M-21 (Michigan highway)

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This article is about the state highway in Michigan; for other uses, see M21

M-21

Maintained by MDOT

Length:

101.43 mi^[1] (163.24 km)

Formed:

1920^[2]

West end:

M-37/M-44 in Grand Rapids

Major
junctions:

M-66 in Ionia

US 127 near St. Johns
M-52 in Owosso
M-71 in Owosso
M-13 near Lennon
I-75 near Flint

East end:

I-475 in Flint

Counties:

Kent, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Genesee

Michigan highways
< M-20	M-22 >
< M-55		M-57 >

M-21 is an east-west highway in the U.S. state of Michigan connecting the cities of Grand Rapids and Flint. Due to the size and industrial importance of some of the cities through which it was built, it was a major highway. M-21 was truncated at both of its current termini as the two Interstate freeways were completed. I-196 functionally replaced M-21 between Holland and Grand Rapids (a portion retained state maintenance as Old M-21, and is now M-121). I-69, signed anomalously as an east-west route, replaced M-21 from Flint to Port Huron. Although it is the shortest route between those two cities, the slightly longer pair of east-west I-96 and I-69 supplant it as an intercity route.

1 Route description
2 History
- 2.1 M-56
- 2.2 M-210
3 Major intersections
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route description

The western terminus is at M-37 on the east side of greater Grand Rapids. The eastern terminus is the northbound Interstate 475 service drive (northbound Chavez Drive) just north of Interstate 69 in Flint. M-21 passes through Ada, Lowell, Ionia, St. Johns, and Owosso. There is no "M-21 ends" sign in Flint. Instead, guide signs lead from eastbound M-21 at Fifth Street to the northbound I-475 service drive at northbound Chavez Drive back to westbound M-21 at Court Street.^[3]

All of it, except for some segments just outside of Grand Rapids and Flint, along with the highway split into two one-way streets inside Flint, is undivided surface road. None of M-21 is freeway. The section between I-75/US 23 and Saginaw Street in Flint is part of the National Highway System.^[2]

[edit] History

Before the Interstate era, M-21 extended across the entire Lower Peninsula of Michigan, from the junction with US 31 in Holland, Michigan near Lake Michigan east to the St. Clair River at Port Huron, Michigan, and crossed into Canada where the Blue Water Bridge is currently located.

M-21 was designated in 1920 on a routing from Ionia to Goodells, Michigan. Along the way, it ran through Lyons and Pewamo, joining its current routing to Ovid. M-21 continued through Corunna to Lennon and Flint. There it joined its last routing between Flint and the Port Huron area. It would be extended to Port Huron in 1922. The west end was extended to Grand Rapids in 1925 along a routing later used for US 16. The routing through Owosso and Lennon was redesignated as M-71 at this time as well. The 1926 creation of the United States Highway System led to the extension of M-21 along US 16 to Grand Rapids and over M-51 to Holland. This extension would be routed along Chicago Drive on 1929-08-26. All in-city portions of M-21 are transferred to state control in 1931 with the passage of the Dykstra Act of 1931 (PA 131 of 1931).

A Bypass M-21 designation is created in the Grand Rapids area in 1945. This designation runs from the corner of 28th Street and Chicago Drive along BYP US 16 and BYP US 131 on 28th Street. At East Beltline Ave, BYP US 131/BYP M-21 turned north back to M-21. M-21A in Flint was turned over to local control in 1948. The BYP M-21 routing was replaced by M-21 in 1952. The former routing in Grand Rapids became BUS M-21 instead.

A bypass of Zeeland was opened on 1958-03-06, rerouting M-21 around Zeeland. M-21 would be rerouted to follow I-196 through Grand Rapids in 1964. The first freeway segment of M-21 on the east end is created from Wadhams to Port Huron. A freeway segment between Flint and Lapeer was opened in 1971, joining the M-78 designation. Portions of M-21 between M-13 and BUS M-54 was redesignated M-56. The M-78 designation was replaced by I-69 in 1973 after I-69 was extended north from Charlotte. The 1974 completion of I-196 meant the truncation of M-21 to end in Grand Rapids. Portions became BL I-196 and unsigned trunkline along Chicago Drive. BUS M-21 became BS I -196.

The remaining portion of freeway connecting Flint with Port Huron opened in 1984 as I-69. M-21 was shortened to Flint. M-56 was replaced by M-21 at this time as well. The former M-21 in Port Huron became BL I-69, and the remainder was turned back to local control.^[2]

[edit] M-56

M-56 was a state highway from 1971 to the mid 1980s that replaced the M-21 designation from M-13 to Flint when the M-21 (now I-69) freeway was built. ^[4]

When the M-21 designation was replaced with the I-69 designation, the M-56 designation was retired and M-21 was restored in its place. In the 1950s, M-56 was originally numbered on a road from US 25 in Flat Rock to US 112, today US 12, in Canton. Today, this road is known as Huron River Dr. and Belleville Rd.^[4]

[edit] M-210

M-210 served as a spur route through Pewamo starting in 1933. Motorists traveling on M-21 could get on M-210 to go through Pewamo and return to M-21 on the other side of the town, or stay on M-21 and go around the town. The routing was turned over to local control in 1939^[2]

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile^[1]	Roads	Notes
Kent	Grand Rapids	0.00	M-37 M-44 East Beltline	Western terminus
Ionia	Ionia	28.52	M-66
Clinton	St. Johns	55.73	BUS US 127
Clinton	St. Johns	57.11	US 127
Shiawassee	Owosso	76.11	M-52 M-71
Genessee	Lennon		M-13
	Flint		I-75 US 23
	Flint	101.43	I-475	Eastern terminus