 M-37 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 M-37 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byMDOT | ||||
| Length | 221.27 mi[1][2] (356.10 km) | |||
| Existed | c. July 1, 1919[3]–present | |||
| Tourist routes |  Old Mission Peninsula Scenic Heritage Route Lake Michigan Circle Tour | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-94 /BL I-94 atBattle Creek | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end | Cul-de-sac atMission Point Light,Old Mission Peninsula | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Michigan | |||
| Counties | Calhoun,Barry,Kent,Muskegon,Newaygo,Lake,Wexford,Grand Traverse | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
M-37 is a north–southstate trunkline highway in the US state ofMichigan. The southern terminus is near the border betweenKalamazoo andCalhoun counties at exit 92 ofInterstate 94 (I-94) southwest ofBattle Creek. The northern terminus is at theMission Point Light onOld Mission Point inGrand Traverse County. In between, the highway connects Battle Creek,Grand Rapids andTraverse City. Motorists will travel through agricultural land, forests, suburbs and large cities along the way. The section of M-37 on the Old Mission Peninsula was designated what is now aPure Michigan Scenic Byway in 2008.
Originally named theMuskegon, Grand Traverse and Northport State Road, and later theNewaygo and Northport State Road, today's modern highway can be traced back to the 19th century and earlier. The southernmost section between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek parallels an earlyIndian trail. The modern highway was formed by July 1, 1919 along this segment. By the 1940s, a second section of highway was designated M-37, creating a gap between it and the original section. This gap was eliminated in the 1950s, completing the M-37 corridor in the state. Additional changes to the routing were made through the Grand Rapids area into the 1970s.
M-37 runs for 221.27 miles (356.10 km) through the western side of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan connecting Battle Creek, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. Segments of it have been listed on theNational Highway System (NHS), a network of roads important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility.[4] Through the Grand Rapids area, M-37 is on the NHS along Broadmoor and East Beltline avenues north ofM-6 and theconcurrency withI-96.[5] The second segment on the NHS runs fromM-115 inMesick to Traverse City.[6] The road has also been designated what is now a Pure Michigan Byway through the Old Mission Peninsula.[7] The trunkline is maintained by theMichigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). As part of this responsibility, the department tracks the traffic volumes along M-37. MDOT uses a metric calledaverage annual daily traffic, which is a calculation of the average traffic level for a segment of roadway on any average day of the year. Along M-37, the volume varies from the peak 49,173 vehicles on a section of I-96/M-37 in Grand Rapids to the 718 vehicles at the northern terminus by theMission Point Light.[8]
M-37 starts joined withBusiness Loop I-94 (BL I-94) as the two highway designationsrun concurrently at exit 92 on I-94 southwest of Battle Creek. They follow Columbia Avenue and pass around the southern side of theW. K. Kellogg Airport. When the roadway meetsM-96, BL I-94/M-37 turns northward, joining M-96 around the eastern end of the airport to Dickman Road. M-37 jogs westerly onto Dickman Road before continuing northward Helmer Road through suburban residential areas inSpringfield and across theKalamazoo River intoLevel Park-Oak Park. There the highway intersectsM-89, passes through more residential areas and exits the Battle Creek metro area.[9][10]
North ofBedford, M-37 meanders through ruralBarry County. The road passes through mixed agricultural and forest lands near several small lakes in the area. On its path toHastings, the trunkline runs throughDowling and meets the western terminus ofM-79. The highway follows Hanover Street through the south side of Hastings into downtown, where it turns west on Green Street and north on Broadway Street. At the intersection of Broadway and State streets, M-37 meets and joinsM-43. West of Hastings, M-43 separates and heads south towardKalamazoo while M-37 turns northwesterly and runs parallel to theThornapple River. The highway follows the river west and north to the community ofMiddleville through mixed farms and forests.[9][10]
