Editing Interstate 96 (section)

==Route description==
I-96 is maintained by the [[Michigan Department of Transportation]] (MDOT) as a segment of the larger [[Michigan State Trunkline Highway System|State Trunkline Highway System]]. In 2011, the department's traffic surveys showed that on [[Annual average daily traffic|average]], 201,200&nbsp;vehicles used the highway daily between 6 and 7&nbsp;Mile roads in Livonia. Near Norton Shores, 20,638&nbsp;vehicles did so each day between Airline and Fruitport roads. These are the highest and lowest counts along the highway, respectively.<ref name=TMIS>{{cite web |author = Bureau of Transportation Planning |url = http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/tmispublic/ |title = Traffic Monitoring Information System |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |year = 2008 |access-date = June 30, 2012 }}</ref> As an Interstate Highway, all of I-96 is included in the [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]],<ref name=NHS-MI>{{cite map |title = National Highway System, Michigan |date = April 23, 2006 |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |scale = Scale not given |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_NHS_Statewide_150626_7.pdf |format = PDF |access-date = October 7, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080820003118/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_NHS_Statewide_150626_7.pdf |archive-date = August 20, 2008 }}</ref> a network of roads important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.<ref name=NHS>{{cite web |last1 = Natzke |first1 = Stefan |last2 = Neathery |first2 = Mike |last3 = Adderly |first3 = Kevin |name-list-style = amp |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |title = What is the National Highway System? |work = National Highway System |publisher = [[Federal Highway Administration]] |date = September 26, 2012 |access-date = January 1, 2013 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120828192748/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ |archive-date = August 28, 2012 }}</ref> In addition, the highway in Detroit has been named the Rosa Parks Memorial Highway by the [[Michigan Legislature]] to honor the civil rights pioneer [[Rosa Parks]].<ref name="Rosa Parks">{{cite web |url = http://www.legislature.mi.gov/mileg.aspx?page=GetMCLDocument&objectname=mcl-250-1098 |work = Michigan Memorial Highway Act (Excerpt) Act 142 of 2001 |at = MCL 250.1098 |title = Rosa Parks Memorial Highway |author = [[Michigan Legislature]] |publisher = State of Michigan |access-date = August 18, 2006 |year = 2001 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070611152946/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/%28S%28pdzh5q5522h2fq2pvrdocu55%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=GetMCLDocument&objectname=mcl-250-1098 |archive-date = June 11, 2007 }}</ref> The segment from Livonia west to I-275 is the Jeffries Freeway, named for a former mayor of Detroit, [[Edward Jeffries]].<ref name=barnettJ/>

===Norton Shores to Grand Rapids===
[[File:Interstate 96 and Sternberg Road.jpg|thumb|left|Westbound I-96 as it passes under Sternberg Road approaching US&nbsp;31|alt=Photograph of]]
I-96 begins at a [[partial cloverleaf interchange|three-quarter cloverleaf interchange]] with [[U.S. Route 31 in Michigan|US&nbsp;31]] northeast of the [[Muskegon County Airport]] in [[Norton Shores, Michigan|Norton Shores]], near [[Muskegon, Michigan|Muskegon]]. At the starting terminus, the highway has a grassy median and two lanes in each direction as it travels southeasterly through rural [[Muskegon County, Michigan|Muskegon County]]. The freeway is paralleled by Airline Highway in an area with a mix of fields and residences as far as [[Fruitport, Michigan|Fruitport]]. I-96 bypasses that village to the north and east before crossing into [[Ottawa County, Michigan|Ottawa County]] at Fruitport Road. After a distance of about {{convert|5|mi|km|spell=in}} in the county, the trunkline reaches [[Crockery Township, Michigan|Nunica]]. The highway crosses the Crockery Creek and turns eastward toward [[Coopersville, Michigan|Coopersville]]. The freeway runs parallel to the [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand River]], about {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} to the north. Near Ironwood Drive, I-96 turns southeasterly again and goes through [[Marne, Michigan|Marne]].<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

