| Mile Road System (detroit) |
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Information AboutMile Road System (detroit) |
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HISTORY The Mile Road System, and its most famous road, 8 Mile Road , came about largely as a result of the Land Ordinance Of 1785 , which established basis for the Public Land Survey System in which land throughout the Northwest Territory was surveyed and divided into Survey Township s by reference to a Baseline (east-west line) and Meridian (north-south line). In Southeast Michigan, many roads would be developed parallel to the base line and the meridian, and many of the east-west roads would be incorporated into the Mile Road System. The Mile Road System extended easterly into Detroit, but is interrupted, because much of Detroit's early settlements and farms were based on early French land grants that were aligned with frontage along the Detroit River and on later development along roads running into downtown Detroit in a star pattern, such as Woodward , Jefferson , Grand River , Gratiot , and Michigan Avenues, developed by Augustus Woodward in imitation of Washington, D.C. 's system. As Detroit grew, several Mile Roads were given new names within the city borders, while some roads incorporated as part of the Mile Road System have traditionally been known by their non-mile names. It is unclear if they ever bore mile numbers formally. The baseline used in the survey of Michigan lands runs along 8 Mile Road, which is approximately eight miles directly north of the junction of Woodward Avenue and Michigan Avenue in downtown Detroit. As a result, the direct east-west portion of Michigan Avenue, and M-153 (Ford Road) west of Wyoming Avenue, forms the Zero Mile baseline for the Mile Road System. THE MILE ROADS Wayne County Mile Roads The Mile Roads that cross through Wayne County are designated as follows:
Note that the 0-4 Mile roads are not signed as such - it remains unclear if they were ever signed as Mile Roads.
note: Moross Road and Vernier Roads ARE NOT extensions of 7 Mile Road and 8 Mile Road, respectively. 7 Mile Road ends at Kelly Road, two blocks east of the intersection of 7 Mile and Moross. Vernier Road runs into 8 Mile Road east of Kelly Road near Eastland Mall. 8 Mile continues east past Harper Road. This is a common misconception by local residents and visitors alike, as Moross and Vernier appear to be extensions of their mile-road neighbors, but are in fact their own roads. Oakland County Mile Roads As the Mile Roads continue northward through Oakland County , many of them retain their mile number designations (9 Mile, 10 Mile, etc.). All of the northern Mile Roads have local names, sometimes several:
Macomb County Mile Roads Through Macomb County , most of these road names are not carried over, and nearly all of the Mile Roads are known by their mile numbers. One notable exception is the 20 Mile road, Hall Road, which is part of Michigan State Highway 59 . List of Mile Roads north of 8 Mile Road - Note: there were some roads listed as xx-half Mile Roads, and placed in between the roads, such as 13 Mile Road, 13 1/2 Mile Road, 14 Mile Road, in that succession for example. It is unknown if they are still signed as such.
The system continues uninterrupted in sequence up to 37 Mile Road, in Macomb County, near Almont, MI along Van Dyke Road (M-53) in Lapeer County . 16 Mile Road - the Mile Road with four names Main article: Metropolitan Parkway (Detroit Area) The alignment for the 16 Mile road through Oakland and Macomb Counties is comprised of four named roads:
Walnut Lake Road actually turns slightly southward in West Bloomfield, and runs parallel to Quarton Road .5 miles to the south, between Inkster and Franklin Roads. West and East Quarton Roads are disconnected slightly by Telegraph Road due to Gilbert Lake. Other east-west grid roads The grid continues south of Ford Road, although not numbered as part of the Mile Road System. None of these roads connect to Detroit. Further south and west, and along Downriver, the roads tend to fall off the grids more often, for various reasons. Southward from Ford Road, these include:
THE NORTH-SOUTH MILE GRID There are many roads through Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties that parallel the Meridian, creating a grid-type system. To prevent confusion, these roads have not been given Mile Road designations. Like the east-west Mile Road System, the north-south grid roads lose cohesion to the grid in much of Detroit, and in the lake-filled areas of Oakland County. Notable north-south grid roads Proceeding west from the Detroit River:
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