In southernKent County, M-37 follows Cherry Valley Road throughCaledonia. As the highway transitions to Broadmoor Avenue, the landscape also transitions from rural to suburban. North of 76th Street, Broadmoor widens to a four-laneboulevard which passes a campus ofDavenport University near theM-6 freeway on the outskirts of the Grand Rapids area. This section is dominated by light industrial complexes west of theGerald R. Ford International Airport in the suburb ofKentwood. These complexes change over to retail establishments north of 32nd Street. At 28th Street, Broadmoor Avenue ends, and East Beltline Avenue begins. M-37 follows East Beltline Avenue between theWoodland Mall and theCenterpointe Mall. North of the malls, M-37 passes through the campus ofCalvin University and along residential areas at the east end ofReeds Lake. The intersection of East Beltine Avenue and Fulton Street is the western terminus forM-21, a highway that runs east across the state toFlint. North of this junction, M-37 meetsI-96 andM-44[9][10]
M-37 parts East Beltline Avenue and turns west along I-96. The freeway runs west and then north around the edge of Grand Rapids. Near 3 Mile Road, I-96/M-37 runs west again, continuing across theGrand River and meeting theUS Highway 131 (US 131) freeway. The next interchange immediately west of US 131 is for Alpine Avenue, which M-37 follows north. This road runs through a commercial and retail corridor in the communities ofWalker andComstock Park. South of 6 Mile Road, Alpine Avenue widens into a four-lane divided highway. This highway splits from Alpine Avenue north of 8 Mile Road and turns to the northwest as the surroundings transition to rural farmland again. M-37 transitions back to a two-lane road south ofSparta. The trunkline passes to the west ofKent City and crosses intoMuskegon County atCasnovia.[9][10] Through this area, the highway parallels a line of theMarquette Rail that runs north from Grand Rapids.[11]
West of the county line, M-37 meets and merges withM-46 along Apple Avenue. The two highways separate at aroundabout junction where M-37 turns north on Newaygo Road. M-37 passes Half Moon Lake and throughBailey.[9][10] In recent years the highway has served as the location ofWest Michigan's Longest Yard Sale which spans about 75 miles (121 km) of the route starting in the Bailey–Grant area ofNewaygo County through northernLake County.[12] Between |Grant andNewaygo, the farms transition to forest.M-82 follows M-37 through downtown and across theMuskegon River. The highway continues north along Evergreen Drive between Emerald, Sylvan and Twinwood lakes. This area is where M-37 crosses into theManistee National Forest.M-20 follows M-37 through downtownWhite Cloud and over theWhite River. Further north, the road passes throughBrohman andLilley in the northern end of the county.[10][13]
As M-37 crosses intoLake County, the highway crosses thePere Marquette River.US 10 follows M-37 throughBaldwin.[9] The Marquette Rail line turns westward on the edge of town,[11] and north of Baldwin, the highway forms the dividing line between the Manistee National Forest to the west and thePere Marquette State Forest to the east. The road crosses theLittle Manistee River nearPeacock and thePine River in southwestWexford County. M-37 curves to the northeast along the edge of theHodenpyl Dam Pond nearMesick. M-37 turns east to followM-115 through the community and then returns to a northward course intoSherman and on toBuckley. North of the latter community, the highway crosses intoGrand Traverse County. The area around Buckley transitions to agricultural use again. This landscape continues past theM-113 to the area known asChums Corners. There, M-37 merges withUS 31, and the two run through a small unincorporated community that is host toTurtle Creek Stadium, home of theTraverse City Pit Spitters, aminor league baseball team.[9][10]