Beyond Marne, I-96 passes the western end of [[M-11 (Michigan highway)|M-11]] and crosses into [[Kent County, Michigan|Kent County]], curving around a rest area for the eastbound lanes. The freeway runs eastward through a light industrial area of the suburb of [[Walker, Michigan|Walker]] as it enters the [[Grand Rapids metropolitan area]]. At the interchange with Alpine Avenue, [[M-37 (Michigan highway)|M-37]] merges onto the freeway and the two [[concurrency (road)|run concurrently]] past the studios for [[WZZM|WZZM-TV]]<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/> with its iconic [[Weather beacon|weatherball]], a {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} sphere {{convert|100|ft|m}} above the ground that uses colored lights to display a weather forecast.<ref name=weatherball>{{cite news |author = Staff Writer |url = http://www.wzzm13.com/weather/article/118804/14/The-Story-of-the-13-Weatherball |title = The Story of the 13 Weatherball |date = August 15, 2011 |publisher = [[WZZM-TV]] |location = Walker, Michigan |access-date = March 9, 2013 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130412050750/http://www.wzzm13.com/weather/article/118804/14/The-Story-of-the-13-Weatherball |archive-date = April 12, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Adjacent to the studios are the ramps from eastbound I-96 to southbound [[U.S. Route 131|US&nbsp;131]] and from northbound US&nbsp;131 to westbound I-96.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/> These ramps mark the northern end of [[Interstate 296|I-296]], an [[unsigned highway|unsigned]] auxiliary Interstate Highway designation applied to them and the US&nbsp;131 freeway south to downtown Grand Rapids.<ref name=PRFA/> I-96 turns northeasterly past a commercial area to a three-quarter cloverleaf interchange that provides all of the other connections with US&nbsp;131 next to a crossing of the Grand River.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

[[File:WZZM 13 Weatherball.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[WZZM#Weatherball|WZZM-TV's Weatherball]] next to I-96 in Walker|alt=Photograph of]]
East of the river, I-96 and M-37 pass through the northern suburb of [[Comstock Park, Michigan|Comstock Park]], intersecting [[M-44 Connector (Michigan highway)|Connector M-44]] (Conn. M-44, Plainfield Avenue) near [[Lamberton Lake]]. Past that interchange, the freeway angles southeasterly and then southward, bypassing Grand Rapids to the northeast. East of downtown, I-96/M-37 meets [[Interstate 196|I-196]] (Gerald R. Ford Freeway) at a partial interchange; traffic headed eastbound on I-196 must enter I-96 eastbound and only westbound I-96 traffic may enter I-196. Immediately east of the interchange is another for [[M-44 (Michigan highway)|M-44]] (East Beltline Avenue) where M-37 separates from the freeway to turn southward. Through this series of interchanges, I-96 curves to the east and then turns back southward after passing through them. There are two more interchanges for [[M-21 (Michigan highway)|M-21]] (Fulton Street) and Cascade Road before I-96 meets the eastern end of M-11 at 28th Street. The next interchange for 36th Street provides access to the [[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]]. The freeway continues to the east of the airport and then intersects the eastern end of [[M-6 (Michigan highway)|M-6]] (Paul B. Henry Freeway, South Beltline Freeway) at an interchange over the [[Thornapple River]].<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

