Interstate 196

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Interstate 196
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System

Length:

80.65 mi^[1] (129.79 km)

Formed:

1963

South end:

I-94/US 31 near Benton Harbor, MI

Major
junctions:

US 31 near Holland, MI

I-296/US 131 in Grand Rapids, MI

North end:

I-96/M-37 near Grand Rapids, MI

Michigan highways
< M-195		M-196 >

Interstate 196 (abbreviated I-196) is a long freeway spur route in the U.S. state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, and Benton Harbor.

I-196 changes direction although it is a through route. It is a north-south route from its southern terminus to the junction with US 31 just south of Holland and an east-west route from this point to its eastern terminus. The total length is 80.6 miles. Although not the longest Interstate spur route, it may be proportionally the longest in proportion to its 'parent', Interstate 96.

At first, Interstate 96 was planned to run from Detroit to Lansing to Grand Rapids to Benton Harbor, and I-196 was to be a spur route from Grand Rapids to Muskegon. However, I-96 from Detroit to Grand Rapids and I-196 from Grand Rapids to Muskegon was completed a few years before the segment from Grand Rapids to Benton Harbor. Thus it appeared as if I-196 were simply a continuation of I-96. Before the Grand Rapids-Benton Harbor segment was completed, the Michigan Department of Transportation petitioned federal highway officials to switch the interstate designations west of Grand Rapids. Permission for this switch was granted in 1963. Consideration was also made to name the Grand Rapids to Benton Harbor freeway I-67, but was later withdrawn.

I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the Ford Freeway, in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties[1], after the 38th President of the United States, whose political career began in Grand Rapids. This name generally refers only to the section between Holland and Grand Rapids.

1 Route Description
2 Major cities
3 Future
4 Junctions
5 Exit list
6 See Also
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Route Description

**Length of by state**^[2]
State	Miles	Kilometers
Michigan	80.65	129.79

Total	192.06	309.09

[edit] Major cities

– Major cities
Officially designated control cities in bold.^[3]
Chicago, Illinois (via I-94) Benton Harbor, Michigan Holland, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Lansing, Michigan (via I-96).

[edit] Future

The Michigan Department of Transportation currently has two studies underway to improve traffic flow. The first one is nearly completed and construction is planned for 2007-08. The end result of the study is a new exit planned for immediately before the Grandville/Jenison Chicago Drive exit. The exit is needed to alleviate traffic backups for motorists connecting via Chicago Drive to Baldwin Street, which involves crossing heavily-used CSX railroad tracks. The new exit puts traffic directly onto Baldwin Street, which would allow traffic to avoid crossing the grade level railroad tracks.

The other study involves the stretch from US-131 to its connection with I-96. Among the recommendations are: a third lane from the I-96 interchange to US-131; a weave merge lane from Fuller Avenue to Division Avenue; new junctions from eastbound I-96 to westbound I-196, and from eastbound I-196 to westbound I-96; adjustments to exit ramps and local roads; and additional reconfiguration of the M-37/M-44 (East Beltline) interchange area.

[edit] Junctions

M-6: Between Hudsonville, Michigan and Grandville, Michigan.
US 131: Downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan
I-96: East of downtown Grand Rapids.
Termini listed in box, and several state and county highways.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Exit Number	Destinations	Notes
Berrien	Benton Township	1	Red Arrow Highway
	Riverside	4	Coloma Rd
	Lake Michigan Beach	7	Hagar Shore Rd
Van Buren	Covert	13	32nd Ave
	South Haven	18	M 140 South/Bus I-196
		20	Phoenix Rd/Bus I-196
Allegan		22	North Shore Dr
	Cedar Bluff	26	109th Ave
	Glenn	30	Blue Star Memorial Highway/Lake Shore Dr
	Fennville	34	M 89/124th Ave
	Douglas	36	Blue Star Memorial Highway/68th St
	Saugatuck	41	Blue Star Memorial Highway
	Holland	44	US 31/Bus I-196	This only has access for North 196 to North 31 and South 31 to South 196. This also is the point when 196 changes from a East West Freeway to a North South Freeway.
		49	M 40/Lincoln Rd
Ottawa		52	Adams St
	Zeeland	55	Bus I-196/Byron Rd
	Hudsonville	62	32nd Ave
	Georgetown Township	64	M 6/Paul Henry Freeway	It is also called the South Beltline
Kent	Grandville	67	44th St
		69 Future 69A	Chicago Dr	Currently listed just as 69.
		Future 69B	Baldwin St	Future interchange.
		70	M 11/28th St/Wilson Ave	Westbound Only. This is the original southwest corner of the Grand Rapids Beltline with 28th St being south and Wilson Ave being west.
		70A	M 11/28th St	Eastbound Only
		70B	M 11/Wilson Ave	Eastbound Only
		72	Bus I-196/Chicago Dr
	Grand Rapids	73	Market Ave
		75	M 45/Lake Michigan Dr
		76	Lane Ave
		77A	US 131 South
		77B	US 131 North/I-296	As of 2007, I-296 is an unsigned Interstate trunkline.
		77C	Ottawa Ave	This Starts the Medical Corridor along Michigan St
		78	College Ave	This Ends the Medical Corridor along Michigan St
		79	Fuller Ave

[edit] See Also

There are two business loops and one business spur along I-196:

BL I-196 in South Haven: From Exit 18 to Exit 20.
BL I-196 in Holland-Zeeland: From Exit 44 To Exit 55.
BS I-196 in Wyoming-Grand Rapids: From I-96 Exit 72 To US 131 Exit 83B. Eastbound, this route is on Chicago Drive through Wyoming and Grandville Ave. to Franklin Ave. in Grand Rapids, where it ends at US-131.