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M-112 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
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
.
. The expressway provided access to the industrial complex at Willow Run
in Van Buren Township
and continued eastward into Wayne County
. In Romulus
, the trunkline turned northeast as the Detroit Industrial Expressway, passing to the north of Detroit–Wayne Major Airport
. In Taylor
, the expressway met both M-17
and US 24 and turned sharply northeast toward Dearborn
. Once in eastern Dearborn, M-112 terminated at US 112 just west of the Detroit
city line.
plans were being prepared for a "Crosstown" highway through downtown Detroit into Macomb County
which was later built as the Edsel Ford Expressway in the 1950s (which is now part of the Interstate 94
).
The freeway which was for a period known as the M-112 was originally constructed as the 'Willow Run Expressway' and as the 'Detroit Industrial Expressway' which when completed connected with US 112
at both ends on completion.
The 8.7 miles (14 km) long "Willow Run Expressway" was hurriedly constructed in December 1941 after following the bombing of Pearl Harbor
to help workers in the Detroit area get to Willow Run
on the eastern edge of Washtenaw County
where the B-24 Liberator
airplanes were being made during the war. It was built right next to the existing Chase Road and was completed in September 1942 as a four-lane divided highway with some cross-road intersections, from Huron River Drive in western Romulus
to US 112
on the west side of Willow Run via the Willow Run Bypass. Chase Road acted as the new service drive for the expressway.
The "Detroit Industrial Expressway" was built between 1943 through 1945 from the eastern end of the Willow Run Expressway in Romulus
first to Southfield Highway in Allen Park
and then to US 112
/Michigan Avenue (now US 12
) near the boundary between Detroit and Dearborn
. It was constructed as a limited-access road
.
Some tri-level grade separation bridges that were built as part of the Willow Run and Detroit Industrial Expressways are recognized as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
as significant components of the expressway system and as creative engineering solutions to the massive volume of traffic anticipated when shifts changed at the bomber plant. They can be found along US 12 as it passes by the Willow Run plant, now called Willow Run Transmission
.
The road was later designated as M-112 . It was then redesignated as US 12 in 1956, and the M-112 designation has not been used since. Beginning in 1958, the route was assimilated into the Interstate System
as I-94. In the mid 1960s, the Willow Run Expressway was reconstructed to full Interstate standards, complete with full interchanges at Belleville and Haggerty Roads.
Historic Bridge Listings
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...
designation given to segments of what is now Interstate 94
Interstate 94 in Michigan
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...
in the Metro Detroit
Metro 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...
area 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"....
.
Route description
M-112 started at US 112/Michigan Avenue. in Ypsilanti, running south through town and turning east through Ypsilanti TownshipYpsilanti Township, Michigan
Ypsilanti Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 49,182...
. The expressway provided access to the industrial complex at Willow Run
Willow Run
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft....
in Van Buren Township
Van Buren Township, Michigan
Van Buren Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,821 at the 2010 census. It is home to Willow Run Airport, Metro Detroit's second busiest airport.-Geography:...
and continued eastward into 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...
. In Romulus
Romulus, Michigan
Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
, the trunkline turned northeast as the Detroit Industrial Expressway, passing to the north of Detroit–Wayne Major Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
. In Taylor
Taylor, Michigan
Taylor is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 63,131 at the 2010 census. Taylor was originally known as Taylor Township and residents of the township voted to incorporate as the City of Taylor in May 1968...
, the expressway met both M-17
M-17 (Michigan highway)
M-17 is a long state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926...
and US 24 and turned sharply northeast toward Dearborn
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. Once in eastern Dearborn, M-112 terminated at US 112 just west of the 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...
city line.
History
Prior to the United States entry into World War IIWorld 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...
plans were being prepared for a "Crosstown" highway through downtown Detroit 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...
which was later built as the Edsel Ford Expressway in the 1950s (which is now part of the Interstate 94
Interstate 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...
).
The freeway which was for a period known as the M-112 was originally constructed as the 'Willow Run Expressway' and as the 'Detroit Industrial Expressway' which when completed connected with US 112
U.S. Route 112
U.S. Route 112 was a largely east–west state trunkline highway across the southern portion of the US state of Michigan between New Buffalo and Detroit...
at both ends on completion.
The 8.7 miles (14 km) long "Willow Run Expressway" was hurriedly constructed in December 1941 after following the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
to help workers in the Detroit area get to Willow Run
Willow Run
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft....
on the eastern edge of 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...
where the B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
airplanes were being made during the war. It was built right next to the existing Chase Road and was completed in September 1942 as a four-lane divided highway with some cross-road intersections, from Huron River Drive in western Romulus
Romulus, Michigan
Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
to US 112
U.S. Route 112
U.S. Route 112 was a largely east–west state trunkline highway across the southern portion of the US state of Michigan between New Buffalo and Detroit...
on the west side of Willow Run via the Willow Run Bypass. Chase Road acted as the new service drive for the expressway.
The "Detroit Industrial Expressway" was built between 1943 through 1945 from the eastern end of the Willow Run Expressway in Romulus
Romulus, Michigan
Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...
first to Southfield Highway in Allen Park
Allen Park, Michigan
Allen Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,210. The suburb of Detroit was recognized in Money Magazine's list of America's Best Small Cities. Allen Park is part of the collection of communities known as DownriverFord Motor...
and then to US 112
U.S. Route 112
U.S. Route 112 was a largely east–west state trunkline highway across the southern portion of the US state of Michigan between New Buffalo and Detroit...
/Michigan Avenue (now US 12
U.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...
) near the boundary between Detroit and Dearborn
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. It was constructed as a limited-access road
Limited-access road
A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...
.
Some tri-level grade separation bridges that were built as part of the Willow Run and Detroit Industrial Expressways are recognized as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as significant components of the expressway system and as creative engineering solutions to the massive volume of traffic anticipated when shifts changed at the bomber plant. They can be found along US 12 as it passes by the Willow Run plant, now called Willow Run Transmission
Willow Run Transmission
Willow Run Transmission is a General Motors factory in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. Opened in 1953, it produced Hydra-Matic automatic transmissions for use by General Motors and others...
.
The road was later designated as M-112 . It was then redesignated as US 12 in 1956, and the M-112 designation has not been used since. Beginning in 1958, the route was assimilated into the Interstate System
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...
as I-94. In the mid 1960s, the Willow Run Expressway was reconstructed to full Interstate standards, complete with full interchanges at Belleville and Haggerty Roads.
Major intersections
External links
- M-112 at Michigan Highways
- Early Willow Run, Detroit Industrial & Edsel Ford Expressways at Michigan Highways
Historic Bridge Listings