M-1 (Michigan highway): Difference between revisions

|established= 1970<ref name=baulch>{{cite news |last = Baulch |first = Vivian M. |date = June 13, 1999 |title = Woodward Avenue, Detroit's Grand Old 'Main Street' |url = http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=205 |work = [[The Detroit News]] |access-date = June 6, 2012 |issn = 1055-2715 |oclc = 137348716 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20090104004403/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=205 |archive-date = January 4, 2009 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Woodward Avenue was created after the Detroit[[Great Fire of 1805]] in Detroit. The thoroughfare followed the route of the [[Saginaw Trail]], an Indian trail that linked Detroit with Pontiac, [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]], and [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]]. The Saginaw Trail connected to the [[Mackinaw Trail]], which ran north to the [[Straits of Mackinac]] at the tip of the [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan]]. In the age of the [[auto trail]]s, Woodward Avenue was part of the [[Theodore Roosevelt International Highway]] that connected [[Portland, Maine]], with [[Portland, Oregon]], through [[Ontario]] in Canada. It was also part of the [[Dixie Highway]], which connected Michigan with [[Florida]]. Woodward Avenue was the location of the first mile (1.6&nbsp;km) of concrete-paved roadway in the country. When Michigan created the State Trunkline Highway System in 1913, the roadway was included, numbered as part of [[M-10 (Michigan highway)|M-10]] in 1919. Later, it was part of [[U.S. Route 10 in Michigan|US Highway&nbsp;10]] (US&nbsp;10) following the creation of the [[United States Numbered Highway System]]. Since 1970, it has borne the M-1 designation. The roadway carried [[streetcar]] lines from the 1860s until the 1950s; a new streetcar line known as the [[QLine]] opened along part of M-1 in 2017.

Like other state highways in Michigan, the section of Woodward Avenue designated M-1 is maintained by MDOT. In 2021, the department's traffic surveys showed that on [[average annual daily traffic|average]], 68,359&nbsp;vehicles used the highway daily south of 14&nbsp;Mile Road in [[w:Royal Oak, Michigan|Royal Oak]] and 15,909&nbsp;vehicles did so each day in north of Chicago Boulevard in [[w:Detroit|Detroit]], the highest and lowest counts along the highway, respectively.<ref name=TMIS>{{cite map |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |year = 2023 |url = https://mdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=50dd462048fd4971998567699698f285 |title = Traffic AADT Map |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |access-date = July 18, 2023 }}</ref> All of M-1 is listed on the [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]],<ref name=NHS-MI/> a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.<ref name=NHS>{{cite web |first1 = Stefan |last1 = Natzke |first2 = Mike |last2 = Neathery |first3 = Kevin |last3 = Adderly |name-list-style = amp |date = June 20, 2012 |url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |title = What is the National Highway System? |work = National Highway System |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |access-date = July 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120704194551/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |archive-date = July 4, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref> As well as the sections of Woodward Avenue in Pontiac that are part of [[Interstate 75 Business (Pontiac, Michigan)|Business Loop I-75]] (BL I-75) and [[U.S. Route 24 Business (Pontiac, Michigan)|Business US&nbsp;24]] (Bus. US&nbsp;24), all of M-1 is a [[Pure Michigan Byway]] and an [[All-American Road]].<ref name=MDOT16/> Woodward Avenue is considered to be the divider between the East and West sides of the city of Detroit.<ref name=whitall>{{cite news |first = Susan |last = Whitall |date = March 12, 2007 |title = Woodward Avenue: Michigan's Main Street |url = http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20070312/METRO/703120330/Woodward-Avenue--Michigan-s-Main-Street |work = The Detroit News |pages = 1A, 8A |issn = 1055-2715 |oclc = 137348716 |access-date = July 16, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150102140458/http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20070312/METRO/703120330/Woodward-Avenue--Michigan-s-Main-Street |archive-date = January 2, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Woodward Avenue starts at an intersection with [[Jefferson Avenue (Detroit)|Jefferson Avenue]] next to [[Hart Plaza]] about {{convert|750|ft|m}} from the [[Detroit River]].<ref name=MDOT16/><ref name=google/> The plaza is regarded as the birthplace of the [[Ford Motor Company]],<ref name=ford-marker>{{cite sign |author = [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]] |date = n.d. |url = https://www.flickr.com/photos/30711379@N07/4800953286/ |title = Ford Motor Company |medium = Michigan State Historical Marker |location = Hart Plaza, Detroit |publisher = Michigan Department of Natural Resources |access-date = December 8, 2012 |via = [[Flickr]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131221104519/http://www.flickr.com/photos/30711379%40N07/4800953286/ |archive-date = December 21, 2013 }}</ref> and it is located near [[Huntington Plaza]] and the [[Renaissance Center]], headquarters for [[General Motors]] (GM).