Interstate Highway in Oakland and Macomb counties in Michigan, United States
Interstate 696
Walter P. Reuther Freeway
I-696 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-96
Maintained by MDOT
Length
28.368 mi[3] (45.654 km)
Existed
1963[1]–present
History
Construction started in 1961 and completed December 15, 1989[1]
NHS
Entire route
Restrictions
No flammable or explosive cargo between M-10 and I-75[2]
Major junctions
West end
I-96 / I-275 / M-5 in Farmington Hills
Major intersections
US 24 / M-10 in Southfield
M-1 in Royal Oak
I-75 near Royal Oak
M-53 in Center Line
M-97 in Warren
M-3 in Roseville
East end
I-94 in St. Clair Shores
Location
Country
United States
State
Michigan
Counties
Oakland, Macomb
Highway system
Interstate Highway System
Main
Auxiliary
Suffixed
Business
Future
Michigan State Trunkline Highway System
Interstate
US
State
Byways
← I-675
→ M-1
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 industry union head by the Michigan Legislature in 1971. I-696 is a bypass route, detouring around the city of Detroit through the city's northern suburbs in Oakland and Macomb counties. It starts by branching off I-96 and I-275 at its western terminus in Farmington Hills, and runs through suburbs including Southfield, Royal Oak and Warren before merging into I-94 at St. Clair Shores on the east end. It has eight lanes for most of its length and is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown Detroit. I-696 connects to other freeways such as I-75 (Chrysler Freeway) and M-10 (Lodge Freeway). Local residents sometimes refer to I-696 as "The Autobahn of Detroit".
Planning for the freeway started in the 1950s. Michigan state officials proposed the designation I-98, but this was not approved. Construction started on the first segment in 1961, and the Lodge Freeway was designated Business Spur Interstate 696 (BS I-696) the following year. The western third of the freeway opened in 1963, and the eastern third was completed in January 1979. The central segment was the subject of much controversy during the 1960s and 1970s. Various municipalities along this stretch argued over the routing of the freeway such that the governor locked several officials into a room overnight until they would agree to a routing. Later, various groups used federal environmental regulations to force changes to the freeway. The Orthodox Jewish community in Oak Park was concerned about pedestrian access across the freeway; I-696 was built with a set of parks on overpasses to accommodate their needs. The Detroit Zoo and the City of Detroit also fought components of the freeway design. These concessions delayed the completion of I-696 until December 15, 1989. Since completion, the speed limit was raised from 55 to 70 miles per hour (89 to 113 km/h). In addition, some interchanges were reconfigured in 2006.
^ abCite error: The named reference brown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (n.d.). "Truck Driver's Guidebook: Hazardous Materials". The Border Center's WasteWatcher. National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
^Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
Interstate696 (I-696) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Metro Detroit region of the US state of Michigan. The state trunkline highway...
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around Detroit would necessarily pass through Canada, and so Interstate 275 and Interstate696 together bypass but do not encircle the city. Sometimes, the...
the following United States highway interchanges: The confluence of Interstate696 with several other roads in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan Part of...
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American Center, another 26-story office tower near the confluence of Interstate696 (I-696) and M-10, is not part of the complex. The Town Center is across...
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Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western...
in Michigan has not included frontage roads since the completion of Interstate696, most of which was constructed along the rights of way of major surface...
by Chrysler Corporation in 1987. The building is located adjacent to Interstate696, M-10, and US 24 interchange. Upgraded in 2001, the office tower has...
numbers used for highway designations include M-553 in the UP and Interstate696 (I-696) running along the northern Detroit suburbs. The lowest numbers...
Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan Walter P. Reuther Freeway (I-696), stretching from the eastern to western suburbs of Detroit Walter and May...
Township. PA 696 begins at PA 997 adjacent to an interchange with Interstate 81 (I-81) and heads northeast through farmland parallel to the interstate. The route...
traffic-it does not become a two-way street until the westbound Interstate696 (I-696) service drive, two blocks north. It retains the Main Street name...
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)...
and residential neighborhoods, located near the intersection of Interstate696 (I-696, Walter P. Reuther Freeway) and the M-10 (Lodge Freeway) in Southfield...
Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans 445.23 miles (716.53 km)...
Global Information
I-96 / I-275 / M-5 in Farmington Hills
I-94 in St. Clair Shores
