Grand Rapids Roads Meet

[DanTheMan414]

It's official - Please mark Saturday, 9/26 on your calendar.  That will be the date for the Grand Rapids Roads Meet.  There are a lot of interesting roads and projects of note that will be featured, from M-6 to I-196, from the US 131/44th St. SPUI construction to the newer I-96/36th St. interchange, and much more.

The venue & tour route are currently being determined, but we wanted to get the date out to you so you can plan accordingly.

Interested in joining us for a great early fall tour of the GR area?  Please either message me on here, or e-mail Barry Camp at blcamp # yahoo.com (change '#' to '@' to e-mail), for headcount purposes, by Thu., 9/24.

More details to come.  Thanks, & we hope to see you out in Grand Rapids!

[Hellfighter]

I'm very interested!

[hbelkins]

I think I've got my trip planned out.

Thursday I'm going to visit Randolph, Jay, Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Pulaski and Starke counties in Indiana and probably overnight in the Elkhart/South Bend area.

Friday I hope to get as far north as Traverse City and clinch the first two sets of counties inland from Lake Michigan and overnight in Gd Rapids (as the local overhead signs call it). Looking at http://preview.tinyurl.com/mhmuks for lodging options and prefer some combination of close to the meet site and cheap.

Saturday after the meet I'm going southwest to the northern terminus of I-65 and then going to hit Lake, Porter, newton, White, Benton and Tippecanoe counties in Indiana, leaving me only about three counties further south to clinch the state, and spending the night in Indy. Then it's on home Sunday morning.

[getemngo]

I think I've got my trip planned out.

Thursday I'm going to visit Randolph, Jay, Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Pulaski and Starke counties in Indiana and probably overnight in the Elkhart/South Bend area.

Friday I hope to get as far north as Traverse City and clinch the first two sets of counties inland from Lake Michigan and overnight in Gd Rapids (as the local overhead signs call it). Looking at http://preview.tinyurl.com/mhmuks for lodging options and prefer some combination of close to the meet site and cheap.

Saturday after the meet I'm going southwest to the northern terminus of I-65 and then going to hit Lake, Porter, newton, White, Benton and Tippecanoe counties in Indiana, leaving me only about three counties further south to clinch the state, and spending the night in Indy. Then it's on home Sunday morning.

Wow.  I'll be visiting, uh, Barry and Kent counties.

[ruffnerr]

I should be able to make this one

[rawmustard]

Just wanted to pass the word on here, since I don't think Barry Camp has registered for an account here yet. The meet will be held at:

Brann's Steakhouse
3475 Fairlanes SW
Grandville, MI 49418

Brann's website
Brann's menu (PDF format)

Barry pretty much gives the itinerary in a message on the greatlakesroads list, so I won't try to replicate it here. Suffice it to say that it looks to be a pretty fun meet.

(A housekeeping request to any admins/mods who may be reading: Could you merge the two threads that seem to be going on this topic so that should anyone click through from the calendar, they can see all the info that's been discussed? Thanks in advance)

[DanTheMan414]

Actually, I can post a consolidated list here of some of the highlights of the tour that Barry is planning.  They include the following:

* I-196 reconstruction around the vicinity of Chicago Dr.
* I-196 widening near downtown Grand Rapids
* I-96 work around M-21, part of a planned conversion of the interchange from a partial one to a full one
* The new I-96/36th St. interchange, which was constructed with respect to the unique terrain, and features some rather unique aesthetics, too
* The M-6 freeway, which was completed in 2004 around the south side of Grand Rapids, and features Michigan's first SPUI at Kalamazoo Ave.
* Progress on the US 131/44th St. SPUI construction
* Other local projects, including conversion of a 4-lane stretch of Kalamazoo Ave. into a divided boulevard north of M-6

We're planning on meeting at Brann's when it opens at 11:00 AM.  The tour itself will probably conclude around 5:00-30 PM or so.  The GR area has a lot of unique road opportunities, so if you have not been to a roads meet before, this is a great one to make your first one. 

Please see above for the contact information for RSVPs, or simply reply to this thread.  Thanks, and we hope to see you in Grand Rapids on 9/26!

[hbelkins]

Just wanted to pass the word on here, since I don't think Barry Camp has registered for an account here yet. The meet will be held at:

Brann's Steakhouse
3475 Fairlanes SW
Grandville, MI 49418

Brann's website
Brann's menu (PDF format)

I took the liberty of posting the GLR e-mail to MTR since it probably wouldn't have been posted there otherwise and MTR is still, afterall, the granddaddy of all the roads forums.

[DanTheMan414]

However, H.B., if anyone from there was interested in attending and wanted to RSVP, they don't have a point of contact listed (e.g., Barry's e-mail).

[WillWeaverRVA]

Alas, I won't be anywhere near Grand Rapids on the 26th. :\

[rawmustard]

It should also be mentioned that ArtPrize will be ongoing on during the time of the meet, so we're likely to see a few of the outdoor projects while driving around town. (But somehow, I still think some of the out-of-towners will be taken aback if they see something that looks out of the ordinary. )

[hbelkins]

However, H.B., if anyone from there was interested in attending and wanted to RSVP, they don't have a point of contact listed (e.g., Barry's e-mail).

They'll probably figure it out or will post a reply about it.

I just haven't given up on MTR like a lot of people have. It's still the only fully open public forum on the 'Net so it still has to count for something.

[DanTheMan414]

We are just 5 days away from the 2009 Michigan Roads Meet, which is taking place in the Grand Rapids area.  The gathering starts around 11:00 AM at Brann's Steakhouse in Grandville, near the M-121/Chicago Dr. & I-196 interchange.  See full details above.

If you have not yet RSVP'd, and are still interested in joining us for what promises to be a fun opportunity to explore various highways and projects in the Grand Rapids area (such as M-6), as well as meeting fellow roads enthusiasts, and checking out some interesting maps, photos and other road artifacts, please either post here, or e-mail Barry Camp at blcamp # yahoo.com (change "#" to "@" to e-mail), by this Thursday, 9/24.  Thanks, and we hope to see you this Saturday!

[ruffnerr]

I RSVP'ed on Facebook, I'll be there

[DanTheMan414]

You're all set, Richard...we'll see you on Saturday.

[ruffnerr]

I just can't catch a break. I got sick last night, and am not up to making the drive today to Grand Rapids.  So, unless something changes in the next couple of hours, I won't be attending 

[rawmustard]

Fifteen of us gathered for some good food, while one had to leave before we started our good touring. First, we checked out the partial I-196 at Baldwin Avenue. We then checked the interchange project at I-196 and College Avenue, a new ramp to M-21 west from I-96 east, and the 36th Street directional Y. We saw Michigan's first SPUI at M-6 and Kalamazoo Ave and then Michigan's latest SPUI under construction at US-131 and 44th St. After taking a good look at the US-131/M-6/68th St. interchange, we then proceeded west on the rest of M-6, saw the one-mile merge on I-196, where there was a backup because of a sheriff's deputy having someone pulled over. Back to Brann's, and then the tour was over. Some of us came over to Michael's apartment to leech off his wi-fi. (Gee, I wonder who that could be? ) We all had a blast, and some of us will gather near Fort Wayne in just a month and a week.

[Terry Shea]

We saw Michigan's first SPUI at M-6 and Kalamazoo Ave and then Michigan's latest SPUI under construction at US-131 and 44th St.

I didn't realize the 44th St. interchange was going to be a SPUI.  What a nightmare that's going to be.

[Chris]

Fifteen of us gathered

Nice turnout 

[Hellfighter]

Had a blast! Will upload my photos later today...

[rawmustard]

I didn't realize the 44th St. interchange was going to be a SPUI.  What a nightmare that's going to be.

44th is also being rebuilt from west of Clyde Park all the way to east of Clay. It should be a vast improvement over what was there before, especially reducing two lights to one at the 131 interchange.

[Hellfighter]

Here's my Web Album

[Terry Shea]

I didn't realize the 44th St. interchange was going to be a SPUI.  What a nightmare that's going to be.

44th is also being rebuilt from west of Clyde Park all the way to east of Clay. It should be a vast improvement over what was there before, especially reducing two lights to one at the 131 interchange.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how it pans out.  I live right near the M-6/Kalamazoo Ave interchange and I'm not very impressed with the SPUI.  Winter driving is especially bad because the roadway lines get covered and no one knows where they're supposed to drive.

[Terry Shea]

Here's my Web Album

Where was pic #2 taken?

[Hellfighter]

Here's my Web Album

Where was pic #2 taken?

On M-37 in Middleville