US 31/M-37 enters the south side of Traverse City near the intersection with South Airport Road and theGrand Traverse Mall. As the highway heads towardsGrand Traverse Bay and downtown, it passes several car dealerships, an outlet mall and other retailers. After the city limits, the roadway is also given the name Division Street. North of 14th Street, US 31/M-37 passes the formerTraverse City State Hospital, aKirkbride Plan formermental asylum. This section of town is mostly residential except for the old state hospital andMunson Medical Center. North of Front Street, Division Street meets Grandview Parkway. This roadway runs along the bay from the northwest carryingM-22/M-72. When the two streets meet, M-22 ends, and US 31/M-37 and M-72 merge into a triple concurrency along the bay north of downtown Traverse City. Grandview Parkway passes the Open Space park, the marina, the former Clinch Park Zoo and runs along a narrow piece of land between theBoardman River and the bay. Grandview Parkway ends east of the mouth of the river, and the highway continues along Front Street past theGreat Lakes Maritime Academy and the home berth of theTSState of Michigan to Garfield Avenue near the campus ofNorthwestern Michigan College. M-37 turns north along Garfield Avenue to Peninsula Drive, leaving US 31/M-72.[9][10]
M-37 follows Center Road up the middle of the Old Mission Peninsula. This landform divides Grand Traverse Bay into its east and west arms. The highway runs along a ridge at the center of the peninsula offering views of each arm of the bay. This area contains the greatest concentration of cherry trees in the US.[14] These trees are said to "explode in a filigree of creamy pink blossoms in May" by the editors ofReader's Digest magazine.[15] The area is also famous for its vineyards and wineries.[16] The peninsula's seven wineries produce Rieslings, pinot grigios and chardonnays.[17] The first grapes were introduced to the region in 1983.[16] In the fall, the area is renowned for its colors in addition to the harvest. Besides cherries and grapes, apples are also grown in the area, contributing to the bounty each year.[18] At the tip of the peninsula is the Mission Point Light, a lighthouse that dates back to 1870. M-37 ends at a cul-de-sac in front of the building which is located near the45th Parallel, halfway between theNorth Pole and theEquator.[14]
The southern section of M-37 follows the path of an earlyIndian trail that connected the St. Joseph Trail nearKalamazoo and Battle Creek to theGrand River Trail near present-dayAlto.[19] These trails "were narrow and permitted only single-file travel."[20] In the Grand Rapids area, Alpine Avenue was originally constructed as aplank road. These roads were at least 8 feet (2.4 m) wide covered with wood planks 3 inches (76 mm) thick.[21]
A portion of M-37 follows the route of the Muskegon, Grand Traverse and Northport State Road, which was later renamed the Newaygo and Northport State Road. The road was authorized by the state legislature in 1857, and it was intended to connect the settlements inMuskegon andNewaygo counties, which at the time were "most northerly on the south side of the 'Big Woods'", with the growing settlements around theGrand Traverse Bay.[22] Construction progressed slowly and was only opened throughWexford County in 1863. and the bridge over theManistee River in 1864 at what is nowSherman.[23]
The Custer Trail, named for GeneralGeorge Armstrong Custer, was created in 1917 along a series of roads between Grand Rapids andFt. Wayne, Indiana that included the modern M-37. Custer commanded the Michigan Cavalry Bridge during theCivil War, and he was wildly popular in the state after the war. The road that bears his name never achieved that level of popularity. By 1930, the name had already fallen out of use.[24]
TheMichigan State Highway Department (MSHD) signed M-37 initially as part of the state trunkline highway system by July 1, 1919. This section of highway ran from Battle Creek to Grand Rapids, roughly along the modern routing.[3] By 1929, the highway was extended north toPeacock inLake County, replacing the contemporaryM-54 in the process.[25] A group of local leaders formed an organization to lobby for the completion of the highway in 1928 when state efforts to do stalled. The Grand Rapids–Leelanau Association named their roadway the Paradise Trail and promoted it as an alternative to both US 31 and US 131. They convinced local land owners to donate land to build the road. Backers named the road for the "divine scenic and recreational delights" in the area.[26]
