Michigan’s First Interstate Wasn’t I-94—It Was This One

Before GPS, before a Starbucks at every exit, and way before TikTokers were filming themselves doing 70 in the left-hand lane, Michigan was laying the groundwork for what would become its first official signed interstate.

RELATED: 10-Mile Stretch of Michigan Highway Among Deadliest in America

Let's rewind the clock and head back to the 1950s in the Mitten State.

Michigan’s Interstate Era Began in Monroe County

A stretch of Michigan highway, beginning at the Ohio line and extending into Monroe County, initially served as US-24A. Construction began in 1952, but, as with every construction project in Michigan, it encountered delays related to rain and a shortage of concrete.

By December 1956, the first 25 miles were open, making it the earliest controlled-access freeway in Michigan that would eventually become I-75.

When I-75 Got Its Name and Signs

Meanwhile, roughly 230 miles north, the Mackinac Bridge was changing the way Michigan got to the Upper Peninsula. By 1957, the bridge and its connecting freeways, originally designated as US-27 and US-2, would eventually be absorbed by I-75.

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According to MichiganHighways.org, in April of 1958, the Michigan State Highway Department formally picked I-75 as the number for this soon-to-be mega highway, and by October 1959, Michigan put up its very first I-75 signs stretching from the Ohio state line into Wayne County.

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Interestingly, the state hadn't planned on putting up signs that early, but Ohio had already done so; therefore, Michigan followed suit to avoid any interstate confusion or angry Buckeyes. From that first Detroit-Toledo Expressway segment to the Mighty Mac, I-75 isn't just a road; it was Michigan's grand entrance into the Interstate era.