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M-78 (Michigan highway)
Encyclopedia
M-78 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan
. The western terminus is the intersection with M-66
north of Battle Creek
in Pennfield Township. The roadway runs 10.744 miles (17.3 km) through rural farmland and the community of Bellevue
as it approaches its eastern terminus at an interchange with Interstate 69
(I-69) near Olivet
. The highway is used by between 3,100 and 5,300 vehicles on a daily basis.
When the state highway system was signed in 1919, M-78 followed a similar routing. At Bellevue, it turned northeast to terminate at Charlotte
. In the 1920s, the highway was extended southerly to the Indiana
state line near Sturgis
and northeasterly into the Lansing
area. In the 1930s, M-78 was extended further on its northern and eastern end to Flint
. The highway was converted into a freeway in sections starting in the 1960s. During that decade, the southern extension from the 1920s was removed from M-78 and added to other state highways, and in the 1970s, the northeastern extensions, now mostly freeways, were removed from M-78 as well. Two special routes were created as a result of the various reroutings in the Lansing area, both of which are no longer part of the state highway system.
. The trunkline passes through rural farm lands as it runs due east and northeast. It briefly crosses the southeast corner of Barry County
as it enters Eaton County
. There M-78 follows Battle Creek Highway past some small ponds and into the town of Bellevue. The trunkline becomes Capitol Avenue in town and turns south onto Main Street in the middle of the central business district. M-78 crosses a branch line of the Canadian National Railway
before leaving town. Main Street turns easterly and becomes Butterfield Highway. M-78 crosses the Battle Creek River
before terminating at I-69's exit 48 in Bellevue Township.
M-78 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation
(MDOT) like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic
, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-78 were the 5,256 vehicles daily on Capitol Avenue in Bellevue; the lowest counts were the 3,176 vehicles per day in Calhoun County. No part of M-78 has been listed on the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
and cut through the corner of Barry County to Bellevue, but it turned northeasterly to end at Charlotte at a junction with M-29
. By 1927, M-78 was extended southward, replacing M-79 to the Indiana state line, connecting with State Road 9
(SR 9) south of Sturgis. At the same time, a northerly addition extended the highway concurrently
along US Highway 27 (US 27) to Dewitt
and then solo to a junction with M-47
near Pittsburg. The section north of Lansing was changed in 1929. The section from Dewitt Pittsburg was redesignated M-104
, and M-78 was extended through East Lansing
to Haslett
. By 1936, the highway was extended all the way into Flint
to end at M-21
. Around the same time, a second routing through downtown Lansing for US 27/M-78 was designated along Capitol Avenue; the former route along Main, Kalamazoo and Larch streets and Grand Avenue was given the Truck M-78 designation.
In the latter half of 1941 or the beginning of 1942, a section of the concurrent M-78/M-86
was rerouted west of Colon
in St. Joseph County
. In 1950, the bridge across the Grand River
on Main Street was completed; after completion, the mainline M-78 was routed over the bridge and up Larch Street, replacing Truck M-78 in the process. The former car-only route on Capitol Avenue was removed from the state highway system. By the middle of 1960, the first section of freeway along M-78 was opened in the Lennon
area. The next year, the freeway had been extended as far southwest as Durand
from the end at Lennon. By the start of 1962, M-78 was a freeway from Perry
at the junction with M-47 all the way to Swartz Creek
near Flint.
In 1963, the I-96
freeway was completed around the south and west sides of Lansing, and the I-496
freeway was completed north into downtown from I-96. M-78 was rerouted from the I-96/US 27 interchange southwest of Lansing east along I-96 and then north on I-496. From there, M-78 followed the one-way pair
ing of Homer and Howard streets from the northern end of the freeway up to the one-way couplet of Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue, returning to its previous routing. The former route through downtown along US 27 was redesignated Business M-78 (BUS M-78) at the same time.
