8 mile over hall rd?

[DTWflyer]

No.

Big-box Hall Road style retail is so late 90s/early 2000s. The best case if the surrounding demographic supported it would be for a few more retail power centers. There are a lot of opportunities to remake the Northland area but no one sees any potential demand there.

8 Mile in theory should look more like Woodward between 8-14 Mile through Oakland County at it best. It probably never will though.

8 Mile is a great east-west route, and during rush hour can be faster than I-696.

Yes, I can remember when Hall Road was 2 lanes from Utica over to I-94.

[Smirnoff]

Any strip joints on Hall Rd.....I know the Sail Inn closed several years ago at the very end of M-59.

[Hermod]

No.
Yes, I can remember when Hall Road was 2 lanes from Utica over to I-94.

At some point east of Utica, the name changed from "Hall Road" to "Wm. P. Rosso".

West of Utica at some point M-59 changed from "Hall Road" to "Auburn Road".

[Jimaz]

...West of Utica at some point M-59 changed from "Hall Road" to "Auburn Road".

Farther west of Utica, Auburn Rd. is a mile north of where Hall Rd. would be if extended due westward but Auburn does indeed veer northwest from Hall. Was Auburn Rd. ever officially designated as M-59? It wouldn't surprise me if it were. I recall driving from Utica to Oakland U. in 1971 and Auburn seemed the only reasonable route. I think the M-59 expressway was in an intermediate stage of construction at that time.

Here's a screenshot of the DTE aerial photo from 1967:

Attachment 24582

It looks like Dobry turned south at Ryan in 1967.

At Hall Rd.'s latitude today, Dobry parallels the M-59 expressway westward from Utica until Dequindre then becomes South Blvd through Woodward south of Pontiac.

[Hermod]

Auburn Road was M-59 before the expressway was built. West of Utica, Auburn Road did a dogleg north.

In 1950, my grandfather semi-retired and my grandmother pushed for country living. They bought a farmhouse and barn north of Rochester from an estate. They moved out there from St Clair south of Warren on the east side. When we would go out there to visit them, we would take Whittier to Hayes, Hayes to 8-Mile, 8-Mile to Mound, and Mound to Auburn. Mound Road at the time dead ended at Auburn with just fields further north. We then took Auburn to Rochester Rd and up to my grandparents. Mound Road was four lane divided up to 14 mile and two lane above that. Auburn and Rochester Rd were two lane except for four lanes in Rochester proper.

[Jimaz]

Auburn Road was M-59 before the expressway was built. West of Utica, Auburn Road did a dogleg north....

Yes, that confirms my memory too. Thanks.

... and Mound to Auburn. Mound Road at the time dead ended at Auburn with just fields further north....

Due to the Clinton River. Yes. Then Mound Rd. continues beyond that river, north of 22 Mi.

It's amazing how we grow/flow around that pesky river even to this day. It will outlast us all.

[Mikeg]

1916 Utica area road map:



1932 Utica area road map: