Interstate 94 in Michigan
Encyclopedia
Interstate 94 is a part of the Interstate Highway System
that runs from Billings, Montana
, to the Lower Peninsula
of the US state of Michigan
. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway
that enters the state south of New Buffalo
. It runs east to Detroit
before terminating on the Blue Water Bridge
at the US–Canadian border.
up to St. Joseph
before turning east. It then passes Kalamazoo
, Battle Creek
, Jackson
and Ann Arbor
before entering Detroit
. It exits Detroit to the northeast, meets I-69
at Port Huron
. Both routes end on Blue Water Bridge
at Ontario Highway 402.
and Detroit was proposed to be numbered I-92. The originally proposed route for I-94 became the pre-1963 routing for I-96
.
Through much of Michigan
Interstate 94 follows the route of old U.S. 12; to the west of Detroit it uses the pre-existing Detroit Industrial Expressway
which had been built during World War II
to accommodate transportation of workers and in Detroit it follows the route of the Edsel Ford
Freeway. Signage for the Edsel Ford Freeway remained in place until the late 1980s when Michigan deemphasized proper names on Interstate guide signs.
Land acquisition for the Edsel Ford Freeway started in 1945 however uncertainly over funding delayed completion until the 1950s. Originally referred to as the "Crosstown Freeway" the name "Edsel Ford Freeway" was adopted by petition in April 1946.
The interchange between the Lodge Freeway
and the Edsel Ford Freeway, which had been constructed in 1953 was the first full freeway-to-freeway interchange built in the United States.
In 1958, sections of US 12, the Willow Run, Detroit Industrial and Edsel Ford Expressways were designated as the I-94.
In the beginning of 1962, the US 12 designation was removed from the I-94 freeway. In the process, the designation was transferred to replace the US 112 designation in its entirety. After this transfer, I-94 was no longer concurrent with US 12, except for the Ypsilanti bypass. In 1963 the freeway was extended south of New Buffalo. The freeway ended at M-239
. Traffic was diverted down M-239 into Indiana where SR 39 carried traffic the rest of the way to the Indiana Toll Road
. A section in the Detroit area between Marysville and Mt. Clemens was also completed. US 25 was used to connect the gap in the freeway between Detroit and Mt. Clemens.
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255
crashed after attempting to take off from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport, killing all but one passenger, Cecilia Cichan, upon exploding at an overpass.
Its intersection with US-24 (Telegraph Road
) was one of the nation's more unusual full interchange designs. Only two
bridges were used and left hand exits were used throughout. This interchange was reconfigured in 2005 to a SPUI
design, I-94's first, and was completed in December of that year. A pair of bridges called the Gateway Arch Bridges (alternately "Gateway to Detroit") was incorporated in the new interchange.
In the 1990s, the Michigan Department of Transportation implemented an "emergency Interstate" system along roads paralleling I-94.
|-
|
|colspan=3|Blue Water Bridge
over the St. Clair River
to Hwy 402
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
that runs from Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, to the Lower Peninsula
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is the southern of the two major landmasses of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people...
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"....
. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway
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...
that enters the state south of New Buffalo
New Buffalo, Michigan
New Buffalo is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,200 at the 2000 census. This city is within New Buffalo Township, but is politically autonomous.-Geography:...
. It runs east to 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...
before terminating on the Blue Water Bridge
Blue Water Bridge
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
at the US–Canadian border.
Route description
I-94 enters Michigan and parallels Lake MichiganLake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
up to St. Joseph
St. Joseph, Michigan
St. Joseph is a city in the US state of Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,789. It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, about east-northeast of Chicago. It is the county...
before turning east. It then passes Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
, Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
and 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...
before entering 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...
. It exits Detroit to the northeast, meets I-69
Interstate 69 in Michigan
Interstate 69 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that currently runs from Indianapolis, Indiana, to the US–Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state south of Coldwater and passes through the cities of Lansing and Flint...
at Port Huron
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
. Both routes end on Blue Water Bridge
Blue Water Bridge
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
at Ontario Highway 402.
Lane configurations
- Between Interstate 196 and Indiana state line (3 lanes on each side — a 4th lane was added westbound in 2006 between Exit 30 and Exit 29
- Between just west of Exit 74 (US 131U.S. Route 131US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
) and Exit 34 (Interstate 196Interstate 196Interstate 196 is a long freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, and Benton Harbor. I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the Ford Freeway, in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties, after the 38th President of the United States,...
) (2 lanes on each side) - Between Exit 76 and just west of Exit 74 (US-131)(will extend to exit 78 when project is completed in 2011) (3 lanes on each side)
- Between just west of Exit 167 (Baker Rd.) and Exit 76 (2 lanes on each side)
- Between Exit 171 (M-14M-14 (Michigan highway)M-14 is a 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.-Route description:...
) and just west of Exit 167 (Baker Rd.) (3 lanes on each side) - Between Exit 180 (US 23U.S. Route 23 in MichiganUS 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...
