Outer Drive

Outer Drive is a bypass road which encircles both the eastern and western portions of the Metro Detroit area. It resembles a jagged horseshoe and was not originally intended to move traffic as much as to provide a pleasurable drive around Detroit. This drive would include travel through beautiful subdivisions (many of which have deteriorated badly), school sites and park areas. First proposed in 1918, it immediately won acceptance and eventually evolved into the road that exists today.

At its western starting point at Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse near the Detroit River, the thoroughfare meanders northwestly to Michigan Avenue, where it makes a northeast bend along the River Rouge; it then continues northeastly with several 90 degree angle turns until Outer Drive ends at Livernois Avenue. Outer Drive then resumes on Detroit's east side, over-taking State Fair Avenue, Conner Avenue, Alter Road, Chandler Park Drive and Whittier Avenue, where its eastern terminus is at Whittier and Mack Avenue at the edge of the City of Grosse Pointe Park. Outer Drive is notable for having several isolated divided portions. There are three such segments. The largest is the wetsternmost section, beginning at Jefferson Avenue in Ecorse and ending at Livernois Avenue in Detroit—this sector is 23.7 miles (38.1 km).^{[citation needed]} The middle section is between Dequindre Street (at East State Fair) and McNichols East (between Mount Olivet Cemetery and Coleman A. Young International Airport); this section is 4.8 miles (7.7 km) entirely within Detroit.^{[citation needed]} The easternmost section is between Conner Street (near Gratiot Avenue) and Mack Avenue (at Whittier Road); this section is 5.1 miles (8.2 km), within Detroit and Grosse Point Park.^{[citation needed]}

Unlike other divided highways in Michigan, Outer Drive allows standard left turns on and off the street. The speed limit on this street is at most 35 mph (56 km/h); it is low since other main urban streets have a speed limit of 45 mph (72 km/h).^{[clarification needed]}

References

Metro Times Article about the history of Outer Drive