M-6 (Michigan highway)
Paul B. Henry Freeway South Beltline Freeway | ||
Route information | ||
Maintained by MDOT | ||
Length | 19.696 mi[1] (31.698 km) | |
Existed | November 20, 2001[2]–present | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | I-196 near Hudsonville | |
US 131 in Cutlerville Alaska | ||
East end | I-96 near Cascade | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Michigan | |
Counties | Ottawa, Kent | |
Highway system | ||
|
M-6, or the Paul B. Henry Freeway, is a 19.7-mile-long (31.7 km) east–west
The freeway was originally conceived in the 1960s. It took 32 years to approve, plan, finance, and build the freeway from the time that the state first authorized funding in 1972 to the time of the ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2004 that opened the South Beltline to traffic. The project cost around $700 million or around $35 million per mile (approximately $22 million per kilometer). Initial construction started in November 1997, with the first phase opened in November 2001. The full freeway was opened in November 2004. The first phase of construction was completed in asphalt, while the second and third phases were built in concrete. The project was built with two firsts: the first single-point urban interchange (SPUI; /ˈspuːiː/) in Michigan, and a new technique to apply the pavement markings, embedding them into the concrete to reduce the chance of a snowplow scraping them off. In advance of the opening of the freeway to traffic, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) allowed the public to walk or bike the South Beltline in an open-house event called the "Southbelt Shuffle".
Route description
M-6 starts at exit 64 on I-196 in
East of US 131, M-6 crosses over Division Avenue and enters Gaines Township through a series of sound barrier walls as the freeway ramps merge back into the main lanes.[3][4][5] This area had the highest traffic counts in 2011 at 55,236 vehicles per day.[6] Near Kalamazoo Avenue, the freeway passes through an area with retail businesses and movie theaters on each side of the interchange; to the northeast is East Kentwood High School. On the approach to the East Paris Avenue underpass, M-6 curves first to the northeast and then back to the southeast, passing near one of Steelcase's office buildings, the pyramid-shaped Corporate Development Center. The freeway begins to curve to the northeast as it crosses into Caledonia Township, with an interchange for M-37 (Broadmoor Avenue) and an overpass for 60th Street. M-6 curves around the southeast side of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Cascade Township. As the South Beltline nears I-96, it crosses 48th Street next to the Thornapple Pointe Golf Course. The carriageway splits into ramps for each direction of I-96, the ramps to eastbound I-96 crossing over the Thornapple River in the process. This interchange marks the eastern terminus of the Paul B. Henry South Beltline Freeway.[3][4][5] The entire length of the freeway is listed on the National Highway System,[8] a system of roads important to the nation's economy, defense and mobility.[9]
The
History
Earlier designations
The first appearance of M-6 was in 1926 as a two-mile (3.2 km) road in
In the late 1970s, during the second phase of construction of the I-696 (Walter P. Reuther Freeway) in Metro Detroit, lobbying efforts and lawsuits attempted to block construction of the central section. If successful, the efforts would have left the freeway with a gap in the middle between the first (western) and second (eastern) phases of construction.[14] During this time, MDOT assigned M-6 to the eastern section of the freeway under construction. Signs were erected along the service roads that followed 11 Mile Road to connect the already built stack interchange at I-75 east to I-94.[15] By the time the eastern freeway segment was completed in 1979, the signage for M-6 was removed and replaced with I-696 signage,[16] leaving an eight-mile (13 km) gap in the I-696 freeway until completion of the central section in 1989.[14]
Current freeway
Planning
The South Beltline Freeway near Grand Rapids was a project that took about 32 years to complete. The idea dates back to the 1940s, but serious proposals were not made until the 1960s.
As this study was initiated, the route for the proposed freeway was located between 60th and 68th streets with a western end in
The boundaries for the highway corridor were determined by the consultants in April 1982, running between 60th and 84th streets, "dipping like a hammock beneath the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming".[24] The results of the study by BKI were criticized by local planners in May 1982, who called the study "shabby and unprofessional work", and asked the state to fire the consulting firm.[21] Local residents distributed 2,000 fliers to their neighbors in opposition to the freeway. The South Belt Local Advisory Board criticized BKI's 110-page study report as "filled with errors"; the consultants' earlier 26-page paper had been rejected by the board and MDOT as "unusable".[21] An editorial in The Grand Rapids Press stated that the study did not help advance the project in the area, instead opening the proposed freeway up to new controversies. Doubts about the state's budget in 1982 to build the roadway combined with issues over the consultants and their study results.[25]
A second citizens group, the South Belt Citizens Committee, was formed in July 1982 to gain additional public information on the project and supplement the work of the other groups, including the South Belt Local Advisory Board.[26] BKI was fired as consultant on the project by MDOT on September 9, 1982. The switch to a new consultant delayed further study because of the timetable to take bids and interview the candidates. In the interim, work was shifted to local and state planners until a new consultant could be retained in an effort to minimize the delays involved. These local projects were focused on updating the information and maps from BKI's study and refining the scope of the highway's corridor.[27]
Gaines, Cascade, and Caledonia townships and the city of Kentwood circulated a survey amongst their communities' planning commissions and elected boards in 1982. The survey showed an inconclusive preference for a limited-access highway in what was termed a "gut level reaction" to the proposed roadway.
