Interstate 696

File:Spaghetti Bowl Interchange (Novi, Michigan).png

I-696, which has been called "Detroit's Autobahn" by some residents,{{cite news |author = ((Edmonds.com Editors)) |date = November 1998 |url = http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId=44033/pageNumber=7 |title = Long-Term Test: 1998 Volkswagen New Beetle |work = Edmunds.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080914152225/http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/do/vdp/articleId%3D44033/pageNumber%3D7 |archive-date = September 14, 2008 |access-date = July 13, 2012 |url-status = dead }} reflecting a reputation for fast drivers, begins in the west in the city of Novi as a left exit branching off I-96. This ramp is a portion of the I-96/I-696/I-275/M-5 interchange that spans the north–south, Novi–Farmington Hills city line linking together five converging freeways. The freeway curves southeasterly and then northeasterly through the complex as it runs eastward through the adjacent residential subdivisions. I-696 passes south of 12 Mile Road in the Mile Road System through Farmington Hills, passing south of Harrison High School and north of Mercy High School. After crossing into Southfield, I-696 passes through the Mixing Bowl,{{cite news |author = Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association |date =Summer 2007 |title = MITA Presents Michigan Construction Quality Partnership Awards |url = http://www.mi-ita.com/Portals/0/pdf%20files/CQP_Article.pdf |work = Cross-Section |publisher = Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association |page = 11 |access-date = August 30, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111826/http://www.mi-ita.com/Portals/0/pdf%20files/CQP_Article.pdf |archive-date = December 24, 2013 }} another complex interchange that spans over {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} near the American Center involving M-10 (Lodge Freeway and Northwestern Highway) and US Highway 24 (US 24, Telegraph Road) between two partial interchanges with Franklin Road on the west and Lahser Road on the east. The carriageways for I-696 run in the median of M-10 from northwest to southeast. East of this interchange, cargo restrictions have been enacted for the next {{convert|10|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} segment of I-696; no commercial vehicles may carry flammable or explosive loads; the segment passes below grade and between retaining walls that are {{convert|20|-|25|ft|m}} tall, which would hinder evacuation in the event of a fire. During construction in April 1989, vandals set a fire under one of the plazas, and officials were concerned about the intensity of the fire and the potential for a "horizontal towering inferno" along the freeway section once opened to traffic.{{cite news |last1 = Gillmorn |first1 = Dan |date = August 10, 1989 |title = Hazardous Load Ban Affects Section of I-696 |url = https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/hazardous-load-ban-affects-section-i-696_19890810.html |access-date=May 24, 2020 |work = JOC.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200524162001/https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/hazardous-load-ban-affects-section-i-696_19890810.html |archive-date = May 24, 2020 |url-status = live }}

File:I-696 tunnel.jpg

After passing through the Mixing Bowl, I-696 follows 11 Mile Road, which forms a pair of service drives for the main freeway. The Interstate passes through the city of Lathrup Village before turning southward and then easterly on an S-shaped path to run along 10 Mile Road. This segment of freeway is known for its extensive use of retaining walls; three large landscaped plazas form short tunnels for freeway traffic near the Greenfield Road exit. The freeway passes next to the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit as it passes under the third pedestrian plaza. The Interstate then picks up 10 Mile Road, which forms a pair of service drives, as the Reuther runs along the border between the cities of Oak Park and Huntington Woods. I-696 follows the southern edge of the Detroit Zoo. Immediately east of the zoo, the Interstate intersects M-1 (Woodward Avenue), and crosses a line of the Canadian National Railway that also carries Amtrak passenger service between Detroit and Pontiac.

