When I left the Chicago area on my recent Mid-Western trip my next destination was in downtown Detroit. After leaving Chicago via Interstate 90 on the Chicago Skyway and Indiana Toll Road I turned east on I-94 towards Detroit. I wouldn't deviate from I-94 for about 250 miles.
Interstate 94 is a 1,585.20 mile east/west Interstate and is by far the largest non-X0 even digit Interstate. I-94 was one of the original planned Federal Highway Act of 1956 Interstate routes. I-94 begins concurrent with I-69 at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan at the Canadian Border/western terminus of Kings Highway 402 and ends at I-90/US 212/US 87 in Billings, Montana. I-94 is an incredibly vital link for commerce in the Mid-West and a popular port of entry from Canada.
Within Indiana I-94 largely was a limited access grade replacement for US Route 12 (especially when US 12 was on the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway). Within Michigan I-94 was a direct limited access replacement for the following highways:
- The original route of US 12 from the Indiana State Line east to Ann Arbor.
- East of Ann Arbor I-94 largely replaced M-17 and US 112 (current US 12) to downtown Detroit.
- I-94 east of Detroit largely replaced US 25 to Port Huron.
The Shell Corporation Highway Maps below show the highways present in Indiana and Michigan before I-94 was built in 1956.
1956 Indiana Highway Map
1956 Michigan Lower Peninsula Highway Map
My approach to I-94 began from I-90/Indiana Toll Road eastbound. I departed I-90/Indiana Toll Road onto I-94 via Exit 21.
In 2017 I drove the Indiana Toll Road east to the Ohio State Line. My previous blog entry can be found below.
Great Lakes Road Trip Day 10 Part 2; Indiana Toll Road, dunes and Ohio Turnpike
I jointed I-94 east bound in Lake Station of Lake County at Mile Maker 16.
While I-94 isn't the most exciting road I've covered in the Mid-West it was one of the most common I took in the late 1990s. Back in those days I used to frequently used to travel between Chicago, Detroit and Lansing which largely was on I-94.
East of the Indiana Toll Road the route of I-94 enters Porter County as has a highway junction with IN 249 at Exit 19 in Portage.
Detroit is signed as being 256 miles away on I-94 east of IN 249.
At Exit 22 A/B I-94 east meets US 20 in Burns Harbor.
I-94 east in Chesterston meets IN 49 at Exit 26 A/B. IN 49 north is notable due to it being the direct access point to Indiana Dunes National Park (which feels weird to write) and Indiana Dunes State Park.
At Mile Marker 28 I-94 east has a trucking weigh station.
I-94 east enters LaPorte County and meets US 421 at Exit 34 A/B.
I-94 east meets US 20/US 35 at Exit 40 A/B on the outskirts of Michigan City.
East of US 20/US 35 the route of I-94 is signed as being 235 miles from Detroit.
I-94 east enters Berrien County, Michigan. I-94 east traffic has access to a rest area/welcome center about a half mile into Michigan.
I-94 east Exit 1 accesses M-239 on Harbor Country Drive.
East of M-239 the route of I-94 has a weigh station.
I-94 east has access to New Buffalo, Niles and Three Oaks at Exit 4 A/B at US 12.
Detroit is signed as being 225 miles away from I-94 Exit 4 A/B.
At Exit 23 I-94 east accesses a I-94 Business Route through St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.
I-94 east meets M-63 at Exit 27.
I-94 east crosses the St. Joseph River and meets M-139 at Exit 28.
I-94 east meets US 31 at Napier Avenue at Exit 30. Interestingly Napier Avenue is part of a discontinuous part of the US 31 limited access gap. I-94 east multiplexes US 31 north until it splits away onto I-196 north at Exit 34.
I-94 east of US 31/I-196 drops to a four lane configuration and is signed as 185 miles from Detroit.
There is a closed rest area on I-94 east of US 31/I-196.
At Exit 41 I-94 east meets M-140. East of M-140 the route of I-94 enters Van Buren County.
At Exit 56 I-94 east meets M-51.
I-94 east crosses the Paw Paw River and meets M-40 at Exit 60. M-40 directly accesses Paw Paw which is the Van Buren County seat. Paw Paw is named after the Pawpaw trees that used to line the Paw Paw River. East of M-40 Kalamazoo is signed as 20 miles away on I-94.
I-94 east enters Kalamzoo County and meets US 131 at Exit 74 A/B on the outskirts of the City of Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Airport is signed as being accessible from I-94 east Exit 78.
I-94 east Exit 88 is direct access to Climax; insert your own joke.
I-94 east enters Calhoun County and accesses M-37/I-94 BL on the outskirts of Battle Creek at Exit 92.
East of Exit 92 there is a rest area along I-94.
I-94 east meets I-194/M-66 at Exit 98 A/B.
I-94 east accesses M-294 at Exit 100. M-294 is a relatively new State Trunkline and dates back to the late 1990s. It isn't really clear if the numbering is meant to insinuate it is a child route of I-94.
At Exit 104 I-94 east meets both M-311 and M-96.
Traffic headed towards Michigan International Speedway is directed to take US 127 at I-94 Exit 142 east of M-311/M-96.
At Exit 108 I-94 east meets I-69.
Old US 27 is signed as being accessible from I-94 Exit 110. Parts of Old US 27 south of Marshall are now part of M-227.
I-94 east meets M-199 at Exit 119.
I-94 meets the Aibion I-94 Business Loop at Exit 121.
I-94 east enters Jackson County and meets M-99 at Exit 124.
Easts of M-99 Jackson is signed as 16 miles away whereas Detroit is 90 miles away on I-94 east.
I-94 east has a rest area in Jackson County.
Approaching Jackson I-94 meets the I-94 Business Loop and M-60 at Exit 136. There was ongoing construction along I-94 in Jackson which was an infamous stretch of the freeway for traffic accidents when I was a Michigan resident.
I-94 Exit 138 accesses US 127 north and M-50.
I-94 east multiplexes US 127 south. Normally M-106 would be accessible from Exit 139 but it was closed and signed with a construction detour.
US 127 south splits away from I-94 at Exit 142.
Ann Arbor is signed as 33 miles east of US 127 on I-94 and Detroit is signed as 70 miles away.
I-94 east enters Washtenaw County. At Exit 157 I-94 east meets Old US 12.
At Exit 159 I-94 east meets M-52.
East of M-52 there another rest area alongside I-94.
At Exit 162 I-94 intersects Old US 12 again.
I-94 enters the City of Ann Arbor and meets M-14. US 12 originally split north of Ann Arbor towards Detroit on the general corridor of M-14. M-14 is usually a slightly faster trip to downtown Detroit over I-94. Both routes are signed with a VMS indicating the travel times.
I-94 east meets US 23 at Exit 180 A/B.
I-94 east of US 23 picks up US 12 east at Exit 181 as it enters Ypsilanti. US 12 has a Business Route signed off of I-94 Exit 183, US 12 multiplexes I-94 east to Exit 185.
I-94 east enters Wayne County and at Exit 194 A/B meets I-275.
In Romulus I-94 east is signed as the primary point of access for Detroit Metro Airport via Exit 198 and 199.
At Exit 202 I-94 east meets US 24 on Telegraph Road in Taylor.
In Allen Park I-94 east meets M-39/Southfield Freeway.
The largest tire in the world (the giant Uniroyal tire) is located off I-94 east of M-39 in Allen Park. The Uniroyal Tire was originally a display for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and is an actual rubber tire. The Uniroyal Tire was moved to the Uniroyal Corporate Office in 1966. Originally the Uniroyal Tire displayed a white wall trim but it was refurbished to look more like a modern tire in 1998.
I-94 enters Dearborn and meets US 12/Michigan Avenue at Exit 210.
East of US 12/Michigan I-94 finally enters the City of Detroit. I-94 in Detroit is known as the Edsel Ford Freeway.
Traffic to the Ambassador Bridge is directed to take I-94 east Exit 213B for I-96 whereas traffic to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is directed to take Exit 215A.
At Exit 214A I-94 east meets Grand River Avenue. Grand River Avenue used to carry US 16 and the early alignment of US 12.
At Exit 215 A/B I-94 meets M-10/Lodge Freeway.
At Exit 215C I-94 east is signed as access to M-1/Woodward Avenue. Exit 215C actually requires back tracking from John Street to reach Woodward Avenue.
Interstate 94 is a 1,585.20 mile east/west Interstate and is by far the largest non-X0 even digit Interstate. I-94 was one of the original planned Federal Highway Act of 1956 Interstate routes. I-94 begins concurrent with I-69 at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan at the Canadian Border/western terminus of Kings Highway 402 and ends at I-90/US 212/US 87 in Billings, Montana. I-94 is an incredibly vital link for commerce in the Mid-West and a popular port of entry from Canada.
Within Indiana I-94 largely was a limited access grade replacement for US Route 12 (especially when US 12 was on the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway). Within Michigan I-94 was a direct limited access replacement for the following highways:
- The original route of US 12 from the Indiana State Line east to Ann Arbor.
- East of Ann Arbor I-94 largely replaced M-17 and US 112 (current US 12) to downtown Detroit.
- I-94 east of Detroit largely replaced US 25 to Port Huron.
The Shell Corporation Highway Maps below show the highways present in Indiana and Michigan before I-94 was built in 1956.
1956 Indiana Highway Map
1956 Michigan Lower Peninsula Highway Map
My approach to I-94 began from I-90/Indiana Toll Road eastbound. I departed I-90/Indiana Toll Road onto I-94 via Exit 21.
In 2017 I drove the Indiana Toll Road east to the Ohio State Line. My previous blog entry can be found below.
Great Lakes Road Trip Day 10 Part 2; Indiana Toll Road, dunes and Ohio Turnpike
I jointed I-94 east bound in Lake Station of Lake County at Mile Maker 16.
While I-94 isn't the most exciting road I've covered in the Mid-West it was one of the most common I took in the late 1990s. Back in those days I used to frequently used to travel between Chicago, Detroit and Lansing which largely was on I-94.
East of the Indiana Toll Road the route of I-94 enters Porter County as has a highway junction with IN 249 at Exit 19 in Portage.
Detroit is signed as being 256 miles away on I-94 east of IN 249.
At Exit 22 A/B I-94 east meets US 20 in Burns Harbor.
I-94 east in Chesterston meets IN 49 at Exit 26 A/B. IN 49 north is notable due to it being the direct access point to Indiana Dunes National Park (which feels weird to write) and Indiana Dunes State Park.
At Mile Marker 28 I-94 east has a trucking weigh station.
I-94 east enters LaPorte County and meets US 421 at Exit 34 A/B.
I-94 east meets US 20/US 35 at Exit 40 A/B on the outskirts of Michigan City.
East of US 20/US 35 the route of I-94 is signed as being 235 miles from Detroit.
I-94 east enters Berrien County, Michigan. I-94 east traffic has access to a rest area/welcome center about a half mile into Michigan.
I-94 east Exit 1 accesses M-239 on Harbor Country Drive.
East of M-239 the route of I-94 has a weigh station.
I-94 east has access to New Buffalo, Niles and Three Oaks at Exit 4 A/B at US 12.
Detroit is signed as being 225 miles away from I-94 Exit 4 A/B.
At Exit 23 I-94 east accesses a I-94 Business Route through St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.
I-94 east meets M-63 at Exit 27.
I-94 east crosses the St. Joseph River and meets M-139 at Exit 28.
I-94 east meets US 31 at Napier Avenue at Exit 30. Interestingly Napier Avenue is part of a discontinuous part of the US 31 limited access gap. I-94 east multiplexes US 31 north until it splits away onto I-196 north at Exit 34.
I-94 east of US 31/I-196 drops to a four lane configuration and is signed as 185 miles from Detroit.
There is a closed rest area on I-94 east of US 31/I-196.
At Exit 41 I-94 east meets M-140. East of M-140 the route of I-94 enters Van Buren County.
At Exit 56 I-94 east meets M-51.
I-94 east crosses the Paw Paw River and meets M-40 at Exit 60. M-40 directly accesses Paw Paw which is the Van Buren County seat. Paw Paw is named after the Pawpaw trees that used to line the Paw Paw River. East of M-40 Kalamazoo is signed as 20 miles away on I-94.