<ref name=rencen>{{cite news |first= Todd |last= Nissen |date= May 17, 1996 |url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BN&p_theme=bn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF99421B6BF901&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |title= GM Buys Renaissance Center for itsIts World Headquarters |work= [[The Buffalo News]] |agency= [[Reuters]] |issn= 0745-2691 |id= {{oclc| 61311995 |867310047}} |access-date= December 8, 2012 |via= [[NewsBank]] |url-access= subscription |archive-date= December 15, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131215113905/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=BN&p_theme=bn&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF99421B6BF901&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |url-status= live }}</ref> The first block of Woodward Avenue, between Jefferson Avenue and Larned Street, is a pedestrian plaza, the [[The Spirit of Detroit|Spirit of Detroit Plaza]], home of the namesake statue used to symbolize the city.<ref name=gross>{{cite news |last = Gross |first = Allie |title = Detroit City Council Votes to Keep Spirit of Detroit Plaza Downtown |newspaper = Detroit Free Press |date = July 23, 2019 |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/07/23/spirit-plaza-permanent-downtown-detroit-park/1809857001/ |access-date = August 11, 2022 }}</ref> Woodward Avenue runs north-northwesterly away from the river through the heart of downtown Detroit and the [[Detroit Financial District|Financial District]]. Along the way, it passes several important and historic sites, including [[List of buildings located along Woodward Avenue|notable buildings]] like [[One Woodward Avenue]], the [[Guardian Building]], and [[The Qube (Detroit)|The Qube]]. Further north, Woodward Avenue runs around [[Campus Martius Park]] and enters the [[Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District]], a retail, commercial, and residential district listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP). After that historic district, the avenue travels through the middle of [[Grand Circus Park Historic District|Grand Circus Park]]; the northern edge of the park is bounded by Adams Avenue, where state maintenance begins.<ref name=MDOT16>{{cite MDOT map |year = 2016 |sections = B9–F11 |inset = Detroit }}</ref><ref name=google>{{google maps |url = https://www.google.com/maps/dir/42.337036,-83.0509/42.60356,-83.26393/@42.4704669,-83.29784,61331m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m21!4m20!1m16!3m4!1m2!1d-83.069359!2d42.3643737!3s0x8824d299cf1564df:0x727355733e815b59!3m4!1m2!1d-83.09926!2d42.40876!3s0x8824cde9be28a6cf:0xc2a8551a8968b60d!3m4!1m2!1d-83.1872!2d42.51908!3s0x8824c63d8c3e709b:0xca3fd299b226bd2d!4e1!1m1!4e1!3e0?hl=en |title = Overview Map of M-1 |access-date = May 21, 2017 }}</ref>

North of Adams Avenue, Woodward Avenue is a state trunkline designated M-1. The highway crosses to the west of [[Comerica Park]] and [[Ford Field]], home of Major League Baseball's [[Detroit Tigers]] and the National Football League's [[Detroit Lions]], respectively. Woodward passes the historic [[Fox Theatre (Detroit, Michigan)|Fox Theatre]] before it crosses over I-75 (Fisher Freeway) without an interchange; access between the two highways is through the [[service drive]]s that connect to adjacent interchanges. North of the freeway, M-1 passes [[Little Caesars Arena]], home of the National Hockey League's [[Detroit Red Wings]] and the National Basketball Association's [[Detroit Pistons]]. A six-lane street, the highway travels through mixed residential and commercial areas of [[Midtown, Detroit|Midtown]] including the [[Midtown Woodward Historic District]], another district listed on the NRHP. South of I-94, Woodward heads through the [[Cultural Center Historic District (Detroit)|Cultural Center Historic District]], which includes the campus of [[Wayne State University]], the [[Detroit Public Library]], and the [[Detroit Institute of Arts]];<ref name=MDOT16/><ref name=google/> the institute and the nearby [[Detroit Historical Museum]] showcase the city's automotive history.<ref name=fhwa-tour>{{cite web |author = Federal Highway Administration |date = n.d. |url = http://byways.org/explore/byways/13754/itinerary/70729 |title = Woodward Avenue Auto History Tour |work = America's Byways |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = December 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100209033457/http://byways.org/explore/byways/13754/itinerary/70729 |archive-date = February 9, 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Many historical sites are located along Woodward Avenue, which was included in the [[MotorCities National Heritage Area]] when it was created on November 6, 1998.