File:Interstate 696 and M-1 aerial.jpg

East of the rail crossing, I-696 has a four-level stack interchange with I-75 over the quadripoint for Royal Oak, Madison Heights, Hazel Park and Ferndale. This interchange marks the eastern end of the cargo restrictions. I-696 jogs to the northeast near the Hazel Park Raceway, leaving 10 Mile Road. Crossing into Warren in Macomb County at the Dequindre Road interchange, the freeway begins to follow 11 Mile Road again. Near the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant, I-696 has another stack interchange for Mound Road; through the junction, the freeway makes a slight bend to the south. The freeway continues east through the northern edge of Center Line, crossing a line of Conrail Shared Assets{{cite map |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Official_Rail_130897_7.pdf |title = Michigan's Railroad System |scale = Scale not given |location = Lansing |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |date = January 2011 |access-date = February 1, 2011 |format = PDF |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110409130544/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Official_Rail_130897_7.pdf |archive-date = April 9, 2011 }} and heading back into Warren. The Interstate crosses into Roseville near the M-97 (Groesbeck Highway) interchange and then meets M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) just west of the eastern terminus at I-94 (the Edsel Ford Freeway) in St. Clair Shores. The service drives merge in this final interchange and 11 Mile Road continues due east to Lake St. Clair.{{cite MDOT map |year= 2012 |inset= Detroit |sections= C3–C13 }}{{google maps |url= http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-696+E&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&sll=42.473996,-83.442535&sspn=0.061028,0.058279&geocode=FWBFiAIdHJQG-w%3BFS5riAIdecEO-w&t=h&mra=ls&z=10 |title= Overview Map of I-696 |access-date= July 13, 2012}}

Like other state highways in Michigan, I-696 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In 2011, the department's traffic surveys showed that on average 185,700 vehicles used the freeway daily east of I-75 and 38,100 vehicles did so each day in part of the Mixing Bowl, the highest and lowest counts along the highway, respectively.{{cite web |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |url = http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/tmispublic/ |title = Traffic Monitoring Information System |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |year = 2008 |access-date = July 13, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120702025019/http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/tmispublic/ |archive-date = July 2, 2012 |url-status = live }} As an Interstate Highway, all of I-696 is listed on the National Highway System,{{cite map |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |title = National Highway System, Michigan |date = April 23, 2006 |scale = Scale not given |location = Lansing |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_NHS_Statewide_150626_7.pdf |format = PDF |access-date = October 7, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121004040152/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_NHS_Statewide_150626_7.pdf |archive-date = October 4, 2012 }} a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.{{cite web |first1 = Stefan |last1 = Natzke |first2 = Mike |last2 = Neathery |first3 = Kevin |last3 = Adderly |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |title = What is the National Highway System? |work = National Highway System |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |date = June 20, 2012 |access-date = July 1, 2012 |name-list-style = amp |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120828192748/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |archive-date = August 28, 2012 }}

File:Detroit, Michigan 1955 Yellow Book.jpg

I-696 is part of the original Interstate Highway System as outlined in 1956–58.{{cite map |map-url = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detroit,_Michigan_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg |title = General Location of National System of Interstate Highways Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas Designated in September 1955 |author = Bureau of Public Roads |author-link = Bureau of Public Roads |scale = Scale not given |location = Washington, DC |publisher = Government Printing Office |map = Detroit and Environs |page = 41 |date = September 1955 |oclc = 4165975 |access-date = July 13, 2012 |via = Wikimedia Commons }}