M-66 was extended southerly from Assyria through Battle Creek to the Indiana state line replacing sections of M-78 in 1965. The US 127
freeway was completed from Mason
north to Lansing in 1966, adding the US 127 designation along the I-496/M-78 freeway. The next year, M-78's freeway was extended eastward to I-75
/US 10
/US 23
in Flint. The US 127/M-78 freeway was extended north of I-496 in 1969, and a discontinuous section of M-78 freeway east of Flint was completed around the same time frame. In 1970, the I-496 freeway was completed and the BUS M-78 designation was removed through Lansing. In 1972, the highway was rerouted to run east of Bellevue to Olivet instead of northeast to Charlotte. The next year, all of M-78 northeast of Olivet was removed when I-69 between Charlotte and I-96 southwest of Lansing was completed; this truncation produced the modern routing of M-78 in the state.
. At Larch Street, TRUCK M-78 continued north to rejoin the mainline at the corner of Larch and Saginaw streets.
By the middle of 1936, the US 27/M-78 routing through Lansing was split into two. The mainline was restricted to cars only and moved to run along Capitol Avenue. The former routing was restricted to trucks only and designed as a truck route. In 1950, the bridge for Main Street over the Grand River was completed and mainline US 27 was rerouted to use it to connect to Larch Street. From there north, US 27/M-78 followed Larch Street supplanting the truck route, which was decommissioned at that time.
The business loop was created in 1963 when M-78 was rerouted along the newly completed sections of the I-96 and I-496 freeways in the Lansing area. The designation was decommissioned in 1970 when I-496 was completed through downtown Lansing.
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 western terminus is the intersection with 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...
north of Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
in Pennfield Township. The roadway runs 10.744 miles (17.3 km) through rural farmland and the community of Bellevue
Bellevue, Michigan
Bellevue is a village in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,365 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Bellevue Township.-Geography:...
as it approaches its eastern terminus at an interchange with Interstate 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...
(I-69) near Olivet
Olivet, Michigan
Olivet is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,758 at the 2000 census. Olivet College is located there.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
. The highway is used by between 3,100 and 5,300 vehicles on a daily basis.
When the state highway system was signed in 1919, M-78 followed a similar routing. At Bellevue, it turned northeast to terminate at Charlotte
Charlotte, Michigan
Charlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....
. In the 1920s, the highway was extended southerly to the Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
state line near Sturgis
Sturgis, Michigan
Sturgis, is a city in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,994 at the 2010 census. The city is located at the northeast corner of Sturgis Township and at the intersection of US 12 and M-66....
and northeasterly into 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. In the 1930s, M-78 was extended further on its northern and eastern end to Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. The highway was converted into a freeway in sections starting in the 1960s. During that decade, the southern extension from the 1920s was removed from M-78 and added to other state highways, and in the 1970s, the northeastern extensions, now mostly freeways, were removed from M-78 as well. Two special routes were created as a result of the various reroutings in the Lansing area, both of which are no longer part of the state highway system.
Route description
M-78 begins at an intersection with M-66 in Pennfield Township, north of Battle Creek in Calhoun CountyCalhoun County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...
. The trunkline passes through rural farm lands as it runs due east and northeast. It briefly crosses the southeast corner of 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...
as it enters 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...
. There M-78 follows Battle Creek Highway past some small ponds and into the town of Bellevue. The trunkline becomes Capitol Avenue in town and turns south onto Main Street in the middle of the central business district. M-78 crosses a branch line of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
before leaving town. Main Street turns easterly and becomes Butterfield Highway. M-78 crosses the Battle Creek River
Battle Creek River
The Battle Creek River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a tributary of the Kalamazoo River, joining it at Battle Creek, Michigan....
before terminating at I-69's exit 48 in Bellevue Township.
M-78 is maintained 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...
(MDOT) like other state highways in Michigan. As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction. These volumes are expressed using a metric called annual average daily traffic
Annual average daily traffic
Average Annual daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning and transportation engineering. It is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided by 365 days. AADT is a useful and simple measurement of how busy the road is...