===Grand Rapids to Howell===
The freeway exits the edges of the Grand Rapids urban area past the interchange with M-6, turning due east and paralleling the northern edge of Cascade Road. I-96 curves to the south of Pratt Lake near the county line, crossing into [[Ionia County, Michigan|Ionia County]]. Grand River Avenue is the [[frontage road]] as the freeway heads east through farm fields. South of [[Ionia, Michigan|Ionia]], I-96 intersects [[M-66 (Michigan highway)|M-66]]. Near [[Portland, Michigan|Portland]], the trunkline turns to the southeast to cross the Grand River again. On the east side of town, the freeway crosses Grand River Avenue, its former [[Business route|business spur]] into town. I-96 continues southeasterly, crossing into [[Clinton County, Michigan|Clinton County]] and passes the community of [[Eagle, Michigan|Eagle]]. Entering the western reaches of the [[Lansing–East Lansing metropolitan area|Lansing metropolitan area]], I-96 merges with [[Interstate 69 in Michigan|I-69]] and turns southward at an interchange in the southwestern corner of the county; this interchange also provides access to [[Interstate 96 Business (Lansing, Michigan)|Business Loop I-96]] (BL I-96, Grand River Avenue).<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

[[File:I-96 and I-496, Lansing.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Aerial view looking north from the I-496 interchange along I-96/I-69 west of Lansing|alt=Photograph of]]
These two Interstates run southward together for about {{convert|6.5|mi|km}} on the west side of the metropolitan area, picking up a third lane in each direction. The exit numbers and mileposts along the concurrency reflect those of I-96, which is considered the dominant designation of the pair. South of that interchange, the freeway crosses into [[Eaton County, Michigan|Eaton County]] and over the Grand River. The trunkline passes near residential subdivisions, and next to the interchange for [[Interstate 69 Business (Lansing, Michigan)|BL I-69]]/[[M-43 (Michigan highway)|M-43]] (Saginaw Highway), there is a large retail development. Farther south, [[Interstate 496|I-496]] (Olds Freeway) branches off to run into downtown Lansing before the split between I-96 and I-69. I-69 turns southward while I-96 turns southeasterly, dropping back to four lanes in total. After the Lansing Road interchange, the freeway crosses the Grand River one last time and runs due east to bypass Lansing.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

[[File:I-96 and I-69 south split Lansing.jpg|thumb|Southern split between I-96 and I-69 southwest of Lansing|alt=Photograph looking south showing]]
I-96 crosses into [[Ingham County, Michigan|Ingham County]] and continues along the southern edges of the Lansing metro area. It passes through areas with residential subdivisions and commercial developments, coming to a pair of interchanges including one for the eastern end of BL I-96 (Cedar Street). Near the crossing of the [[Red Cedar River (Michigan)|Red Cedar River]], I-96 goes through the interchange for I-496/[[U.S. Route 127 in Michigan|US&nbsp;127]]. East of that interchange, the freeway begins to exit the metro area as the landscape transitions back to farm fields. I-96 continues eastward, bypassing [[Williamston, Michigan|Williamston]] and [[Webberville, Michigan|Webberville]] to the south. Near the latter, the freeway turns more southeasterly and crosses into [[Livingston County, Michigan|Livingston County]]. In Livingston County, I-96 passes to the south of [[Fowlerville, Michigan|Fowlerville]] and then enters the far northwestern edge of [[Metro Detroit]], passing south of [[Howell, Michigan|Howell]]. From this point, the freeway expands to six lanes and runs parallel to Grand River Avenue on the southern side of town.<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>

===Metro Detroit===
[[File:Spaghetti Bowl Interchange (Novi, Michigan).png|thumb|left|300px|Satellite image of the interchange with M-5, I-275 and I-696 in Novi and Farmington Hills|alt=Satellite photograph]]
Near the [[Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport]] on the western edge of Howell, I-96 meets [[M-59 (Michigan highway)|M-59]], which runs to [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] and carries the [[Interstate 96 Business (Howell, Michigan)|Howell business loop]] easterly to Grand River Avenue. The business loop reconnects near Lake Chemung on the east side of town, and I-96 turns further to the southeast. On the northeast side of [[Brighton, Michigan|Brighton]], I-96 crosses over Grand River Avenue and the landscape transitions to include residential subdivisions. I-96 proceeds to cross [[U.S. Route 23 in Michigan|US&nbsp;23]].<ref name=MDOT12>{{cite MDOT map |year= 2012 |sections=K8–M13 }}</ref><ref name=google>{{google maps |url= http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=US-31+BUS+S&daddr=Unknown+road&hl=en&sll=42.453735,-83.424511&sspn=0.122096,0.116558&geocode=Fa3GkgIdzYrc-g%3BFajyhQIdsC8M-w&mra=ls&t=h&z=8 |title= Overview Map of Interstate 96 |access-date= July 20, 2012}}</ref>

