M-53 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-53 is a gateway route to The Thumb
region of the US state of Michigan
, carrying vacationers to the many cottages and resorts located on Saginaw Bay
and Lake Huron
in the vicinity of Caseville
and Port Austin
. This highway is also used to transport agricultural and manufactured products from the Thumb
region to the Detroit
Metropolitan area. In Macomb County
, M-53 (Pinnebog Road) is also a major north–south commuter route.
This portion of the M-53 freeway was constructed in the 1960s and was envisioned as part of a much larger project to connect the freeways within the city of Detroit
with a proposed M-21
(now I-69
) freeway near Imlay City
. Only the portion from 18 ½ Mile Road in Sterling Heights
northerly to north of 27 Mile Road near Washington was built, although a massive freeway-to-freeway interchange was completed along I-696
at Mound Road in Warren
in the early 1970s.
As of 2004, the Romeo
bypass (continuing on north of the freeway) was upgraded to a limited-access, divided expressway (no private access, but without grade-separated interchanges) and long-range plans are to convert this segment to fully controlled-access freeway in the future.
The M-53 freeway in Macomb County is officially named the Christopher Columbus Freeway and signs are posted with this name at many of the interchanges. Radio traffic reports have been known to use the official name, the colloquial "Van Dyke Freeway" as well as "M-53 Freeway" interchangeably over the years.
Most of the M-53 roadway that runs through the gently rolling agricultural countryside of its northern stretches consists of two lanes, one in each direction. A six-mile (10 km) long section through the orchards near Romeo
has been constructed as a limited access highway and is being improved with grade separations. South of Romeo, M-53 becomes a rural controlled access freeway, with two lanes in each direction over a nine-mile (14 km) length. This is followed by three miles (4.8 km) of a six-lane boulevard configuration through the outer-ring suburb of Sterling Heights
, while the remainder of the roadway through Warren
and Center Line
is six traffic lanes with a center turn lane; it is four traffic lanes in Detroit.
M-53 is serviced by I-69 exit 168, south of Imlay City
and by I-696 exit 23 on the Warren – Center Line border at 11 Mile Road. M-53 also intersects with M-142
in Bad Axe, M-81
near Cass City
, M-46
north of Marlette
, M-59
in Utica
, and M-102
(Eight Mile Road) on the Warren–Detroit border. M-53 has a four-lane setup in the countryside several miles south of Marlette and most of it consists of a concurrency of M-90
.
Freeway (a nod to Macomb County's large Italian American
population), but it is more commonly called either the Van Dyke Expressway, Van Dyke Freeway or M-53 Freeway. The remaining southerly portion carries the name Van Dyke Avenue and is also known as the Earle Memorial Highway, in honor of Horatio Earle
, Michigan's first Highway Commissioner. Beyond the southern terminus of M-53, the roadway continues on as a residential street known as Van Dyke Street until it ends at Jefferson Avenue near the Detroit River
. Outside of Detroit, along most of the non-freeway stretches of M-53, the road is commonly known as Van Dyke Road.
. A realignment in the city of Detroit moved the highway to Mound Road in 1922. The highway was moved over to Van Dyke Road in Detroit and north into Macomb County in 1925. An extension in 1926 moved the northern terminus to Port Austin along the former M-19
. A new route near Imlay City was opened in 1932, with the southern section of the bypass opened by 1937.
M-53 was completely paved by 1940 when the last 11 miles (17.7 km) were paved in Huron and Sanilac counties. The first divided highway section was completed in 1952 in Warren, with an additional 2 miles (3.2 km) completed the following year, completing the divided highway between 12 Mile and 17 Mile roads. Full freeway segments were built in 1965 between 18 Mile and 27½ Mile roads near Utica and Romeo. The plans at the time were to extend the freeway west one mile to Mound Road and then have it continue south along the Mound Road corridor into Detroit (in fact, a 4-level freeway-to-freeway interchange has already been completed at the intersection of Mound Road and I-696
in Warren
) to connect with the Davison Freeway
and I-96. Construction started on the Romeo Bypass in 1989. Completed in 1992, the bypass extended a two-lane expressway to 34 Mile Road. Further construction on the remaining two lanes was started in 2002. When it was finished in 2003, the highway had two remaining intersections but is otherwise a limited-access freeway. The old highway was transferred to local control and removed from the state trunkline highway system.
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
region 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"....
