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| M-163 is a former proposed state trunkline route existing from December 8, 1930 to January 7, 1935. |
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| Southern Terminus*: | US-10/Dixie Hwy (present-day US-24) at the cnr of Ortonville Rd & Dixie Hwy, one mile south of downtown Clarkston in central Oakland Co |
| Northern Terminus*: | Jct Proposed M-15 (also designated as Proposed M-56 at one point), 0.8 mile north of downtown Clarkston (at the present-day jct of M-15 & I-75 at Exit 91) |
| Final Length*: | 1.8 miles |
| Maps: |  Route Map of Former M-163 Maps of the Proposed M-15 (M-56) Detroit Bypass (1930–35) |
| Notes: | * The termini and final length for Former Proposed M-163 reflect the beginning and ending of the route and its length as of the time of the route's cancellation on January 7, 1935. |
 The 1930–35 proposed western bypass of Greater Detroit. (Click for larger image.) M-163 was a proposed state trunkline designation from 1930–35 which was earmarked to be used along a short portion of the existing route of M-15 when that route designation was transferred to a proposed western bypass of the Greater Detroit area. The State Administrative Board approved what was termed as a "cut-off" for traffic from Ohio heading to areas north of Detroit without having to pass through Detroit (as one would using US-24, US-25 and US-10) or Ann Arbor (for those using US-23).The new bypass route was to have originated in the Clarkston area northwest of Pontiac and run south-southwesterly to Pontiac Lake, then southerly using existing county roads when available through the rest of Oakland Co like Williams Lake Rd, Union Lake Rd and Haggerty Hwy. In Wayne Co, the new bypass would continue southerly past Plymouth and New Boston via an upgraded Haggerty Hwy corridor, then bend southwesterly into Monroe Co to a terminus at the proposed (but never-built) route of US-23 about halfway between Maybee and Dundee. Most internal State Highway Dept planning maps show this bypass as an extension of the existing M-15 route, although some also show the M-56 designation was also earmarked for it as some point as well. (See Maps.) As the new bypass was to have veered away from M-15 just over ¾ mile north of downtown Clarkston and bypass the village to the west, the existing route of M-15 was to be kept on the state highway system and was assigned the M-163 route designation. M-163 was designated in a time where many short spurs and connectors were added to the state trunkline system to serve as access routes into the downtowns of smaller towns around the state and this route was envisioned as fulfilling the same purpose: to ensure downtown Clarkston still had trunkline acess once the new bypass was completed and opened to traffic. However, it can easily be assumed M-163 was never posted along the southernmost 1.8 miles of M-15 through Clarkston, retaining the existing M-15 route markers for the time being. Then, as many proposed state trunkline routes, many of them on new alignments around the state, were cancelled and remaining unconstructed, the proposed M-15 bypass of Greater Detroit was cancelled in early January 1935. At  that point, M-15 was to remain along its existing route through downtown Clarkston, rendering the proposed M-163 designation unncessary, leading to its decommissioning. While a portion of the proposed bypass was eventually constructed in Wayne Co as a county road, known today as Haggerty Rd, the overall bypass of Greater Detroit was never constructed in its proposed 1930–35 form, although I-275 was constructed very close to much of Haggerty Rd in Wayne Co and the problematic M-275 was proposed to run within a few miles of the route through Oakland Co as well. |
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| History: | 1930 (Dec 8) – A 54.8-mile state trunkline route, intended to become a "far" western bypass of the Greater Detroit area, is established from the proposed route of US-23 in northwest Monroe Co (between Azalia and Maybee) and continues northerly through Wayne and Oakland Cos, merging back into existing M-15 approximately ¾ mile north of downtown Clarkston. The new bypass is earmarked to become an extension of M-15, with the M-163 designation applied to the 1.8-mile segment of existing M-15 from the new bypass southerly through downtown Clarkston to a terminus at US-10/Dixie Hwy (present-day US-24). However, as the new route is yet to be constructed, M-15 remains signed along its existing route through Clarkston with M-163 simply the future designation of that portion. Construction on the new bypass route is projected to begin in 1931. (See Maps.) |
| 1935 (Jan 7) – With very little work actually completed on it, the entire 54.8-mile Greater Detroit bypass established in late 1930 is cancelled as a state trunkline route and will remain forever unbuilt in its originally-proposed form. With the cancellation of the bypass, the M-15 designation remains on its existing route through downtown Clarkston and the M-163 route is no longer needed and, ultimately, never signed in the field. |
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| Controlled Access: | No portion of former M-163 upon decommissioning existed as freeway or expressway, existing largely before modern-day control of access principles are practiced. |
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