M-97 (Michigan Highway)
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M-97 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. It runs from
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
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 M-3, known for most of its length as Gratiot Avenue (, ), is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Detroit metropolitan area of the US state of Michigan. The trunkline starts in Downtown Detroit and runs through the city in a northeas ...
, 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 Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...
. 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 Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...
. M-97 crosses
Interstate 696 Interstate 696 (I-696) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Metro Detroit region of the US state of Michigan. The state trunkline highway is also known as the Walter P. Reuther Freeway, named for the prominent auto indus ...
(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 Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal ...
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 The Clinton River is a river in southeastern Michigan in the United States. It is named in honor of DeWitt Clinton, who was governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. The main branch of the river rises from wetlands and coldwater tributaries from ...
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 Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...
, an
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...
facility on
Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...
. The road continues north as a county road known as North Avenue.


History

The Macomb County Road Commission passed Resolution 15 on October 23, 1925. This resolution authorized the construction of a new roadway 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 general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
. 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).


Major intersections


See also

*


References


External links


M-97
at Michigan Highways
at Michigan Highway Ends--> {{DEFAULTSORT:M097 097 Transportation in Wayne County, Michigan Transportation in Macomb County, Michigan