U. S. Route 131
Length:	268. 80 mi[1] (432. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 59 km)
Formed:	1926
South end:	I-80/I-90/Indiana Toll Road/IN 13 near Middlebury, IN
Major junctions:	I-94 near Kalamazoo, MI I-96/196 at Grand Rapids, MI US 10 near Reed City, MI M-55 at Cadillac, MI M-72 at Kalkaska, MI
North end:	US 31 at Petoskey, MI
United States Numbered Highways List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Interstate 80 (I-80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States (after I-90) Interstate 90 (I-90 is the longest interstate highway in the United States at nearly 3100 miles (5000 kilometers The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East-West Toll Road, is a tolled Highway running east-west across the northernmost part of Indiana State Road 13 in the US State of Indiana is a north-south highway in north-central and central Indiana that connects the area east of Indianapolis with the Middlebury is a town in Middlebury Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, in the United States. Interstate 96 (I-96 is an intrastate Interstate highway that is entirely within the U Interstate 196 (I-196 is a long Freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South US Route 10 is an east-west United States highway formed in 1926 Reed City is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2430 Route description M-55 is one of only three state highways that extend across the Lower Peninsula in the U Cadillac is a city in the US state of Michigan and is the County seat of Wexford County. M-72, is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern Kalkaska is a village in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2226 US Route 31 is a long north-south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with termini at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City Petoskey is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6080 The system of United States Numbered Highways (often called U The following is a list of United States Numbered Highways. It includes U An auxiliary US Route is an Auxiliary route (alternate route loop or spur designated with an auxiliary sign above (or occasionally below the route shield or a suffix after Not to be confused with Divided highway portions of the US Highway system. This is a list of highways mostly US Routes bypassed by Interstate Highways Unless otherwise specified designations are as of ca S. Route 131 (US 131) is a north-south United States highway. The system of United States Numbered Highways (often called U All but 0. 60 miles (0. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 97 km) of its length is within Michigan. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The total length of the highway is around 269 miles (433 km) with approximately 169 miles (272 km) of that freeway. US 131 also features six business routes. When the U.S. Highway System debuted, US 131 was designated along the path of what had been M-13 in Michigan. The system of United States Numbered Highways (often called U M-13 is a 7222 mile north-south highway that cuts through the bay region of the U The southern terminus of US 131 is approximately five miles (8 km) north of Middlebury, Indiana at an intersection with the Indiana Toll Road, just south of the Michigan-Indiana border, where it continues as State Road 13. Middlebury is a town in Middlebury Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, in the United States. The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East-West Toll Road, is a tolled Highway running east-west across the northernmost part of Indiana State Road 13 in the US State of Indiana is a north-south highway in north-central and central Indiana that connects the area east of Indianapolis with the The northern terminus is in Petoskey, Michigan, at an intersection with US 31. Petoskey is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6080 US Route 31 is a long north-south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with termini at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City

While logic and some maps indicate otherwise, US 131 has never extended any farther south than the Indiana Toll Road since its inception in 1926. Indeed, prior to 1959, US 131 terminated at the Michigan-Indiana state line and, as such, existed in only one state.

Contents 1 Route description 1.1 Indiana 1.2 Michigan 1.3 Lane configurations 2 Interstate 296 2.1 Route description 3 History 4 Future 5 Major intersections 6 See also 6.1 Bannered routes 6.2 Related routes 7 References 8 External links

Route description

Major cities
Kalamazoo, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Cadillac, Michigan

Indiana

US 131 extends 3,168 feet (966 m) into Indiana before terminating at the entrance to the Indiana Toll Road, the entrance being a few hundred feet to the north of the Toll Road. Cadillac is a city in the US state of Michigan and is the County seat of Wexford County. SR 13 has its northern terminus at the same point. State Road 13 in the US State of Indiana is a north-south highway in north-central and central Indiana that connects the area east of Indianapolis with the

US 131 markers exist at the intersection of SR 13 and SR 120 roughly one mile south of the Toll Road, but these as a rule are qualified with the word "TO". State Road 120 in the US state of Indiana is an east-west State highway located close to the Michigan border

Michigan

US 131 runs for a distance of approximately 268 miles (431 km) in Michigan, from the Indiana state line northerly to Petoskey. Petoskey is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6080 It is a major highway in West Michigan, serving the cities of Three Rivers, Portage, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Big Rapids, Reed City, Cadillac, Kalkaska, and Petoskey. West Michigan, also known as Western Michigan, is a Region in the U Three Rivers is a city in St Joseph County in the US state of Michigan. Portage is a city in Kalamazoo County in the US state of Michigan. Big Rapids is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10849 Reed City is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2430 Cadillac is a city in the US state of Michigan and is the County seat of Wexford County. Kalkaska is a village in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2226 The highway is an important link between Grand Rapids and the tourist areas of northwest Michigan.

It has full interchanges with four freeways: I-94 southwest of Kalamazoo, M-6 on the south side of Grand Rapids, I-196 near downtown Grand Rapids, and I-96 on the north side of Grand Rapids. M-6, or the Paul B Henry Freeway, is a long Freeway and state trunkline route serving portions of southern Kent and Ottawa counties Interstate 196 (I-196 is a long Freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Interstate 96 (I-96 is an intrastate Interstate highway that is entirely within the U The portion between I-196 and I-96 also bears the unposted designation of I-296. US Route 131 (US 131 is a north-south United States highway. All but of its length is within Michigan.

US 131 is a freeway from south of Portage to north of Manton, Michigan; it is a divided surface highway from just south of Portage to Three Rivers, a portion of which is constructed to "expressway" standards on controlled-access right-of-way (except that in Schoolcraft it is an undivided city street). Manton is a city in Wexford County in the US state of Michigan. Schoolcraft is a village in Kalamazoo County in the US state of Michigan. While further northerly extension of the US 131 freeway from Manton toward Kalkaska and beyond has been shelved by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), a southerly extension of the freeway to or near the Indiana state line is still under study. The Michigan Department of Transportation ( MDOT) is a constitutional Government agency in the U Improvements to the US 131 corridor from Portage to the Indiana Toll Road have been underway for several years and while a late-2005 decision by MDOT to not pursue a new alignment, controlled-access route through Saint Joseph County seemed to put an end to that discussion, public outcry and backlash from local legislators caused the department to re-evaluate this decision.

Lane configurations

• From Indiana Toll Road to Three Rivers — two lanes, undivided, except through Constantine. The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East-West Toll Road, is a tolled Highway running east-west across the northernmost part of Indiana Three Rivers is a city in St Joseph County in the US state of Michigan.
• Three Rivers — five lanes undivided.
• From Three Rivers to Moore Park — four lane divided expressway.
• From Moore Park to freeway terminus south of Portage — four lanes, divided except in Schoolcraft.
• From beginning of freeway to metropolitan Grand Rapids — four lane freeway.
• In metropolitan Grand Rapids (76th St to I-96) — six lane freeway, except in "S-Curve" where it is eight lanes. The lanes are reversed at the I-196 interchange.
• From metropolitan Grand Rapids to north of Manton — four lane freeway.
• From north of freeway to Petoskey — two lanes, undivided, except through Kalkaska and Mancelona and where passing lanes have been constructed.
• Within the Petoskey area — five lanes, undivided.

Interstate 296

Interstate 296 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	3. The Dwight D Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly called the Interstate Highway System (or simply the Interstate System) 43 mi[2] (5. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 52 km)
Formed:	1962
South end:	I-196/US 131 in Grand Rapids, MI
North end:	I-96/US 131/M-37 in Walker, MI
Michigan highways < M-294 M-311 >

