U.S. Route 31 in Michigan

US Highway 31
	; US 31 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by MDOT
Length:	357.234 mi (574.912 km)
Existed:	1926 – present
Tourist; routes:	Lake Michigan Circle Tour
Major junctions
South end:	US 31 near Niles
	US 12 near Niles; I-94 near Benton Harbor; I-94 / I-196 near Benton Harbor; I-196 at Holland; I-96 at Norton Shores; US 10 at Ludington; US 131 at Petoskey
North end:	I-75 near Mackinaw City
Highway system

This article is about the section of highway in Michigan. For the entire length of highway, see US Highway 31.

US Highway 31 (US 31) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Alabama, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs from the Indiana–Michigan state line at Bertrand Township to its terminus at Interstate 75 (I-75) south of Mackinaw City. The highway runs for 357.234 miles (574.912 km) in the state.

The route crossed the Straits of Mackinac for a time before the Mackinac Bridge was built by ferry only.

[edit] Route description

Much of US 31 from the Indiana-Michigan state line to Ludington is built to freeway standards. Two notable exceptions are a short segment along Napier Avenue between the St. Joseph Valley Parkway and I-94 near Benton Harbor, and between Holland and Ferrysburg. The portion of I-75 north of US 31's northern terminus toward the Mackinac Bridge was designated US 31 prior to the 1990s and was US 31's most northern portion to be built to freeway status. Since its truncation at the I-75 junction, however, the most northern segment of US 31 freeway ends near Ludington.

[edit] Lane configurations

The southernmost 24 miles (39 km) of US 31 in Michigan runs along the four-lane freeway St. Joseph Valley Parkway. The portion of US 31 concurrent with I-94 near Benton Harbor travels along a six-lane freeway, while the next 47 miles (44 of which are concurrent with I-196) from north of Benton Harbor to Holland a four-lane freeway. The 24 miles (39 km) from Holland to Grand Haven runs along a mixture of four-lane divided highway and four-lane divided expressway. At Grand Haven, US 31 crosses the Grand River via a six-lane bascule bridge. The next 67 miles (108 km) from Ferrysburg to Ludington travels along a four-lane freeway. From Ludington to its northern terminus south of Mackinaw City, US 31 consists largely of two-lane rural highway and four- to five-lane urban street segments. Two segments, however, have been constructed to two-lane limited-access standards: from Elk Rapids northerly and from Carp Lake to I-75.

[edit] History

US 31 in Bay View

At the introduction of the US Highway System in the 1920s the route of US 31 largely replaced the existing M-58 and M-11 route designations.

In the 1920s and 30s, US 31 crossed the Straits of Mackinac via auto ferry and terminated at US 2 in Rogers Park north of St. Ignace. The former US 31/US 33, now M-51, enters the state of Michigan from Indiana in Niles Charter Township.

The Michigan Memorial Highway Act (Act 142 of 2001) designates all of US 31 from the Indiana border to the Straits of Mackinac as the Blue Star Memorial Highway.^[2]^[3] "Act 71 of 1952" had previously designated all of US 31 in the Lower Peninsula and the portion of US 2 from St. Ignace to Sault Ste. Marie, although this was not included in the Act of 2001. Various portions of former routings of US 31 throughout southwest and west Michigan, notably County Road A-2, are still called "Blue Star Highway".

[edit] Future

According to the recently passed Federal Transportation Bill an earmark was provided to begin planning and right of way purchases for a new route of the highway along the 120th ave corridor in Ottawa County, between Holland and Nunica. Due to tight transportation budgets at the state level, the Michigan Department of Transportation will begin construction on this project using a staged approach. The first phase in Ottawa County, designated Future M-231, will consist of a two-lane highway constructed on four-lane right-of-way for future conversion to freeway standards from M-45 (Lake Michigan Dr) to I-96 at Nunica. This segment will include a new crossing over the Grand River. MDOT is currently working on environmental clearances for this project with right-of-way acquisition to begin thereafter. Any work on the proposed US 31 freeway corridor south of M-45 (Lake Michigan Dr) has not yet been scheduled.

