The designation once extended into downtown Detroit, but the eastern terminus was progressively scaled back in the late 1960s to the current location in Ypsilanti.

[3] The street is five lanes wide through an urban area between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti running east-southeasterly.

Although there are many residential areas near M-17, particularly to the south,[4] the road itself is dominated by commercial development, including numerous restaurants.

This intersection provides access north to Rynearson Stadium, home field for the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Eagles football team.

Eastbound M-17 continues along Washtenaw Avenue while westbound traffic follows Cross Street.

Michigan Avenue forms the extreme southern park boundary just before it crosses the Huron River.

[4] At Ecorse Road, M-17 turns south in Ypsilanti Township through a residential area, separating from Bus.

[3] Ecorse Road turns east four blocks north of I-94/US 12 and runs parallel to the freeway.

US 12 has been listed on the National Highway System,[7] a network of roadways important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

On July 1, 1919, the highway started at M-11 in Berrien County in the southwestern Lower Peninsula and ran east to Detroit.

[9] The M-17 designation also replaced M-23 on Ecorse Road between Ypsilanti and Lincoln Park and then ran concurrently with US 25 into Detroit.

Changes made moved the highway to turn east on Southfield Road to US 25 and follow US 25 back to the former routing into Detroit.

It then followed US 23 back to Washtenaw Avenue in Pittsfield Township to rejoin the original alignment of M-17 west to Ann Arbor.

It was later decommissioned in 1956 when the freeway bypass was completed west around the south side of Ann Arbor.