) and Exit 171 (M-14) (2 lanes on each side) - Between Exit 198 (Detroit Metropolitan Airport) and Exit 180 (US-23) (3 lanes on each side)
- For Exits 199 (Detroit Metropolitan Airport/Middle Belt Road) and 198 (Merriman Road) (2 Local + 3 Express Lanes each side)
- Between Exit 243 (23 Mile Rd.) and Exit 198 (3-4 lanes on each side)
- Between Blue Water BridgeBlue Water BridgeThe Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
and Exit 243 (23 Mile Rd.) in Chesterfield Township, MI (2 lanes on each side)
Pre designation
In early plans for the Interstate Highway System, I-94 between Benton HarborBenton Harbor, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo. The population was 10,038 at the 2010 census. It is the lesser populated of the two principal cities included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
and Detroit was proposed to be numbered I-92. The originally proposed route for I-94 became the pre-1963 routing for 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...
.
Through much 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"....
Interstate 94 follows the route of old U.S. 12; to the west of Detroit it uses the pre-existing Detroit Industrial Expressway
M-112 (Michigan highway)
M-112 was the state trunkline highway designation given to segments of what is now Interstate 94 in the Metro Detroit area of the US state of Michigan.-Route description:...
which had been built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to accommodate transportation of workers and in Detroit it follows the route of the Edsel Ford
Edsel Ford
Edsel Bryant Ford , son of Henry Ford, was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.-Life and career:...
Freeway. Signage for the Edsel Ford Freeway remained in place until the late 1980s when Michigan deemphasized proper names on Interstate guide signs.
Land acquisition for the Edsel Ford Freeway started in 1945 however uncertainly over funding delayed completion until the 1950s. Originally referred to as the "Crosstown Freeway" the name "Edsel Ford Freeway" was adopted by petition in April 1946.
The interchange between the Lodge Freeway
M-10 (Michigan highway)
M-10, is a state trunkline route in the US state of Michigan. The southernmost portion follows Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit, and the southern terminus is at the intersection of Jefferson and Randolph Street leading to the entrance to the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel...
and the Edsel Ford Freeway, which had been constructed in 1953 was the first full freeway-to-freeway interchange built in the United States.
In 1958, sections of US 12, the Willow Run, Detroit Industrial and Edsel Ford Expressways were designated as the I-94.
Post designation
In 1959 additional sections of I-94 were opened, starting with a section from Coloma and Hartford, then from Paw Paw to Kalamazoo which connected to the US 12 to Battle Creek and finally from Battle Creek to Jackson. In 1960 sections of freeway opened in southwestern Michigan between the St. Joseph – Benton Harbor area and between Jackson and Ann Arbor. In this year Michigan became the first state to complete a border to border toll-free interstate running for 205 miles from Detroit to New Buffalo. A section of 20 miles (32 km) between New Buffalo and Stevensville opened in 1961.In the beginning of 1962, the US 12 designation was removed from the I-94 freeway. In the process, the designation was transferred to replace the US 112 designation in its entirety. After this transfer, I-94 was no longer concurrent with US 12, except for the Ypsilanti bypass. In 1963 the freeway was extended south of New Buffalo. The freeway ended at M-239
M-239 (Michigan highway)
M-239 is a very short north–south state trunkline highway in Berrien County in the extreme southwestern corner of the US state of Michigan connecting Indiana State Road 39 to Interstate 94.-Route description:...
. Traffic was diverted down M-239 into Indiana where SR 39 carried traffic the rest of the way to the Indiana Toll Road
Indiana Toll Road
The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line...
. A section in the Detroit area between Marysville and Mt. Clemens was also completed. US 25 was used to connect the gap in the freeway between Detroit and Mt. Clemens.
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Northwest Airlines Flight 255
Northwest Airlines Flight 255 was a flight that originated at MBS International Airport in Saginaw, Michigan, and was scheduled to terminate at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with intermediate stops at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, near Detroit,...
crashed after attempting to take off from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International Airport, killing all but one passenger, Cecilia Cichan, upon exploding at an overpass.
Its intersection with US-24 (Telegraph Road
Telegraph Road (Michigan)
In the U.S. state of Michigan, US Highway 24 , also known as Telegraph Road, is a major north–south state trunkline highway; it is mostly divided highway. The total length is approximately and is signed as US 24 in its entirety...
) was one of the nation's more unusual full interchange designs. Only two
bridges were used and left hand exits were used throughout. This interchange was reconfigured in 2005 to a SPUI
Spui
Spui is a Dutch term meaning a specific type of small sluice used for refreshing the network of waterways in a village or town. It may refer to the following things:*Spui, a river in the Netherlands...
design, I-94's first, and was completed in December of that year. A pair of bridges called the Gateway Arch Bridges (alternately "Gateway to Detroit") was incorporated in the new interchange.
In the 1990s, the Michigan Department of Transportation implemented an "emergency Interstate" system along roads paralleling I-94.
Exit list
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|colspan=3|
Blue Water Bridge
The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, USA and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...
over the St. Clair River
St. Clair River
The St. Clair River is a river in central North America which drains Lake Huron into Lake St Clair, forming part of the international boundary between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan...
to Hwy 402