<ref name=histcha1>{{cite web |author-link = History (U.S. TV channel) |author = The History Channel |date = n.d. |title = Nov&nbsp;6, 1998: President Clinton designates 'Automobile National Heritage Area' in Detroit |url = http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-clinton-designates-automobile-national-heritage-area-in-detroit |work = This Day in History |publisher = The History Channel |access-date = April 23, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104094925/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/president-clinton-designates-automobile-national-heritage-area-in-detroit |archive-date = November 4, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref> The road was designated what is now called a [[Pure Michigan Byway]] by MDOT in 1999,<ref name=ballou>{{cite news |first = Brian |last = Ballou |date = August 4, 1999 |title = Woodward Winner: Storied Avenue Labeled a Michigan Heritage Road; Plans In Works for Continuous Identity from Detroit to Pontiac |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829009/woodward_winner/ |work = [[Detroit Free Press]] |edition = Oakland Final |page = 1B |issn = 1055-2758 |id = {{oclc|10345127| 137343179}} |access-date = July 13, 2018 |via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> and a [[National Scenic Byway]] by the [[Federal Highway Administration|FHWA]] National Scenic Byways Program on June 13, 2002,<ref name=crains>{{cite news |last = Dietderich |first = Andrew |title = Woodward Group to Add Members South of Eight Mile |work = [[Crain's Detroit Business]] |date = April 19, 2004 |access-date = July 1, 2017 |url = http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20040419/SUB/404190861/woodward-group-to-add-members-south-of-eight-mile |url-access = subscription |archive-date = July 2, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170702014810/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20040419/SUB/404190861/woodward-group-to-add-members-south-of-eight-mile |url-status = live }}</ref> the only urban road at the time with that classification.<ref name=MDOTtoday/> It was later upgraded to All-American Road status on October 16, 2009;<ref name=tamboer>{{cite news |first = Andrea |last = Tamboer |date = October 28, 2009 |title = Woodward Avenue (M-1) Gets All-American Road Designation |url = http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2009/10/woodward_avenue_m-1_gets_all-a.html |work = [[MLive]] |location = Detroit |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = July 14, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140723062233/http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2009/10/woodward_avenue_m-1_gets_all-a.html |archive-date = July 23, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref> such roads have highly unique features and are significant enough to be tourist destinations unto themselves.<ref name=ABFS>{{cite web |author = Federal Highway Administration |date = August 17, 2011 |title = America's Byways Fact Sheet |url = http://byways.org/press/pdf/fact_sheet.pdf |work = America's Byways |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = September 22, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120911064443/http://byways.org/press/pdf/fact_sheet.pdf |archive-date = September 11, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref> In announcing the byway status in 2002, [[Norman Mineta]], then [[United States Secretary of Transportation]], said that "Woodward Avenue put the world on wheels, and America's automobile heritage is represented along this corridor."<ref name=MDOTtoday/><!-- Other sources have called it the "Father Road", in contrast to [[U.S. Route 66]]'s title as the "Mother Road".<ref name=genat>{{cite book |last = Genat |first = Robert |year = 2010 |title = Woodward Avenue: Cruising the Legendary Strip |location = North Branch, Minnesota |publisher = CarTech Books |pages = 14, 41 |isbn = 978-1-932494-91-4 |oclc = 505927336 }}</ref>-->

As well as the custom signage, WA3 has received FHWA grant funding to erect a series of lighted "tributes": solar-powered, lighted pillars that contain artwork related to the roadway. The $150,000 glass and concrete sculptures are being placed in the median along Woodward Avenue to serve as landmarks along the route of the roadway and to brand it for tourists. A total of 10 to 12 installations are planned for the length of the highway in Wayne and Oakland counties.<ref name=kavanaugh>{{cite news |first = Catherine |last = Kavanaugh |date = April 18, 2012 |title = Royal Oak Auto Designer Pays Tribute to Woodward Avenue |url = http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20120418/NEWS01/120419719/royal-oak-auto-designer-pays-tribute-to-woodward-avenue&pager=full_story |work = The Daily Tribune |location = Mount Clemens, Michigan |access-date = July 24, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150610214602/http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20120418/NEWS01/120419719/royal-oak-auto-designer-pays-tribute-to-woodward-avenue%26pager%3Dfull_story |archive-date = June 10, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> The art project received a 2011 National Scenic Byway Award for the Byways interpretation category.<ref name=tribute>{{cite web |first = Heather |last = Carmona |date = n.d. |title = Woodward Avenue Tribute Program |url = http://www.woodwardavenue.org/uploaded_pics/pdf/pdf-20120314173435.pdf |publisher = Woodard Avenue Action Association |access-date = July 24, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150707010242/http://www.woodwardavenue.org/uploaded_pics/pdf/pdf-20120314173435.pdf |archive-date = July 7, 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-format = PDF }}</ref>

