M-217, also known as Michiana Parkway, is a multi-lane state trunkline highway

Michigan Highway System

The Michigan State Trunkline Highway System is made up of all the highways designated as Interstates, U.S. Highways and State Highways in the US state of Michigan. The system is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation and comprises of trunklines in all 83 counties of Michigan on...

 in the U.S. state of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. The Michiana Parkway, which extends into Indiana, was constructed as a joint effort of the Michigan Department of Transportation

Michigan Department of Transportation

The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...

, the Cass County

Cass County, Michigan

Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...

 Road Commission and the Elkhart County

Elkhart County, Indiana

Elkhart County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. Much of the county is in the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area...

 Highway Department. Michigan's segment of the parkway is 1.563 miles (2.5 km) long continuing Elkhart County Road 17 north into the state.

Route description

M-217 starts at State Line Road on the Michigan–Indiana state line. It is the continuation of County Road 17 that runs due north to an intersection with US 12 in Porter Township in Cass County. The highway crosses farmland between the two termini. In 2008, 4,239 vehicles used the highway on a daily basis in MDOT's average annual daily traffic (AADT) survey. The survey calculated how many vehicles used the roadway on average each day. The 2008 counts also showed that 75 trucks were included in the total. For 2009, the figured dropped to 3,738 vehicles and 67 trucks. M-217 is not listed on the National Highway System (United States)

National Highway System (United States)

The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

, a system of highways important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

History

The Michiana Parkway was constructed from Elkhart County Road 4, just south of the "Elkhart East" interchange (Exit 96) of the Indiana Toll Road

Indiana Toll Road

The Indiana Toll Road, officially the Indiana East–West Toll Road, is a toll road that runs for east–west across northern Indiana from the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line...

, to US 12

U.S. Route 12

U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...

 in Porter Township, Cass County, Michigan

Porter Township, Cass County, Michigan

Porter Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,794 at the 2000 census.-Communities:* Union is an unincorporated community in the southeast part of the township on US 12.-Geography:...

, along the boundary with Mason Township

Mason Township, Cass County, Michigan

Mason Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,514 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-History:Cass County had been...

. The Indiana portion was an upgrade and extension of Elkhart County Road 17

County Road 17 (Elkhart County, Indiana)

Elkhart County Road 17 is a north–south artery in Elkhart County, Indiana. It is currently undergoing improvements to become a four lane divided road with non-limited traffic. Elkhart County road 17 starts at the state line, connecting with state highway M-217 in Michigan. The roadway crosses...

 to the state line; Michigan's portion was entirely new construction built by the Michigan Department of Transportation

Michigan Department of Transportation

The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...

 and numbered M-217. With the completion of M-217, MDOT and the Cass County Road Commission "swapped" roads on September 25, 2002. MDOT took over jurisdiction of M-217 and gave M-205

M-205 (Michigan highway)

M-205 was a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The route was turned back to local control in October 2002 by the Michigan Department of Transportation after the completion of M-217/Michiana Parkway...

to the Road Commission. This route swap deleted M-205 as a state trunkline.

Major intersections