I-696 Location Alternatives - What Could Have Been

[Honky Tonk]

It's definitely not the road to take if you don't accelerate when you merge. I don't know who teaches people to try and merge into 70mph traffic doing 45 and then try to get in the fast lane but it's a circus. Of course, I94 is worse.

The same people that teach them to come to a dead stop @ the bottom of the ramp and look both ways.

[Scottathew]

What Could Have Been - Macomb County, I-94, and the Mound Interchange


- The 1963 plans make no mention of a transition from the 10 Mile alignment to the 11 Mile alignment at Dequindre, which is what we have today
- In the 1963 plan, the Mound Road interchange was a cloverleaf at both the 11 Mile and 10 Mile alignment [[well, 10.5 Mile)
- The 10 Mile alignment was actually a 10.5 Mile alignment from Dequindre to Hoover, presumably to save downtown Center Line.
- The 11 Mile Alignment from Van Dyke to I-94 stays very true to 11 Mile, with the majority of ROW acquisition on the north side of 11 Mile
- The 10 Mile Alignment from Hoover to I-94 stays very true to 10 Mile, with the majority of ROW acquisition on the north side of 11 Mile

East-side Overview from Dequindre to Hoover


East-side Overview from Hoover to Kelly


I-94 Overview


I-94 10 Mile Alignment


Mound 10 Mile Alignment


Mound 11 Mile Alignment




If anyone has any questions or wants me to grab shots of a certain area, please let me know. I will only have the book for about another week and then I must return it.

Enjoy!

[Don K]

I believe the last portion of 696 [[the part through Royal Oak and the like) was built well after 275.

Yep. 275 was complete when I moved to the area in 78. Wikipedia says the stretch from Telegraph near Monroe to Ford Road was the last part finished and opened in January, 77. 696 between the Lodge and 75 opened in December 89. Between 96 and the Lodge opened in 63-64, and 75 to 94 opened in January 79.

I remember the opening of the Lodge to 75 segment after all of the wrangling over the alignment, and the relief felt by state officials that the Interstate highways in MI had finally been completed [[less the extension of 275 to 75 near Davisburg).

[Mikeg]

What Could Have Been - Macomb County, I-94, and the Mound Interchange


- The 1963 plans make no mention of a transition from the 10 Mile alignment to the 11 Mile alignment at Dequindre, which is what we have today
- In the 1963 plan, the Mound Road interchange was a cloverleaf at both the 11 Mile and 10 Mile alignment [[well, 10.5 Mile)
- The 10 Mile alignment was actually a 10.5 Mile alignment from Dequindre to Hoover, presumably to save downtown Center Line.
- The 11 Mile Alignment from Van Dyke to I-94 stays very true to 11 Mile, with the majority of ROW acquisition on the north side of 11 Mile
- The 10 Mile Alignment from Hoover to I-94 stays very true to 10 Mile, with the majority of ROW acquisition on the north side of 11 Mile

Thanks for these latest images!

[Don K]

It's definitely not the road to take if you don't accelerate when you merge. I don't know who teaches people to try and merge into 70mph traffic doing 45 and then try to get in the fast lane but it's a circus. Of course, I94 is worse.

When I was taking drivers ed in NJ in 70, the teacher [[also the football coach) had us drive on a stretch of the local Interstate one day. His instructions were "Boys, I don't want you to burn rubber on the entrance ramp, but please get the car up to speed before you try to merge into traffic. GET ON THE DAMNED GAS!!" I've always taken that advice to heart . Really, as fast as Detroiters [[meaning residents of the area, not specifically residents of the city) drive on the freeways, a lot of them have terrible merging habits. I remember once seeing a K-car loaded down with 6 people merge onto the Jeffries doing about 40 and then move over a lane without accelerating at all, without the driver checking his mirrors, so damn near getting rear-ended twice. Although in fairness, it probably was contrary to the laws of physics for a Reliant/Aries with that kind of a load to get up to 60 by the end of the ramp.

[Gpwrangler]

When I was taking drivers ed in NJ in 70, the teacher [[also the football coach) had us drive on a stretch of the local Interstate one day. His instructions were "Boys, I don't want you to burn rubber on the entrance ramp, but please get the car up to speed before you try to merge into traffic. GET ON THE DAMNED GAS!!" I've always taken that advice to heart . Really, as fast as Detroiters [[meaning residents of the area, not specifically residents of the city) drive on the freeways, a lot of them have terrible merging habits. I remember once seeing a K-car loaded down with 6 people merge onto the Jeffries doing about 40 and then move over a lane without accelerating at all, without the driver checking his mirrors, so damn near getting rear-ended twice. Although in fairness, it probably was contrary to the laws of physics for a Reliant/Aries with that kind of a load to get up to 60 by the end of the ramp.

I rented a Chevrolet Spark [[most underpowered car in the world) last month and entered I94 at Cadieux. Even in that car I was easily able to get up to traffic speed [[over 60 anyway) without problems. However I've seen people merge on at 26 mile road, and use up the whole half mile ramp and merge in at 40. I used to drive a truck and people would almost drive under it while merging.

