Interstate 496
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| Interstate 496 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System |
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| R.E. Olds Freeway Maintained by MDOT |
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| Length: | 11.78 mi[1] (18.96 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | December 23, 1963[2] | ||||||||
| West end: |   I-69 / I-96 in Lansing |
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| East end: |  I-96 / US 127 in Lansing |
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>Interstate 496 (I-496) is an Interstate Highway that passes through downtown Lansing, Michigan and is a "child" of Interstate 96. It is ceremonially designated the R.E. Olds Freeway along the portion that cuts through the city of Lansing. I-496 has both of its termini on I-96, the western one feeding only to and from Interstate 96 and Interstate 69 (which run concurrently) and the southern one feeding to and from US 127, a freeway that coincides with the north–south segment of I-496. US 127 continues as freeway through Lansing to the north and to Jackson, Michigan in the south.
Named after one of the pioneers of the automobile industry, it is heavily traveled by commuters who work in nearby automobile factories, as well as Michigan state government, and should be avoided at shift changes due to congestion. I-96 is generally a better long-distance route (by Michigan standards). I-496's maximum speed limit is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length.
Ironically, while the highway bears R.E. Olds' name, the construction of the highway forced the demolition of the house that he built in 1903. Attempts to move the Olds Mansion, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, failed, and the house was demolished in order to continue the construction of the Interstate.[3] The construction of the freeway also required the demolition or removal or nearly 600 homes, 60 businesses, and 15 farms.[4]
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[edit] Route description
The route is a divided-highway with two lane-numbering configurations. The sections between the western terminus and exit 1, exits 7 through 9, and exit 11 to the eastern terminus have three lanes in each direction. The rest is configured with two lanes in either direction.[5] From exit 8 to the eastern terminus, I-496 runs north–south concurrent with US 127.
The western terminus looks as if it could accommodate a westward extension, having been built with unusually long and widely-separated ramps. These ramps were built to accommodate the intersection with the originally proposed alignment of Interstate 69.[6]
[edit] History
The first section of I-496 was opened on 23 December 1963 running from I-96 northerly to M-43/M-78 between Lansing and East Lansing. The freeway section, comprising the southern two-thirds, was designated I-96/M-78/BL I-96 while the northern portion was on city streets as M-78/BL I-96. A new US 127 freeway was opened on 18 November 1966. US 127 would be routed along I-496/M-78. BL I-96 was removed from I-496/US 127/M-78 and routed along the former US 127. The next section opened was the western section from I-96 to M-99 on 22 October 1968. The remaining section between M-99 and I-496/US 127 opened on 18 December 1970 completing construction.
[edit] Exit list
| County | Location | Mile | # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton | Delta Township | 0.00 | I-69 / I-96 – Flint, Grand Rapids, Ft. Wayne, Detroit |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |
| 1.35 | 1 | Creyts Road | Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) westbound | ||
| 3.37 | 3 | Waverly Road | |||
| Ingham | Lansing | ||||
| 4.39 | 4 | Lansing Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 5.11 | 5 |   M-99 (M L King Boulevard) / Capitol Loop east |
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| 5.69 | 6 | Pine Street, Walnut Street - Downtown Lansing | |||
| 6.08 | 7A | Grand Avenue - Downtown Lansing | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 6.73 | 7 | Pennsylvania Avenue, Cedar Street, Larch Street (BL I-96, Capitol Loop west) | |||
| 8.47 | 8 | US 127 north – Flint, East Lansing |
Northern end of US 127 concurrency; former M-143 | ||
| East Lansing | 8.66 | 9 | Trowbridge Road | ||
| Lansing | 11.23 | 11 | Jolly Road | ||
| Delhi Township | 11.82 | I-96 – Detroit, Grand Rapids US 127 south – Jackson |
Exit 106 on I-96; exit 73 on US 127; freeway continues south as US 127 |
[edit] See also
- Capitol Loop, a related loop associated with I-496
[edit] References
- ^ "Route Log and Finder List — Table 2". Federal Highway Administration. October 31, 2002. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table2.htm. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (April 23, 2006). "Michigan Highways: Highways 250 through 696". Michigan Highways. http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys250-696.html#I-496. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
- ^ "Michigan Time Traveler" (PDF). Lansing Newspapers in Education, Michigan Historical Center. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_mhc_mhm_carcapital_01-08-2003_92059_7.pdf.
- ^ Ingells, Norris (February 14, 1965). "City's East–West Traffic Speeded". Lansing State Journal.
- ^ Garnell, Dan (May 5, 2003). "Interstate 496". Michigan Highway Ends. http://www.state-ends.com/michigan/i496. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ^ Bessert, Christopher J. (January 31, 2009). "Michigan Highways: I-96/I-69/I-496/US 27 Interchange". Michigan Highways. http://michiganhighways.org/maps/I-96-496-69-int.html. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
[edit] External links
- Interstate 496 at Michigan Highway Ends
- Miller, Matthew (February 22, 2009). "Looking back: I-496 construction complicated legacy". Lansing State Journal. http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090222/NEWS01/902220610. Retrieved February 25, 2009. Includes photo gallery: "Making way for 496".
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