As originally proposed by the Michigan State Highway Department, the freeway would have been numbered I-98.{{cite book |type = Report |author = Michigan State Highway Department |url = http://nwindianahwys.homestead.com/michiplan.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040805182658/http://nwindianahwys.homestead.com/michiplan.html |archive-date = August 5, 2004 |access-date = September 4, 2010 |title = Recommended Interstate Route Numbering for Michigan |date = April 25, 1958 |publisher = Michigan State Highway Department |url-status = dead |author-link = Michigan State Highway Department }} Construction started in 1961.{{cite news |last = Schmidt |first = William E. |title = Pleasant Ridge Journal: The Freeway It Took A Generation to Build |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/15/us/pleasant-ridge-journal-the-freeway-it-took-a-generation-to-build.html |work = The New York Times |date = December 15, 1989 |access-date = January 7, 2011 |issn = 0362-4331 |oclc = 1645522 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140108141221/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/15/us/pleasant-ridge-journal-the-freeway-it-took-a-generation-to-build.html |archive-date = January 8, 2014 }} The Lodge Freeway, the first segment of which opened in 1957,{{cite book |author = John C. Lodge Expressway Dedication Committee |title = John C. Lodge Expressway Dedication Program |location = Detroit |publisher = John C. Lodge Expressway Dedication Committee |year = 1957 |oclc = 34869718 }} was given the Business Spur I-696 designation in 1962.{{cite MDOT map |year= 1962 |inset= Detroit }}{{cite MDOT map |year= 1963 |inset= Detroit }} The first segment of I-696 built was the western third of the completed freeway which opened in 1963–1964 at a cost of $16.6 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|16600000|1964|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}). This section ran from I-96 in Novi east to the Lodge Freeway in Southfield.{{cite news |last = Brown |first = Warren |date = February 4, 1990 |title = Home of the American Auto Finds Reuther Freeway a Mixed Blessing |newspaper = The Washington Post |page = H2 |issn = 0740-5421 |oclc = 9965758 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1990/02/04/home-of-the-american-auto-finds-reuther-freeway-a-mixed-blessing/997dfa26-761c-4c85-91b6-4762bc3902e0/ |access-date=February 11, 2023}} The then-unfinished freeway was named for Walter P. Reuther, former leader of the United Auto Workers labor union after he and his wife died in a plane crash on May 9, 1970. The next year the Michigan Legislature approved the naming by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 57.{{cite book |last = Barnett |first = LeRoy |year = 2004 |title = A Drive Down Memory Lane: The Named State and Federal Highways of Michigan |location = Allegan Forest, Michigan |publisher = Priscilla Press |page = 234 |isbn = 1-886167-24-9 |oclc = 57425393 }}

In the late 1970s, during the second phase of construction, lobbying efforts and lawsuits attempted to block construction of the central section. If successful, the efforts would have left the freeway with a gap in the middle between the first (western) and second (eastern) phases of construction. During this time, MDOT assigned M-6 to the eastern section of the freeway under construction. Signs were erected along the service roads that followed 11 Mile Road to connect the already built stack interchange at I-75 east to I-94.{{cite map |location = Falls Church, Virginia |publisher = American Automobile Association |author = Auto Club of Michigan |title = Detroit Northern Suburbs and Oakland County |edition = Fall 1976–77 |date = September 1976 |section = P12 |scale = c. 1:44,352 |oclc = 49819797 }} By the time the eastern freeway segment was initially opened in January 1979 between I-94 and I-75, the signage for M-6 was removed and replaced with I-696 signage;{{cite news |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eD4iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lqwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2611,318911&dq=interstate+696+detroit&hl=en |title = I-94–I-75 Link To Open |work = Argus-Press |location = Owosso, Michigan |agency = Associated Press |date = January 3, 1979 |page = 16 |access-date = January 7, 2011 |via = Google News |oclc = 36134862 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151119050429/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eD4iAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lqwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2611,318911&dq=interstate+696+detroit&hl=en |archive-date = November 19, 2015 |url-status = live }} it cost $200 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|200000000|1979|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) to complete. Later in 1979, a closure was scheduled to allow work to be completed on three of the segment's nine interchanges.

File:I-696 near M-10 in 1988.jpg

The central section was the most controversial. Governor James Blanchard was 15 years old and a high school sophomore in neighboring Pleasant Ridge when the freeway was proposed and purchased a home in the area in 1972. He joked during remarks at the dedication in 1989, "The unvarnished truth about this freeway? I wasn't even alive when it was first proposed," and added, "frankly, I never thought it would go through." Total cost at completion for the entire freeway at the end of the 30-year project was $675 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|675000000|1989|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}).{{cite book |last1 = Gavrilovich |first1 = Peter |last2 = McGraw |first2 = Bill |year = 2000 |title = The Detroit Almanac: 300 Years of Life in the Motor City |location = Detroit |publisher = Detroit Free Press |page = 235 |isbn = 978-0-937247-34-1 |oclc = 45227386 |name-list-style = amp }}