Plans also call for the completion of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, to carry US 31, between Napier Avenue and I-94 sometime in the 2010s.

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Berrien	Bertrand Township	0.000	0.000		US 31 south (St. Joseph Valley Parkway) – South Bend, Indianapolis	Indiana state line
		3.8	6.1	3	US 12 – Niles, Sturgis, New Buffalo
		5.1	8.2	5	Niles–Buchanan Road – Buchanan
		7	11	7	Walton Road – Buchanan	Former BUS US 31
	Oronoko Charter Township	13.2	21.2	13	Snow Road – Berrien Springs
	Oronoko Charter Township	15.7	25.3	15	M-139 / Old 31 – Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Berrien Springs	Signed as exits 15A (Old 31) and 15B (M-139) northbound
	Berrien Township	18.9	30.4	18	Tabor Road — Eau Claire
	Sodus Township	22.9	36.9	22	Pipestone Road — Eau Claire
	Benton Charter Township	24.9	40.1	24	Napier Avenue	Temporary north end of freeway, mandatory exit onto Napier Avenue
	Benton Harbor	27.2	43.8	30	I-94 west – Chicago	Southern end of I-94 concurrency; signed as Napier Avenue southbound
		29.4	47.3	33	BL I-94 – St. Joseph	No exit northbound
		31	50	34	I-94 east – Detroit I-196 north – Grand Rapids, Holland	Northern end of I-94 concurrency; southern end of I-196 concurrency
	Hagar Township	32	51	1	Red Arrow Highway
		34.7	55.8	4	Coloma Road — Coloma
		37.8	60.8	7	M-63 south / LMCT south	Northern terminus of M-63; southern end of LMCT concurrency
Van Buren	Covert Township	43.8	70.5	13	A-2 (Blue Star Highway) / 32nd Avenue
	South Haven Charter Township	48.5	78.1	18	BL I-196 / M-140 – South Haven, Watervliet	Signed as M-140 only (southbound)
	South Haven	51.6	83.0	20	BL I-196 / Phoenix Street – South Haven	Signed as Phoenix Street only (northbound)
Allegan	South Haven	53.1	85.5	22	North Shore Drive – South Haven
		57.2	92.1	26	109th Avenue
		60.7	97.7	30	A-2 (Blue Star Highway)
		65.1	104.8	34	M-89 east – Allegan
		67.1	108.0	36	A-2 (Blue Star Highway)
		72.2	116.2	41	A-2 (Blue Star Highway)
		75.7	121.8	44	I-196 north (G.R. Ford Freeway) – Grand Rapids BL I-196 east – Holland	Northern end of I-196 concurrency; southern end of BL I-196 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		77.8	125.2	47A	A-2 south (Blue Star Highway)
		78.1	125.7	47B	Washington Avenue – Holland	Former BUS US 31
	Holland	79	127		M-40 south – Allegan
Ottawa	Zeeland	82	132		BL I-196 east (Chicago Drive)	Northern end of BL I-196 concurrency
	Agnew	95.9	154.3		M-45 east
				Freeway Begins
	Ferrysburg	103.8	167.0	104	M-104 east – Spring Lake, Ferrysburg	Signed as 104A (Spring Lake) and 104B (Ferrysburg)
	Ferrysburg	105.1	169.1	105	Van Wagoner Street – Ferrysburg
Muskegon	Fruitport	107.7	173.3	107	Pontaluna Road – Fruitport
	Fruitport	109.1	175.6	109	Sternberg Road — Fruitport	Signed as exits 109A (eastbound) and 109B (westbound)
	Norton Shores	110.7	178.2	110	I-96 east – Grand Rapids BUS US 31 north / LMCT – Muskegon	Signed as exits 110A (I-96 east) southbound and (Hile Road to I-96 east) northbound, 110B (BUS US 31 north) northbound and (Airline Road to BUS US 31 north) southbound; Northern end of LMCT concurrency
	Norton Shores	112.6	181.2	112	B-72 east (Sherman Boulevard) – Muskegon
	Muskegon Township	113.6	182.8	113	Laketon Avenue – Muskegon
	Muskegon	114.6	184.4	114	M-46 – Muskegon, Cedar Springs