The area around Woodward was once nicknamed "Piety Hill".<ref name=whitall/> There are 22&nbsp;[[Religious Structures of Woodward Avenue Thematic Resource|churches on the NRHP]] along the street in Detroit and Highland Park.<ref name=rswatr>{{cite web |author = National Park Service |date = January 23, 2007 |title = National Register Information System |url = http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html |work = [[National Register of Historic Places]] |publisher = National Park Service |access-date = July 17, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101204052104/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html |archive-date = December 4, 2010 }}</ref> According to ''[[The Detroit News]]'', the sounds of church bells and horse hooves were some of the most distinctive sounds on Sundays along Woodward Avenue in the early 20th century.<ref name=whitall/> The street was home to jazz clubs starting in the 1910s and 1920s, starting a period of transition.<ref name=whit/> During the 1940s, ministers lobbied for a law to prevent the issuance of additional liquor licenses in their neighborhood; the law was later overturned in 1950.<ref name=whitall/> Nightclubs along Woodward hosted a burgeoning music scene in the early days of rock 'n roll,<ref name=whit/> and the area also had plenty of bars and burlesque shows as late as the 1970s. One local journalist called the mix of churches, clubs, and bars along Woodward Avenue "a precarious balance between the sacred and the profane".<ref name=whitall/>

As well as music clubs, many of Detroit's other major entertainment venues are located on or near Woodward in downtown Detroit, including the [[Fox Theatre (Detroit)|Fox Theatre]], [[Majestic Theater (Detroit, Michigan)|Majestic Theater]], and the rest of the [[Detroit Theater District|theater district]],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120831/FREE/309029990/metro-detroits-largest-performance-venues |title = Metro Detroit's Largest Performance Venues |work = Crain's Detroit Business |date = August 31, 2012 |access-date = May 22, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180319215331/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20120831/FREE/309029990/metro-detroits-largest-performance-venues |archive-date = March 19, 2018 |url-status = live |url-access = subscription }}</ref> the second-largest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |author = Experience Detroit |date = n.d. |url = http://www.experiencedetroit.com/theatres.htm |title = Detroit Theatres |publisher = Experience Detroit |access-date = July 1, 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160723085610/http://experiencedetroit.com/theatres.htm |archive-date = July 23, 2016 }}</ref> During [[World War II]], the area was likewise home to 24-hour movie theaters and bowling alleys. Curfews across the river in [[Windsor, Ontario]], meant that many patrons during the war years were Canadian. They frequented the establishments along with the Americans, many of whom worked in the factories of the Detroit area. The theater district has undergone a renaissance after renovations and improvements during the 1980s<ref name=whit>{{cite news |first = Susan |last = Whitall |date = March 26, 2007 |title = Woodward: Avenue of Escape |work = The Detroit News |pages = 1A, 4A |url = http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20070327/METRO/108010004/Woodward--Avenue-of-escape |issn = 1055-2715 |oclc = 137348716 |access-date = July 16, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150610224018/http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20070327/METRO/108010004/Woodward--Avenue-of-escape |archive-date = June 10, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref> and 1990s,<ref>{{cite book |first = Costas |last = Spirou |year = 2011 |title = Urban Tourism and Urban Change: Cities in a Global Economy |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1dOsAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 |location = New York |publisher = Routledge |page = 180 |isbn = 978-0-415-80163-8 |oclc = 929048780 |access-date = May 22, 2017 |via = Google Books }}</ref> leading to a resurgence in the performing arts in the city.<ref name=whit/> In 2002, the Fox Theatre outsold the larger [[Radio City Music Hall]] in Manhattan, earning the "No.&nbsp;1 theater in North America" title from ''Pollstar'', an industry trade journal,<ref>{{cite news |last = Hodges |first = Michael H. |date = September 8, 2003 |url = http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=215 |title = Fox Theater's Rebirth Ushered in City's Renewal |department = Michigan History |work = The Detroit News |access-date = November 23, 2007 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121205184440/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=215 |archive-date = December 5, 2012 }}</ref> and the district is considered the second largest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |author = Detroit Economic Growth Corporation |date = n.d. |url = http://www.degc.org/arts-culture.aspx |title = Arts & Culture |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131009191212/http://www.degc.org/arts-culture.aspx |archive-date = October 9, 2013 |publisher = Detroit Economic Growth Corporation |access-date = July 24, 2008 |quote = Detroit is home to the second largest theatre district in the United States. }}</ref>

