post office was established on July 22, 1878 with...
before becoming part of M-66
M-66 (Michigan highway)
M-66 is a north–south state trunkline highway on the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Indiana state line in the south to Charlevoix in the north. M-66 is the only state highway to traverse almost the entire north–south distance of the LP. It starts as a...
.
Old M-14 - Plymouth Road corridor
In 1956, the portion of US 12U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
from the west side of Ann Arbor into Detroit was rerouted from surface streets to new stretches of expressways running south of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. The former route of US 12, much of which was known as Plymouth Road, was retained as a trunkline and resigned M-14.
At its initial routing in 1956, M-14 began on Jackson Road west of Ann Arbor, at the junction of US 12. It continued through Ann Arbor, emerging on the northeast side as Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road, through Washtenaw County
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
. As M-14 crossed into Wayne County, it became known as Ann Arbor Road, and followed the southern part of Plymouth Township, forming the south border of the city of Plymouth
Plymouth, Michigan
Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,132 at the 2010 census. The City of Plymouth is an enclave completely surrounded by Plymouth Charter Township, Michigan.-Geography:...
. Ann Arbor Road continued into Livonia, turning slightly northward to join with Plymouth Road (which spurs westward into the city of Plymouth). Eastward, M-14 continued along Plymouth Road to its eastern terminus at US 16
U.S. Route 16
U.S. Route 16 is an east–west United States Highway between Rapid City, South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming....
, Grand River Avenue
Grand River Avenue
US Highway 16 , also called Grand River Avenue for much of its length, is one of the principal pre-Interstate roads in the state of Michigan. Before the creation of the United States Numbered Highway System in 1926, the highway had been designated M-16...
, on Detroit's west side.
In 1964, a northern bypass connecting US 23
U.S. Route 23 in Michigan
US Highway 23 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan, it is a major north–south state trunkline highway that runs through the Lower Peninsula...
with M-153
M-153 (Michigan highway)
M-153 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also known as Ford Road for nearly its entire length, except for its westernmost portion where it splits from Ford Road and junctions with the M-14 freeway...
is completed, and M-14 is rerouted onto the new expressway, still proceeding through Ann Arbor along routes now designated BUS US 23 and BL I-94. The following year, the expressway is extended to its present western terminus at I-94, and M-14 is removed from the business routes and transferred to the expressway.
In 1977, when the Jeffries Freeway (I-96) was completed, M-14 was shortened to have its eastern terminus at I-275
Interstate 275 (Michigan)
Interstate 275 in the US state of Michigan is an Interstate Highway that functions as a western bypass of the Detroit metropolitan area. The Michigan Department of Transportation maintains it as a component of the larger state trunkline highway system. The freeway runs through the western suburbs...
exit 28 in Plymouth Township. The portion of Plymouth Road within the city of Detroit was returned to local control. The portion of Plymouth Road/Ann Arbor Road between I-275 and the city boundary with Redford Township
Redford Township, Michigan
The U.S. Census Bureau also defined Redford Township as a census-designated place in the 2000 Census so that the community would appear on the list of places as well on the list of county subdivisions...
is retained as an unsigned trunkline, maintained by the state to this day.
In 1979, the final segment of the M-14 freeway, between M-153 and I-275 was completed. The former route of M-14 in Washtenaw County along Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road was returned to local control. The portion of Ann Arbor Road from the Wayne County line east to I-275 also became an unsigned state trunkline, also maintained by the state to this day.
Plymouth Road serves as the 3 Mile alignment in Detroit's Mile Road System.
Relics of old M-14
Signage along the service drive of the Southfield Freeway (M-39)M-39 (Michigan highway)
M-39 is a state highway in the US state of Michigan that runs from Lincoln Park to Southfield. The southern terminus of M-39 is at the corner of Southfield Road and Lafayette Boulevard in Lincoln Park, one block southeast of the junction of I-75 and two blocks northwest of M-85...
still reflects Plymouth Road's former M-14 designation. One overhead sign identifying Plymouth Road as M-14, posted above the service drive, is visible to southbound travellers approaching I-96, and at least one JCT M-14 assembly remains approaching the Plymouth Road intersection. Also, as of June 2005, two M-14 signs remain posted along westbound Plymouth Road in Redford Township.
In Plymouth Township, Ann Arbor Road is no longer directly signed as M-14; however, on Sheldon Road, the approach signs for Ann Arbor Road do bear an M-14 shield. This is a curiosity, as the current signs were erected some time after a major reconstruction project along Sheldon Road in the early 1980s, after the M-14 designation had been transferred from Ann Arbor Road.
M-14 freeway
The first portion of the M-14 expressway that opened in 1964 (current Exit 3 - Main Street to current Exit 10 - M-153) was co-signed with BUS US 23 from its beginning Main Street to its junction with US 23, where M-14 turned eastward co-signed with US 23 for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). After US 23 turned southward, M-14 continued eastward to its end at the intersection of Plymouth-Ann Arbor Road and M-153. This alignment, including the co-signings of US 23 and BUS US 23, has remained unchanged, except for the ramps to M-153 as of 1979.When the M-14 expressway was completed to M-153 in 1964, plans at the time to extend the freeway further east were not in place, as the Jeffries Freeway portion of I-96 was originally planned at the time to be routed alongside Grand River Avenue (then signed as Business Spur I-96) into downtown Detroit. However, studies determined that it was more feasible to reroute I-96 down the proposed I-275 to an alignment along the less-developed Schoolcraft Road through Livonia, Redford, and into Detroit. As construction began on the Jeffries in the 1970s, plans for the M-14 extension to meet I-96 at I-275 went into place. The freeway was opened to traffic in late 1979.
The M-14 freeway was reconstructed in 2006-7 between Gotfredson Road and I-275.