Business routes of Interstate 96
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There have been five business routes for Interstate 96 in the state of Michigan. Of these, only the business loops in Lansing and Howell are still currently designated. The business spurs in Portland and Detroit and the loop in Farmington are all decommissioned.
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[edit] Portland, Michigan
 Interstate 96 Business Spur |
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| Location | Portland, Michigan |
| Commissioned | 1978-09-14-[1] |
Business Spur Interstate 96 or BS I-96 was a Business Spur of I-96 through the city of Portland in the U.S. state of Michigan. The western terminus was at the corner of Grand River Ave and Kent St in downtown Portland, and its eastern terminus was at Exit 77 south of the city. The routing followed Grand River Avenue, the former routing of US 16 in Michigan. This section of US 16 was decommissioned on 1960-03-07. It would remain under local control until the first quarter-mile section was transferred to state control on 1978-09-18. The route was first marked on state highway maps in 1982. It would be transferred back to local control on 2007-10-31.[2]
[edit] Lansing, Michigan
 Interstate 96 Business Loop |
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| Location | Lansing, Michigan |
| Commissioned | 1962-12-14-[3] |
Business Loop Interstate 96 or BL I-96 is a Business Loop of I-96 through the city of Lansing, the state capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. The western terminus is at I-96 exit 90 northwest of Lansing near the I-96/I-69 junction, and its eastern terminus is at Exit 104 south of the city.
[edit] Route description
With the completion of I-96 in between Lansing and Brighton, US 16 was decommissioned in Michigan in 1962. The former routing of US 16 in Lansing was redesignated as BL I-96. From exit 90 on I-96, BL I-96 follows the Grand River Avenue routing of US 16 southeasterly to then US 27 on Larch St. There, BL I-96 joined US 27 along a one-way pairing of Larch and Cedar streets. Where US 27 turned to join M-78 at Main St.,BL I-96 continued along US 127 along Cedar St. to terminate at I-96 south of the city at exit 104.
[edit] History
On 1963-12-23 BL I-96 was rerouted onto the first portion of the I-496 freeway to be constructed southeast of the city. This reouting would last until 1966-11-18 when it would be transferred back to the original routing with the completion of the US 127 freeway between Lansing and Mason. BL I-96 was rerouted along M-43/BUS M-78 to the I-496/M-78 freeway and back to I-96 at exit 106. Once the US 127 freeway was completed, BL I-96 was rerouted back along the then former US 127 routing to I-96.
[edit] Howell, Michigan
Interstate 96 Business Loop |
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| Location | Howell, Michigan |
| Commissioned | 1962-12-14-[4] |
Business Loop Interstate 96 or BL I-96 is a Business Loop of I-96 through the city of Howell, located between Detroit and Lansing in the U.S. state of Michigan. The western terminus is at the M-59 junction with I-96 northwest of Howell, and its eastern terminus is at Exit 141 east of the city.
This highway follows the original route of US 16 though downtown Howell. In 1962, I-96 was completed between Lansing and Brighton, and US 16 was decommissioned in Michigan. At the time, a new limited-access connector road was constructed between I-96 and Grand River Avenue, providing access for the business loop and M-59 to I-96.
[edit] Farmington, Michigan
Interstate 96 Business Loop |
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| Location | Farmington, Michigan |
| Commissioned | 1961-1977[5] |
Old BL I-96 was a former Business Loop of I-96, and is now a 4.74 miles (7.63 km) mile segment of unsigned state trunkline along Grand River Avenue through the city of Farmington, a northwestern suburb of Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan. The eastern terminus is at the M-5/Grand River Avenue junction southeast of Farmington and its western terminus is at the junction of M-5 and Grand River Avenue west of the city.
[edit] History
This highway was the original route of US 16 though downtown Farmington. In 1933, US 16 was routed onto a bypass route which had been constructed south of the city (the present-day Freedom Road) and the route through Farmington was retained as state trunkline. In 1957, a new bypass freeway was built just to the south of the old bypass as part of the "Brighton-Farmington Expressway" and the route through downtown was designated as "BUS US 16".
The original plans for I-96 called for it to replace US 16 and to run parallel to Grand River Avenue all the way from Farmington into downtown Detroit. Around 1959-1960, the Farmington bypass freeway was resigned as I-96 and in 1961, the business route was redesignated as "BL I-96". In 1977, as the Jeffries Freeway was completed, I-96 was rerouted along it south through Livonia and then east into Detroit, the portion of freeway bypassing Farmington was redesignated as M-102 (now part of M-5). Simultaneously, the Business Loop I-96 designation through downtown Farmington was removed and Grand River Avenue became an unsigned state trunkline, a status it has retained to this day.
[edit] Detroit, Michigan
Interstate 96 Business Spur |
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| Location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Commissioned | 1962-1977[6] |
Grand River Avenue is one of the principal pre-Interstate roads in the state of Michigan. The modern road cuts across the Lower Peninsula in a southeast-to-northwest fashion from Detroit to Grand Rapids. The portion of Grand River Avenue in Detroit between I-96 and the intersection with Cass Avenue and Middle Street in downtown Detroit is an unsigned state trunkline, sometimes referred to as OLD BS I-96.
In Detroit, Grand River is one of five major avenues (along with Woodward, Michigan, Gratiot, and Jefferson) planned by Judge Augustus Woodward in 1805 that extend from downtown Detroit in differing directions. Grand River Avenue extends northwesterly from the city's downtown.
[edit] History
In 1850, the Michigan State Legislature established the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company, which set about converting various Indian trails into the Lansing-Howell Plank Road, a task the company completed by 1853. At Howell the road connected with the Detroit-Howell Plank Road, establishing the first improved connection direct from the state capital to Michigan's largest metropolis. The Lansing-Detroit Plank Road was a toll road until the 1880s. It eventually evolved into the modern Grand River Avenue.[7]
With the creation of the U.S. Highway System, Grand River became part of U.S. 16. This lasted until the creation of the Interstate Highway System, when Grand River was paralleled by I-96. The U.S. 16 designation was removed
When US-16 was deleted in 1962, Grand River Avenue was designated as "BS I-96" (Business Spur I-96). Upon completion of the I-96/Jeffries Freeway in Detroit in 1977, portions were re-designated as M-102 and M-5 (later the extension of M-102 became part of M-5). From the I-96/Jeffries Freeway southeast into downtown Detroit, Grand River Avenue remained under state control as an unsigned state trunkline, sometimes referred to as "OLD BS I-96". In 2004, the state transferred several blocks at the eastern end of Grand River Avenue to the City of Detroit. State trunkline control now ends at the corner of Grand River Avenue, Middle Street, and Cass Avenue.
[edit] References
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2007-06-13). Michigan Highways: Business Connections 96 through 496 List. Michigan Highways. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ "ROADWAY SEGMENT transferred from MDOT to the CITY, becoming a City Major Street:
I-96 Business Spur/Grand River Avenue, from the northern terminus of the I-96 Business Spur at the centerline of Kent Street, southeasterly to the southern terminus of the I-96 Business Spur at the eastbound I-96 exit ramp, a distance of approximately 1.29 miles, in control section 34032." - ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2007-06-13). Michigan Highways: Business Connections 96 through 496 List. Michigan Highways. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2007-06-13). Michigan Highways: Business Connections 96 through 496 List. Michigan Highways. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2007-03-15). Michigan Highways: Unsigned State Trunklines List. Michigan Highways. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (2007-03-15). Michigan Highways: Unsigned State Trunklines List. Michigan Highways. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ Forsyth, Kevin S. East Lansing - Origins. A Brief History of East Lansing, Michigan. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
