M-43 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-43 is a 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 southwestern and central parts of the US 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 highway runs from South Haven
South Haven, Michigan
South Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 5,021 at the 2000 census....

 to Webberville
Webberville, Michigan
Webberville is a village in Leroy Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,272 at the 2010 census.The village is just northeast of the junction of M-43 and M-52 with I-96...

 along an indirect path through both rural areas and larger cities. The trunkline follows three overall segments: a southeasterly track from South Haven to Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...

, a northeasterly course to the Hastings
Hastings, Michigan
Hastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Barry County as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and Rutland Charter Township on the west...

 area and an easterly route through the Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

 area.

The M-43 designation dates back to at least July 1, 1919, when it was used on a series of roadways running between Kalamazoo and St. Charles
St. Charles, Michigan
St. Charles is a village in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located in the northwest corner of St. Charles Township with portions of the village located within Brant Township and Swan Creek Township...

. Its northern- and easternmost sections were transferred to other highways in the 1930s. Additions to M-43 extended it to its current termini. Several sections of the highway were realigned during its history, one of these changes led to the creation of a business loop in Grand Ledge
Grand Ledge, Michigan
Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County, and sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles directly west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,813 at the 2000 census...

. Another former segment of the trunkline in the Lansing area has been renumbered M-143
M-143 (Michigan highway)
M-143, also known as Michigan Avenue, is an unsigned spur state trunkline highway in the south central region of the US state of Michigan. The M-143 portion of Michigan Avenue runs from the East Lansing city limit to a junction with M-43 at Grand River Avenue. This unsigned highway is the second...

.

Route description

M-43 begins at an intersection with BL I-196 in South Haven
South Haven, Michigan
South Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 5,021 at the 2000 census....

. Known locally as Bailey Avenue, the road heads out of the city to the southwest, intersecting County Road A-2 before running under Interstate 196
Interstate 196
Interstate 196 is a long freeway spur route in the US state of Michigan linking Grand Rapids, Holland, South Haven, and Benton Harbor. I-196 is known as the Gerald R. Ford Freeway, or simply the Ford Freeway, in Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties, after the 38th President of the United States,...

 (I-196). From there, the road continues to the southeast near the airport through the rural areas of Van Buren County
Van Buren County, Michigan
-Parks, preserves, natural areas:* Dunes Parkway, an 84 acre preserve of dunes in Covert Township* Jeptha Lake Fen Preserve, a 49 acre preserve in Columbia Township...

. The road runs through mixed woodland and fields before passing through Bangor
Bangor, Michigan
Bangor is a city in Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,933. The city is located in the northeast corner of Bangor Township, but is politically independent....

. After Bangor, the route heads due east past Glendale and then intersects M-40
M-40 (Michigan highway)
M-40 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway runs from US Highway 12 near the Indiana state line in Porter Township north through Paw Paw and Allegan to end in the outskirts of Holland...

 north of Paw Paw
Paw Paw, Michigan
Paw Paw is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 3,363. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.-Overview:...

.

After the junction with M-40, the highway then enters Kalamazoo County
Kalamazoo County, Michigan
-Air Service:*The Kalamazoo & Battle Creek Metro Area is served by Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.-Interstates:* I-94* I-94 Business Loop-US highways:* US-131*  BUS US 131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-43* M-89* M-96...

 and has an interchange with US Highway 131
U.S. Route 131
US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...

 (US 131) just before entering the city of Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...

 on Main Street near the north side of the campus of Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....

. Through downtown, M-43 runs concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with both of the city's business loops for I-94 and US 131. Eastbound traffic along the combined highway is routed on Michigan Avenue, while westbound traffic uses Kalamazoo Avenue. Business US 131 (BUS US 131) turns north at Park Street and BL I-94/M-43 continues east. After the two traffic directions merge back together and cross the Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...

, BL I-94 turns to the southeast, and M-43 follows Riverview Drive to an intersection with Gull Road. There M-43 begins to head northeast out of the city. The highway passes in front of the Borgess Medical Center and along a row of retail and commercial properties next to Gull Road. The trunkline then travels through a rural area for a brief period before entering the community of Richland
Richland, Michigan
Richland is a village in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 791 at the 2010 census.The village is within Richland Township about nine miles northeast of Kalamazoo.-Geography:...

 where it merges with M-89
M-89 (Michigan highway)
M-89 is an east–west state highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs from near Ganges Township to Battle Creek. M-89 passes through Allegan County, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and Calhoun County. It also briefly crosses the southwest corner of Barry County.-Route description:M-89 begins...

.