MDOT hired a new consultant, Schimpeler/Coradino Associates, in 1984 to study the proposed freeway.[31] The consultant recommended the freeway in March 1985. The South Beltline was included in the ten-year highway plan in 1986. By 1989, the state wanted to set the route in 1991 with construction starting in 1993. The freeway was studied as a possible toll road in June 1991 after three alternative routes were proposed the previous year. That September, the final route was set with a projected start date in 1997. The toll road concept was revived in September 1995 to offset the failure of a proposed gas tax increase. As a cost-saving measure, the number of interchanges was reduced to four from eight in June 1996. When a gas tax increase was passed in 1997, Governor John Engler promised at least seven access points for the freeway.[20] The South Beltline was touted as "[cutting] travel time around Grand Rapids virtually in half".[32]
Phase I
Proposals for the South Beltline Freeway were nearly 25 years old by the time initial construction was started in 1997.
The first leg of the South Beltline Freeway, located between M-37 (Broadmoor Avenue) and I-96, was finished six months early. Dry summer weather allowed the roadbed contractors to finish their portion of the five-mile (8.0 km) section of the freeway early, earning them a $300,000 bonus (equivalent to $476,000 in 2023[19]).[37] The overpasses for the remaining sections of the freeway were completed while the first phase was under construction, leaving the interchanges at US 131 and I-196 and the connecting roadbed to be completed at that time.[37] The first section was paved in asphalt after MDOT reversed the decision to pave the whole freeway in concrete.[38] That stretch of freeway opened to traffic on November 20, 2001.[2] The state kept the overall project in an accelerated status headed into the next phases in 2002.[39]
Phases II and III
Construction of the remaining phases between US 131 and M-37 and between I-196 and US 131 was started on April 1, 2002. Area roads that crossed the path of the new freeway were closed to traffic with posted detours so that work could begin on the roadbed for the freeway.[38] The last major project for the freeway was to replace bridge beams in the overpasses from westbound I-196 to eastbound M-6.[40] Design flaws were found in 2002 in the size of the beams in the bridges over eastbound I-196 and the ramp from westbound M-6 to westbound I-196.[41] The replacement was originally supposed to close traffic along I-196 over a weekend in 2004, but kept a lane closed for a full week, backing up traffic on the Interstate for two miles (3.2 km); completion of the work was delayed when human error caused a shortage of nuts and bolts.[42]
MDOT hosted an open house along the unopened section of M-6 between Kalamazoo and Byron Center avenues. This event took place on October 2, 2004, and was billed as the "Southbelt Shuffle", allowing the public to walk or bike along the freeway. The event was planned to draw attention to the M-6 Trail that runs parallel to the freeway.[43] Some event participants brought their horses for the chance to ride on the freeway.[44] The whole freeway was opened to traffic on November 17, 2004, after a ribbon cutting ceremony.[45] When opened, reconstruction work was still being completed on overpass bridges at the I-196 interchange on the west end.[46] The entire project cost $700 million (equivalent to $1.05 billion in 2023[19]) to complete over the five-year construction period, about $35 million/mi (approximately $22 million/km, equivalent to $53 million/mi or $33 million/km in 2023[19]).[47] When the freeway was opened, it was the first in the state of Michigan to use a SPUI located at the Kalamazoo Avenue exit.[47] All of the bridges and sound barrier walls were painted sienna beige as part of a "color theme" to the freeway. MDOT also used a new technique to recess the pavement markings into the concrete, designed to reduce the likelihood that snowplows would scrape them off.[47] The signs are in miles, but "the entire M-6 freeway was designed and constructed in metric", according to MDOT manager Suzette Peplinski.[47] The final ramps opened to traffic on December 9, 2004.[48]
After construction
MDOT added the completed M-6 to the state maps in an updated printing in June 2005. At the time, the various online mapping services still did not show a complete freeway in eastern Ottawa or southern Kent counties. Services such as
A year after the freeway opened, traffic volumes along parallel roads like 44th, 56th and 68th streets dropped 40–50%.[50] At the same time, roads with interchanges along the freeway saw increased traffic. Wilson Avenue experienced a 120% increase and sections of Byron Center Avenue jumped 100% in traffic levels a month after M-6 opened.[50] Property values in the townships surrounding the freeway increased 11.3–12.4% by 2006 as a result of development attached to the freeway.[51] Local officials credited the freeway for increased access to the area, driving housing starts as residents flocked to the communities for their schools and quality of life.[51] In 2007, the Metro Health Village, a commercial development centered around the Byron Center Avenue exit and the hospital opened. Described as being similar to a mall with the hospital as a tenant, the village features restaurants, shops, offices and a hotel. Metro Health relocated from Grand Rapids to the location in Wyoming in the face of opposition to planned expansions of their previous location.[52] Since opening, even though the freeway was officially named for Paul Henry, the original South Beltline name is still in use.[53]
Reactions to the new freeway were not all positive. In a special editorial in The Grand Rapids Press after the freeway opened in 2004, local resident Curt MacDougall summarized the criticisms of the new freeway. He cited the loss of rural farmland and wetlands as a negative effect of the highway. The editorial also discussed that the freeway does decrease travel times for some residents, but it will mean increased development. That development will mean further urban sprawl, and could spur the creation of additional highways in the area.[54]
The
In 2009, the asphalt section of M-6 had to be repaired. This section of roadway between East Paris Avenue and 48th Street was rated poorly by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, while the concrete west of Broadmoor Avenue had favorable marks. MDOT budgeted $2 million in repairs on top of previous crack-related fixes that were handled by the original pavement contractor under a warranty in 2006. The local press described the 4.7-mile (7.6 km) stretch of road as "troublesome" in relation to pavement quality issues.[57]
Legislation was signed by Governor Rick Snyder on December 27, 2014, to name the section of M-6 between Byron Center and Kalamazoo avenues the David John Warsen Memorial Highway.[58] Warsen, a US Navy SEAL, was killed in a helicopter accident in Afghanistan in 2012. This section of the highway was dedicated on August 15, 2015.[59]
Exit list
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottawa | Georgetown Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | — | I-196 (G.R. Ford Freeway) – Grand Rapids, Holland | Exit 64 on I-196 |
Jamestown Township | 1.737 | 2.795 | 1 | 8th Avenue | ||
Grandville | ||||||
5.756 | 9.263 | 5 | Byron Center Avenue – Wyoming | |||
7.886– 8.776 | 12.691– 14.124 | 8 | US 131 – Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo 68th Street – Cutlerville | No access to 68th Street from westbound M-6; exit 77 on US 131 for M-6 and exit 76 on US 131 for 68th Street | ||
Gaines Township | 10.867 | 17.489 | 11 | Kalamazoo Avenue – Kentwood | Single-point urban interchange | |
Caledonia Township | 15.370– 15.391 | 24.736– 24.769 | 15 | M-37 (Broadmoor Avenue) – Grand Rapids, Hastings, Gerald R. Ford International Airport | ||
Cascade Township | 19.696 | 31.698 | — | I-96 – Muskegon, Lansing | Exit 46 on I-96 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
- Maryland Route 200, a freeway bypass in Maryland that has a similar history
- Illiana Expressway, a conceptual highway south of Chicago with a similar controversy
Notes
References
- ^ a b Michigan Department of Transportation (2021). Next Generation PR Finder (Map). Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ WZZM-TV. November 21, 2001. Archived from the originalon February 10, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ .
- ^ ISBN 0-7625-5247-6.
- ^ a b c d e Google (September 19, 2010). "Overview Map of M-6" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- OCLC 9975013.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 23, 2006). National Highway System, Michigan (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. 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.
- ^ Google (September 19, 2010). "Fred Meijer M-6 Trail" (Map). TrailLink. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- Michigan State Highway Department(December 1, 1926). Official Highway Condition Map (Map). [c. 1:823,680]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department.
- .
- OCLC 12701143. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ OCLC 1645522. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
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- ^ OCLC 137348716.
- OCLC 27033604. Retrieved January 8, 2011 – via Google News.
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- Newspapers.com.
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- ^ Camp, Barry L. (October 2, 2004). "Roadpix: The M-6 'Southbelt Shuffle'". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
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- ^ OCLC 9975013.
- ^ Nemitz, Brian (December 9, 2004). "Final South Beltline Ramp Opens". Grand Rapids, Michigan: WZZM-TV. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
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- ^ OCLC 9975013.
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- ^ eightWest staff (August 3, 2015). "Celebrating the Life of David Warsen". eightWest. Grand Rapids, Michigan: WOOD-TV. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
- WXMI-TV. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
External links
- Geographic data related to Paul B. Henry Freeway at OpenStreetMap
- M-6 at Michigan Highways
- M-6 on the Keweenaw Peninsula
- South Beltline Ribbon-Cutting Photos at Michigan Highways