I-94 east enters Kalamzoo County and meets US 131 at Exit 74 A/B on the outskirts of the City of Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo/Battle Creek Airport is signed as being accessible from I-94 east Exit 78.
I-94 east Exit 88 is direct access to Climax; insert your own joke.
I-94 east enters Calhoun County and accesses M-37/I-94 BL on the outskirts of Battle Creek at Exit 92.
East of Exit 92 there is a rest area along I-94.
I-94 east meets I-194/M-66 at Exit 98 A/B.
I-94 east accesses M-294 at Exit 100. M-294 is a relatively new State Trunkline and dates back to the late 1990s. It isn't really clear if the numbering is meant to insinuate it is a child route of I-94.
At Exit 104 I-94 east meets both M-311 and M-96.
Traffic headed towards Michigan International Speedway is directed to take US 127 at I-94 Exit 142 east of M-311/M-96.
At Exit 108 I-94 east meets I-69.
Old US 27 is signed as being accessible from I-94 Exit 110. Parts of Old US 27 south of Marshall are now part of M-227.
I-94 east meets M-199 at Exit 119.
I-94 meets the Aibion I-94 Business Loop at Exit 121.
I-94 east enters Jackson County and meets M-99 at Exit 124.
Easts of M-99 Jackson is signed as 16 miles away whereas Detroit is 90 miles away on I-94 east.
I-94 east has a rest area in Jackson County.
Approaching Jackson I-94 meets the I-94 Business Loop and M-60 at Exit 136. There was ongoing construction along I-94 in Jackson which was an infamous stretch of the freeway for traffic accidents when I was a Michigan resident.
I-94 Exit 138 accesses US 127 north and M-50.
I-94 east multiplexes US 127 south. Normally M-106 would be accessible from Exit 139 but it was closed and signed with a construction detour.
US 127 south splits away from I-94 at Exit 142.
Ann Arbor is signed as 33 miles east of US 127 on I-94 and Detroit is signed as 70 miles away.
I-94 east enters Washtenaw County. At Exit 157 I-94 east meets Old US 12.
At Exit 159 I-94 east meets M-52.
East of M-52 there another rest area alongside I-94.
At Exit 162 I-94 intersects Old US 12 again.
I-94 enters the City of Ann Arbor and meets M-14. US 12 originally split north of Ann Arbor towards Detroit on the general corridor of M-14. M-14 is usually a slightly faster trip to downtown Detroit over I-94. Both routes are signed with a VMS indicating the travel times.
I-94 east meets US 23 at Exit 180 A/B.
I-94 east of US 23 picks up US 12 east at Exit 181 as it enters Ypsilanti. US 12 has a Business Route signed off of I-94 Exit 183, US 12 multiplexes I-94 east to Exit 185.
I-94 east enters Wayne County and at Exit 194 A/B meets I-275.
In Romulus I-94 east is signed as the primary point of access for Detroit Metro Airport via Exit 198 and 199.
At Exit 202 I-94 east meets US 24 on Telegraph Road in Taylor.
In Allen Park I-94 east meets M-39/Southfield Freeway.
The largest tire in the world (the giant Uniroyal tire) is located off I-94 east of M-39 in Allen Park. The Uniroyal Tire was originally a display for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and is an actual rubber tire. The Uniroyal Tire was moved to the Uniroyal Corporate Office in 1966. Originally the Uniroyal Tire displayed a white wall trim but it was refurbished to look more like a modern tire in 1998.
I-94 enters Dearborn and meets US 12/Michigan Avenue at Exit 210.
East of US 12/Michigan I-94 finally enters the City of Detroit. I-94 in Detroit is known as the Edsel Ford Freeway.
Traffic to the Ambassador Bridge is directed to take I-94 east Exit 213B for I-96 whereas traffic to the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel is directed to take Exit 215A.
At Exit 214A I-94 east meets Grand River Avenue. Grand River Avenue used to carry US 16 and the early alignment of US 12.
At Exit 215 A/B I-94 meets M-10/Lodge Freeway.
At Exit 215C I-94 east is signed as access to M-1/Woodward Avenue. Exit 215C actually requires back tracking from John Street to reach Woodward Avenue.
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