M-14 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the southeastern portion of the US state of Michigan. Entirely freeway, it runs for 22.250 miles (35.808 km) to connect Ann Arbor with Detroit by way of a connection with Interstate 96 (I-96). The western terminus is at a partial interchange with I-94 west of Ann Arbor. From there, the freeway curves around the north side of Ann Arbor and runs concurrently with US Highway 23 (US 23). East of that section, M-14 passes through woodlands and fields in Washtenaw County. In Wayne County, the freeway returns to a suburban area of mixed residential neighborhoods and light industrial areas. It crosses two different rivers and a pair of rail lines as it approaches Detroit's inner suburbs, where it terminates at an interchange between I-96 and I-275.

M-14 marker
M-14
Map
M-14 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length22.250 mi[1] (35.808 km)
Existed1956[2][3]–present
Major junctions
West end I-94 near Ann Arbor
Major intersections
East end I-96 / I-275 near Livonia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesWashtenaw, Wayne
Highway system

Conn. M-13
M-15

When the state's highway system was first signed in 1919, there was a different M-14 that ran the length of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This was later replaced by a pair of different US Highways in the 1920s and 1930s. Another M-14 was designated that lasted until the 1940s. The current highway dates back to 1956 when it was designated along a series of roads that previously carried US 12. During the 1960s and 1970s, M-14 was moved to the freeway alignment it currently uses; sections of the former route are still maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) as unsigned highways.

Route description

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The western terminus of M-14 is west of Ann Arbor, at exit 171 on I-94. This is a partial interchange; only traffic from eastbound I-94 can access eastbound M-14, and traffic from westbound M-14 must follow westbound I-94. From this junction, M-14 runs northeasterly through suburban Scio Township. The freeway is bordered by residential subdivisions to the southeast and woodlands to the northwest. M-14 curves around to the east through an interchange that has ramps that connect Miller and Maple roads; the ramps connect to Maple Road through a pair of roundabouts. As it approaches the Huron River, the freeway has an interchange with Business US 23 (Bus. US 23); the two highways merge and run concurrently to the north over the river. Bus. US 23/M-14 then has an unusual right-in/right-out interchange that uses short connector roads to provide access to Barton Drive on the north side of the river. The freeway then continues north to an interchange with US 23. The business loop ends there, and M-14 turns eastward to follow the US 23 freeway around the north side of Ann Arbor.[4][5]

The US 23/M-14 freeway runs for about one mile (1.6 km) before US 23 turns southward to run between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti while M-14 continues east through Ann Arbor Township past Domino's Farms,[4][5] the office complex for Domino's Pizza that was to be the home to Tom Monaghan's Leaning Tower of Pizza.[6] East of that complex, M-14 runs through woodlands and fields north of the community of Dixboro. The freeway turns northeasterly after the interchange with M-153. At the Napier Road underpass, M-14 crosses into Wayne County.[4][5]

Once across the county line, the M-14 freeway runs through residential subdivisions from the western Detroit suburbs. There is an interchange for Beck Road and M-14 expands to six lanes, turning back to the east.[4][5] The freeway crosses a rail line operated by CSX Transportation,[7] and passes the Ford Motor Company's Sheldon Road Plant near the Sheldon Road interchange. There is a crossing for another CSX rail line near the bridges over the River Rouge by the St. Johns Golf Course. The freeway through this area curves around a bit north of its previous course. As M-14 nears the Livonia city line, it meets an interchange with I-96 and I-275 that marks the eastern terminus of M-14 in Plymouth Township.[4][5]

M-14 is maintained by MDOT like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-14 were the 86,500 vehicles daily east of the Sheldon Road interchange in Plymouth Township; the lowest counts were the 26,641 vehicles per day west of the Miller Road interchange.[8] All of M-14 has been listed on the National Highway System,[9] a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[10]

History

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Previous designations

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In July 1919, M-14 was signed on a north–south route that ran most of the length of the Lower Peninsula, beginning at the Ohio state line south of Hudson to end three miles (4.8 km) south of downtown Cheboygan. It mostly followed the path of present-day US 127, I-75 and M-27.[11][12] This edition of M-14 was truncated in November 1926 when the US Highway System was formed. From the Jackson area north to Lansing, it was US 127; from Lansing to Cheboygan, it was US 27.[13] In 1930, US 127 was rerouted to replace the remainder of M-14 when US 223 was created.[14][15] Right afterwards, M-14 was designated from Battle Creek to Edmore.[16][17] This designation of M-14 was eliminated when M-66 was rerouted to replace it in the mid-1940s.[18][19]

Current designation

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In 1956, the portion of US 12 from the west side of Ann Arbor into Detroit was rerouted from surface streets to new stretches of freeways running south of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The former route of US 12, much of which was known as Plymouth Road, was retained as a trunkline and redesignated M-14.[2][3] In 1964, a northern bypass connecting US 23 with M-153 was completed, and M-14 was rerouted onto the new freeway; the highway still ran through Ann Arbor along routes now designated Bus. US 23 and Business Loop I-94.[20][21] The following year, the freeway was extended to its present western terminus at I-94, and M-14 is removed from the business routes and transferred to the expressway.[21][22]