[Don K]

I rented a Chevrolet Spark [[most underpowered car in the world) last month and entered I94 at Cadieux. Even in that car I was easily able to get up to traffic speed [[over 60 anyway) without problems. However I've seen people merge on at 26 mile road, and use up the whole half mile ramp and merge in at 40. I used to drive a truck and people would almost drive under it while merging.

I hear ya. The worst is being stuck behind one of these morons on the ramp and having to merge behind them. SB Telegraph to SB Lodge [[a left entrance) is the worst out this way. Traffic on the Lodge has a good head of steam going from the light at Franklin, so merging at 40 isn't recommended. At least there is enough ramp before the ramp to 696 that you can blow by them on the left and merge at a reasonable speed. That is, unless they're going to 696 and figure there's no reason to waste gas by getting up to speed before the 696 ramp. I used to be pretty good at judging which cars would try to merge at the slowest speeds and hang back so I could run up behind them getting to normal merging speed. In the 80s, my choices were Tempo/Topaz, Aries/Reliant, AMC Pacer, and various old-folks cars such as 70s Lincolns and Cadillacs.

[248lurker]

As the final leg between I-75 and the Lodge Freeway was being constructed, I thought my parents mentioned that one proposed alignment would go slightly north of 10 Mile and cross Woodward at Harrison and go just north of the Zoo, presumably along Huntington and Ludlow in Huntington Woods.

Some of these proposed alignments are interesting. It's interesting trying to imagine some of those interchanges and how they'd look today if these alternates were constructed.

[softailrider]

696 really screwed up the front 9 at Rackham Golf Course. They changed it a lot putting in doglegs on a few holes. The back nine is the same but the front 9 isn't as much fun as it used to be.

[ekurpis]

To 48307: Could you possibly post a clearer picture of the portion of this plan that shows what happens in Center Line under Alignment 2? I can't seem to read street names here and I am very curious about what would have happened in my neighborhood. Thanks!

[Scottathew]

To 48307: Could you possibly post a clearer picture of the portion of this plan that shows what happens in Center Line under Alignment 2? I can't seem to read street names here and I am very curious about what would have happened in my neighborhood. Thanks!

But of course. Here you go!

Center Line - "10 Mile Alternative" - Click here for Larger Picture

[Scottathew]

A friend of mine brought the below to my attention.

Just WOW, imagine:

- Grand River as a freeway
- Mound Road as a freeway down to I-94
- The Davison connecting I-96, M-10, I-75, Mound Road Freeway, and I-94 [[on the eastside), and Vernor Highway [[as a freeway)
- Vernor Highway as a redundant freeway to I-94

Image link: https://detroitography.files.wordpre...d-highways.jpg

[Meddle]

Weren't Grand River and Mound built [[more or less) with that in mind? Mound was divided/boulevard.

Grand River turns to freeway in Farmington, but it was wide enough in some places to carry that further inbound.

[Meddle]

And if you'll note the route of the Jeffries, along Grand River to Schoolcraft, well, the map shows that. And the tie in to the Davison was built at both ends.

E. Vernor is partially divided too if I recall.

[Funaho]

Grand River was the original I-96 route which is why I-96 is broken at I-275; it would have originally been a straight shot up to what is now the 275/96/696/M5 interchange.Also interesting to note that the map shows what would become I-75 veering onto Woodward at McNichols.

[Ray1936]

Look closely at that new map. It clearly shows a dip in the "Grand River Freeway" at Oakman, where the Sears, Roebuck & Co shopping area existed. Obviously they didn't want to destroy that complex. Then another dip at Greenfield, to avoid Monkey Wards and Federals.

Well, didn't matter, Grand River is all history now, anyway.

[EastsideAl]

The large divided roadway on Mound Rd. was intended to have a streetcar car line up the middle, as was Northwestern/James Couzens Highway. The suburban divided roadway on Grand River, as well as the ones on Woodward, Gratiot, Michigan, Fort, and Stephenson Highway all actually had streetcar lines on them.

[Hermod]

The large divided roadway on Mound Rd. was intended to have a streetcar car line up the middle, as was Northwestern/James Couzens Highway. The suburban divided roadway on Grand River, as well as the ones on Woodward, Gratiot, Michigan, Fort, and Stephenson Highway all actually had streetcar lines on them.

Originally, the streetcar/interurban lines ran up the side of the roads. When they widened the highways, the state made a median for the rails. Unfortunately, the state also made the interurbans pay the entire cost of relocating their rails from the side to then median strip. This was a major nail in the coffin of the already financially weak interurbans and hastened their demise.

[Zacha341]

The Ben Hur chariot races come to mind as well!

It's not called the Autobahn of Detroit for nothing. You get off 75 onto 696 in any direction and it's basically being thrown into a NASCAR race.

[Woodward22]

There have been recent discussions between city officials and professional consultants on how to improve the Woodward/696 interchange. One suggestion eliminates the underground section of Woodward, making it all street level. And also building out storefronts on the street level where Main Street crosses over 696. Both suggestions make the area more user friendly and way more attractive. By today's standards, the current interchange design is a mess according to the consultants.

[mtburb]

The suburban divided roadway on Fort actually had streetcar lines on them.

That was never the case, although Electric Street, two blocks east, did once have streetcar rails in it's median.