An unnumbered section of gravel highway was opened in 1937 west ofCadillac; the roadway extended south from M-55 to the Wexford–Lake county line.[27][28] Later, in 1940, the MSHD renumbered the north–south leg ofM-42 from Mesick north to Traverse City and Old Mission. As a result, M-37 was then a discontinuous highway with a gap betweenM-63 in Peacock to M-115 at Mesick.[29][30] The spur in Wexford County is shown after 1941 as an "earthen" highway,[31] before disappearing from state maps completely in 1945.[32] A section of M-37 through Newaygo County was renamed in 1945 forStevens T. Mason, the first governor of the State of Michigan. At the time,Consumers Power Company recommended that all north–south roads in the county bear the name of a state governor as part of a plan to rename the major roads in the county. The company wanted to simplify directions for their employees looking for customers' homes in the area.[33] In the middle of 1948, M-37 was extended to M-55 on a gravel highway that followed the previously unnumbered highway in Wexford County and a new roadway in Lake County. As a result, M-37 still had a gap, but only between M-55 and M-115.[34][35]
M-37 through the south side of the Grand Rapids area was realigned in late 1949 or early 1950. After the change, the highway follows Broadmoor Avenue to 28th Street and 28th Street west to its former routing along Kalamazoo Avenue.[36][37] In 1953, this routing was shifted further when M-37 was rerouted to run north on East Beltline Avenue concurrent with US 131 andM-21 to Cascade Road. There it turned west along Cascade Road and Fulton Street into downtown back to its existing alignment.[38][39] During that same time frame, the gap in the routing between M-55 and Mesick was eliminated.[40][41] The highway was moved to bypass Sparta, Kent City and Casnovia to the southwest in the 1962.[42][43] Another change around the same time frame shifted M-37's routing through Grand Rapids again. This time, M-37 was rerouted to follow M-11/M-21 along 28th Street to the US 131 freeway north to I-96 and back to Alpine Avenue.[44][45] The final Grand Rapids routing change was made in 1969 when M-37 was moved to its current course along East Beltline Avenue and I-96.[46][47] This change resulted in a concurrency with the southernmost end of M-44 that was later removed in 1977 when M-44 was truncated northward.[48][49] A proposed new routing nearComstock Park in the 1970s would have removed M-37 from Alpine Avenue. The new highway, if built, would have run southeastward from the Alpine Avenue split to US 131 near 6 Mile Road.[50] In 2008, the northernmost 18 miles (29 km) on the Old Mission Peninsula were designated what is now a Pure Michigan Scenic Byway by MDOT.[7] In 2013, the hairpin curve on a hill north ofMesick was straightened and the hill slightly leveled.[51]
To expand the blast radius for ammunitions testing at Fort Custer, MDOT rerouted the BL I-94/M-37 to run along the southern and eastern edges of the airport in Battle Creek instead of following roads on the opposite sides.[52] This change was completed in 2015.[53][54]
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MDOT and the Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) announced in August 2019 that the GTCRC would take over ownership of M-37 on the Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City effective May 1, 2020.[55] If the change were completed, MDOT would have removed M-37 from the US 31 concurrency through Traverse City, truncating the highway to terminate in Chums Corners.[56] In November 2019,Peninsula Township officials went on record in opposition to the transfer.[57] The City of Traverse City supported accepting jurisdiction of a 0.74-mile (1.19 km) section of M-37 north of US 31/M-72 to the city limits in February 2020.[56] MDOT announced a public hearing for May 21, 2020, to take public comment on the transfer. Because only state trunkline highways are eligible for Pure Michigan Byway status and that section of M-37 has that status, the department is required to conduct at 30-day review of the transfer and removal of byway status.[58] In May 2021, the department announced that it had cancelled plans to transfer M-37 to the local jurisdictions.[59]