	Muskegon Township	116	187	116	BUS US 31 south / LMCT – Muskegon	Northbound signed as North Muskegon; southern end of LMCT concurrency
	North Muskegon	118.5	190.7	118	M-120 – Muskegon, Twin Lake
	Dalton Township	121	195	121	B-23 north (Russell Road) – Lakewood Club	Access to Michigan's Adventure, Owasippe Scout Reservation, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
	Dalton Township	126.3	203.3	126	White Lake Drive – Lakewood Club
	Whitehall	128.9	207.4	128	BUS US 31 north / LMCT – Whitehall	Southern terminus of BUS US 31; northern end of LMCT concurrency
	Montague	131.6	211.8	131	BUS US 31 south / LMCT – Montague B-86 east B-15 north	Northern terminus of BUS US 31; southern end of LMCT concurrency
Oceana	Rothbury	136.4	219.5	136	Winston Road – Rothbury
	New Era	140.3	225.8	140	M-20 east – White Cloud	Western terminus of M-20
	Shelby Township	144	232	144	Shelby Road – Shelby
	Hart	148.7	239.3	149	BUS US 31 – Hart	Southern terminus of BUS US 31
	Pentwater	153.8	247.5	154	BUS US 31 north / LMCT – Pentwater	Southern terminus of BUS US 31; signed as Monroe Road southbound; northern end of LMCT concurrency
	Pentwater	158.7	255.4	158	BUS US 31 south / LMCT – Pentwater	Northern terminus of BUS US 31; signed as Oceana Drive northbound; southern end of LMCT concurrency
Mason	Ludington	167.8	270.0	166	BUS US 31 north (Pere Marquette Highway) / LMCT – Ludington	Northern end of LMCT concurrency
	Ludington	170	274	170	US 10 west / LMCT – Ludington, Clare, Traverse City	Signed as exits 170A (eastbound) and 170B (westbound); northern end of freeway; western end of US 10 concurrency; southern end of LMCT concurrency
	Scottville	172.9	278.3		US 10 east – Reed City	Eastern end of US 10 concurrency
Manistee	Manistee	196.2	315.8		M-55 east – Cadillac
Manistee	Manistee Township	199.2	320.6		M-22 north / LMCT – Frankfort	Northern end of LMCT concurrency
Benzie	Benzonia Township	223	359		M-115 east – Cadillac	Southern end of M-115 concurrency
Benzie	Benzonia	225.3	362.6		M-115 west – Frankfort	Northern end of M-115 concurrency
Grand Traverse	Interlochen	244.1	392.8		M-137 south	Northern terminus of M-137
	Chums Corners	249.8	402.0		M-37 south	Southern end of M-37 concurrency
	Traverse City	256.7	413.1		M-22 north / M-72 west (Grandview Parkway) / LMCT	Western end of M-72 concurrency; southern end of LMCT concurrency
	Traverse City	258.7	416.3		M-37 north	Northern end of M-37 concurrency
	Acme	264.7	426.0		M-72 east	Eastern end of M-72 concurrency
Antrim	Torch Lake Township	290	467		M-88 east	Western terminus of M-88
Antrim	Banks Township	295.5	475.6		C-48 east
Charlevoix	Charlevoix	306.2	492.8		M-66 south	Northern terminus of M-66
Charlevoix	Hayes Township	317.9	511.6		C-56 east
Emmet	Petoskey	323.2	520.1		US 131 south	Northern terminus of US 131
		323.9	521.3		C-58 east (Mitchell Road/Wolverine Road)
		325.9	524.5		C-81 south
	Bay View	326.6	525.6		M-119 north (Harbor-Petoskey Road) – Cross Village, Levering
	Alanson	334.8	538.8		M-68 east – Indian River
	Pellston	342.2	550.7		C-64 east (Robinson Road) – Cheboygan
	McKinley Township	347.9	559.9		C-66 (Levering Road) – Cheboygan
Cheboygan	Mackinaw City	356.4	573.6		I-75 north / LMCT	Northern terminus of US 31; northern end of LMCT concurrency; southbound exit and northbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/former • Incomplete access • Unopened