Interstate 296 (abbreviated I-296) is an unsigned 3. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Interstate 196 (I-196 is a long Freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Interstate 96 (I-96 is an intrastate Interstate highway that is entirely within the U M-37 is a north-south state highway route in the US state of Michigan. There is also Walker Township in Cheboygan County. Walker is a city in Kent County in the U The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the Highways designated as Interstates, U M-294 is a state trunkline highway in Calhoun County in the U M-311 is a long unsigned state highway route in Calhoun County in the U 4 miles (5. 5 km) segment of US 131 entirely within Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its termini are I-96 on the north side of Grand Rapids and I-196 near downtown Grand Rapids. Interstate 96 (I-96 is an intrastate Interstate highway that is entirely within the U Interstate 196 (I-196 is a long Freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South As the entire length coincides with US 131—which continues as a freeway built to interstate standards north and south of the short segment— the Michigan Department of Transportation simplified matters by eliminating all signage for I-296 and removing the designation from their officially published state map. I-blank widesvg|90px|right]] Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials The Michigan Department of Transportation ( MDOT) is a constitutional Government agency in the U ^[3]

Route description

The freeway begins at the I-196 interchange where the three north bound lanes are on the left and the three south bound lanes are on the right. This gets flip-flopped after ramps for the I-196 are passed as the south bound lanes go over the northbound lanes. The freeway is three lanes in each direction the entire length. It has a grassy median north of Ann St. Approaching I-96 from the south, unsigned I-296 follows the left two lanes to I-96 westbound toward Muskegon, terminating at I-96 near the Alpine Ave overpass. Southbound unsigned I-296 begins where the ramps to US 131 southbound split from eastbound I-96 at the Alpine Ave overpass, merging with southbound US 131 north of Ann St.

History

US 131 debuted, along with the rest of the U. S. Highway System, in late 1926, although at the time it only ran from the Michigan-Indiana state line northerly to the small northern Michigan community of Fife Lake in Grand Traverse County. Fife Lake is a village in Grand Traverse County in the US state of Michigan. Grand Traverse County is a county in the US state of Michigan. The Michigan State Highway Department had originally planned to construct a new-alignment highway connecting Fife Lake with the Traverse City area, which would have allowed US 131 to connect with its "parent" route, US 31. Traverse City is a City in the US state of Michigan. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region After a dozen years and no progress on the Fife Lake-Traverse City connection, the US 131 designation was instead routed along what had been designated as M-131 since 1926 through Kalkaska to US 31 at Petoskey, where it finally met US 31 for the first time. Kalkaska is a village in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2226 Petoskey is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6080 Until 1959, US 131 turned westerly and was concurrently designated with US 112 (now US 12) to what is now M-103, then southerly to the Indiana state line. US Route 112 ( US 112) was a largely east-west state trunkline highway across the southern portion of the U US Route 12, or US 12, is an east-west United States highway running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean in the state of Washington to downtown M-103 is a very short trunkline, all undivided surface road entirely within St ^[1]

The first portion of the US 131 corridor to be converted to freeway standards was completed in 1957 between Wayland in Allegan County and M-11 (28th Street) in Wyoming in Kent County. Wayland is a city in Allegan County in the US state of Michigan. Allegan County is a county in the US state of Michigan. As of 2000 census, the population was 105665 M-11 is a state highway in the US state of Michigan in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the US state of Michigan. Kent County is a county in the US state of Michigan. It is part of the Grand Rapids &ndash Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Further extensions in the 1960s took the US 131 freeway both south (to Plainwell, then past Kalamazoo to north of Schoolcraft) and north (through Grand Rapids to I-96) of that original freeway segment. Plainwell is a city in Allegan County in the US state of Michigan. Schoolcraft is a village in Kalamazoo County in the US state of Michigan. Interstate 96 (I-96 is an intrastate Interstate highway that is entirely within the U The 1960s also saw a short segment of US 131 freeway constructed south of Cadillac. Cadillac is a city in the US state of Michigan and is the County seat of Wexford County. ^[1]

The 1970s saw the US 131 freeway expand to the north of Grand Rapids, first to Cedar Springs then to north of Howard City. Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the US state of Michigan, 20 minutes north of Grand Rapids, Known as "Red Flannel Town" Howard City is a village in Montcalm County in the US state of Michigan. In the 1980s, major construction in the corridor extended the freeway northerly past Big Rapids and Reed City to a connection with the freeway heading southerly from Cadillac. Big Rapids is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10849 Reed City is a city in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2430 As of 1986, the US 131 freeway ran from north of Schoolcraft to Cadillac. ^[1]

