M-8 (Michigan highway)

M-8 marker
M-8
Davison Avenue, Davison Freeway
Map
M-8 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDOT
Length5.491 mi[1] (8.837 km)
History1942–1993 as a county freeway[2]
1993–present as M-8[2]
Major junctions
West end I-96 in Detroit
Major intersections
East endConant Street in Detroit
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesWayne
Highway system
US 8 M-9

M-8 is a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan lying within the cities of Detroit and Highland Park. Much of it is the Davison Freeway, the nation's first urban depressed freeway, which became a connector between the Lodge (M-10) and the Chrysler (Interstate 75, I-75) freeways.

Named for an English immigrant to the area, Davison Avenue was originally the only street connecting across Highland Park to Detroit. It was rebuilt by the city and Wayne County as a freeway during World War II. The roadway was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 1993 and numbered as M-8. Subsequent changes by the state rebuilt the freeway and extended the M-8 designation to connect to the Jeffries Freeway (I-96).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference PRFA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Barnett, LeRoy (2004). A Drive Down Memory Lane: The Named State and Federal Highways of Michigan. Allegan Forest, MI: Priscilla Press. p. 66. ISBN 1-886167-24-9.