, carrying vacationers to the many cottages and resorts located on Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay
Saginaw Bay is a bay within Lake Huron located on the eastern side of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms the space between Michigan's Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Saginaw Bay is in area...
and Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
in the vicinity of Caseville
Caseville, Michigan
Caseville is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 888 at the 2000 census. The city is surrounded by Caseville Township. It is home to the 10-day festival, a tribute to Jimmy Buffett's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise"...
and Port Austin
Port Austin, Michigan
Port Austin is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 737 at the 2000 census. The village is within Port Austin Township.-Geography:...
. This highway is also used to transport agricultural and manufactured products from the Thumb
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus the Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The Thumb is generally considered to be in the Mid-Michigan area of the state, located east of Flint/Tri-Cities...
region to 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...
Metropolitan area. In 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...
, M-53 (Pinnebog Road) is also a major north–south commuter route.
Route description
The Van Dyke Freeway, is an 8.75 miles (14.1 km) segment of M-53 that is a controlled-access freeway, unconnected to any other freeways in the state.This portion of the M-53 freeway was constructed in the 1960s and was envisioned as part of a much larger project to connect the freeways within the city of 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...
with a proposed M-21
M-21 (Michigan highway)
M-21 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan connecting the cities of Grand Rapids and Flint. The highway passes through rural farming country and several small towns along its course through the Lower Peninsula...
(now 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...
) freeway near Imlay City
Imlay City, Michigan
Imlay City is a city in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,869 at the 2000 census and 3,597 at the 2010 census.-Education:Imlay City has five public schools and one private school...
. Only the portion from 18 ½ Mile Road in Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
northerly to north of 27 Mile Road near Washington was built, although a massive freeway-to-freeway interchange was completed along I-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...
at Mound Road in 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....
in the early 1970s.
As of 2004, the Romeo
Romeo, Michigan
Romeo is a village in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,721 at the 2000 census. The village is situated at the southeast corner of Bruce Township, with a portion extending south into Washington Township. Armada Township is adjacent to the east and Ray Township to the...
bypass (continuing on north of the freeway) was upgraded to a limited-access, divided expressway (no private access, but without grade-separated interchanges) and long-range plans are to convert this segment to fully controlled-access freeway in the future.
The M-53 freeway in Macomb County is officially named the Christopher Columbus Freeway and signs are posted with this name at many of the interchanges. Radio traffic reports have been known to use the official name, the colloquial "Van Dyke Freeway" as well as "M-53 Freeway" interchangeably over the years.
Most of the M-53 roadway that runs through the gently rolling agricultural countryside of its northern stretches consists of two lanes, one in each direction. A six-mile (10 km) long section through the orchards near Romeo
Romeo, Michigan
Romeo is a village in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,721 at the 2000 census. The village is situated at the southeast corner of Bruce Township, with a portion extending south into Washington Township. Armada Township is adjacent to the east and Ray Township to the...
has been constructed as a limited access highway and is being improved with grade separations. South of Romeo, M-53 becomes a rural controlled access freeway, with two lanes in each direction over a nine-mile (14 km) length. This is followed by three miles (4.8 km) of a six-lane boulevard configuration through the outer-ring suburb of Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...
, while the remainder of the roadway 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....
and Center Line
Center Line, Michigan
Center Line is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,531 at the 2000 census. Completely surrounded by the city of Warren, it was known as Kunrod's Corner during the mid-nineteenth century.-History:...
is six traffic lanes with a center turn lane; it is four traffic lanes in Detroit.
M-53 is serviced by I-69 exit 168, south of Imlay City
Imlay City, Michigan
Imlay City is a city in Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,869 at the 2000 census and 3,597 at the 2010 census.-Education:Imlay City has five public schools and one private school...
and by I-696 exit 23 on the Warren – Center Line border at 11 Mile Road. M-53 also intersects with M-142
M-142 (Michigan highway)
M-142 is a state trunkline highway in the Thumb region of the US state of Michigan. It is a "trans-peninsular" route in that it travels from Bay Port on Saginaw Bay to Harbor Beach on Lake Huron, thereby crossing the thumb peninsula.-Route description:...
in Bad Axe, M-81
M-81 (Michigan highway)
M-81 is a state trunkline in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that travels from the city of Saginaw at the junction with M-13 and ends at the junction with M-53 east of Cass City over the county line in Greenleaf Township in northwestern Sanilac County.-Route description:M-81 starts...
near Cass City
Cass City, Michigan
Cass City is a village in Tuscola County in the Flint/Tri-Cities area of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,428 at the 2010 U.S. Census and 2,643 at the 2000 U.S. Census . It is located along the M-81 state trunkline approximately 4 miles west of that highway's intersection with M-53...
