M-21 (Michigan highway)
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by MDOT | ||||
Length | 99.322 mi[1] (159.843 km) | |||
Existed | c. July 1, 1919[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | M-37 in Grand Rapids | |||
East end | I-475 in Flint | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Michigan | |||
Counties | Kent, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Genesee | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
M-21 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan connecting the cities of Grand Rapids and Flint. The highway passes through rural farming country and several small towns along its course through the Lower Peninsula. Following the course of a handful of rivers, M-21 also connects some of the state's freeways like Interstate 96 (I-96), US Highway 127 (US 127) and I-75. The highway is used by between 1,700 and 36,000 vehicles daily.
M-21 was designated along the highway by July 1, 1919 between
Route description
M-21 starts on Fulton Street at a junction with
The road follows Bluewater Highway along the river, passing to the north of
M-21 passes into the community of Ovid and over the county line into Shiawassee County. Continuing east through the county, the highway enters Owosso. The trunkline follows Main Street into downtown and crosses the Shiawassee River between junctions with M-52 and M-71 in Owosso. M-21 runs roughly parallel to the river out into the country side. The remainder of the county is the same, dominated by farmland along a straight stretch of flat highway. North of Lennon, M-21 meets M-13 at an intersection on the Shiawassee–Genesee county line. The landscape starts to transition to residential subdivisions as the roadway approaches the Flint area.
In Flint Township, M-21 follows Corunna Road and meets I-75/US 23 at exit 118.[3][4] The road crosses a former branch line of the Canadian National Railway (converted into a bicycle trail) east of the interchange.[5] Corunna Road angles to the northeast near Bradley Avenue and terminates at Court Street. The trunkline turns east and follows Court over a tributary of the Flint River near Aldrich Park. Northeast of the stream, M-21 splits along a one-way pairing of Court and 5th streets. Eastbound traffic follows 5th Street past the city and county buildings in the area. The highway passes over I-475 and terminates at the east frontage road. Traffic connecting between M-21 and I-475 must use the frontage roads to make the connection.[3][4]
All of M-21, except for some segments just outside 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
History
Before the Interstate era, M-21 extended across the entire Lower Peninsula, from the junction with US 31 in Holland near Lake Michigan east to the St. Clair River at Port Huron, and crossed into Canada where the Blue Water Bridge is currently located.[9]
M-21 was designated by July 1, 1919 on a routing from Ionia to Goodells. Along the way, it ran through
A
A bypass of Zeeland opened in 1958, rerouting M-21 around the town.[21] The I-196 freeway opened through Grand Rapids in 1964, and M-21 was routed along the freeway between Chicago Drive in Grandville and downtown, using I-96 to complete the connection to its previous routing on Fulton Street.[22][23]
The first freeway segment of M-21 on the east end was built from
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Rapids Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | M-37 (East Beltline Avenue) | ||
0.610– 0.639 | 0.982– 1.028 | I-96 west – Muskegon | Exit 39 on I-96; access to M-21 from eastbound I-96 and from M-21 to westbound I-96 only | ||
Ionia | Ionia | 27.867 | 44.848 | M-66 north (State Street) – Lake City | Western end of M-66 concurrency |
28.045 | 45.134 | M-66 south (Dexter Street) – Battle Creek | Eastern end of M-66 concurrency | ||
Bingham Township | 56.871– 57.038 | 91.525– 91.794 | US 127 – Clare, Lansing | Exit 96 on US 127 | |
Shiawassee | Owosso | 74.240 | 119.478 | M-52 (Shiawassee Street) – Saginaw, Webberville | |
74.552 | 119.980 | M-71 east (Water Street) – Durand | Western terminus of M-71 | ||
Shiawassee–Genesee county line | Venice–Clayton township line | 86.817 | 139.718 | M-13 (Sheridan Road) – Saginaw, Lennon | |
Detroit, Ann Arbor | Exit 118 on I-75/US 23 | ||||
Detroit | Roadway continues as Court Street | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Related trunklines
M-21A
Location | Flint–Davison |
---|---|
Length | 9.033 mi[1] (14.537 km) |
Existed | 1929[13][14]–Late 1948[17][33] |
M-21A was an alternate route for M-21 near Flint. It started at an intersection between M-21 (Court Street) and US 10 (Dort Highway) and ran southward concurrently with US 10 to Lapeer Road. The highway turned eastward along Lapeer Road and out of the city of Flint. It continued to an intersection with M-15 south of Davison, where it turned northward, running concurrently with M-15 into downtown. At an intersection with M-21 at Flint Street, M-21A ended.[17] The highway was created in 1929,[13][14] and it was turned over to local control in late 1948.[17][33]
Major intersections
The entire highway was in Genesee County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flint | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 10 west (Dort Highway) / M-21 east M-21 west (Court Street) | Northern end of US 10 concurrency | |
0.709 | 1.141 | Detroit Lapeer Road | Southern end of US 10 concurrency; roadway continues westward as Lapeer Road | ||
Davison Township | 7.652 | 12.315 | M-15 south Lapeer Road | Southern end of M-15 concurrency; roadway continues eastward as Lapeer Road | |
Davison | 9.033 | 14.537 | M-15 north – Bay City M-21 (Flint Street) – Flint, Port Huron | Northern end of M-15 concurrency | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Bypass M-21
Location | Kent County |
---|---|
Length | 12.005 mi[1] (19.320 km) |
Existed | By 1945[16]–1953[19][20] |
Bypass M-21 (Byp. M-21) was a
