Interstate 696

Interstate 696.
Interstate 696 is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of Michigan. Known as the Walter P. Reuther Freeway in honor of the former head of the United Automobile Workers, it is a bypass route through the northern suburbs of Detroit in Oakland and Macomb counties. Its western terminus connects with I-96 and I-275 in Farmington Hills. It runs east through suburbs including Southfield, Royal Oak and Warren before merging on its east end into I-94 at St. Clair Shores. Planning for the freeway started in the 1950s, and construction on the first segment started in 1961. The western third of the freeway opened in 1963, and the eastern third was completed in January 1979. The central segment was the subject of controversy over its routing and the effect on local communities and the environment, delaying its completion until December 15, 1989. (This article is part of a featured topic: Interstate 96.)