M-6 (Michigan highway)

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This article is about the state highway in Michigan; for other uses, see M6

South Beltline Freeway

Paul B. Henry Freeway
Maintained by MDOT

Length:

19.71 mi^[1] (31.72 km)

Formed:

Current route, 1997^[1]

West end:

I-196 near Jenison

Major
junctions:

US 131 in Cutlerville

M-37 near Alaska

East end:

I-96 near Cascade

Counties:

Ottawa & Kent

Michigan highways
< M-5		M-7 >

M-6, or the Paul B. Henry Freeway, is a 19.71-mile (31.72 km) long freeway and state trunkline route serving portions of southern Kent and Ottawa counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Many locals still refer to it by its original name, the South Beltline.

1 Route description
2 History
3 Exit list
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route description

The highway connects I-96 on the east with I-196 on the west along a corridor running south of Grand Rapids. Construction on the highway began in November 1997 and was originally scheduled to be completed in 2008. The first phase, stretching five miles (8 km) from I-96 to M-37 opened to traffic on November 21, 2001, six months ahead of schedule. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on November 17, 2004 to open the remaining freeway, completed four years ahead of schedule.

The first completed section of highway from I-96 to M-37, opening 2001, was constructed in asphalt pavement with concrete bridge decks. The remainder of the highway, opening November 2004, was contructed entirely of concrete. ^[2]

Communities traversed:

[edit] History

M-6 westbound between Byron Center Avenue and Ivanrest Avenue, Byron Township

M-6 westbound near junction with I-196

Wilson Avenue overpass

M-6 & I-196 Interchange

[edit] Construction facts

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

17,350,000 pounds of structural steel were used in the construction of M-6, equal to the weight of 30 Empire State Buildings.
682,400 feet of piling were used. If laid end to end, they would stretch 129 miles (208 km) from Grand Rapids to Traverse City.
The bridges required 124,300 cubic yards (95,000 m³) of concrete-enough to build a column 3 feet (0.91 m) in diameter to a height of 90 miles (140 km).
10,220,000 cubic yards (7,800,000 m³) of dirt were excavated. This would fill Michigan Stadium 40 times.
225 acres of wetlands were created, the size of two 18 hole golf courses.
8,000 tons of steel were used in bridge construction, equivalent to the weight of 266 railroad freight cars loaded with steel.
After the construction of the freeway's interchange bridges with I-196, it was discovered the designs would easily support the roadway, but would likely fail to support the weight of traffic. The design flaw had to do with the supporting I-beams under the roadway. The bridges were then removed and reconstructed, costing the Michigan Department of Transportation millions of dollars, which was reimbursed by the firm which originally designed the structures.^[3]

[edit] Notes

While under construction the highway was referred to as the Grand Rapids South Beltline or simply the South Beltline Freeway. On June 2, 1998, the Michigan Legislature voted to name it the Paul B. Henry Freeway after Paul B. Henry, a West Michigan politician who died in 1993.
The highway was completely planned and constructed using the metric system, a first in the State of Michigan. However, MDOT has now stopped using the metric system for any new designs.

Although nearly every possible movement is available between US-131, M-6 and 68th Street in northeastern Byron Township, no ramp exists to take traffic from westbound M-6 to 68th Street. The ramp was omitted due to safety and confusion considerations.

[edit] Earlier M-6 designations

The first appearance of M-6 was in 1926 as a two-mile (3 km) road in Keweenaw County running from US 41 at Phoenix to north to Eagle River. In 1938, the route was redesignated as M-111 and was again redesignated two years later to become a part of the route of M-26.

In the late 1970s during the second phase of construction of the I-696/Walter P. Reuther Freeway in Metro Detroit, there were lobbying efforts as well as lawsuits attempting to block the center phase III section which, if successful, would have left the freeway discontinuous. As a fallback, MDOT assigned the route M-6 and erected signs along the service roads connecting the already constructed stack interchange at I-75 continuing along 11 Mile Road—the road being subsumed by the new freeway—6 miles (9.7 km) east to I-94. By the time of completion of the segment in 1979, it was known that Phase II would be built and the signage for M-6 was removed, leaving an eight mile (13 km) gap in the freeway until Phase III completion in 1989.

[edit] Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Ottawa	Georgetown Township	0.0		I-196 – Grand Rapids, Holland	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
Ottawa	Georgetown Township	1.4	1	8th Avenue
Kent	Byron Center	3.4	3	Wilson Avenue – Grandville
		5.5	5	Byron Center Avenue
		7.8	8	US-131 / 68th Street – Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo
	Gaines Township	10.5	11	Kalamazoo Avenue
	Gaines Township	15.0	15	M-37 – Grand Rapids, Hastings
	Cascade Township	19.7		I-96 – Muskegon, Lansing	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance