Michigan Unveils Driver’s License and Plate Redesign for 2024

Michigan drivers will soon have access to a new license plate option. This puts a fresh spin on the classic blue and yellow Water Winter Wonderland version. The new plate will be green and white. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson unveiled the "Water Wonderland" plate. She emphasizes its homage to the civil rights era and the transformative advancements that emerged from that period.

The new plate is scheduled for availability on January 27. The "Water Wonderland" plate coincides with the introduction of an enhanced driver's license having “improved security technology." Benson expressed pride in this development, stating, "I am proud to bring back a green and white plate that pays tribute to the civil rights advancements of 1963 along with a new, more secure Michigan driver's license and ID."

Benson continued to highlight the dual purpose of the new plate. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing quest for equality and justice, while the redesigned ID aims to safeguard Michiganders from identity theft and criminal activities. The decision to reintroduce this retro plate was prompted by public requests to the department.

This year marked the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and UAW President Walter Reuther leading the Walk to Freedom in Detroit. It was an event addressing injustice and inequality. The "Water Wonderland" plate commemorates this historic year, connecting back to Dr. King's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech at Cobo Hall according to the news release.

The "Water Wonderland" plate, available for passenger vehicles and as a disability plate, comes with a nominal $5 graphic plate fee. The redesigned driver's license features changes in font, color theme, and, the Great Lakes names in a multicolored text when viewed at specific angles.

Regarding standard and enhanced driver’s licenses and state IDs, including commercial, chauffeur’s, graduated, moped, and salvage vehicle agent licenses, the new design will be issued to Michigan residents upon renewal, replacement, or correction of their license or ID. Importantly, there will be no change in current driver’s license or state ID fees due to the introduction of the new design.

In a legislative move earlier this year, authorization was granted for the creation of additional retro license plates, including one celebrating the nation's first-ever semi-quincentennial.

There are some strange and peculiar roads around the world which can often make driving an... interesting experience. While many roads are bland, Michigan has some unique roads. And many of those roads have some interesting history.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, the oldest constructed roads discovered to date are in former Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. These stone-paved streets date back to about 4000 B.C. in the Mesopotamia cities of Ur and Babylon.

Here in Amercia, the State Highway Department was created in 1905. In the early 1900s, lcoal leaders, including Horatio S. "Good Roads" Earle and Frank F. Rogers, saw a pressing need to get Michigan out of the mud.

Over time, they accomplished the first mile of concrete highway built, first painted centerline, first roadside park, and the first four-way red/yellow/green electric traffic light built on a solid foundation for a sustainable transportation system in Michigan. The demand for paved roads rose with the use of wheeled vehicles.

When it comes to Michigan’s roads and highways, there are many facts. Most Michiganders would find some of these quite surprising. The Michigan Department of Transportation has compiled a list of facts about the roads and highways in Michigan. With facts about Michigan’s first road map, first four lane road, and others. But which facts do some Michiganders not know about?

Here are 8 Michigan road facts you probably didn’t know about.

Currently, Michigan has one of the nation's shortest signed interstates. The shortest freeway in Michigan is only 1.1 miles long. Though not signed, New York has a  0.70 miles freeway, which is even smaller than Michigan's smallest.

The three-span US-12 camelback bridge in Mottville is Michigan's longest remaining bridge of this type. Constructed in 1922, these bridges are found primarily in Michigan and Ontario, Canada.

The towers on the Mackinac Bridge or “Mighty Mac” (552 feet high) are almost as tall as the Washington Monument (555 feet high). The Mackinac Bridge is currently the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world.

The first Michigan road map, with only three roads on it, was published by the United States Congress in 1826. As a matter of fact, the first surveyed road in Michigan was Pontiac Road (now called M-1 or Woodward Avenue) connecting Detroit and Pontiac in 1819.

M-185 on Mackinac Island is the only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned. Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on Mackinac Island since 1896 because the horses were disturbed by the noisy engines of some of the island's first cars. Furthermore, carriage drivers formed an association, convincing islanders to ban automobiles.

The longest highway in Michigan is I-75, which runs 395 miles from the Ohio border to the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie. I-75 also passes through six different states. At its north end, it starts on the Canada/U.S. border at the top of Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie. Then it heads south to Naples in Florida, where it bends east and runs across to Miami.

MDOT says that there is enough pavement on Michigan roadways to build a one-lane road from the Earth to the moon. Michigan has a total of 120,256 miles of paved roadway. This includes 9,669 route miles of state trunkline, 89,444 route miles of county roads, and 21,198 route miles of city and village streets. However, according to NASA, the Moon us an average of 238,855 miles away from Earth.

Eight Michigan highways began as Native American trails, US-2 (from Sault Ste. Marie to Green Bay); I-75 (from Detroit to Saginaw), I-94 (from Detroit to St. Joseph; I-96 (from Detroit to Grand Rapids), I-94 (from Detroit to Port Huron), US-41 (from L'Anse to Marquette), and US-12 (from Ypsilanti to Chicago). Michigan's three largest tribes are the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottowa) and the Potawatomi (also called the Bode'wadmi). Michigan also federally recognizes these tribes and others in the state.