M-97 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-97 is a state trunkline highway
in the U.S. state of Michigan
. It runs from Detroit
to north of Mt. Clemens
following Groesbeck Highway. The highway starts south of 7 Mile Road and runs northeasterly through Macomb County
suburbs to Hall Road, which takes the place of 20 Mile Road in the Mile Road System. In between the termini, Groesbeck Highway runs through suburban residential and commercial areas.
Groesbeck Highway is named after Alex Groesbeck
, former Michigan governor and attorney-general. The road was constructed starting in the 1920s to provide traffic relief to Gratiot Avenue, which was the main route between Detroit and Mt. Clemens. It was created as a state trunkline to facilitate construction financing. The final extension was opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony in 1949. This ceremony also dedicated the entire roadway in the former governor's honor after sections were named for another politician by the state.
. The highway starts at M-3
/Gratiot Avenue and follows Gunston Street northwesterly. This intersection is one block northeast of the Coleman A. Young International Airport
in Detroit. At McNichols Road, which forms part of 6 Mile Road in the Mile Road System, M-97 turns north on Hoover Street, and follows it north past Bessy Playground at 7 Mile Road. It continues north on Hoover until it turns onto Groesbeck Highway, just one block south of M-102
/8 Mile Road.
Groesbeck Highway runs northeast from Hoover Street crossing out of Wayne County
into Macomb County
at 8 Mile Road. The trunkline here is parallel to railroad tracks through Warren
. M-97 crosses Interstate 696
(I-696) at an interchange located on the Warren–Roseville
line. This interchange is also located at the 11 Mile Road location in the Mile Road System. M-97 crosses through the southeast corner of Fraser
between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads after which it enters Clinton Township
. There is a major intersection with Metropolitan Parkway, which is a limited access county primary road that occupies the 16 Mile location Detroit Mile Road System. Between this intersection and Harrington Street, Groesbeck Highway curves around to the north, crossing the Clinton River
and the railroad then entering Mt. Clemens. M-97 continues to curve around the west side of downtown Mt. Clemens before re-entering Clinton Township. Groesbeck Highway and M-97 ends at M-59
/Hall Road, another limited access county primary road in Macomb County located in place of 20 Mile Road. The northern terminus is on the Clinton Township–Macomb Township
line northwest of Selfridge Field
, an Air National Guard
facility on Lake St. Clair
.
. While the county had difficulty funding the new highway, Groesbeck interceded to have it named a state-financed trunkline. The county started construction on Groesbeck Highway in 1926. The highway was incomplete when Groesbeck left office at the end of 1926, leaving the final paving undone. State Rep. Archie Reid asked the State Administrative Board on December 12, 1927 for assistance to complete the roadway. The board voted unanimously to name the highway for Reid and to proceed "at once" to conclude construction.
The M-97 designation was applied to the roadway in 1929 between M-102/8 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road. An extension in 1931 moved the northern terminus to US Highway 25 (US 25) in Mt. Clemens. A second extension in 1932 moved the southern end into the City of Detroit at US 25/Gratiot Avenue.
Named "Reid Highway" by the state and "Groesbeck Highway" by the county, M-97 was not completed until 1949. On October 29, 1949, the final section bypassing Mt. Clemens along the city's west side was opened and the entire road was dedicated to Groesbeck. The former governor was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony which renamed the highway north of Hoover Avenue. The northern end was extended to M-59/Hall Road.
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 U.S. 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"....
. It runs from 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...
to north of Mt. Clemens
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 17,312. It is the county seat of Macomb County.-Early history:...
following Groesbeck Highway. The highway starts south of 7 Mile Road and runs northeasterly through Macomb County
Macomb County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...
suburbs to Hall Road, which takes the place of 20 Mile Road in the Mile Road System. In between the termini, Groesbeck Highway runs through suburban residential and commercial areas.
Groesbeck Highway is named after Alex Groesbeck
Alex Groesbeck
Alexander Joseph Groesbeck was an American politician who served as Attorney General and the 30th Governor of the State of Michigan.-Early life:...
, former Michigan governor and attorney-general. The road was constructed starting in the 1920s to provide traffic relief to Gratiot Avenue, which was the main route between Detroit and Mt. Clemens. It was created as a state trunkline to facilitate construction financing. The final extension was opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony in 1949. This ceremony also dedicated the entire roadway in the former governor's honor after sections were named for another politician by the state.
Route description
M-97 runs through an urbanized area in the larger Metro DetroitMetro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
. The highway starts at M-3
M-3 (Michigan highway)
M-3 is a north–south state highway in the US state of Michigan in the Detroit metropolitan area. For most of its length, M-3 is known as Gratiot Avenue...
