History U.S. Route 31 in Michigan

1 history

1.1 predecessor highways
1.2 highway system era
1.3 freeway era

history
predecessor highways

map of pre-statehood indian trails

the first major overland transportation corridors in future state of michigan indian trails. 1 of these followed part of path of us 31; mackinac trail paralleled route of us 31 petoskey northward.

in age of auto trail, roads later formed us 31 through michigan given few different highway names. west michigan lake shore highway association founded on january 10, 1912, , group reorganized on may 30, 1913, west michigan pike association. auto trail marked series of concrete markers 8 feet (2.4 m) tall along 400-mile-long (640 km) roadway indiana state line northward mackinaw city.

the highway part of western mainline of dixie highway in michigan, auto trail built starting in 1915. in 1916, northern junction between west michigan pike , east michigan pike, served connection 2 mainlines of dixie highway in michigan in mackinaw city, marked stone monument @ junction of central avenue , huron street. middle of 1921, trail used 413 miles (665 km) of roadways along western branch parallel lake michigan. michigan led other states in dixie highway association 1922 @ improvements sections of roadway.

the state trunkline highway system created on may 13, 1913, act of michigan legislature; @ time, 1 of system s divisions corresponded us 31. division 5 followed course niles northward mackinaw city. in 1919, michigan state highway department (mshd) signposted highway system first time, , future us 31 corridor assigned 2 numbers. state line north through niles st. joseph, carried original m-58 designation , there northward original m-11.

us highway system era

the american association of state highway officials (aasho) approved united states numbered highway system on november 11, 1926, , mshd designated us 31 in michigan according aasho s plan run northward indiana state line , along lake michigan shoreline mackinaw city. section in benton harbor–st. joseph area overlapped us 12 , modern concurrency us 10 in place. end of next year, highway extended across straits of mackinac on state car ferries connect us 2 in upper peninsula north of st. ignace. in 1930, muskegon bypassed; new highway east of downtown numbered us 31a.

us 31 running in upper peninsula in 1936

by end of 1936, last section of us 31 in state paved near charlevoix, making entire highway in michigan hard-surfaced road. next year, route of us 2 realigned run st. ignace; after change, us 2 , us 31 ran concurrently. later year, set of curves straightened out south of ludington , routes of us 31 , us 31a between saugatuck , holland switched, , us 31 realigned bypass downtown ludington.

in 1938, southern end of us 31 given second designation when us 33 extended state indiana terminate in st. joseph. later year, us 31a in holland area decommissioned. next year, us 31 concurrency removed us 2 in upper peninsula , former highway no longer crossed straits of mackinac, terminating instead in mackinaw city. 1940, muskegon bypass given us 31 designation, , route downtown redesignated us 31a.

during world war ii, bypass of downtown south haven built; former route of us 31 through heart of city designated bus. us 31 @ time. after war, route of us 31 north of charlevoix realigned follow shoreline; section opened middle of 1949. route of highway between holland , west olive changed run on more angular course northwesterly in 1950. few years later, bypass south , east of holland opened , former route through down redesignated business loop in 1954.

freeway era

on november 1, 1957, mackinac bridge opened traffic. opening of bridge, highways coming mackinaw city south realigned connect it; us 31 terminated @ southern approach mackinac bridge. in november 1960, sections of i-75 s freeway opened indian river north southern mackinac bridge approaches, , us 31 rerouted follow segments of freeway current northern terminus south of mackinaw city northward. end of decade, freeway segment opened along muskegon bypass well. next year, us 33 extended northward along us 31 st. joseph 10 miles (16 km).

in 1962, section of freeway along us 31 opened between i-94 , berrien–van buren county line. section designated part of i-96/us 31; former route near lakeshore became us 33. mshd petitioned federal highway officials switch interstate designations west of grand rapids, reversing i-96 , i-196 numbers current configurations. after designation switch approved in 1963, additional 35 miles (56 km) opened northern end of freeway near benton harbor holland i-196/us 31. freeway extended northward muskegon muskegon–oceana county line north of montague in 1963.

when i-196 completed between holland , grandville in 1974, bl i-196 designation applied along us 31 , bus. us 31. next year, us 31 freeway extended northward oceana county new era. in 1976, freeway lengthened further hart. section of i-196/us 31 in berrien county dedicated gerald r. ford freeway in july 1978. year, us 31 freeway extended southern side of pentwater.

during 1970s , 1980s, us 31 converted freeway spawning business routes along former route of highway.

at end of 1970s , 1990s, us 31 gained additional freeway segments on both ends of highway. first section of st. joseph valley parkway completed in 1979 , ran indiana state line north us 12. freeway extended northward pentwater oceana–mason county line in 1980. construction of niles bypass finished in 1987, bringing parkway north walton road northwest of niles. bus. us 31 created along former routing in niles. northern freeway extended further mason county in 2 stages. in 1989, expanded south side of ludington. next year, ludington bypassed, completing freeway current northern end @ us 10 east of town. 1 more bypass, time non-freeway routing west of scottville, opened in 1991. berrien springs bypass completed in late 1992. since then, mdot built 9.5-mile (15.3 km) freeway segment north berrien springs napier avenue opened on august 27, 2003, @ cost of $97 million (equivalent $141 million in 2016). last change routing of us 31 occurred in august 2004 when route of bus. us 31 in holland turned local control; bl i-196 rerouted follow us 31 around downtown instead of following former business loop through it.

starting in 1996, traverse city-area residents , tourists requested freeway bypass city. these residents decided not build highway. in 2001, idea revived, mdot abandoned these plans in june of year.

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