In 1701, the first transportation routes through what became the state of Michigan were the lakes, rivers and Indian trails. One of these, the [[Saginaw Trail]], followed what is now Woodward Avenue from the Detroit area north to [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]], where it connected with the [[Mackinaw Trail]] north to the [[Straits of Mackinac]].<ref name=mason>{{cite book |last = Mason |first = Philip P. |title = Michigan Highways from Indian Trails to Expressways |location = Ann Arbor, Michigan |publisher = Braun-Brumfield |year = 1959 |page = 4 |oclc = 23314983 }}</ref> The Town of Detroit{{#tag:ref|Detroit was incorporated as a town in 1802 by the government of the [[Northwest Territory]] before incorporation and reincorporation as a city by the [[Michigan Territory]] in 1806 and 1815.<ref name=farmer>{{cite book |url = http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty&cc=micounty&idno=bad1459.0001.001;frm=frameset&view=image&seq=191 |title = The History of Detroit and Michigan, or, The Metropolis Illustrated: A Full Record of Territorial Days in Michigan, and the Annals of Wayne County |first = Silas |last = Farmer |location = Detroit |publisher = S. Farmer & Co |year = 1889 |pages = 133–5 |oclc = 2823136 |edition = 2nd |via = [[University of Michigan]] Digital Collections |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522171640/http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty&cc=micounty&idno=bad1459.0001.001%3Bfrm%3Dframeset&view=image&seq=191 |archive-date = May 22, 2011 }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} created {{convert|120|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} [[right-of-way (transportation)|rights-of-way]] for the principal streets of the city in 1805.<ref name=lingeman>{{cite book |title = Michigan Highway History Timeline 1701–2001: 300&nbsp;Years of Progress |last = Lingeman |first = Stanley D. |date = April 6, 2001 |location = Lansing |publisher = [[Library of Michigan]] |page = 1 |oclc = 435640179 }}</ref> This street plan was devised by Augustus Woodward and others following a devastating fire in Detroit,<ref name=baulch/> with a mandate from the territorial governor to improve on the previous plan.<ref name=barnett243-4/> Two of these principal streets were established by the territorial government on September 18, 1805, as "permanent public roads, avenues or highways", one of which was to run along the modern routing of Woodward Avenue.<ref>{{cite book |first1 = William |last1 = Hull |first2 = Augustus B. |last2 = Woodward |first3 = Frederick |last3 = Bates |name-list-style = amp |date = 1871 |orig-yeardate = enacted September 18, 1805 |chapter = An Act Concerning Highways and Roads |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IDpHAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA75 |title = Laws of the Territory of Michigan |volume = ((Vol. 1)) |location = Lansing, Michigan |publisher = W.S. George & Co. |pages = 75–79 |access-date = April 24, 2017 |via = Google Books }}</ref> The wide avenues, in emulation of the street plan for [[Washington, DC]], were intended to make Detroit look like the "Paris of the West".<ref name=whitall/>

Augustus Woodward was a judge in the [[Michigan Territory]] appointed by his friend, President [[Thomas Jefferson]].<ref name=barnett243-4/> He was also a colonel in the territorial militia and a president of one of Detroit's first banks.<ref name=bailey>{{cite news |first = Mary |last = Bailey |date = February 17, 2000 |title = Detroit's Street Names Honor Early Leaders |url = http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=199 |work = The Detroit News |issn = 1055-2715 |oclc = 137348716 |access-date = October 20, 2012 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120707110636/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=199 |archive-date = July 7, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Woodward named the street for himself, responding whimsically to the resulting criticism: "Not so. The avenue is named Woodward because it runs wood-ward, toward the woods."<ref name=barnett243-4/>{{#tag:ref|Woodward used other similar word plays to explain street names, according to George Catlin, a Detroit historian. "Atwater Street, the Judge said, was not named for [[Reuben Atwater]], but because it was literally 'at water,' being on the riverfront".<ref name=baulch/>|group=lower-alpha}} Other proposals for names included Court House Street or Market Street. For a time, one section was named Congress Street, Witherell Street, Saginaw Road or Saginaw Turnpike,<ref name=barnett243-4/> with another section dubbed Pontiac Road. Unlike these other monikers, the avenue retained the judge's name.<ref name=baulch/>

On May 13, 1913, the Legislature created the [[Michigan State Trunkline Highway System|state's highway system]]; Woodward Avenue was included as part of "Division&nbsp;2".<ref name=STLA>{{cite book |author = Michigan Legislature |chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7kXiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1868 |title = The Compiled Laws of the State of Michigan |volume = ((Vol. 1)) |year = 1915 |orig-yeardate = enacted May 13, 1913 |chapter = Chapter 91: State Reward Trunk Line Highways |pages = 1868–72 |location = Lansing, Michigan |publisher = Wynkoop, Hallenbeck, Crawford |editor1-last = Shields |editor1-first = Edmund C. |editor2-last = Black |editor2-first = Cyrenius P. |editor3-last = Broomfield |editor3-first = Archibald |access-date = January 24, 2012 |via = [[Google Books]] |oclc = 44724558 |name-list-style = amp |author-link = Michigan Legislature }}</ref> The full length was paved in 1916.<ref name=baulch/> The first crow's nest [[traffic tower]] in the US was installed at the intersection of Woodward and Michigan avenues on October 9, 1917; the tower elevated a police officer above the center of the intersection to direct traffic before the structure was replaced in October 1920 with the world's first four-way [[traffic light]].