Seriously Though, What Does Michigan Have Against the Word ‘Grand?’

Drive the highways leading to and from Grand Rapids, along the Grand River, zip past Grand Ledge and all the way to Grand Haven and you may start to nothing something a little odd. Many times, the highway signs just can't be bothered to spell out the word 'Grand.'

Michigan's Department of Transportation seems to have an odd fixation with using the abbreviation Gd for Grand. Perhaps it saves room on a sign, but it wouldn't seem the three extra letters are that obtrusive.

While the sign pictured above where M-11 meets I-96 near Marne is indeed a compact box of a sign, but there are just so many examples of it around the state.

READ MORE: The Curious Case of Michigan's 'Fat Diamond' Road Signs

At Grand River Avenue and I-96 in Portland:

Along I-96/69 in Lansing at the Saginaw Highway exit to Grand Ledge:

The GDs are everywhere. Of course the snicker that many get is because "g-d" is a common safe-for-work use of a mild, well known swear.

The question came up on a Facebook group devoted to road discussions where many have noted the quirky use.

I see all of these signs every day. It never used to bother me, but abbreviating “Grand” that way is just cheap.

Agree! I hated seeing that when I lived in Michigan.
I-96 used to gave a lot of “Gd River Avenue” exits.
I-75 used to have “Mackinac Br” signs. It may still as I haven’t been north of Bay City in a long time.

That comment brings up an interesting point. MDOT does indeed often use 'Br' for Bridge in directional signs leading to the Mackinac Bridge.

It seems likely Michigan drivers will just need to get used to the Gd abbreviations they see along the state's highways.