U.S. Route 23 in Michigan
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U.S. Route 23 is a major 364.07-mile (585.91 km) north-south highway in the U.S. state of Michigan.
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[edit] Route description
US 23 enters Michigan on a freeway north of Toledo, Ohio, concurrent with US 223; it is a more direct route than I-75, providing a bypass around Detroit. US 23 is freeway past Dundee, Milan, Ann Arbor (junction I-94 and M-14), Brighton (junction I-96) and Fenton. The freeway portion between I-475 near Toledo, OH and Flint has many substandard bridge clearances (in Interstate standards terminology), but it lets travelers to and from northern Michigan bypass the urban I-75 in the Metro Detroit area.
Just south of Flint, US 23 joins I-75 (US-23 mile marker 90, I-75 mile marker 115), staying with it past Saginaw and Bay City before splitting at Standish; M-13 provides a number for part of the old route. From Standish to US-23's north end at Mackinaw City, US 23 follows the shoreline of Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, serving such lakeside communities as Au Gres, East Tawas, Oscoda, Harrisville, Alpena, Rogers City, and Cheboygan. I-75 is a much more direct route for long-distance travel between Standish and Mackinaw City.
In 2004, US 23 between Standish and Mackinaw City was designated as the Sunrise Side Coastal Highway.
A segment of freeway between Standish and Alpena (later scaled back to just Tawas City) was proposed to relieve traffic congestion on the mostly two-way, two-lane segment of US 23. Wetland concerns and local resistance are the main reasons for the dormancy or termination of this freeway project. There were alternative tactics to traffic congestion relief in and around the area. Some intermittent passing relief lanes were added to the existing US 23 corridor, which is a gateway to some popular tourist centers in Michigan.
[edit] Fenton-Clio Expressway
Fenton-Clio Expressway was the name given to a 30 mile segment of freeway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the Livingston/Genesee County border west of Fenton north to Birch Run.
The Fenton-Clio Expressway was designated as US-23 in 1958, soon after the freeway opened. When first opened, the Fenton-Clio Expressway did not connect with other freeways, although such freeway connections were soon added. In 1960, the portion of the Fenton-Clio Expressway from just southwest of Flint north to Birch Run was also designated as I-75. At that time, I-75 in Michigan existed in separate discrete segments connected by non-Interstate highways and surface roads. Birch Run was the northern terminus of one such segment. By 1961, at the southern terminus, the US-23 freeway was extended to Hartland. On the northern end, the US-23/I-75 freeway had been extended to Kawkawlin.
The Fenton-Clio Expressway was built in two phases, both completed within months of each other:
Phase 1: From the Livingston/Genesee county border in Fenton to Miller Rd. southwest of Flint.
Phase 2: Miller Rd. to Birch Run
The Fenton-Clio Expressway passes by Fenton, Flint, Mt. Morris and Clio
[edit] Exit list
| # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
  I-475 / US 23 south – Toledo, Maumee |
Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
  SR 51 east (Monroe Street) / SR 184 – Sylvania |
South end of US 223 overlap | |
| Michigan-Ohio State Line | ||
| 1 | Sterns Road | Bedford Township |
| 3 | Ottawa Lake, Lambertville | Consear Road |
| 5 |  US-223 north – Blissfield, Adrian |
North end of US 223 overlap. St. Anthony Road |
| 9 | Summerfield Road | |
| 13 | Ida, Petersburg | Ida West Road |
| 15 | Lloyd Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance via Dixon Road |
| 17 |  M-50 – Dundee, Monroe |
|
| 22 | Cone Road - Azalia | |
| 25 | Plank Road - Milan | |
| 27 | Carpenter Road | Milan |
| 31 | Willis Road | |
| 34 |  US-12 – Saline, Ypsilanti |
Michigan Avenue |
| 35 |  I-94 – Detroit, Chicago |
South end of I-94 Bus. overlap |
| 37A |  M-17 east – Ypsilanti |
Washtenaw Avenue EAST |
| 37B |    I-94 Bus. west, US 23 Bus. north - Ann Arbor |
North end of I-94 Bus. overlap. Washtenaw Avenue WEST |
| 39 | Geddes Road | |
| 41 | Plymouth Road | |
| 42 |  M-14 east – Plymouth, Livonia |
South end of M-14 overlap |
| 45 | M-14 west, US 23 Bus. south - Downtown Ann Arbor |
North end of M-14 overlap |
| 49 | North Territorial Road | |
| 50 | 6 Mile Road - Whitmore Lake | |
| 52 | Barker Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance |
| 53 | Hamburg, Whitmore Lake | 8 Mile Road |
| 54 |  M-36 – South Lyon, Pinckney, Hamburg |
Signed as exits 54A (east) and 54B (west) northbound. 9 Mile Road |
| 55 | Silver Lake Road | |
| 58 | Lee Road - Brighton | |
| 60 |  I-96 – Detroit, Brighton, Lansing |
Signed as exits 60A (east) and 60B (west) |
| 67 |  M-59 – Howell, Pontiac |
|
| 70 | Clyde Road - Hartland | |
| 75 | Center Road | |
| 77 | White Lake Road | |
| 78 | Owen Road - Fenton | |
| 79 | Silver Lake Road - Linden | |
| 80 | Torrey Road, North Road | |
| 84 | Thompson Road | |
| 88 | Rankin, Grand Blanc | Grand Blanc Road |
| 90 | Hill Road | Connector to I-475 |
 I-75 south |
South end of I-75 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
