M-3 (Michigan highway)

M-3
M-3
Gratiot Avenue
Route information
	Maintained by MDOT
Length	27.2 mi (43.8 km)
Existed	1972–present
Major junctions
South end	M-10 / BS I-375 in Detroit
	M-59 near Mount Clemens; Metropolitan Parkway in Clinton; I-696 in Roseville; M-102 in Eastpointe; I-94 near Hamtramck
North end	M-29 / I-94 near New Baltimore
Location
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Highway system
	Michigan State Trunkline Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Byways;

M-3 is a north-south state highway in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Detroit metropolitan area. For most of its length, M-3 is known as Gratiot Avenue. Locals pronounce the street name "grashet" [græ'ʃət].

Route description

Gratiot is one of five major avenues (along with Woodward, Michigan, Grand River, and Jefferson) planned by Judge Augustus Woodward in 1805 that extend from downtown Detroit in differing directions. Gratiot runs northeast from downtown and extends into Macomb County.

The total length of the route is approximately 29 miles (46 km). The road passes through Detroit, Eastpointe, Roseville, Clinton Township, Mount Clemens, and Chesterfield Township. For much of the way it runs more or less parallel with M-97 to the north and with Interstate 94 to the south.

History

Gratiot Avenue, then also called "the Gratiot road," was established in 1835 as the road leading to Fort Gratiot near Port Huron, which was in turn named for Colonel Charles Gratiot, an engineer with Harrison's army in the War of 1812. ^[2]

Before 2001, the southern terminus of M-3 was at exit 47A (Clark Avenue) of I-75 in the southwest side of Detroit, linking to the Ambassador Bridge, providing an international connection to Ontario's Highway 3. Due to exchanges between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the city of Detroit, M-3 was broken into discontinuous segments, and the former Fort Street portion of M-3 was transferred to an extended M-85. Now M-3 extends from Gratiot Avenue to Randolph Street south to end at the intersection with Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit. The northern terminus is at exit 243 of Interstate 94 in Chesterfield Township about two miles (3.2 km) west of New Baltimore. (M-29 connects to the junction from the east.)

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Wayne	Detroit	0.0	0.0	M-10 north (Lodge Freeway) / BS I-375 south
				I-75 south (Fisher Freeway) to I-75 north (Chrysler Freeway) / I-375 south (Chrysler Freeway) – Toledo, Flint, Downtown DetroitModule:Jct error: Invalid "to" argument	No left turn northbound
		3.3	5.3	East Grand Boulevard
				M-53 north (Van Dyke Avenue)
		4.8	7.7	I-94 – Detroit, Port Huron	Interchange
		6.1	9.8	M-97 north (Gunston Street)
Macomb	Eastpointe	9.3	15.0	M-102 (8 Mile Road)
	Roseville	12.6	20.3	I-696 (Reuther Freeway) – Southfield, Roseville	Interchange
	Roseville	15.3	24.6	I-94 west – Detroit	Interchange
	Mount Clemens	23.0	37.0	M-59
	Chesterfield Township	27.2	43.8	I-94 – Detroit, Port Huron	Interchange
	Chesterfield Township			M-29 north (23 Mile Road)	Continuation beyond I-94

References

^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2006-04-23). "Michigan Highways: Highways 1 through 9". Michigan Highways. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
^ Farmer, Silas, History of Detroit and Michigan, 1884, p. 940

External links

M-3 at Michigan Highways Ends

[bessert-1] Bessert, Christopher J. (2006-04-23). "Michigan Highways: Highways 1 through 9". Michigan Highways. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

[2] Farmer, Silas, History of Detroit and Michigan, 1884, p. 940

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