<ref name=barnett243-4/> The state signposted its highways in 1919,<ref name=press-1919-09-20>{{cite news |title = Michigan May Do Well Following Wisconsin's Road Marking System |work = [[The Grand Rapids Press]] |date = September 20, 1919 |page = 10 |oclc = 9975013 }}</ref> and Woodward Avenue was assigned the [[M-10 (Michigan highway)|M-10]] designation.<ref name=MSHD19LP>{{cite MDOT map |date = 1919-07-01L |link = yes }}</ref> The same year, two auto trail designations were applied to the avenue. The [[Theodore Roosevelt International Highway]] was created in February 1919, running from Detroit northward along Woodward Avenue.<ref name=skidmore>{{cite book |last = Skidmore |first = Max J. |year = 2007 |title = Moose Crossing: Portland to Portland on the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway |location = Lanham, Maryland |publisher = [[Hamilton Books]] |pages = 7, 72 |isbn = 978-0-7618-3510-3 |oclc = 80156759 }}</ref> Later that year, the [[Dixie Highway]] was extended through Detroit to the Straits of Mackinac,<ref name=fortwayne>{{cite news |work = [[Fort Wayne News and Sentinel]] |title = System of Roads Urged by Hoosier State Automobile Association |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829629/system_of_roads_urged_by_hoosier_state/ |date = August 27, 1919 |oclc = 11658858 |page = 6 |access-date = July 13, 2018 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> following the route of the old Saginaw Trail northward along Woodward Avenue.<ref name=RM21>{{cite map |author = [[Rand McNally]] |year = 1921 |title = Official Auto Trails Map |map = District&nbsp;3, Southern Peninsula of Michigan, Northern Indiana, Northwestern Ohio |scale = 1:633,600 |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |oclc = 35066537 }}</ref>

Since 1924,<ref name=fox12/> Woodward Avenue has hosted [[America's Thanksgiving Parade]],<ref name="route">{{cite web |title = See the Official Parade Route: Woodward Ave. Comes Alive with America's Thanksgiving Parade |url = http://www.clickondetroit.com/station/10309311/detail.html |date = November 13, 2006 |work = Click On Detroit |publisher = [[WDIV-TV]] |location = Detroit |access-date = May 26, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110609032104/http://www.clickondetroit.com/station/10309311/detail.html |archive-date = June 9, 2011 }}</ref> the second oldest [[Thanksgiving]] Day parade in the United States.<ref name=fox12>{{cite news |title = Correct! Philadelphia Held Its First Parade in 1920 |work = Our Daily Holiday Quiz |url = http://www.kptv.com/story/5663561/a |publisher = [[KPTV-TV]] |location = Portland, Oregon |access-date = November 20, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105238/http://www.kptv.com/story/5663561/a |archive-date = December 24, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> In 1925, the intersection between Woodward Avenue and State Street was busier than [[Times Square]].<ref name= stein>{{cite news |first = Jason |last = Stein |title = Woodward Avenue: More than Just the Heart of Detroit, It's the Soul of the Automotive World |work = [[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]] |location = Arlington Heights, Illinois |date = September 13, 2009 |at = §9, p. 1 |oclc = 18030507 |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829523/woodward_avenue_more_than_just_the/ |access-date = July 13, 2018 |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> On November 11, 1926, the [[United States Numbered Highway System]] was approved by the [[American Association of State Highway Officials]] (AASHO);<ref name=USH>{{cite book |first = Dan |last = McNichol |year = 2006 |title = The Roads that Built America |location = New York |publisher = [[Sterling Publishing|Sterling]] |page = 74 |isbn = 1-4027-3468-9 |oclc = 63377558 }}</ref> the M-10 designation along Woodward was replaced with [[U.S. Route 10 in Michigan|US&nbsp;10]], a moniker that ran from Detroit to [[Seattle, Washington]].<ref name=USHM>{{cite map |author1 = [[Bureau of Public Roads]] |author2 = [[American Association of State Highway Officials]] |date = November 11, 1926 |title = United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials |url = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_System_of_Highways_Adopted_for_Uniform_Marking_by_the_American_Association_of_State_Highway_Officials.jpg |scale = 1:7,000,000 |location = Washington, DC |publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] |oclc = 32889555 |access-date = November 7, 2013 |via = [[Wikimedia Commons]] |name-list-style = amp }}</ref>

A bypass of downtown Birmingham opened in 1939, drawing through traffic away from the busy Woodward Avenue–Maple Road intersection. The bypass was originally named Hunter Boulevard.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://archive.btpl.org/newsletters/1939/November%201939/Nov%202,%201939%20part1%201.pdf |date = November 2, 1939 |title = Fete Friday Will Open Hunter Blvd.: Prominent Officials Invited to Ceremony |work = The Birmingham Eccentric |page = 1 |access-date = April 24, 2017 |via = Bloomfield Township Public Library |oclc = 9948897 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170425115322/http://archive.btpl.org/newsletters/1939/November%201939/Nov%202%2C%201939%20part1%201.pdf |archive-date = April 25, 2017 }}</ref> On September 6, 1997, Birmingham renamed the bypass to Woodward Avenue, with the previous alignment of Woodward signed as Old Woodward Avenue.