By the late 1990s a major section of the US 131 freeway in Grand Rapids was found to be sinking as a result of gypsum mining which left voids in subsurface material. After a major study was completed to analyze the various options for the so-called "Grand Rapids S-Curve," the entire one mile segment of freeway was shut down in January 2000 for complete reconstruction. The new "S-Curve" structure, which includes the bridge spanning the Grand River, was built with an additional through lane in each direction and completed in 209 and 283 days for the north- and southbound lanes, respectively. Early completion of the project allowed the primary contractor, Kiewit, to earn approximately 90% of a possible bonus. In 2001, a freeway bypass of Cadillac was completed and Manton, the next community to the north, was bypassed with an extension of the US 131 freeway in 2003. Manton is a city in Wexford County in the US state of Michigan. ^[1]

Future

The 2007 Michigan Department of Transportation five-year construction plan features details on future plans for the US 131 corridor in St. Joseph County. St Joseph County is a county in the US state of Michigan. The population was 62422 at the 2000 census. According to the plan, early preliminary engineering will be complete in 2007 with primary engineering then lasting through 2009. Right-of-way acquisition is then projected to run from 2009 through 2011 with construction commencing in 2010. Total length of these improvements in 16. 4 miles (26. 4 km). While the final Environmental Impact Statement had not been published as of February 2007, previous statements have indicated a western bypass of the village of Constantine is included within the project. Constantine is a village in St Joseph County in the US state of Michigan. MDOT has also stated that a full freeway on new alignment from the Indiana Toll Road northerly to north of Three Rivers would cost over $200 million to build and that present traffic demands do not warrant the cost of a full freeway facility. As such, any realignment of US 131 south of Three Rivers is expected to be built as two-lane, limited access highway. ^[4]

Major intersections

Following is a list of the major highways US 131 intersects:

County	Location	Mile	Roads	Notes
Elkhart	Middlebury		I-80/I-90/Indiana Toll Road	Roadway continues south as SR 13
St. Joseph	White Pigeon		US 12
	Three Rivers		BUS US 131 M-60
			BUS US 131
	Moorepark		M-216

