Outer Drive
Encyclopedia
Outer Drive is a bypass road which encircles both the eastern and western portions of the Metro Detroit area. It resembles a jagged horseshoe and was not originally intended to move traffic as much as to provide a pleasurable drive around Detroit. This drive would include travel through beautiful subdivisions (many of which have deteriorated badly), school sites and park areas. First proposed in 1918, it immediately won acceptance and eventually evolved into the road that exists today.
At its western starting point at Jefferson Avenue
in Ecorse
near the Detroit River
, the thoroughfare meanders northwestly to Michigan Avenue, where it makes a northeast bend along the River Rouge
; it then continues northeastly with several 90 degree angle turns until Outer Drive ends at Livernois Avenue. Outer Drive then resumes on Detroit's east side, over-taking State Fair Avenue, Conner Avenue, Alter Road
, Chandler Park Drive and Whittier Avenue, where its eastern terminus is at Whittier and Mack Avenue at the edge of the City of Grosse Pointe Park
. Outer Drive is notable for having several isolated divided portions. There are three such segments. The largest is the wetsternmost section, beginning at Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse and ending at Livernois Avenue in Detroit—this sector is 23.7 miles (38.1 km). The middle section is between Dequindre Street (at East State Fair) and McNichols East (between Mount Olivet Cemetery
and Coleman A. Young International Airport
); this section is 4.8 miles (7.7 km) entirely within Detroit. The easternmost section is between Conner Street (near Gratiot Avenue) and Mack Avenue (at Whittier Road); this section is 5.1 miles (8.2 km), within Detroit and Grosse Point Park.
Unlike other divided highways in Michigan
, Outer Drive allows standard left turns on and off the street. The speed limit on this street is at most 35 mi/h; it is low since other main urban streets have a speed limit of 45 mi/h.
At its western starting point at Jefferson Avenue
Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)
Jefferson Avenue is a scenic road along the eastern part of the Detroit metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It travels alongside Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake Saint Clair. This road also provides access to many recreational facilities in the area...
in Ecorse
Ecorse, Michigan
Ecorse is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, named for the Ecorse River. The population was 9,512 at the 2010 census.-History:...
near the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
, the thoroughfare meanders northwestly to Michigan Avenue, where it makes a northeast bend along the River Rouge
River Rouge (Michigan)
The River Rouge, also known as the Rouge River, is a river in the Metro Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. It flows into the Detroit River at Zug Island, which is the boundary between the cities of River Rouge and Detroit....
; it then continues northeastly with several 90 degree angle turns until Outer Drive ends at Livernois Avenue. Outer Drive then resumes on Detroit's east side, over-taking State Fair Avenue, Conner Avenue, Alter Road
Alter Road
Alter Road is a north-south thoroughfare of approximately four miles length in southeastern Michigan's Wayne County.-Basic History:Although Alter Road itself is completely within the Detroit city limits, nevertheless it is a symbolic dividing line between the overwhelmingly African-American City of...
, Chandler Park Drive and Whittier Avenue, where its eastern terminus is at Whittier and Mack Avenue at the edge of the City of Grosse Pointe Park
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,555 at the 2010 census. Bordering on Detroit with frontage on southern Lake Saint Clair, it is the westernmost of the noted Grosse Pointe suburbs, with the oldest overall housing stock of the five cities...
. Outer Drive is notable for having several isolated divided portions. There are three such segments. The largest is the wetsternmost section, beginning at Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse and ending at Livernois Avenue in Detroit—this sector is 23.7 miles (38.1 km). The middle section is between Dequindre Street (at East State Fair) and McNichols East (between Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Detroit)
Mt. Olivet Cemetery is a cemetery at 17100 Van Dyke Avenue in the city of Detroit in Wayne County, Michigan. It opened in 1888 and is owned and operated by the Mount Elliott Cemetery Association, a not-for-profit Catholic organization. At , it is the largest cemetery in Detroit.Notable people...
and 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...
); this section is 4.8 miles (7.7 km) entirely within Detroit. The easternmost section is between Conner Street (near Gratiot Avenue) and Mack Avenue (at Whittier Road); this section is 5.1 miles (8.2 km), within Detroit and Grosse Point Park.
Unlike other divided highways in 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"....
, Outer Drive allows standard left turns on and off the street. The speed limit on this street is at most 35 mi/h; it is low since other main urban streets have a speed limit of 45 mi/h.