, which is a statistical calculation of the average daily number of vehicles on a segment of roadway. MDOT's surveys in 2010 showed that the highest traffic levels along M-78 were the 5,256 vehicles daily on Capitol Avenue in Bellevue; the lowest counts were the 3,176 vehicles per day in Calhoun County. No part of M-78 has been listed on the National Highway System, a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.
History
When the original state highway system was designated , M-78 ran along a route similar that of today. It started north of Battle Creek at a junction with then M-79M-79 (Michigan highway)
M-79 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the central portion of Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The western terminus is about three miles southeast of Hastings at the junction with M-37 and the eastern terminus is in downtown Charlotte at the junction with M-50 and...
and cut through the corner of Barry County to Bellevue, but it turned northeasterly to end at Charlotte at a junction with M-29
M-29 (Michigan highway)
M-29 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs in a south–north direction from Chesterfield Township to Marysville. It generally runs along the shore of Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River....
. By 1927, M-78 was extended southward, replacing M-79 to the Indiana state line, connecting with State Road 9
Indiana State Road 9
State Road 9 in the U.S. State of Indiana is a long north–south state highway in the eastern portion of Indiana. Its southern terminus is near Columbus at State Road 46, and the northern terminus is at the Michigan/Indiana border between Howe, Indiana, and Sturgis, Michigan, where it...
(SR 9) south of Sturgis. At the same time, a northerly addition extended the highway 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...
along US Highway 27 (US 27) to Dewitt
DeWitt, Michigan
DeWitt is a city in Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,507 at the 2010 census.-History:DeWitt was named after DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York during the 1830s. It was first settled by Captain David Scott, who moved there from Ann Arbor in 1833, and platted the...
and then solo to a junction with M-47
M-47 (Michigan highway)
M-47 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It runs near Saginaw and Midland in the Tri-Cities area of the Lower Peninsula. The highway runs through suburban and agricultural areas to connect the two cities with the airport in the area. The northernmost section of...
near Pittsburg. The section north of Lansing was changed in 1929. The section from Dewitt Pittsburg was redesignated M-104
M-104 (Michigan highway)
M-104 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the Western Michigan region of the state. It runs from Ferrysburg to Nunica in Ottawa County, passing through Spring Lake...
, and M-78 was extended 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...
to Haslett
Haslett, Michigan
Haslett is an unincorporated community in Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place used for statistical purposes. The population was 11,283 at the 2000 census. Though it has its own school district and post office , Haslett is administered by Meridian Charter...
. By 1936, the highway was extended all the way into Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
to end at M-21
M-21 (Michigan highway)
M-21 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan connecting the cities of Grand Rapids and Flint. The highway passes through rural farming country and several small towns along its course through the Lower Peninsula...
. Around the same time, a second routing through downtown Lansing for US 27/M-78 was designated along Capitol Avenue; the former route along Main, Kalamazoo and Larch streets and Grand Avenue was given the Truck M-78 designation.
In the latter half of 1941 or the beginning of 1942, a section of the concurrent M-78/M-86
M-86 (Michigan highway)
M-86 is a east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the southern portion of the Lower Peninsula. The highway starts at Business US Highway 131 and M-60 in Three Rivers and ends at US Highway 12 near Coldwater. In between, it crosses farm country and runs along a section of...
was rerouted west of Colon
Colon, Michigan
Colon is a village in St. Joseph County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,227 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Colon Township...
in St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
. In 1950, the bridge across 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:...
on Main Street was completed; after completion, the mainline M-78 was routed over the bridge and up Larch Street, replacing Truck M-78 in the process. The former car-only route on Capitol Avenue was removed from the state highway system. By the middle of 1960, the first section of freeway along M-78 was opened in the Lennon
Lennon, Michigan
Lennon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 517 at the 2000 census. The village is situated on M-13, the boundary between Venice Township in Shiawassee County and Clayton Township in Genesee County and is partially in both....
area. The next year, the freeway had been extended as far southwest as Durand
Durand, Michigan
Durand is a city in Shiawassee County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,933.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
from the end at Lennon. By the start of 1962, M-78 was a freeway from Perry
Perry, Michigan
Perry is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,065 at the 2000 census. The city is located within Perry Township and has both Perry High School and Middle School...
at the junction with M-47 all the way to Swartz Creek
Swartz Creek, Michigan
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 5,102 people, 2,233 households and 1,460 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,269.6 per square mile . There were 2,355 housing units at an average density of 586.0 per square mile...
near Flint.