Arguments between local officials were so intense that during the 1960s, then-Governor George W. Romney once locked fighting bureaucrats in a community center until they would agree on a path for the freeway. During the 1970s, local groups used then-new environmental regulations to oppose the Interstate. The freeway was noted in a Congressional subcommittee report on the "Major Interstate System Route Controversy in Urban Areas" for the controversies in 1970. Before 1967, local communities had to approve highway locations and designs, and the debates over I-696 prompted the passage of an arbitration statute. That statute was challenged by Pleasant Ridge and Lathrup Village before being upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court.{{cite book |type = Report |author = United States Senate Committee on Public Works Subcommittee on Roads |title = Report on the Status of the Federal-Aid Highway Program Hearing, Ninety-First Congress, Second Session, April 15, 1970 |url = http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008515050 |location = Washington, DC |publisher = United States Government Printing Office |year = 1970 |page = 93 |access-date = August 21, 2012 |oclc = 691111639 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120184713/http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008515050 |archive-date = November 20, 2015 }} Lathrup Village later withdrew from a planning agreement in 1971; had that agreement been implemented, construction on the central section was scheduled to commence in 1974 and finish in 1976.{{cite news |title = Lathrup Withdrawal May Delay 696 Development Plan |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0jUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HKsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4275,368026&dq=interstate+696+oak+park&hl=en |work = The Argus-Press |location = Owosso, Michigan |agency = Associated Press |date = January 4, 1971 |oclc = 36134862 |access-date = August 20, 2012 |via = Google News |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121002155/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0jUiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HKsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4275,368026&dq=interstate+696+oak+park&hl=en |archive-date = November 21, 2015 |url-status = live }}

File:Interstate 696 pedestrian plazas Oak Park.jpg

The community of Orthodox Jews in Oak Park wanted the freeway to pass to the north of their suburb. When this was deemed to be futile, the community asked for changes to the design that would mitigate the impact of the freeway to the pedestrian-dependent community. Final approval in 1981 of the freeway's alignment was contingent on these mitigation measures.{{cite web |author = Center for Urban Transportation Research |year = 2000 |url = http://www.ciatrans.net/CStud-OP.html |title = Community Cohesion: Oak Park, Michigan |work = Community Impact Assessment |publisher = University of South Florida |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060525084323/http://www.ciatrans.net/CStud-OP.html |archive-date = May 25, 2006 |access-date = July 13, 2012 }} To address the community's unique needs, the state hired a rabbi to serve as a consultant on the project. In addition, a series of landscaped plazas were incorporated into the design, forming the tunnels through which I-696 passes. These structures are a set of three {{convert|700|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} bridges that cross the freeway within a mile (1.6 km).{{cite web |first1 = Win |last1 = Stebbins |first2 = Mike |last2 = Eustice |date = March 2006 |title = I-696: Three Pedestrian Plazas Over Freeway |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Appx_B1_MI_Ex_Metro_Region_17_I-696_Three_Pedestrian_Pl_158692_7.pdf |work = MDOT Context Sensitive Solutions Case Study: Metro Region |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |page = B1-17 |access-date = October 10, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130922111820/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Appx_B1_MI_Ex_Metro_Region_17_I-696_Three_Pedestrian_Pl_158692_7.pdf |archive-date = September 22, 2013 |url-status = live |name-list-style = amp }} They allow members of the Jewish community to walk to synagogues on the Sabbath and other holidays{{cite web |first = MaryAnn |last = Naber |date = November 1, 2006 |title = Final List of Nationally and Exceptionally Significant Features of the Federal Interstate Highway System |url = http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/histpres/final_task4ListFinal.pdf |work = Historic Preservation: Interstate Highway System |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |page = 6 |access-date = July 22, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120205170003/http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/histpres/final_task4ListFinal.pdf |archive-date = February 5, 2012 }} when Jewish law prohibits driving. These plazas had their length limited; if they were longer, they would be considered tunnels that would require ventilation systems.{{cite news |last = Michalak |first = John |date = January 16, 1981 |title = Traveling into the Future on Imaginary Drive of I-696's Last Link |location = Royal Oak, Michigan |work = The Daily Tribune |issn = 1041-9977 |oclc = 15217591 }}

