U.S. Route 31 Business (Muskegon, Michigan)

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BUS US 31
Business loop of the US Highway System

Length:

9.60 mi^[1] (15.45 km)

Formed:

1932-10-29 as US-31A
1940 or 1941 as BUS US 31^[1]

South end:

I-96 & US 31 in Norton Shores

Major
junctions:

M-46 in Muskegon

M-120 in Muskegon

North end:

US 31 near Muskegon

Counties:

Muskegon

Major cities:

Muskegon

Michigan highways

BUS US 31 is a business route running through the Muskegon metropolitan area.

It runs through downtown Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and Norton Shores.

Shoreline Drive along Muskegon Lake was scheduled to replace two downtown one-way five-lane streets as the business route in 2005. At that time many signs were placed on the new road designating it as the new Business Route. Because of problems with the hand over from the city to the state this transition has been complicated. Currently signs placed on the new road in some places have been removed or covered. At some points along the route there is no clear indication if the new or old route is the official route to follow.

Many city leaders have long promoted the new business route as an important tool to rebuilding a downtown area that has lost many of it long time anchor businesses. This includes a now abandoned mall property that community leaders have tried unsuccessfully to rebuild for several years.

In 2005 a major section of the new Business Route had to be closed for reconstruction because of early formation of massive potholes and other surface problems.

Because of the confusion related to marking the route, old habits of local drivers and recent construction, the use of the new route has been less than what was hoped for by local officials.^{[citation needed]}

The other BUS US 31 in Muskegon County is in the Whitehall-Montague area.