<ref>{{cite press release |author = Woodward Avenue Action Association |date = September 3, 1997 |title = 'Sign of the Times' Sponsored by Woodward Avenue Action Association and the Birmingham Principal Shopping District |location = Birmingham, Michigan |publisher = Woodward Avenue Action Association |url = http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sign-of-the-times-sponsored-by-woodward-avenue-action-association-and-the-birmingham-principal-shopping-district-75219657.html |access-date = April 24, 2017 |via = [[PR Newswire]] |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170425115609/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sign-of-the-times-sponsored-by-woodward-avenue-action-association-and-the-birmingham-principal-shopping-district-75219657.html |archive-date = April 25, 2017 }}</ref>

In the early 1980s, M-1 was truncated in downtown Detroit, as the Woodward Mall was designated in the area around Cadillac Square.<ref name=MDOT81>{{cite MDOT map |year = 1981 |inset = Detroit |section = E5 }}</ref><ref name=MDOT82>{{cite MDOT map |year = 1982 |inset = Detroit |section = E5 }}</ref> At the end of 2000, MDOT proposed several highway transfers in Detroit. Some of these involved transferring city streets in the [[Campus Martius Park]] area under the department's jurisdiction to city control; another part of the proposal involved MDOT assuming control over a section of Woodward Avenue from Adams Avenue south to Grand River Avenue.<ref name=MDOT2000>{{cite map |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |date = November 7, 2000 |title = Proposed Jurisdiction Transfers in the City of Detroit |url = http://www.michiganhighways.org/etc/campusmartiusexhibit1.pdf |scale = Scale not given |location = Lansing |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |access-date = January 12, 2012 |via = Michigan Highways |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120523204102/http://www.michiganhighways.org/etc/campusmartiusexhibit1.pdf |archive-date = May 23, 2012 |url-status = live |archive-format = PDF }}</ref> These transfers were completed the following year.<ref name=MDOT01>{{cite MDOT map |year = 2001 |inset = Detroit }}</ref><ref name=MDOT02>{{cite MDOT map |year = 2002 |inset = Detroit }}</ref> In 2004, the southern terminus was moved north three blocks to Adams Avenue.<ref name=MDOT04>{{cite MDOT map |year = 2004 |section = |inset = Detroit }}</ref><ref name=MDOT05>{{cite MDOT map |year = 2005 |section = |inset = Detroit }}</ref> A massive address renumbering project ensued along Woodward Avenue in 1997, creating a consistent numbering system from downtown Detroit to Pontiac. Previously, each city along the route had its own address system.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7823667/detroit-free-press/ |title = Time for a Change |work = Detroit Free Press |date = September 13, 1997 |access-date = July 11, 2021 |first = Hugh, Jr. |last = McDiarmid |page = 3A |issn = 1055-2758 |id = {{oclc|10345127| 137343179}} |via = Newspapers.com }}</ref> In June 2017, the southernmost block of Woodward Avenue south of Larned Street closed to automobiles to create a temporary pedestrian plaza.<ref>{{cite news |first = Kirk |last = Pinho |date = June 8, 2017 |url = https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20170608/news/630871/woodward-closing-cars-south-larned-downtown-pedestrian-plaza |title = Woodward Closing to Cars South of Larned for Downtown Pedestrian Plaza |work = Crain's Detroit Business |access-date = November 1, 2018 |url-access = subscription |archive-date = May 21, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190521171808/https://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20170608/news/630871/woodward-closing-cars-south-larned-downtown-pedestrian-plaza |url-status = live }}</ref> This closure was made permanent the following November.<ref>{{cite news |first = Violet |last = Ikonomova |date = November 21, 2017 |title = Woodward Avenue Street Plaza to Stay Open Despite Traffic Concerns |url = https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2017/11/21/woodward-avenue-street-plaza-to-stay-open-despite-traffic-concerns |work = [[Metro Times]] |location = Detroit |access-date = November 1, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171122050320/https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2017/11/21/woodward-avenue-street-plaza-to-stay-open-despite-traffic-concerns |archive-date = November 22, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref>

On August 27, 1863, the [[Detroit City Railway Company]] (DCRC) established streetcar service along Woodward from Jefferson to Adams avenues.<ref name=schramm9>{{cite book |first = Kenneth |last = Schramm |year = 2006 |title = Detroit's Street Railways |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=R26MH_YEaJQC |series = Images of Rail |location = Charleston, South Carolina |publisher = Arcadia Publishing |isbn = 0-7385-4027-7 |oclc = 67975025 |page = 9 |access-date = April 24, 2017 |via = Google Books }}</ref> The company was formed by investors from [[Syracuse, New York]], earlier that year. Later, on September 18, 1886, a separate electrified line, the Highland Park Railway, was added that ran along Woodward Avenue through Highland Park.<ref name=schramm7>{{harvp|Schramm|2006|p = 7|ps=. }}</ref> In mid-December 1893, the main streetcar line was electrified by the DCRC.<ref name=nrhp-submission>{{cite web|author=Zachary and Associates |date=July 30, 1997 |title=Historic and Architectural Resources of the Cass Farm Survey Area, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan |url={{NRHP url|id=64500270}} |format=PDF |work=[[National Register of Historic Places]] |publisher=National Park Service |page=5 |access-date=August 20, 2012 |df=mdy-all |url-status = live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117233750/http://focus.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/64500270.pdf |archive-date=November 17, 2015 }}</ref> In 1901, the various lines throughout the city were consolidated as the [[Detroit United Railway]].<ref name=schramm8>{{harvp|Schramm|2006|p=8|ps=.}}</ref>

