I-696 Location Alternatives - What Could Have Been

[nain rouge]

It's funny because the most use that I get out of 696 is going from I-75 to Woodward. I used to take it to an ex's place in Warren, and it really was the worst.

I think it promoted a lot of job and residential sprawl in Oakland County. If you live in Warren, Roseville, Eastpointe, and etc., it's seemingly more likely than not you'll take 696 to another freeway to get to work, either in OC or up on 20-26 Mile. And the few good jobs in south Macomb County are usually filled by 696 commuters from Oakland County. It's basically encouraged south Macomb to be a jobless pit with cheap residential neighborhoods.

[DTWflyer]

Oh I know it decimated neighborhoods, it wiped out the far southeast corner of Royal Oak, east of Campbell and south of Lincoln. At least running it along 10 mile instead of Farnum didn't put another gash through there.

696 between I-75 and Telegraph has some interesting commuting habits.

In the morning, there is a lot traffic coming west out of Macomb County headed onto NB I-75 to jobs I presume are in Troy. On the other head, eastbound is obviously heavy into Southfield.

In the afternoon, going straight across eastbound into Macomb County isn't too bad. Westbound out of Southfield is obviously bad.
However, eastbound I-696 into the I-75 interchange is stupidity at its finest, and a ton of traffic trying to get onto NB I-75, again people who I presume are leaving Southfield and heading up to Troy, Sterling Heights, etc.

This section of I-696 made it possible for people in Macomb County to get to jobs over in Southfield. I think it made Southfield more relevant for business, but that seems to have now waned.

Southern Macomb county has always been a blue collar / manufacturing economy, before and after I-696.

[jackie5275]

Oh I know it decimated neighborhoods, it wiped out the far southeast corner of Royal Oak, east of Campbell and south of Lincoln. At least running it along 10 mile instead of Farnum didn't put another gash through there.

I remember having to drive to work along Woodward between 8 & 12 Mile during the mid 80s when the final middle piece was being constructed. I remember huge swaths of neighborhoods being literally dug up and carried out to make room for the freeway never to return again. Parts of Pleasant Ridge that used to come right up along the west side of Woodward either disappeared or were moved far back from the freeway. Woodward was never the same again either. When the traffic was being rerouted onto what is now the N/S service drives, so to speak, of Woodward, I never visualized that these "temporary" lanes would turn into permanent ones. I always envisioned Woodward would stay above as an 8 lane boulevard/bridge with the freeway below similarly as it went over 8 Mile at that time.

That middle section construction seemed to take forever too. It was probably about 5 yrs in total. Having to drive it everyday was brutal.

[motz]

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.

From what I see, a lot of the issues come from absolutely terrible driving habits. People who want to go from merging from I-696 to the far left lane RIGHT NOW and will cut off EVERYONE WHO OPPOSES THIS. It's the worst. I just avoid 696 now that I live in Detroit.

I think it promoted a lot of job and residential sprawl in Oakland County. If you live in Warren, Roseville, Eastpointe, and etc., it's seemingly more likely than not you'll take 696 to another freeway to get to work, either in OC or up on 20-26 Mile. And the few good jobs in south Macomb County are usually filled by 696 commuters from Oakland County. It's basically encouraged south Macomb to be a jobless pit with cheap residential neighborhoods.

I definitely agree. I know a lot of people who have been able to live farther from their jobs because of 696. It's allowed friends to live in Hazel Park and commute to Southfield, or allowed them to live in Novi and work downtown. Without 696, I can't imagine things would be insanely different, but I think the sprawl wouldn't have been so heavily east-west without the connector that is 696.

[Detroitnerd]

I definitely agree. I know a lot of people who have been able to live farther from their jobs because of 696. It's allowed friends to live in Hazel Park and commute to Southfield, or allowed them to live in Novi and work downtown. Without 696, I can't imagine things would be insanely different, but I think the sprawl wouldn't have been so heavily east-west without the connector that is 696.

When you consider that transportation policies ARE development policies, it makes sense that a generation that felt it could thrive and prosper without a central city would want a lateral freeway traversing the suburbs and giving sprawl a boost to the west. We'll be paying the price for a while, I think, since it's done its job: disturbing the spoked-wheel pattern the city was built upon.

[Gpwrangler]

From what I see, a lot of the issues come from absolutely terrible driving habits. People who want to go from merging from I-696 to the far left lane RIGHT NOW and will cut off EVERYONE WHO OPPOSES THIS. It's the worst. I just avoid 696 now that I live in Detroit.

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.

[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.

[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.