/Gratiot Avenue and follows Gunston Street northwesterly. This intersection is one block northeast of the Coleman A. Young International Airport
Coleman A. Young International Airport
Coleman A. Young International Airport , also known as Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport, is a public use airport located five nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Detroit, in Wayne County, Michigan, United States...
in Detroit. At McNichols Road, which forms part of 6 Mile Road in the Mile Road System, M-97 turns north on Hoover Street, and follows it north past Bessy Playground at 7 Mile Road. It continues north on Hoover until it turns onto Groesbeck Highway, just one block south of M-102
M-102 (Michigan highway)
M-102 is a state trunkline in the US state of Michigan, running along the northern boundary of Detroit. It is known as 8 Mile Road for most of its length. As part of the land surveying of the state, the road follows the Michigan Baseline, and it is called Base Line Road in places. M-102 is the...
/8 Mile Road.
Groesbeck Highway runs northeast from Hoover Street crossing out of 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...
into Macomb County
Macomb County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 788,149 people, 309,203 households, and 210,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,640 people per square mile . There were 320,276 housing units at an average density of 667 per square mile...
at 8 Mile Road. The trunkline here is parallel to railroad tracks through Warren
Warren, Michigan
Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....
. M-97 crosses Interstate 696
Interstate 696
Interstate 696 is an intrastate Interstate Highway entirely within the US state of Michigan. I-696 is also known as the Walter P. Reuther Freeway, named for a prominent figure in early automobile factory labor union activity. I-696 is a spur route, partially circling the city of Detroit, but...
(I-696) at an interchange located on the Warren–Roseville
Roseville, Michigan
Roseville is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a part of the Metro Detroit area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,299...
line. This interchange is also located at the 11 Mile Road location in the Mile Road System. M-97 crosses through the southeast corner of Fraser
Fraser, Michigan
Fraser is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,297 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Metro Detroit region.The Village of Fraser was incorporated by an act of the state legislature in 1894...
between 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads after which it enters Clinton Township
Clinton Charter Township, Michigan
The Charter Township of Clinton, usually referred to as Clinton Township, is a charter township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a part of Metro Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the township had a total population of 96,796, and is Michigan's most populous township...
. There is a major intersection with Metropolitan Parkway, which is a limited access county primary road that occupies the 16 Mile location Detroit Mile Road System. Between this intersection and Harrington Street, Groesbeck Highway curves around to the north, crossing the Clinton River
Clinton River
The Clinton River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States.The main branch of the river rises from wetlands in Springfield Township, Oakland County, northwest of Pontiac. A series of dams create a number of small lakes west of Pontiac, the last of which is Dawson's Millpond. The...
and the railroad then entering Mt. Clemens. M-97 continues to curve around the west side of downtown Mt. Clemens before re-entering Clinton Township. Groesbeck Highway and M-97 ends at M-59
M-59 (Michigan highway)
M-59 is an east–west state trunkline highway that crosses the northern part of Metropolitan Detroit in the US state of Michigan. It runs between Howell at Interstate 96 and I-94 on the Chesterfield Township – Harrison Township line near the Selfridge Air National Guard Base...
/Hall Road, another limited access county primary road in Macomb County located in place of 20 Mile Road. The northern terminus is on the Clinton Township–Macomb Township
Macomb Township, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 50,478 people, 16,946 households, and 14,065 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,391.7 per square mile . There were 17,922 housing units at an average density of 494.1 per square mile...
line northwest of Selfridge Field
Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, an Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
facility on Lake St. Clair
Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair is a fresh-water lake named after Clare of Assisi that lies between the Province of Ontario and the State of Michigan, and its midline also forms the boundary between Canada and the United States of America. Lake St. Clair includes the Anchor Bay along the Metro Detroit coastline...
.
History
The Macomb County Road Commission passed Resolution 15 on October 23, 1925. This resolution authorized the construction of a new roadway 1 miles (1.6 km) west of Gratiot Avenue to relieve traffic traveling between Detroit and Mt. Clemens. The roadway was named in honor of Governor Groesbeck, a Macomb County native and former state attorney generalMichigan Attorney General
The Attorney General of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan and one of four great offices of state. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, members of the Senate and...
. While the county had difficulty funding the new highway, Groesbeck interceded to have it named a state-financed trunkline. The county started construction on Groesbeck Highway in 1926. The highway was incomplete when Groesbeck left office at the end of 1926, leaving the final paving undone. State Rep. Archie Reid asked the State Administrative Board on December 12, 1927 for assistance to complete the roadway. The board voted unanimously to name the highway for Reid and to proceed "at once" to conclude construction.
The M-97 designation was applied to the roadway in 1929 between M-102/8 Mile Road and 14 Mile Road. An extension in 1931 moved the northern terminus to US Highway 25 (US 25) in Mt. Clemens. A second extension in 1932 moved the southern end into the City of Detroit at US 25/Gratiot Avenue.
Named "Reid Highway" by the state and "Groesbeck Highway" by the county, M-97 was not completed until 1949. On October 29, 1949, the final section bypassing Mt. Clemens along the city's west side was opened and the entire road was dedicated to Groesbeck. The former governor was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony which renamed the highway north of Hoover Avenue. The northern end was extended to M-59/Hall Road.