The Detroit Zoo was concerned that noise and air pollution from the Interstate would disturb the animals. They were satisfied by $12 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|12000000|1989|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) spent on a new parking ramp and other improvements.{{cite news|last=Hundley |first=Tom |date=December 15, 1989 |title=After 32 Years, Motor City Gets New Lifeline |work=Chicago Tribune |page=A6 |issn=1085-6706 |id={{oclc| 7960243| 232606698}} |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/12/15/after-32-years-motor-city-gets-new-lifeline/ |access-date=July 13, 2012 |url-status =live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116085948/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-15/news/8903180323_1_federal-highway-administration-mile-state-highway-officials |archive-date=January 16, 2014 }} The City of Detroit tried to stop I-696 as well, but in the end the city was forced to redesign its golf course. A refusal to grant an additional {{convert|9|ft|m|spell=in}} of right-of-way by Detroit forced additional design and construction delays during the 1980s.

One of the last obstacles to construction of the freeway was a wetlands area near Southfield. MDOT received a permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to destroy {{convert|6+1/2|acre}} of wetland and create a replacement {{convert|11|acre|adj=on}} area. In the process, some prairie roses and wetlands milkweed were transplanted from the path of I-696 in 1987.{{cite news |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ib1EAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VLYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,1300168 |title = Michigan Freeway Link Won't Smell as Sweet |work = The Junction City Daily Union |agency = Associated Press |page = 10 |date = October 14, 1987 |issn = 0745-743X |oclc = 9420312 |access-date = August 15, 2013 |via = Google News |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121002122/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ib1EAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VLYMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,1300168 |archive-date = November 21, 2015 |url-status = live }} The final section of the eight-lane freeway opened at a cost of $436 million (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|436000000|1989|r=-5}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|name-list-style=amp}}) on December 15, 1989. At the time, one caller to a Detroit radio show commented, "do you realize we have been to the moon and back in the time it has taken to get that road from Ferndale to Southfield?"

As part of the overall rehabilitation to the Mixing Bowl interchange, a new interchange at Franklin Road was to be constructed in 2006.{{cite news |first = Aram |last = Kalousdian |date = January 7, 2006 |title = Michigan Construction Will Increase |work = Michigan Contractor and Builder |publisher = Reed Business Information |access-date = July 13, 2012 |url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-140705701.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140921192959/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-140705701.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = September 21, 2014 |url-access = subscription }} An exit ramp from I-696 eastbound to American Drive opened in April 2006. An entrance ramp from Franklin Road to I-696 westbound opened in July 2006. The Franklin Road overpass, which had been closed during this time, re-opened in October 2006.{{cite web |author = Oakland Transportation Service Center |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_I-696_M-10_154121_7.pdf |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |date = March 22, 2006 |access-date = May 30, 2006 |title = I-696/M-10 Reconstruction from Lahser Road to Beck Road (Project brochure) |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061107105303/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_I-696_M-10_154121_7.pdf |archive-date = November 7, 2006 }}