In 1977, when the Jeffries Freeway (I-96) was completed, M-14 was shortened to have its eastern terminus at I-275 exit 28 in Plymouth Township, and the portion of Plymouth Road within the city of Detroit was returned to local control.[23][24] The portion of Plymouth Road–Ann Arbor Road between I-275 and the city boundary with Redford Township was retained as an unsigned trunkline, maintained by the state to this day.[25] In 1979, the final segment of the M-14 freeway, between M-153 and I-275 was completed. The former route of M-14 in Washtenaw County along Plymouth–Ann Arbor Road was returned to local control.[26][27] The portion of Ann Arbor Road from the Wayne County line east to I-275 also became an unsigned state trunkline, also still maintained by MDOT.[25]

Exit list

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmExit[5]DestinationsNotes
WashtenawScio Township0.0000.000 
 
I-94 west – Jackson, Chicago
No connection to eastbound or from westbound I-94; exit 171 on I-94
Ann Arbor1.438–
1.788
2.314–
2.878
2Miller Road, Maple Road
3.573–
3.658
5.750–
5.887
3 
 
 
Bus. US 23 south – Downtown Ann Arbor
Western end of Bus. US 23 concurrency; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
3.8546.2024Barton Drive, Whitmore Lake RoadSigned only as Barton Drive northbound; no trucks permitted on northbound exit and entrance ramps
Ann Arbor Township4.604–
4.644
7.409–
7.474
 
 
 
 
 
US 23 north / Bus. US 23 south – Brighton, Flint
Eastern end of Bus. US 23 concurrency; western end of US 23 concurrency; no exit number eastbound; exit 45 on US 23
6.68610.7608 
 
US 23 south – Ann Arbor
Eastern end of US 23 concurrency; no exit number eastbound; exit 42 on US 23
Superior Township10.02416.13210 
 
M-153 east (Ford Road)
Western terminus of M-153
Salem Township14.23322.90615Gotfredson Road
WaynePlymouth Township17.66028.42118Beck Road
19.15030.81920Sheldon Road
21.659–
22.250
34.857–
35.808
   I-96 (Jeffries Freeway) / I-275 – Detroit, Flint, Lansing, ToledoExit 173 on I-96; exit 29 on I-275
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Michigan State Highway Department (April 15, 1956). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ M12–M14. OCLC 12701120.
  3. ^ a b Michigan State Highway Department (October 1, 1956). Official Highway Map (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ M12–14. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  4. ^ a b c d e Michigan Department of Transportation (2011). Pure Michigan: State Transportation Map (Map). c. 1:158,400. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Detroit Area inset. §§ F3–E7. OCLC 42778335, 786008212.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Overview Map of M-14" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  6. ^ Madden, Stephen (December 19, 1988). "Pizza Pie in the Sky". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  7. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (January 2011). Michigan's Railroad System (PDF) (Map). Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  8. ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  9. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (2005). National Highway System: Detroit Urbanized Area (PDF) (Map). Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  11. ^ "Michigan May Do Well Following Wisconsin's Road Marking System". The Grand Rapids Press. September 20, 1919. p. 10.
  12. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (July 1, 1919). State of Michigan (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Lower Peninsula sheet. OCLC 15607244. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  13. ^ Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  14. ^ Ohio Department of Highways (1930). Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. OCLC 5673562, 7237073. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  15. ^ Ohio Department of Highways (1931). Map of Ohio Showing State Highway System (PDF) (Map). 1:760,320. Columbus: Ohio Department of Highways. §§ E4–B14. OCLC 5673562, 7231737. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  16. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (July 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
  17. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & H.M. Gousha (November 1, 1930). Official Highway Service Map (Map). [c. 1:810,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. OCLC 12701195, 79754957.
  18. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (June 1, 1942). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Summer ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ J10–M10. OCLC 12701143.
  19. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (October 1, 1945). Official Highway Map of Michigan (Map). [c. 1:918,720]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ J10–M10. OCLC 554645076.
  20. ^ Michigan State Highway Department (1964). Official Highway Map (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Ann Arbor inset. OCLC 12701120, 81213707. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  21. ^ a b Michigan State Highway Department (1965). Official Highway Map (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Ann Arbor inset. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  22. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways (1966). Official Highway Map (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways. Ann Arbor inset. OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  23. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation (1977). Michigan, Great Lake State: Official Transportation Map (Map) (1976–1977 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation. §§ M12–M14. OCLC 12701177.
  24. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation (1978). Michigan, Great Lake State: Official Transportation Map (Map) (1978–1979 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation. §§ M12–M14. OCLC 12701177.
  25. ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2014). Truck Operator's Map (Map). c. 1:221,760. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Detroit and Vicinity inset.
  26. ^ Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation (1979). Michigan, Great Lake State: Official Transportation Map (Map) (1978–1979 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Lansing: Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation. §§ M12–M14. OCLC 12701177. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
  27. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (1980). Michigan, Great Lake State: Official Transportation Map (Map) (1980–1981 ed.). c. 1:918,720. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. §§ M12–M14. OCLC 12701177, 606211521.
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  • M-14 at Michigan Highways