| County | Location | mi[1][2] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calhoun | Battle Creek | 0.00 | 0.00 | I-94 –Chicago,Detroit BL I-94 east (Columbia Avenue) – DowntownBattle Creek | Southern end of BL I-94 concurrency; exit 92 on I-94; roadway continues past southern terminus as Mercury Drive | |
| Springfield | 4.06 | 6.53 |   M-96 east (Columbia Avenue) –Augusta,KalamazooHelmer Road south | Western end of M-96 concurrency | ||
| 4.95 | 7.97 |  M-96 west /BL I-94 east (Dickman Road) – DowntownBattle Creek | Northern end of BL I-94/M-96 concurrency; short concurrency with M-96 only | |||
| Battle Creek | 6.83 | 10.99 |  M-89 (Michigan Avenue) –Richland | |||
| Barry | Hastings Township | 26.09 | 41.99 |  M-79 east –Nashville | Western terminus of M-79 | |
| Hastings | 29.23 | 47.04 |  M-43 east (Broadway Street) –WoodlandState Street east | Eastern end of M-43 concurrency | ||
| Rutland Township | 31.53 | 50.74 |    M-43 south toM-179 west –Kalamazoo | M-179 is former county roadA-42; western end of M-43 concurrency | ||
| Kent | Kentwood | 51.45 | 82.80 |  M-6 –Lansing,Holland | Exit 15 on M-6 | |
| 56.28 | 90.57 |  M-11 (28th Street) –Wyoming,Lansing | ||||
| Grand Rapids | 59.79 | 96.22 |  M-21 east (Fulton Street) –Lowell | |||
| 60.50 | 97.37 | 38 |   I-96 east –Lansing M-44 east (East Beltline Avenue) | Western terminus of M-44; eastern end of I-96 concurrency | ||
| 61.14 | 98.40 | 37 |  I-196 (Ford Freeway) –Downtown Grand Rapids,Holland | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
| 61.73 | 99.34 | 36 | Leonard Street | |||
| 65.20 | 104.93 | 33 |  Conn. M-44 east (Plainfield Avenue) | Western terminus of Conn. M-44 | ||
| 66.84 | 107.57 | 31 |  US 131 (I-296 south) –Grand Rapids,Kalamazoo,Big Rapids,Cadillac | Signed as exits 31A (south) and 31B (north); exit 89 on US 131 | ||
| 68.01 | 109.45 |  I-96 west –Muskegon | Western end of I-96 concurrency; signed as exit 30B (M-37 north) westbound | |||
| Tyrone Township | 83.40 | 134.22 |  M-46 east (Muskegon Street) –Cedar Springs17 Mile road west | Southeastern end of M-46 concurrency | ||
| Muskegon | Casnovia Township | 85.97 | 138.36 | M-46 west (Apple Avenue) –Muskegon Newaygo Road south | Northwestern end of M-46 concurrency;roundabout intersection | |
| Newaygo | Newaygo | 98.09 | 157.86 |  M-82 east (82nd Street) –Howard City | Southern end of M-82 concurrency | |
| 99.74 | 160.52 | M-82 west (Curve Street) –Fremont Croton Drive east | Northern end of M-82 concurrency | |||
| White Cloud | 110.08 | 177.16 |  M-20 east (Wilcox Avenue) –Big Rapids | Southern end of M-20 concurrency | ||
| Wilcox Township | 111.57 | 179.55 | M-20 west (1 Mile Road) –Hesperia | Northern end of M-20 concurrency | ||
| Lilley Township | 125.29 | 201.63 |   B-96 east (14 Mile Road) | Western terminus of B-96 | ||
| Lake | Baldwin | 135.44 | 217.97 |  US 10 east (Washington Street) –Reed City,Clare | Southern end of US 10 concurrency | |
| Webber Township | 138.39 | 222.72 | US 10 west –Ludington | Northern end of US 10 concurrency | ||
| Wexford | South Branch Township | 158.32 | 254.79 |  M-55 –Manistee,Cadillac | ||
| Mesick | 173.00 | 278.42 |  M-115 west (Mesick Avenue) –Frankfort | Southern end of M-115 concurrency | ||
| Antioch Township | 174.07 | 280.14 | M-115 east –Cadillac 13 Road south | Northern end of M-115 concurrency | ||
| Grand Traverse | Mayfield Township | 188.34 | 303.10 |  M-113 east –Kingsley | Western terminus of M-113 | |
| Blair Township | 194.35 | 312.78 |  US 31 south –Manistee,LudingtonBeitner Road east | Southern end of US 31 concurrency | ||
| Traverse City | 201.29 | 323.94 |    M-72 west /M-22 north /LMCT (Grandview Parkway) –Empire,Northport | Western end of M-72/LMCT concurrency; southern terminus of M-22 | ||
| 203.27 | 327.13 |  US 31 north /M-72 east /LMCT north (Front Street) –Charlevoix,GraylingGarfield Avenue south | Northern end of US 31/M-72/LMCT concurrency | |||
| Peninsula Township | 221.27 | 356.10 | Cul-de-sac atMission Point Lighthouse | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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