In 1963, the 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...
freeway was completed around the south and west sides of Lansing, and the I-496
Interstate 496
Interstate 496 is an Interstate Highway that passes through downtown Lansing, Michigan and is a "child" of Interstate 96. It is ceremonially designated the R.E. Olds Freeway along the portion that cuts through the city of Lansing...
freeway was completed north into downtown from I-96. M-78 was rerouted from the I-96/US 27 interchange southwest of Lansing east along I-96 and then north on I-496. From there, M-78 followed the one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
ing of Homer and Howard streets from the northern end of the freeway up to the one-way couplet of Saginaw Street and Grand River Avenue, returning to its previous routing. The former route through downtown along US 27 was redesignated Business M-78 (BUS M-78) at the same time.
M-66 was extended southerly from Assyria through Battle Creek to the Indiana state line replacing sections of M-78 in 1965. The 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...
freeway was completed from Mason
Mason, Michigan
Mason is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is named after the state's first governor, Stevens T. Mason. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,252. It is the county seat of Ingham County. Mason is the only city in the U.S. that serves as a county seat ahead of a state capital,...
north to Lansing in 1966, adding the US 127 designation along the I-496/M-78 freeway. The next year, M-78's freeway was extended eastward to I-75
Interstate 75 in Michigan
Interstate 75 is a part of the Interstate Highway System and runs from Miami, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 enters the state from Ohio in the south, just to the north of Toledo. It runs generally north through Detroit, Pontiac and Bay City, crossing the...
/US 10
U.S. Route 10 in Michigan
US Highway 10 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from West Fargo, North Dakota, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The highway enters the state on the SS Badger crossing Lake Michigan at Ludington and ends at Bay City.US 10 was created as part of...
/US 23
U.S. Route 23 in Michigan
US Highway 23 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan, it is a major north–south state trunkline highway that runs through the Lower Peninsula...
in Flint. The US 127/M-78 freeway was extended north of I-496 in 1969, and a discontinuous section of M-78 freeway east of Flint was completed around the same time frame. In 1970, the I-496 freeway was completed and the BUS M-78 designation was removed through Lansing. In 1972, the highway was rerouted to run east of Bellevue to Olivet instead of northeast to Charlotte. The next year, all of M-78 northeast of Olivet was removed when I-69 between Charlotte and I-96 southwest of Lansing was completed; this truncation produced the modern routing of M-78 in the state.
Major intersections
Truck route
TRUCK M-78 was a former truck route through the city of Lansing. It started at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Main Street and ran along Main Street to Grand Avenue. There, it turned north on Grand Avenue to Kalamazoo Street and turned east on Kalamazoo over the Grand RiverGrand 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:...
. At Larch Street, TRUCK M-78 continued north to rejoin the mainline at the corner of Larch and Saginaw streets.
By the middle of 1936, the US 27/M-78 routing through Lansing was split into two. The mainline was restricted to cars only and moved to run along Capitol Avenue. The former routing was restricted to trucks only and designed as a truck route. In 1950, the bridge for Main Street over the Grand River was completed and mainline US 27 was rerouted to use it to connect to Larch Street. From there north, US 27/M-78 followed Larch Street supplanting the truck route, which was decommissioned at that time.
Business route
Business M-78 (BUS M-78) was a business loop through the city of Lansing. It ran from an interchange between US 27/M-78 and I-96 on the southwest side of Lansing along US 27 (Lansing Road) into downtown. From there, it ran east on Main Street and north on Larch Street. At Saginaw Street, BUS M-78 turned east to reconnect to M-78.The business loop was created in 1963 when M-78 was rerouted along the newly completed sections of the I-96 and I-496 freeways in the Lansing area. The designation was decommissioned in 1970 when I-496 was completed through downtown Lansing.