On November 9, 2006, the speed limit was increased from {{convert|65|to|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} along the length of I-696.{{cite news |first= Matt |last= Helms |date= October 11, 2006 |title= Speed Limit Rises To Match Habits |work= Detroit Free Press |page= B3 |issn= 1055-2758 |id= {{oclc| 10345127| 137343179}} |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21790345/speed_limit_rises_to_match_habits/ |access-date= July 12, 2018 |via= Newspapers.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180712091942/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21790345/speed_limit_rises_to_match_habits/ |archive-date= July 12, 2018 |url-status= live }}{{cite news |last= Greenwood |first= Tom |date= June 19, 2006 |title= Metro Speed Limits on the Rise |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1125FB239C2AC508&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |work= The Detroit News |page= 2A |issn= 1055-2715 |id= {{oclc| 10345127| 137343179}} |access-date= October 22, 2012 |via= ProQuest Archiver |url-access= subscription |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140821084659/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1125FB239C2AC508&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |archive-date= August 21, 2014 |url-status= live }} During speed enforcement patrols in August 2022, the Michigan State Police gave out 77 citations during one 4-hour period including six arrests.{{cite news |last1=Powers |first1=Sara |title=MSP Give Out 77 Tickets During I-696 Speed Enforcement |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/msp-give-out-77-tickets-during-i-696-speed-enforcement/ |access-date=December 11, 2022 |work=CBS Detroit |publisher=WWJ-TV |date=August 31, 2022 |location=Southfield, Michigan}} One motorist was driving at {{cvt|101|mph|km/h}}, while others were cited at {{convert|99|,|94|, and|91|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.{{cite news |title=MSP Hands Out 77 Tickets in I-696 Speeding Crackdown; One Driver Clocked Going 101 MPH |url=https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/local/driver-clocked-going-101-mph-on-i-696-during-msp-crackdown |access-date=December 11, 2022 |work=WWJ Newsradio 950 |publisher=WWJ-AM |date=August 30, 2022 |location=Detroit |language=en}}

After many years of patch work and small repairs, it was clear that greater action was needed. As a result, MDOT started "Restore the Reuther" to repair the freeway in Oakland County and reconstruct the section between Dequindre Road and I-94 in Macomb County. This project also involved some pavement repairs and minor structure repairs on the section from I-275/M-5 to Dequindre. In 2019, reconstruction started on the section between Dequindre Road and I-94. This involved two phases. In phase 1, the westbound lanes were closed and detoured. In phase 2, the westbound lanes remained closed, but eastbound lanes were shifted on the westbound lanes. No entrance ramps were open, however there were limited exit ramps open. These ramps were Dequindre, Mound, and Groesbeck Highway. {{Cite web |title=Moving Macomb |url=https://www.movingmacomb.org/_files/ugd/343f0d_7b0acfcee0414c9ea7a09b5049e93eee.pdf }}

In 2023, MDOT started a complete reconstruction of I-696 from I-275 in Farmington Hills to US 24 (Telegraph Road) in Southfield. The eastbound lanes were reconstructed in 2023, and the westbound lanes were reconstructed the following year.{{cite news |title=Major Construction Project on I-696 Kicks Off Tomorrow: Here Are the Closures |url=https://www.wxyz.com/news/major-construction-project-on-i-696-kicks-off-tomorrow-here-are-the-closures |access-date=April 13, 2023 |publisher=WXYZ-TV |date=March 8, 2023 |location=Detroit |language=en}} During the reconstruction of the westbound lanes in 2024, I-696 had two lanes shifted onto the John C Lodge Freeway resulting in a temporary concurrency. This is the first time in the history of I-696 that a concurrency with the Lodge freeway had been in-place.{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Dane |date=2024-02-19 |title=I-696 traffic shift in Oakland County now active through fall: What to know |url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/traffic/2024/02/19/i-696-traffic-shift-in-oakland-county-now-active-through-fall-what-to-know/ |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=WDIV |language=en}}

In 2025, MDOT began a two-year project to completely rebuild the middle section of I-696. It involves a complete and brutal two-year closure of the eastbound lanes starting from Exit 8 until the I-696/I-75 interchange. The westbound lanes would remain open with minor lane reductions. It was decided to close the eastbound lanes because the exit ramp to M-10 has two lanes of road capacity so it can more easily handle the load than if the westbound lanes were closed (as traffic would need to be routed onto the single lane ramp on the I-696/I-75 interchange).{{Cite web |last=Carr |first=Brandon |date=2025-02-27 |title=Metro Detroiters face commuting challenges amid I-696 closures |url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/02/27/metro-detroiters-face-commuting-challenges-amid-i-696-closures/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=WDIV |language=en}}

