U.S. Route 131

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U.S. Highway 131 (US-131) is a north-south United States highway. All but 0.7 mile (1.13 km) of its length is within Michigan.

Contents

1 Termini
2 Business routes
3 States traversed

3.1 Michigan
3.2 Indiana

4 Lane configurations
5 Related routes
6 See also
7 Sources
8 External links

Termini

The northern terminus of US-131 is in Petoskey, Michigan, at an intersection with US-31. Its southern terminus is approximately five miles (8 km) north of Middlebury, Indiana at an intersection with the Indiana Toll Road, just south of the Michigan-Indiana border, where it continues as Indiana State Highway 13.

While logic may dictate otherwise, US-131 has never extended any farther south than the Indiana Toll Road since its inception in 1926. Indeed, prior to 1959 US-131 terminated at the Michigan-Indiana state line and, as such, existed in only one state. There have never been any proposals to extend US-131 farther south of the Indiana Toll Road or to extend it to meet back up with its "parent route" (US-31) south of South Bend, Indiana.

Historical Note: Until 1959, US-131 turned westerly and was concurrently designated with US-112 (now US-12) to what is now M-103, then southerly to the Indiana state line.

Business routes

BUS US-131 Big Rapids
BUS US-131 Cadillac
BUS US-131 Grand Rapids, routed on the following streets: Leonard, Division, and Oakes. The northern terminus is at US 131, Exit 87 Leonard Ave. The southern terminus is at US 131, Exit 83B just north of Wealthy St.
BUS US-131 Kalamazoo
BUS US-131 Manton

States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

Michigan

US-131 runs for a distance of approximately 268 miles (431 km) in Michigan, from the Indiana state line northerly to Petoskey. It is a major highway in West Michigan, serving the cities of Three Rivers, Portage, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Big Rapids, Cadillac, Kalkaska, and Petoskey. The highway is an important link between Grand Rapids and the tourist areas of northwest Michigan.

It has full interchanges with four freeways Interstate 94 southwest of Kalamazoo, M-6 on the south side of Grand Rapids, Interstate 196 near downtown Grand Rapids, and Interstate 96 on the north side of Grand Rapids.

US-131 is a freeway from south of Portage to north of Manton, Michigan; it is a divided highway from just south of Portage to Three Rivers, a portion of which is constructed to "expressway" standards on controlled-access right-of-way. While further northerly extension of the US-131 freeway from Manton toward Kalkaska and beyond has been shelved by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), a southerly extension of the freeway to or near the Indiana state line is still under study. Improvements to the US-131 corridor from Portage to the Indiana Toll Road have been underway for several years and while a late-2005 decision by MDOT to not pursue a new alignment, controlled-access route through Saint Joseph County seemed to put an end to that discussion, public outcry and backlash from local legislators caused the department to re-evaluate this decision.

Indiana

US-131 extends 0.7 mile (1.13 km) into Indiana before terminating at the entrance to the Indiana Toll Road, the entrance being a few feet the north of the Toll Road. Indiana State Highway 13 has its northern terminus at the same point.

US-131 markers exist at the intersection of Indiana State Highway 13 and Indiana State Highway 120 roughly one mile south of the Toll Road, but these as a rule are qualified with the word "TO".

Lane configurations

From Indiana Toll Road to Three Rivers, MI (two lanes, undivided, except through Constantine).
From Three Rivers to freeway terminus south of Portage (four lanes, divided except in Three Rivers and Schoolcraft)
From beginning of freeway to metropolitan Grand Rapids, MI (four lanes, divided)
Grand Rapids metropolitan area (six lanes, divided, except in "S-Curve" where it is eight lanes). The lanes are reversed at the I-196 interchange.
From metropolitan Grand Rapids to end of freeway portion (four lanes, divided)
From end of freeway to Petoskey, MI, (two lanes, undivided, except through Kalkaska and Mancelona and where passing lanes have been constructed)
Within the Petoskey area (five lanes, undivided)

Related routes

Sources

[Endpoints of US highways]
[US-131 Listing] at Michiganhighways.org

External links

[US-131 Listing] at Michiganhighways.org
[US-131 Endpoint Photos]

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