M-78 (Michigan highway)
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by MDOT | ||||
Length | 10.744 mi[1] (17.291 km) | |||
Existed | c. July 1, 1919[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | M-66 north of Battle Creek | |||
East end | I-69 near Olivet | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Michigan | |||
Counties | Calhoun, Barry, Eaton | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
M-78 is a
When the state highway system was signed in 1919, M-78 followed a similar routing. At Bellevue, it turned northeast to terminate at Charlotte. In the 1920s, the highway was extended southerly to the Indiana state line near Sturgis and northeasterly into the Lansing area. In the 1930s, M-78 was extended further on its northern and eastern end to Flint. The highway was converted into a freeway in sections starting in the 1960s. During that decade, the southern extension from the 1920s was removed from M-78 and added to other state highways, and in the 1970s, the northeastern extensions, now mostly freeways, were removed from M-78 as well. Two special routes were created as a result of the various reroutings in the Lansing area, both of which are no longer part of the state highway system.
Route description
M-78 begins at an intersection with M-66 in Pennfield Township, north of Battle Creek in Calhoun County. The trunkline passes through rural farm lands as it runs due east and northeast. It briefly crosses the southeast corner of Barry County as it enters Eaton County. There M-78 follows Battle Creek Highway past some small ponds and into the town of Bellevue. The trunkline becomes Capitol Avenue in town and turns south onto Main Street in the middle of the central business district.[3][4] M-78 crosses a branch line of the Canadian National Railway before leaving town.[4][5] Main Street turns easterly and becomes Butterfield Highway. M-78 crosses the Battle Creek River before terminating at I-69's exit 48 in Bellevue Township.[3][4]
M-78 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-78 were the 5,256 vehicles daily on Capitol Avenue in Bellevue; the lowest counts were the 3,176 vehicles per day in Calhoun County.[6] No part of M-78 has been listed on the National Highway System,[7] a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[8]
History
When the original state highway system was designated c. July 1, 1919, M-78 ran along a route similar that of today. It started north of Battle Creek at a junction with then
In the latter half of 1941 or the beginning of 1942, a section of the concurrent M-78/M-86 was rerouted west of Colon in St. Joseph County.[14][15] In 1950, the bridge across the Grand River on Main Street was completed; after completion, the mainline M-78 was routed over the bridge and up Larch Street, replacing Truck M-78 in the process. The former car-only route on Capitol Avenue was removed from the state highway system.[16][17] By the middle of 1960, the first section of freeway along M-78 was opened in the Lennon area.[18] The next year, the freeway had been extended as far southwest as Durand from the end at Lennon.[19] By the start of 1962, M-78 was a freeway from Perry at the junction with M-47 all the way to Swartz Creek near Flint.[20]
On December 12, 1962, the I-96 freeway was completed around the south and west sides of Lansing,[21] and a year later, the I-496 freeway was completed north into downtown from I-96.[22] M-78 was rerouted from the I-96/US 27 interchange southwest of Lansing east along I-96 and then north on I-496. From there, M-78 followed the one-way pairing of Homer and Howard streets from the northern end of the freeway up to the one-way couplet of Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue, returning to its previous routing. The former route through downtown along US 27 was redesignated Business M-78 (Bus. M-78) at the same time.[23][24]
M-66 was extended southerly from
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pennfield Township | 0.000 | 0.000 | M-66 – Battle Creek, Ionia | |||||
Barry |
No major junctions | |||||||
Eaton | Bellevue Township | 10.744 | 17.291 | I-69 – Fort Wayne, Lansing | Exit 48 on I-69 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Related routes
Truck route
Location | Lansing |
---|---|
Length | 1.529 mi[1][38] (2.461 km) |
Existed | c. 1936[13]–1950[16][17] |
Truck M-78 was a former
By the middle of 1936, the US 27/M-78 routing through Lansing was split into two. The mainline was restricted to cars only and moved to run along Capitol Avenue. The former routing was restricted to trucks only and designed as a truck route.[13] In 1950, the bridge for Main Street over the Grand River was completed and mainline US 27 was rerouted to use it to connect to Larch Street. From there north, US 27/M-78 followed Larch Street supplanting the truck route, which was decommissioned at that time.[16][17]
Business route
Location | Lansing |
---|---|
Length | 9.782 mi[1] (15.743 km) |
Existed | 1963[23][24]–1970[33][34] |
Business M-78 (Bus. M-78) was a
The business loop was created in 1963 when M-78 was rerouted along the newly completed sections of the I-96 and I-496 freeways in the Lansing area.[23][24] The designation was decommissioned in 1970 when I-496 was completed through downtown Lansing.[33][34]
See also
- Michigan Highways portal
References
- ^ a b c d 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 Google (September 7, 2011). "Overview Map of M-78" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (April 2009). Michigan's Railroad System (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Lansing: Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
- ^ Bureau of Transportation Planning (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
- ^ 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 August 20, 2008. 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.
- .
- .
- .
- OCLC 12701143.
- ^ OCLC 12701143.
- OCLC 12701143. Archived from the originalon April 22, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2017 – via Archives of Michigan.
- OCLC 12701143.
- ^ 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, 1960)
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center. (Includes all changes through July 1, 1961)
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ISSN 1052-4479 – via Google News.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ OCLC 12701120. Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ . 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.
- 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.
- ^ OCLC 12701120.
- ^ .
- OCLC 12701120.
- ^ . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- . Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Michigan History Center.
- ^ Google (September 7, 2011). "Overview Map of Former Truck M-78" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
External links
- M-78 at Michigan Highways