In the first decade of the 21st century, local business and government officials proposed two projects to add modern streetcars to M-1, an approximately {{convert|9|mi|km|spell=in|adj=mid|-long}} line from the transit center at Michigan Avenue north to the state fairgrounds,<ref name=cbs62/> or a {{convert|3.4|mi|km|adj=on}} line in the downtown area only.<ref name=oosting2009-11-02>{{cite news |last = Oosting |first = Jonathan |date = November 2, 2009 |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/11/woodward_light-rail_project_in.html |title = Woodward Light-Rail Project in Detroit Could Lose Matching Federal Funds for Extension |work = MLive |location = Detroit |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = October 5, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140116095450/http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/11/woodward_light-rail_project_in.html |archive-date = January 16, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref> Suggestions to unify the two plans were made in late 2008,<ref name=minehaha>{{cite news |first = Minehaha |last = Forman |date = November 15, 2008 |title = Detroit Looks to 'Unify' Rival Light-Rail Transit Plans |url = http://michiganmessenger.com/8407/detroits-two-rival-transit-proposals-in-discussions-to-unify |work = [[The Michigan Messenger]] |access-date = October 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100216010319/http://michiganmessenger.com/8407/detroits-two-rival-transit-proposals-in-discussions-to-unify |archive-date = February 16, 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref> and the Detroit City Council approved the sale of $125&nbsp;million in bonds on April 11, 2011, for the longer system.<ref name=cbs62>{{cite news |title = City Council Approves Detroit Light Rail Project |date = April 12, 2011 |url = http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/04/12/city-council-approves-detroit-light-rail-project/ |location = Detroit |publisher = [[WWJ-TV]] |access-date = July 15, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316005812/http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/04/12/city-council-approves-detroit-light-rail-project/ |archive-date = March 16, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref> Through various approvals in 2011,<ref name=mlive>{{cite news |first = Michael |last = Wayland |title = Detroit's Woodward Ave. Light Rail Project Moves Forward, but Still Has Long Road to Completion |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/09/detroits_woodward_ave_light_ra.html |work = MLive |location = Detroit |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = December 15, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131019145020/http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2011/09/detroits_woodward_ave_light_ra.html |archive-date = October 19, 2013 |date = September 6, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> and subsequent changes including a [[bus rapid transit]] system<ref name=helms2011-12-15>{{cite news |last=Helms |first=Matt |date=December 15, 2011 |title=For Less Than $500M, a Bus Rapid Transit System Could Cover Nearly 110&nbsp;Miles |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829747/for_less_than_500m_a_bus_rapid/ |work=Detroit Free Press |page=17A |issn=1055-2758 |id={{oclc|10345127| 137343179}} |access-date=July 13, 2018 |via=Newspapers.com }}</ref> with a dedicated Woodward Avenue bus lane,<ref>{{cite news |first = Khalil |last = AlHajal |date = December 17, 2012 |title = Detroit-Area Group to Check Out Cleveland's Bus Rapid Transit System After Legislation Opens Doors |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2012/12/detroit-area_group_to_check_ou.html |location = Detroit |work = MLive |publisher = Booth Newspapers |access-date = December 27, 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121223071822/http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2012/12/detroit-area_group_to_check_ou.html |archive-date = December 23, 2012 }}</ref> private investors who supported the shorter three-mile line to New Center continued developing that project.<ref name=helms2011-12-14>{{cite news |title = Light-Rail Plan Scrapped: Rapid-Transit Buses Between Detroit, Suburbs Will Be Used Instead |url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829854/lightrail_plan_scrapped_rapidtransit/ |work = Detroit Free Press |date = December 14, 2011 |last1 = Helms |first1 = Matt |first2 = Paul |last2 = Egan |first3 = John |last3 = Gallagher |pages = 1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21829901/lightrail_plan_scrapped_part_2/ 6A] |issn = 1055-2758 |id = {{oclc|10345127| 137343179}} |via = Newspapers.com |access-date = July 13, 2018 }}</ref>