Business Spur I-696 - Southfield and Detroit
Former Business Route
The initial section of the John C. Lodge Expressway northwest from Detroit to Meyers Road was designated as Business Spur I-696 in 1962. The route was extended a year later to I-696 at U.S. 24 (Telegraph Road), as Interstate 696 opened to traffic from that interchange west to I-96.
An alignment change for U.S. 10 in 1970 shifted the route from Woodward Avenue to the John C. Lodge Freeway, retiring the business spur from I-696. U.S. 10 between Southfield and Detroit was eventually renumbered as M-10 when the US highway was retracted to Bay City in 1986 (E. Curtis, personal communication).
A remnant marker for Business Spur I-696 appeared at the entrance to the John C. Lodge Freeway at Tiger Stadium well into the 1980s (M. Swope, personal communication).