Interstate 296

Interstate 296
Interstate 296
Route information
	Maintained by MDOT
Length	3.43 mi (5.52 km)
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
South end	I-196 / US 131 in Grand Rapids, MI
North end	I-96 / US 131 / M-37 in Walker, MI
Location
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future; Michigan State Trunkline Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Byways;

Interstate 296 (abbreviated I-296) is an unsigned 3.4 miles (5.5 km) segment of US 131 entirely within Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its termini are I-96 on the north side of Grand Rapids and I-196 near downtown Grand Rapids. As the entire length coincides with US 131—which continues as a freeway built to interstate standards north and south of the short segment— the Michigan Department of Transportation simplified matters by eliminating all signage for I-296 and removing the designation from their officially published state map.^[2]

Route description

The freeway begins at the I-196 interchange where the three north bound lanes are on the left and the three south bound lanes are on the right. This gets flip-flopped after ramps for the I-196 are passed as the south bound lanes go over the northbound lanes. The freeway is three lanes in each direction the entire length. It has a grassy median north of Ann St. Approaching I-96 from the south, unsigned I-296 follows the left two lanes to I-96 westbound toward Muskegon, terminating at I-96 near the Alpine Ave overpass. Southbound unsigned I-296 begins where the ramps to US 131 southbound split from eastbound I-96 at the Alpine Ave overpass, merging with southbound US 131 north of Ann St.

Exit list

County	Location	Exit Number	Destinations	Notes
freeway gains an unsigned concurrent designation as it crosses
Kent	Grand Rapids	86A	I-196 East - Lansing	(exit numbers are based on U.S. 131's mileage)
		86B	I-196 West - Holland
		87	Leonard St.
		88	Ann St.
		89A	I-96 East - Lansing
		89B	I-96 West - Muskegon
ends. freeway continues.

References

^ Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2
^ "MDOT State Map—Grand Rapids" (pdf). 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-28.

External links

I-296 @ Michigan Highways
I-296 @ Interstate-Guide.com -- Photos of termini and scan of 1970s Michigan map before the freeway designation was "hidden".

[1] Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2

[2] "MDOT State Map—Grand Rapids" (pdf). 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-28.

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