M-43 and M-89 run concurrently for a mile north of Richland before M-89 heads off to the east while M-43 continues north. After the concurrency ends, M-43 turns east and then back north to run between Little Long and Gull lakes. It is at this point where M-43 begins its northward trek. The road continues on a general north-northeast track through rural areas and beside several lakes in Barry County
Barry County, Michigan
-Highways:* M-37* M-43* M-50* M-66* M-78* M-79* M-89* M-179-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 56,755 people, 21,035 households, and 15,986 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 23,876 housing units at an average density of...

 before meeting M-179
M-179 (Michigan highway)
M-179 is a state trunkline highway in the western potion of the US state of Michigan. It runs from US Highway 131 at exit 61 outside of Bradley to M-43 just west of Hastings in the Lower Peninsula. The highway crosses through forest land and provides access to state recreational areas...

 and M-37
M-37 (Michigan highway)
M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of Interstate 94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand...

. M-43 merges with the latter highway and together they run into Hastings
Hastings, Michigan
Hastings is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the county seat of Barry County as well as the county's only city. The population was 7,095 at the 2000 census. The city borders Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and Rutland Charter Township on the west...

. Downtown, M-37 leaves town to the south, while M-43 heads north before curving around the east, passing through farmfields approaching the community of Woodland
Woodland, Michigan
Woodland is a village in Barry County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 495. The village is located within Woodland Township.-Geography:...

. After leaving town, the road meets M-66
M-66 (Michigan highway)
M-66 is a north–south state trunkline highway on the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Indiana state line in the south to Charlevoix in the north. M-66 is the only state highway to traverse almost the entire north–south distance of the LP. It starts as a...

, and together they head north to a junction with M-50
M-50 (Michigan highway)
M-50 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. Although designated as an east–west highway, it is nearly a diagonal northwest-southeast route...

.
M-43 then turns east with M-50, and they briefly run together before M-50 diverges to the southeast. Now known as the Grand Ledge Highway, M-43 continues its easterly path across northern Eaton County
Eaton County, Michigan
Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,759. The county seat is Charlotte. Eaton County was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War under U.S. President Andrew Jackson, making it one of Michigan's Cabinet counties...

 before dipping south briefly to travel around the south side of Grand Ledge
Grand Ledge, Michigan
Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County, and sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles directly west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,813 at the 2000 census...

. Just south of town, M-43 has a junction with M-100
M-100 (Michigan highway)
M-100 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the central region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs between Potterville and Grand Ledge, connecting Interstate 69 and Interstate 96 west of the state capitol, Lansing....

 and then follows Saginaw Highway. The highway then has a junction with I-96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...

/I-69
Interstate 69 in Michigan
Interstate 69 is a part of the Interstate Highway System that currently runs from Indianapolis, Indiana, to the US–Canadian border at Port Huron, Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that enters the state south of Coldwater and passes through the cities of Lansing and Flint...

 in Delta Township before continuing into Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

, merged with BL I-69.

In Lansing, the highway travels splits to follow the one-way streets of Saginaw (eastbound) and Oakland (westbound) near the Sparrow Specialty Hospital
Sparrow Hospital
Sparrow Hospital, located in Lansing, Michigan, is a 733 bed hospital that provides care for the greater Mid-Michigan region. The hospital is a subsidiary of Sparrow Health System, and is affiliated with the Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine at nearby Michigan State University...

. BL I-69/M-43 then crosses the Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...

 and passes Marshall Park. The trunkline then passes over US 127
U.S. Route 127 in Michigan
US Highway 127 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs for , entering from Ohio south of Hudson and ending at a partial interchange with...

 just before the paired one-way streets merge back together on Grand River Avenue. After the merge, M-43 heads southeast through East Lansing
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

, passing the main campus of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

 and Spartan Stadium
Spartan Stadium (East Lansing)
Spartan Stadium opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans...

. The road continues on its southeast path, traveling by the Meridian Mall
Meridian Mall
Meridian Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Meridian Township, a suburb of Lansing, Michigan, United States. The mall is near Michigan State University. It opened in 1969, the same year that its main competitor, Lansing Mall, opened on the other end of the Lansing metropolitan area....

 as it enters Meridian Township. From here the road travels through Williamston
Williamston, Michigan
Williamston is a city in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is at the southeast corner of Williamstown Township, but is politically independent. A portion of Williamston was annexed from adjacent Wheatfield Township. Downtown Williamston is located at the intersection of Grand...

 before terminating at an interchange with I-96 just south of Webberville
Webberville, Michigan
Webberville is a village in Leroy Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,272 at the 2010 census.The village is just northeast of the junction of M-43 and M-52 with I-96...

 at exit 122.

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...

 (MDOT) maintains M-43 like all other state trunkline highways. As a part of those responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic along its roadways using a metric called average annual daily traffic. This is a calculation of the traffic levels for a roadway segment for any average day of the year. In 2009, MDOT determined that the highest traffic volume along M-43 was east of the I-96/I-69 interchange at 38,927 vehicles per day. The highest commercial traffic was west of the interchange at 645 trucks daily. The lowest volumes were at Woodland with only 1,700 vehicles and 120 trucks traveling along that section of the highway daily.
Two segments of M-43 are listed on the National Highway System
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...

