Consideration for I-75 Business Loop in Indian River, Michigan

[andy3175]

Community discussion is underway for a possible establishment of an I-75 business loop in Indian River, Michigan along old US 27 (South Straits Highway) between Exits 310 and 313 along what are currently county maintained roadways in a manner similar to that found for nearby business routes in Gaylord, Grayling, and Roscommon:

http://www.cheboygannews.com/article/20150619/NEWS/150619033

http://www.cheboygannews.com/article/20160506/NEWS/160509362

No outcome is known at this time as to whether the business loop will be nominated for approval by the state.

[Max Rockatansky]

Kind of late in the game, how many years has I-75 been around and now all of the sudden they want this?  Personally I think there is a much better justification for extending the US 127BL from St. Johns south to I-69.

[wanderer2575]

Kind of late in the game, how many years has I-75 been around and now all of the sudden they want this? 

"They" don't want this; right now, it's just one resident making the proposal.  And it's because he thinks it will bring more fast-food customers into town.

Contrast this with other communities that have given up their business routes (e.g. Holland) without too much concern of traffic falloff.  But maybe that's because Holland thinks it's established enough that it doesn't need a designated business route to bring in the tourists.

[Max Rockatansky]

Kind of late in the game, how many years has I-75 been around and now all of the sudden they want this? 

"They" don't want this; right now, it's just one resident making the proposal.  And it's because he thinks it will bring more fast-food customers into town.

Contrast this with other communities that have given up their business routes (e.g. Holland) without too much concern of traffic falloff.  But maybe that's because Holland thinks it's established enough that it doesn't need a designated business route to bring in the tourists.

Probably even less so with GPS units and mobile phone apps telling people where all the fast food places are.  Always seemed to me like there was an over indulgence of BLs in Michigan anyways when a highway sign showing what services are in town would have sufficed.

[JREwing78]

If MDOT is willing to take back the route and perform the reconstruction, streetscaping, and maintenance needed, that alone would be a boon for the community. Much of that roadway is in pretty poor condition.

Would it make much of a difference otherwise? Hard to say. It is a little strange that that section of Straits Hwy was turned over to the county in the first place after US-27 was moved to the freeway.

[bessertc]

Community discussion is underway for a possible establishment of an I-75 business loop in Indian River, Michigan along old US 27 (South Straits Highway) between Exits 310 and 313 along what are currently county maintained roadways in a manner similar to that found for nearby business routes in Gaylord, Grayling, and Roscommon:

http://www.cheboygannews.com/article/20150619/NEWS/150619033

From the article, Mr. Muscat states: "'I was told by the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) that it was impossible to do because it was not a state highway. But all of the other communities, Gaylord, Grayling, Roscommon, all incorporate part of a county road,' said Muscat."

Unfortunately, Mr. Muscat is very mistaken. *ALL* Business Connections in Michigan are full state trunkline highways, including the three BL I-75 routings at Gaylord, Graying and Roscommon. The Grayling and Roscommon BL I-75 routings have been state trunkline highways since before I-75 even existed! (BL I-75 at Roscommon was formerly parts of M-18 and M-76, while BL I-75 at Grayling was formerly US-27.) The BL I-75 through Gaylord was re-uploaded to the State in the 1980s, but it, too, is also a full state trunkline highway, NOT a county road. In fact, when a few blocks of BUS US-12 through downtown Niles were transferred to city control a few years back, the BUS US-12 designation was retired and the remainder of the route of BUS US-12 not already shared with another route became an extension of another state trunkline highway route (M-139).

Basically, the Cheboygan County Road Commission would have to transfer jurisdiction of South Straits Hwy (Old US-27) to MDOT and MDOT would have to accept it for it to be signed as BL I-75. Unfortunately, some members of the public don't understand the difference between a state trunkline highway and a county or municipal road.