County	Location	#	Destinations	Notes
Kalamazoo	Portage	31	Centre Avenue - Portage
		34	I-94 – Detroit, Chicago	South end of I-94 BL overlap; signed as exits 34A (east) and 34B (west)
	Oshtemo Township	36	I-94 BL east / US-131 BR north (Stadium Drive) – Kalamazoo, Oshtemo	North end of I-94 BL overlap; signed as exits 36A (east/north) and 36B (west)
		38	M-43 – Kalamazoo, South Haven	Signed as exits 38A (east) and 38B (west)
		41	US-131 BR south – Downtown Kalamazoo	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Alamo Township	44	D Avenue
Allegan	Plainwell	49	M-89 – Plainwell, Otsego, Allegan	Signed as exits 49A (east) and 49B (west)
		50	106th Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Martin	55	M-222 – Martin, Allegan
	Shelbyville	59	Shelbyville
	Bradley	61	M-179 / A-42 – Bradley, Hopkins
	Wayland	64	135th Avenue - Wayland, Hilliards
	Dorr	68	142nd Avenue - Dorr, Moline
Kent	Byron Center	72	100th Street
		74	84th Street - Byron Center
		75	76th Street
		76	68th Street - Cutlerville
		77	M-6 – Holland, Lansing
	Wyoming	78	54th Street
		79	44th Street
		80	36th Street
		81	M-11 (28th Street) – Wyoming
	Grand Rapids	82A	Burton Street	Signed as exits 82A (east) and 82B (west) southbound
		82B	Hynes Avenue	Northbound exit only
		83A	Hall Street
		83B	I-196 BS (Franklin Street)
		84A	Wealthy Street
		84B	US-131 BR north – Downtown Grand Rapids	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		85A	Market Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		85B	Pearl Street - Downtown Grand Rapids
		86	I-196 (G R Ford Freeway) – Lansing, Holland	South end of I-296 overlap; signed as exits 86A (east) and 86B (west)
		87	US-131 BR south (Leonard Street)
		88	Ann Street
	Walker	89	I-96 / M-37 – Lansing, Muskegon	North end of I-296 overlap; signed as exits 89A (east) and 89B (west) southbound
	Plainfield Township	91	West River Drive - Comstock, Comstock Park
		95	Post Drive - Belmont
	Rockford	97	10 Mile Road - Rockford
	Algoma Township	101	M-57 / B-72 – Sparta, Greenville
	Cedar Springs	104	M-46 west – Muskegon, Cedar Springs	South end of M-46 overlap
	Sand Lake	110	Sand Lake
Montcalm	Pierson Township	114	Pierson
	Howard City	118	M-82 – Howard City, Newaygo
	Reynolds Township	120	M-46 east – Saginaw	North end of M-46 overlap
Mecosta	Morley	125	Jefferson Road - Morley
	Stanwood	131	M-20 west – White Cloud	South end of M-20 overlap
	Big Rapids	139	M-20 east / US-131 BR north – Big Rapids	North end of M-20 overlap
		142	B-96 / US-131 BR south (19 Mile Road) – Big Rapids
Osceola	Reed City	153	US-10 – Ludington, Clare
	Ashton	159	11 Mile Road
	Le Roy	162	14 Mile Road
	Tustin	168	20 Mile Road
Wexford	Cadillac	176	M-115 (M-55 west) – Frankfort, Clare	South end of M-55 overlap
		177	US-131 BR north – Cadillac
		180	M-55 east – Lake City	North end of M-55 overlap
		183	US-131 BR south (Boon Road) – Cadillac
	Manton	191	M-42 – Lake City, Manton

County	Location	Mile	Roads	Notes
Grand Traverse	Walton		M-113
	Fife Lake		M-186
Kalkaska	Kalkaska		M-66/M-72	Southern end of US 131/M-66/M-72 concurrency
			M-72	Northern end of M-72 concurrency
Antrim	Mancelona		M-88 C-38 Mancelona Road
			M-66	North end of M-66 concurrency
	Alba		C-42 Alba Road
	Warner Township		M-32	Short concurrency
Charlevoix	Boyne Falls		M-75 C-48
	Walloon Lake		M-75 C-81
Emmet	Petoskey		US 31

Legend
Crossing, no access	Concurrency terminus	Deleted	Unconstructed	Closed

See also

Bannered routes

• U.S. Route 131 Business in Big Rapids, Michigan
• U.S. Route 131 Business in Cadillac, Michigan
• U.S. Route 131 Business in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• U.S. Route 131 Business in Kalamazoo, Michigan
• U.S. Route 131 Business in Manton, Michigan
• U.S. Route 131 Business in Three Rivers, Michigan

Related routes

• U.S. Route 31
• Indiana State Road 13

References

External links

• US 131 Listing at Michiganhighways. org
• US 131 Endpoint Photos
• Former US 131 Southern Terminus (now M-103)
• Former US 131 Northern Terminus (@ M-113/M-186 Jct)
• Endpoints of US highways
• I-296 @ Michigan Highways
• I-296 @ Interstate-Guide.com -- Photos of termini and scan of 1970s Michigan map before the freeway designation was "hidden".

Browse numbered routes
< SR 130	IN		SR 134 >
< M-130	MI		M-131 >

State Road 130 in the US state of Indiana runs 111 miles (179 km from U State Roads in the US state of Indiana are numbered rationally in general odd one-digit and two-digit highways are north-south highways numbers increasing State Road 134 is a north-south state road in Marion County. It used to encompass almost all of Girls School Road on the west side of Indianapolis. M-130 was the designation of a former state trunkline route in the extreme southeast corner of the U The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the Highways designated as Interstates, U M-131 was a former state trunkline designation that was mostly supplanted by US 131 and M-119 in 1979

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