During an open house in Oak Park, residents shared concerns about traffic cutting through local neighbors and asked why they couldn't keep both directions of travel open like MDOT did with the project in Farmington Hills. MDOT said it would be difficult for emergency crews to get to the scene of an accident when one occurs if both sides of the freeway were to remain open. Brian Travis, an MDOT construction engineer, said "It's really a safety concern for us, this is the safest and most efficient way to build the project."{{Cite web |date=2025-02-24 |title=I-696 closing soon -- Learn more about project at Monday open house |url=https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/i-696-closing-soon-learn-more-about-project-monday-open-house |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=FOX 2 Detroit |language=en-US}}

As part of the project, 60 bridges will be repaired, including the rebuilding of the Church Street Plaza bridge that contains Victoria Park. During that rebuilding, a walkway detour will be in place. The project will also include pavement upgrades and updates to 1,100 drainage structures, according to MDOT.{{Cite web |last=Powers |first=Sara |date=2025-02-21 |title=Part of I-696 to close this weekend ahead of major 2-year construction project |url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/02/21/part-of-i-696-to-close-this-weekend-ahead-of-major-2-year-construction-project/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=WDIV |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2025 |title=Eastbound I-696 closing M-10 - I-75 beginning March 1; project open house tonight in city of Warren |url=https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2025/02/24/eastbound-i-696-closing-m-10---i-75-beginning-march-1 |website=MDOT}}

Once the eastbound lanes are reconstructed, westbound traffic will be shifted onto the eastbound lanes. It is unknown if any exit ramps during this shift will be open as the service drives in both directions are expected to remain open. The eastbound lanes are not expected to reopen until Fall 2026.

The closures were initially scheduled to begin on March 1st, but were rescheduled to March 3rd because of the weather.{{Cite web |last=Booth-Singleton |first=DeJanay |date=2025-02-27 |title=I-696 construction project delayed to March 3 due to weather - CBS Detroit |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/i-696-construction-project-delayed/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}

In 2027, MDOT planes to finish the project by reconstructing I-696 from the I-75 interchange to Dequindre Road. The project will then be completed.

{{MIinttop|exit|length_ref=}}

{{MIint|exit

|county=Oakland

|cspan=14

|location_special=Novi–Farmington Hills city line

|mile=0.000

|mile2=1.371

|exit=1

|road={{jct|state=MI|I|96|I|275|dir1=east|dir2=south|location1=Toledo}}
{{jct|state=MI|I|96|dir1=west|city1=Lansing}}
{{jct|state=MI|M|5|name1=Grand River Avenue}}

|notes=Exits 163 and 165 on I-96

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Farmington Hills

|mile=4.570

|mile2=4.635

|exit=5

|road=Orchard Lake Road

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Southfield

|lspan=3

|mile=7.363

|mile2=7.489

|exit=7

|type=incomplete

|road=American Drive

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance via Franklin Road}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=7.763

|mile2=8.241

|exit=8

|type=incomplete

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|10|dir1=south|to2=to|US|24|name1=Lodge Freeway|name2=Telegraph Road}}

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance to M-10; eastbound exit and entrance to US 24; eastbound exit to Lahser Road via M-10 exit 16}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=10.040

|exit=10

|type=incomplete

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|10|dir1=north|to2=to|US|24|name1=Northwestern Highway|name2=Telegraph Road|road|Lahser Road}}

|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance to M-10; westbound exit and entrance to US 24; westbound entrance from Lahser Road via M-10 exit 16}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Southfield–Lathrup Village city line

|mile=10.444

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|exit=11

|road=Evergreen Road

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Lathrup Village

|mile=11.474

|mile2=12.359

|exit=12

|road=11 Mile Road, Southfield Road

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Southfield–Oak Park city line

|mile=13.008

|mile2=13.646

|exit=13

|road=Greenfield Road

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Oak Park–Huntington Woods city line

|mile=13.982

|mile2=14.824

|exit=14

|road=10 Mile Road, Coolidge Highway, Detroit Zoo

|notes=Detroit Zoo signed eastbound only; 10 Mile Road signed westbound only

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Pleasant Ridge–Royal Oak city line

