![]() ![]() The following timeline provides an overview of events leading up to the current issue: 1961-1962 With the recent effort to gain sustained consensus by key partners in the region, only a complete and comprehensive approach (from Portage to the Indiana border) to the planning and improvement will result in the most efficient resolution to all aspects of the issue. The alternatives may have been initiated due to the funding crisis at the state level and the inability to justify the improvement project without the higher traffic volumes on other portions of US-131. Joseph County have met with some opposition since the alternatives call for a design less than the desired four-lane, limited-access freeway. However, certain alternatives for the corridor in St. Joseph County led to a continuation of planning efforts. With the corridor study proposed by MDOT in 1997, consensus was not achieved in Kalamazoo County and the corridor study was not completed for this portion. From the beginning, the improvement of US-131 to a limited-access freeway has always been described as from Portage to the Indiana border. Based on traffic volume projections, these situations will not change, but only worsen. A previously constructed US-131 by-pass of Three Rivers is being encroached by new commercial development, including several national retailers, thereby setting the stage for deterioration of its level of service. Truck vibrations affect the stability and condition of buildings in the National Historic District in downtown Constantine. A constant stream of traffic, especially heavy trucks, on US-131 divides Schoolcraft residents by making pedestrian crossings treacherous. Nonetheless, the US-131 bottlenecks in southern Michigan continue to create considerable slow-downs and even back-ups to out-of-state visitors, especially at peak holiday travel times. While significant traffic counts must be documented before improvement of a transportation facility, tourism, and the important impact of tourism on Michigan's economy, heavily substantiated the improvement of US-131 to a limited-access freeway in northern Michigan. In northern Michigan, traffic volumes on US-131, particularly heavy truck traffic, are significantly lower when compared to the southern end of US-131. Furthermore, a continuous connection to the I-80/I-90 is critical to the long-term sustainability of many companies in Kalamazoo and St. While I-94 provides a continuous freeway for east-west traffic, US-131 in its current fragmented state prohibits efficient movement of goods and products into and out of Michigan, including the major metropolitan areas of Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Kalamazoo. Businesses and industries throughout West Michigan are negatively impacted by the present limitations of US-131 in Kalamazoo and St. ![]() Today, the issue has become multi-faceted: The effort to complete US-131 from Portage to the Indiana border has endured a long legacy. The completion of US-131 from Portage to the Indiana border as a four-lane, limited-access freeway. Then as now, US-131 remains a four-lane highway from Schoolcraft to Three Rivers and a two-lane highway from Three Rivers to the Indiana border. In 1972, Governor Milliken proposed an upgrade of US-131 to a four-lane, limited-access freeway to Indiana border. The efficiency and safety of US-131 is imperative to residents, visitors, and for businesses all around Michigan requiring "just-in-time" delivery of goods. The grade crossing of US-131 by the Canadian National railroad in Schoolcraft has increased in rail traffic, which continues to be a disruption in traffic flow and safety, including vehicle backups often miles long. The increasing amount of traffic on US-131, particularly heavy truck traffic, continues to erode the quality of life for residents and creates a bottleneck for pass through traffic in the villages of Schoolcraft and Constantine. While most of US-131 is a limited access freeway, the southern portion is not. US-131 begins at the Indiana/Michigan state line and extends north approximately 270 miles to Petoskey. US-131 is an integral part of the highway transportation system, owned and operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation, in Kalamazoo County, St. Planning & Development Department White Paper for Completion of the Southern Portion of US-131 ![]()
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