Missing Link - US 31 to I 196 in Michigan

[DevalDragon]

Are there any plans to fill in the missing gap between US 31 and I-196 near Benton Harbor Michigan? It seems like an obvious thing to do rather than exiting on to a 2 lane country road from the end of US 31 and getting on I 94 east one exit to I-196.

[NE2]

http://www.michiganhighways.org/indepth/US-31Freeway_Berrien.html

PS: Napier Avenue is four lanes.

[JREwing78]

You're not going to see this happen until the gas tax in Michigan is increased, or until it gets stimulus funded.

[tdindy88]

I traveled this way a few months back. It wasn't too bad heading down Naiper from US 31 to I-94 and the longest part seemed to be waiting for the left turn off of US 31 onto Naiper. It's not the best solution but it's far from the worse. As I've seen it, the plan is to eventually connect US 31 with the interchange at I-94 and BL-94 east of Benton Harbor, but as others have pointed out the money is needed for this, that and something about butterflies.

[tvketchum]

As I've seen it, the plan is to eventually connect US 31 with the interchange at I-94 and BL-94 east of Benton Harbor, but as others have pointed out the money is needed for this, that and something about butterflies.

Mitchell's Sayder- the area south of the I-94/I-196 interchange is one of four or five habitats left for this species. This is the area directly in the original path for the US 31 freeway, which is now held up for four decades in redesign, environmental impact hearings, etc.

[northernmi]

Mitchell's Sayder- the area south of the I-94/I-196 interchange is one of four or five habitats left for this species. This is the area directly in the original path for the US 31 freeway, which is now held up for four decades in redesign, environmental impact hearings, etc.
[/quote]

The holdup on the "US31 Gap"  is just a bureaucratic nightmare. State government and MDOT are a joke.

I can not even imagine how the Interstate highway system could ever be built today.

[silverback1065]

Will this ever be finished? us31 is a nightmare in Michigan!!!

[InterstateNG]

Keep bumping old threads and it might!

[JREwing78]

Will this ever be finished? us31 is a nightmare in Michigan!!!

I would argue US-31 between Holland and Grand Haven is a bigger "nightmare". It may be divided, but it has a bazillion stoplights and is frequently stymied by the bridge in Grand Haven.

So is US-127 south of Jackson to US-12 & US-223. It gets similar traffic, and for most of its length it's a 2-lane highway. It also has stoplights. Ever try to get around there when a race is being held at Michigan International Speedway. THAT is a nightmare.

US-23 between Brighton and Ann Arbor. Yeah, that one's worse too - substandard design and 60,000vpd on a 4-lane freeway.

I would classify the short detour of US-31 on a 5-lane surface street with no stoplights (aside from the I-94 interchange) more of an annoyance than a "nightmare".

Michigan hasn't properly funded its roads for decades. The way things are looking at the moment, it's not about to either. And, it doesn't have a toll road to lease to gullible investors.

[InterstateNG]

Michigan's policy of not twinning it's rural arterials, not building bypasses, and the blanket 55mph speed limit for non-freeways (with some exceptions) makes it a real hindrance to get around.

[silverback1065]

I don't get it, is it a funding issue? Or politics? 

[mgk920]

I don't get it, is it a funding issue? Or politics?

Yes.

Mike

[theline]

Michigan . . . doesn't have a toll road to lease to gullible investors.