|mile=15.743

|mile2=16.692

|exit=16

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|1|name1=Woodward Avenue|road|Main Street|location1=Detroit Zoo}}

|notes=Detroit Zoo signed westbound only

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Royal Oak

|lspan=2

|mile=16.909

|exit=17

|type=incomplete

|road=Campbell Road, Hilton Road

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; Campbell Road becomes Hilton Road immediately south of exit}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=17.373

|mile2=17.378

|exit=17

|type=incomplete

|road=Bermuda Street

|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Royal Oak–Madison Heights–Hazel Park–Ferndale city quadripoint

|mile=17.706

|mile2=18.292

|exit=18

|road={{jct|state=MI|I|75|name1=Chrysler Freeway|city1=Flint|city2=Detroit|location3=Toledo}}

|notes=Exit 61 on I-75

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Madison Heights

|mile=18.647

|mile2=18.668

|exit=19

|type=incomplete

|road=Couzens Avenue, 10 Mile Road

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance}}

{{MIint|exit

|county_special=Oakland–Macomb county line

|location_special=Madison Heights–Warren city line

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|exit=20

|road=Dequindre Road, Ryan Road, John R Road

|notes=Dequindre Road is the county line; Ryan Road signed eastbound only, John R Road signed westbound only}}

{{MIint|exit

|county=Macomb

|cspan=8

|location=Warren

|lspan=2

|mile=20.523

|exit=21

|type=incomplete

|road=11 Mile Road

|notes=Westbound exit and eastbound entrance}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=21.512

|mile2=22.340

|exit=22

|road=Mound Road

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location_special=Center Line–Warren city line

|mile=22.611

|mile2=23.160

|exit=23

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|53|name1=Van Dyke Avenue|road|Ryan Road}}

|notes=Ryan Road signed westbound only

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Warren

|lspan=2

|mile=23.666

|mile2=24.344

|exit=24

|road=Hoover Road, Schoenherr Road

|notes=Schoenherr Road signed eastbound only

}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=25.166

|mile2=26.259

|exit=26

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|97|name1=Groesbeck Highway|road|Schoenherr Road}}

|notes=Schoenherr Road signed westbound only

}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=Roseville

|lspan=2

|mile=27.083

|mile2=27.771

|exit=27

|road={{jct|state=MI|M|3|name1=Gratiot Avenue}}

|notes=

}}

{{MIint|exit

|mile=27.970

|mile2=27.991

|exit=28

|type=incomplete

|road=11 Mile Road

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance}}

{{MIint|exit

|location=St. Clair Shores

|mile=28.271

|mile2=28.368

|exit=—

|road={{jct|state=MI|I|94|name1=Edsel Ford Freeway|city1=Detroit|city2=Port Huron}}

|notes=Exit 229 on I-94

}}

{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete|exit}}

{{infobox road small

|state=MI

|type=BS 1957

|route=696

|location=Detroit–Southfield

|formed=1962

|deleted=1970

|length_mi= 17.538

|length_ref=

}}

Business Spur Interstate 696 (BS I-696) was the designation given to the Lodge Freeway in the Detroit area in 1962. This {{convert|17+1/2|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} freeway was renumbered as part of US 10 in 1970, when that highway designation was shifted off Woodward Avenue.{{cite MDOT map |year= 1970 |link= yes |sections A6–E9 |inset= Detroit }}{{cite MDOT map |year= 1971 |sections=A6–E9 |inset= Detroit }}{{Clear}}

• {{portal-inline|Michigan Highways}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Interstate 696}}

{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

• {{osmrelation-inline|192434|I-696}}
• [http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys250-696.html#I-696 I-696] at Michigan Highways
• [http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/ix96.html#696mi I-696] at Kurumi.com
• [http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-696_mi.html I-696] at AARoad's Interstate Guide

{{3di|96}}

{{featured article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:I696}}

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Category:Transportation in Oakland County, Michigan

Category:Transportation in Macomb County, Michigan