U.S. Highway 12

United States Highway 12 is an east-west United States highway. US 12 is now the only US route still serving Detroit, Michigan, whose downtown street grid was laid out perfectly for the five-way intersection of US 12, US 10, US 16, US 112, and US 25.

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is in Detroit, Michigan at an indeterminate point downtown. Its western terminus is in Aberdeen, Washington at an intersection with U.S. Highway 101.

States Traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

• Michigan
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Wisconsin
• Minnesota
• South Dakota
• North Dakota
• Montana
• Idaho
• Washington

From Elkhorn, Wisconsin to near the Illinois/Wisconsin state line, it is a freeway with a 65 m.p.h speed limit.

Historical Route Information

Old Route 12 in Michigan

Old U.S. 12 in Michigan runs from downtown Detroit to Chicago. It was replaced by Interstate 94 in 1952, and the state of Michigan re-routed the US 12 designation to the former route of U.S. Highway 112.

It was an old highway that ran through the middle of the major towns and cities of Michigan between Detroit and Chicago. In most cases the road is still there, and is named either "Michigan Avenue", "Old U.S. 12" or the "Red Arrow Highway", named after a World War I army division. You can still drive the highway from Belle Isle in Detroit all the way to The Magnificent Mile in Chicago. There are only a few places were you have to navigate around the new Interstate. The major break in Old U.S. 12 is in the middle of Michigan half way between the village of Parma and the city of Albion. It's at this point that I-94 cuts south a bit and bisects the old highway, forcing a motorist to navigate north on smaller roads.

The highway is considered an important historic road like Route 66. Some of it had been the original Territorial Road of Michigan laid out in the early 1800s.

Michigan Cities on Old Route

Detroit, Michigan, Dearborn, Michigan, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Chelsea, Michigan, Grass Lake, Michigan, Jackson, Michigan, Parma, Michigan, Albion, Michigan, Marshall, Michigan, Battle Creek, Michigan, Kalamazoo, Michigan, St. Joseph, Michigan, Niles, Michigan, Gary, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois

For a detailed discussion of the current U.S. 12 in Michigan, see the link for the old U.S. Highway 112, which received the designation U.S. 12 in the early 1960s.

Related US Routes

• U.S. Highway 112 (decommissioned)
• U.S. Highway 212
• U.S. Highway 312 (decommissioned)
• U.S. Highway 412 (not a "child" of US 12)
• List of U.S. Highways

Sources

• Endpoints of US highways (used with permission)