. The first section runs from US 131 in Oshtemo Township
Oshtemo Township, Michigan
Oshtemo Charter Township is a charter township of Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 17,003 at the 2000 census...

 east to the intersection of M-43 (Gull Road) and Sprinkle Road in Comstock. The second segment is between I-96/I-69 in Delta Township and the junction between Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

History

When M-43 was first commissioned by July 1, 1919, it ran from M-17
M-17 (Michigan highway)
M-17 is a long state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926...

 in Kalamazoo to Hastings. It also extended north to Ionia
Ionia, Michigan
Ionia is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Ionia County, Michigan, United States. The population was 11,394 at the 2010 census. Every late July it hosts what may be the world's largest free-admission fair...

 and Stanton
Stanton, Michigan
Stanton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,504. It is the county seat of Montcalm County...

 before turning east through Ithaca
Ithaca, Michigan
Ithaca is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,098. It is the county seat of Gratiot County.-Geography:...

 to St. Charles
St. Charles, Michigan
St. Charles is a village in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located in the northwest corner of St. Charles Township with portions of the village located within Brant Township and Swan Creek Township...

. In 1929, the western end was extended from Kalamazoo to South Haven, with a section still under construction. By the end of 1930, the sections of M-43 north and east of Woodbury were redesignated as parts of other highways. The Woodbury–Stanton segment was renumbered M-14
M-14 (Michigan highway)
M-14 is a east–west state trunkline highway in the southeastern portion of the US state of Michigan. Entirely freeway, it connects Ann Arbor with Detroit by way of connecting with I-96.-Route description:...

, and the Stanton – St. Charles highway became M-57
M-57 (Michigan highway)
M-57 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The highway connects US Highway 131 near Rockford on the west end to M-15 near Otisville in the Lower Peninsula. In between, the mostly rural highway passes through farmland and connects several highways and smaller towns...

. In 1938, the road was extended to the east, replacing the routing of M-39
M-39 (Michigan highway)
M-39 is a state highway in the US state of Michigan that runs from Lincoln Park to Southfield. The southern terminus of M-39 is at the corner of Southfield Road and Lafayette Boulevard in Lincoln Park, one block southeast of the junction of I-75 and two blocks northwest of M-85...

 from Woodbury all the way to East Lansing
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...

 where it intersected US 16 as it existed on Grand River Avenue.

The next year, M-37 was realigned, which created a concurrency with M-43 in the Hasting area. When M-43 was rerouted in 1954, the new course of the highway ran concurrently with M-66 for a few miles in rural northeastern Barry County. All of the highway was completely paved in 1956 when a new routing opened northeast of Hastings, bypassing Coats Grove. The fourth change in the Barry County routing was made by the next year. the highway was rerouted due northward out of Hastings along Broadway Street.

Around 1959, M-43 was shifted to bypass Grand Ledge. The former route through town was retained as a state highway, designated BUS M-43. M-43 was extended from its eastern end in Lansing in 1962 along a section of highway that was formerly part of US 16 on Grand River Avenue; the extension to Webberville was made when the I-96 freeway opened that year. Through the Lansing area, M-43 was rerouted off Michigan Avenue downtown. This former routing was renumbered M-143
M-143 (Michigan highway)
M-143, also known as Michigan Avenue, is an unsigned spur state trunkline highway in the south central region of the US state of Michigan. The M-143 portion of Michigan Avenue runs from the East Lansing city limit to a junction with M-43 at Grand River Avenue. This unsigned highway is the second...

.

Major intersections

Business loop

Business M-43 (BUS M-43) was a business loop through the city of Grand Ledge
Grand Ledge, Michigan
Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County, and sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles directly west of downtown Lansing. The population was 7,813 at the 2000 census...

. It ran east along Jefferson Street. The street curves to the southeast at a bend in the Grand River
Grand River (Michigan)
The Grand River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs through the cities of Jackson, Eaton Rapids, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven.-Description:...

. M-100
M-100 (Michigan highway)
M-100 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the central region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It runs between Potterville and Grand Ledge, connecting Interstate 69 and Interstate 96 west of the state capitol, Lansing....

 merges in from the northeast at Bridge Street. The two highways ran concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 south to Saginaw Highway. There, BUS M-43 ended at the intersection with M-43 while M-100 continued south.

The business loop was created when M-43 was rerouted to a new roadway southwest of downtown Grand Ledge. This roadway opened on November 14, 1959, at which time the business loop was signed along the former route in town. In 1968, BUS M-43 was decommissioned
Decommissioned highway
A decommissioned highway is a highway that has been removed from service, shut down or has had its authorization as a federal or state highway removed. Decommissioning can include the complete or partial demolition or abandonment of an old highway structure because the old roadway has lost its...

. The section not concurrent with M-100 was turned over to local control and removed from the state trunkline highway system
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...

.

External links

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