, M-46
M-46 (Michigan highway)
M-46 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan between Muskegon and Port Sanilac, terminating near Lake Michigan and Lake Huron on each end. Except for the north–south segment that corresponds with the US Highway 131 freeway between Cedar Springs and Howard City, M-46 is...
north of Marlette
Marlette, Michigan
Marlette is a city in Sanilac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2006 US Census population estimate was 2,053. The city is located within Marlette Township, but is politically autonomous....
, 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...
in Utica
Utica, Michigan
Utica is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,577 at the 2000 census. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate places the population at 4,924.- History :...
, and 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...
(Eight Mile Road) on the Warren–Detroit border. M-53 has a four-lane setup in the countryside several miles south of Marlette and most of it consists of a concurrency of M-90
M-90 (Michigan highway)
M-90 is a state trunkline highway in The Thumb region of the US state of Michigan. It runs from near North Branch eastward to Lexington situated on Lake Huron. The highway is a lightly traveled roadway that runs through rural farmlands. The trunkline runs mostly east–west with two short north–south...
.
Maintenance issues
When the freeway section of Van Dyke ends just south of M-59, it becomes a six-lane road with three lanes each way. It is here that funding changes hands, and the condition of the road deteriorates quite severely. Due to the large amount of heavy trucks driving down this road, the road becomes beaten and battered. In addition, Michigan weather takes its toll. Every year, much of the road needs to be rebuilt. However work has slowed quite considerably in the recent year. Many MI residents call for work to resume. Businesses have blamed lost business on customers' lack of desire to use the road. Macomb County has, due to the pressure from taxpayers, agreed to a $700,000 resurfacing effort that will tide the road over until 2011 for a total reconstruction.Alternate names
The freeway portion of M-53 is officially known as the Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
Freeway (a nod to Macomb County's large Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
population), but it is more commonly called either the Van Dyke Expressway, Van Dyke Freeway or M-53 Freeway. The remaining southerly portion carries the name Van Dyke Avenue and is also known as the Earle Memorial Highway, in honor of Horatio Earle
Horatio Earle
Horatio Sawyer Earle is known as the "Father of Good Roads" or simply Horatio "Good Roads" Earle.-Early life:Earle was born February 14, 1855 on a farm in Mount Holly, Vermont. He married Agnes Lincoln in 1874 and they had a son, Romeo Horatio Earle in 1878...
, Michigan's first Highway Commissioner. Beyond the southern terminus of M-53, the roadway continues on as a residential street known as Van Dyke Street until it ends at Jefferson Avenue 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...
. Outside of Detroit, along most of the non-freeway stretches of M-53, the road is commonly known as Van Dyke Road.
History
M-53 was first designated by 1920. It started at Gratiot Avenue in Detroit running north through Centerline, and Utica to eventually end east of Elkton on M-31M-31 (Michigan highway)
M-31 was a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula in the US state of Michigan. It served as a connecting route between Saginaw, The Thumb communities, and Port Huron.-Route description:...
. A realignment in the city of Detroit moved the highway to Mound Road in 1922. The highway was moved over to Van Dyke Road in Detroit and north into Macomb County in 1925. An extension in 1926 moved the northern terminus to Port Austin along the former M-19
M-19 (Michigan highway)
M-19 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It begins northeast of Detroit at a junction with I-94 and runs northward to a junction with M-142 just east of Bad Axe in the thumb.-Route description:...
. A new route near Imlay City was opened in 1932, with the southern section of the bypass opened by 1937.
M-53 was completely paved by 1940 when the last 11 miles (17.7 km) were paved in Huron and Sanilac counties. The first divided highway section was completed in 1952 in Warren, with an additional 2 miles (3.2 km) completed the following year, completing the divided highway between 12 Mile and 17 Mile roads. Full freeway segments were built in 1965 between 18 Mile and 27½ Mile roads near Utica and Romeo. The plans at the time were to extend the freeway west one mile to Mound Road and then have it continue south along the Mound Road corridor into Detroit (in fact, a 4-level freeway-to-freeway interchange has already been completed at the intersection of Mound Road and I-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...
in 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....
) to connect with the Davison Freeway
M-8 (Michigan highway)
M-8 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan lying within the cities of Detroit and Highland Park. Much of it is the Davison Freeway, the nation's first urban depressed freeway, which became a connector between the Lodge and the Chrysler Freeways.Named for an English immigrant...
and I-96. Construction started on the Romeo Bypass in 1989. Completed in 1992, the bypass extended a two-lane expressway to 34 Mile Road. Further construction on the remaining two lanes was started in 2002. When it was finished in 2003, the highway had two remaining intersections but is otherwise a limited-access freeway. The old highway was transferred to local control and removed from the state trunkline highway system.