M-97 | ||||
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M-97 highlighted in red
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by MDOT | ||||
Length: | 17.169 mi (27.631 km) | |||
Existed: | 1929 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end: | M-3 at Detroit | |||
I-696 near Roseville | ||||
North end: | M-59 near Mount Clemens | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Wayne, Macomb | |||
Highway system | ||||
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M-97 is a state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs from Detroit to north of Mt. Clemens following Groesbeck Highway. The highway starts south of 7 Mile Road and runs northeasterly through Macomb County suburbs to Hall Road, which takes the place of 20 Mile Road in the Mile Road System. In between the termini, Groesbeck Highway runs through suburban residential and commercial areas.
Groesbeck Highway is named after Alex Groesbeck, former Michigan governor and attorney-general. The road was constructed starting in the 1920s to provide traffic relief to Gratiot Avenue, which was the main route between Detroit and Mt. Clemens. It was created as a state trunkline to facilitate construction financing. The final extension was opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony in 1949. This ceremony also dedicated the entire roadway in the former governor's honor after sections were named for another politician by the state.
M-97 runs through an urbanized area in the larger Metro Detroit. The highway starts at M-3/Gratiot Avenue and follows Gunston Street northwesterly. This intersection is one block northeast of the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit. At McNichols Road, which forms part of 6 Mile Road in the Mile Road System, M-97 turns north on Hoover Street, and follows it north past Bessy Playground at 7 Mile Road. It continues north on Hoover until it turns onto Groesbeck Highway, just one block south of M-102/8 Mile Road.