During World War II, the state was building a beltline system for Grand Rapids. This highway, numbered M-114 was decommissioned by 1945 and the streets that composed it were given new designations. Byp. M-21 was routed along 28th Street from Grandville to Paris Township and along East Beltline into Grand Rapids Township.[16] In 1953, the mainline M-21 was rerouted to replace its bypass around downtown, decommissioning the Byp. M-21 designation.[19][20]
Major intersections
The entire highway was in Kent County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Byp. US 16 (28th Street) – Muskegon | Western end of Byp. US 16 concurrency | ||||
Byp. US 131 north | Western end of Byp. US 131 concurrency | ||||
Paris Township | 6.219 | 10.009 | M-37 north (Kalamazoo Avenue) – Grand Rapids | Western end of M-37 concurrency | |
8.483 | 13.652 | Eastern end of Byp. US 16 and M-37 concurrencies | |||
Grand Rapids Township | 11.572 | 18.623 | US 16 / M-50 (Cascade Road) – Grand Rapids, Lansing | ||
12.005 | 19.320 | M-21 (Fulton Street) – Byp. US 131 north (East Beltline Avenue) – Cadillac | Northern end of Byp. US 131 concurrency | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Business M-21
Location | Grandville–Grand Rapids |
---|---|
Length | 6.749 mi[1] (10.861 km) |
Existed | 1953[19][20]–1974[29][30] |
Business M-21 (Bus. M-21) was a business route of M-21 in the Grand Rapids area. It started at an interchange between Chicago Drive and I-196/M-21 in Grandville and followed Chicago Drive easterly through downtown Grandville. From there, the highway ran along industrial areas on the north side of Wyoming, running parallel to the I-196 freeway. At the intersection with Clyde Park Avenue, Bus. M-21 turned northward along Grandville Avenue and entered the city of Grand Rapids. At Franklin Street, the business route turned eastward and terminated at US 131.[29]
In 1953, M-21 was rerouted to replace its bypass route. The former route through downtown Grand Rapids was redesignated as Bus. M-21. At the time, Bus. M-21 continued eastward along Franklin Street before turning northward on Eastern Avenue into downtown Grand Rapids. Once there, it followed Fulton Street eastward through
Major intersections
The entire highway was in Kent County.
Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grandville | 0.000 | 0.000 | I-196 / M-21 – Holland, Grand Rapids Chicago Drive | Roadway continues westward on Chicago Drive as an unsigned state trunkline highway | |
1.661 | 2.673 | 28th Street | Grade separation with a ramp from eastbound Chicago Drive to eastbound 28th Street; remaining connections are made via Wallace Avenue | ||
Wyoming | 3.126 | 5.031 | I-196 / M-21 – Holland | Westbound exit to, and eastbound entrance from, I-196 | |
5.437 | 8.750 | Clyde Park Avenue | Eastern end of Chicago Drive and southern end of Grandville Avenue sections of Bus. M-21 | ||
Grand Rapids | 6.740– 6.749 | 10.847– 10.861 | US 131 – Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
M-56
Location | Genesee County |
---|---|
Length | 12.726 mi[1] (20.481 km) |
Existed | 1971[26][27]–1984[31][32] |
M-56 was a state trunkline 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 being built. The highway started at the intersection with M-13 on the Shiawassee–Genesee county line west of Flint. From there, it followed Corunna Road eastward through rural areas of Genesee County. Today, the area is farm fields through Clayton Township, and in Flint Township it is more suburban. The highway intersected the I-75/US 10/US 23 freeway just west of Flint's city line. Once in Flint, M-56 turned northeasterly onto Court Street. At an intersection with Saginaw Street, the highway turned southeasterly and then ended at the I-69/M-21 freeway.[31][36]
In 1971, M-21 was rerouted in the Flint area. After the change, it turned south along M-13 on the Shiawassee–Genesee county line to the M-78 freeway and then routed eastward to replace M-78. The former routing of M-21 on the western side of the county into downtown was redesignated M-56.[26][27] When the M-21 designation was replaced with the I-69 designation in 1984, the M-56 designation was retired and M-21 was restored in its place.[31][32]
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shiawassee–Genesee county line | Venice–Clayton township line | 0.000 | 0.000 | M-13 / M-21 east – Saginaw, Lennon, Flint M-21 west – Grand Rapids | |
Detroit, Ann Arbor | Exit 118 on I-75//US 10/US 23 | ||||
Flint | 12.715– 12.726 | 20.463– 20.481 | I-69 east / M-21 east – Lansing, Port Huron | Eastbound entrance to, and westbound exit from, I-69/M-21; other connections made through service drives | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- Michigan Highways portal
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ OCLC 15607244. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c d Google (February 21, 2011). "Overview Map of M-21" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 2009). Michigan's Railroad System (PDF) (Map). Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
- ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- OCLC 12701120.
- ^ Michigan State Highway Department (May 15, 1924). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.
- ^ Michigan State Highway Department (September 1, 1925). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2016 – via Archives of Michigan.
- ^ Michigan State Highway Department (December 1, 1926). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ^ Public Act 131 of 1931. Michigan Legislature.
- ^ OCLC 554645076.
- ^ OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ OCLC 12701120.
- ^ OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1958)
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ .
- ^ OCLC 12701120.
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ OCLC 12701177. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ OCLC 12701177. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ OCLC 12701120.
- OCLC 12701120.
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ Google (May 19, 2015). "Overview Map of the Former M-56" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
External links
- M-21 at Michigan Highways
- Former M-56 at Michigan Highways