I-96 passes through an area with several lakes as it crosses into [[Oakland County, Michigan|Oakland County]]. This area includes the [[Island Lake Recreation Area|Island Lake State Recreation Area]] to the south and the [[Kensington Metropark]] to the north of the freeway in an area where it crosses the [[Huron River (Michigan)|Huron River]]. The Interstate runs through [[Wixom, Michigan|Wixom]] into [[Novi, Michigan|Novi]], where it passes to the south of the [[Twelve Oaks Mall]]. Southeast of the mall, I-96 enters a complex interchange on the border between Novi and [[Farmington Hills, Michigan|Farmington Hills]] that connects it to [[M-5 (Michigan highway)|M-5]] (Haggerty Connector), [[Interstate 275 (Michigan)|I-275]] and [[Interstate 696|I-696]] (Reuther Freeway). The trunkline drops a lane in each direction as it enters the interchange and turns southward. The freeway then merges into I-275 and increases to four lanes in each direction running south in Farmington Hills.<ref name=google/><ref name=MDOT12D>{{cite MDOT map |year= 2012 |sections=C3–C7, C7–E7, E7–E11 |inset= Detroit }}</ref>

According to the [[Federal Highway Administration]], I-275 ends at the junction with I-96 and [[M-14 (Michigan highway)|M-14]] along the boundary between [[Livonia, Michigan|Livonia]] and [[Plymouth Charter Township, Michigan|Plymouth Township]] and not at the interchange in Novi and Farmington Hills.{{#tag:ref|FHWA's ''Route Log and Finder List'' documents the length of I-275 as {{convert|29.97|mi|km}},<ref name=RLT2/> which corresponds to the length from I-75 to the southern I-96 junction.<ref name=PRFA/> It also omits any mention of an overlap with I-96 from its notes.<ref name=RLT2>{{cite web |first = Kevin |last = Adderly |date = May 23, 2017 |title = Table&nbsp;2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2016 |url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table02.cfm |work = Route Log and Finder List |publisher = Federal Highway Administration |access-date = June 16, 2017 }}</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} MDOT considers I-275 to extend northward concurrently with I-96 to the Novi and Farmington Hills,<ref name=MDOT12D/> and maps from other providers follow MDOT's lead and label the freeway north of M-14 as I-96/I-275.<ref name=RM13>{{cite map |author = [[Rand McNally]] |year = 2013 |title = The Road Atlas |map = Michigan: Cities |location = Chicago |publisher = Rand McNally |scale = c. 1:316,800 |edition = 2013 Walmart |sections = H3–J3 |inset = Detroit & Vicinity |page = 52 |isbn = 0-528-00626-6 |oclc = 773666955 }}</ref>

I-96/I-275 runs southward for about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} before crossing into [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]] at the interchange with [[M-102 (Michigan highway)|8&nbsp;Mile Road]] near the [[Meadowbrook Country Club]]. The freeway curves to the east around [[Schoolcraft College]]; then, south of 5&nbsp;Mile Road, I-96 meets the interchange with M-14 and I-275 where it turns to the east along the Jeffries Freeway. To the north and south sides of I-96 are a pair of [[Frontage road|service drive]]s named Schoolcraft Road<ref name=google/><ref name=MDOT12D/> which follow the 4&nbsp;Mile location on the [[Mile Road System (Detroit)|Mile Road System]] for Detroit.<ref name=gavrilovich>{{cite book |last1 = Gavrilovich |first1 = Peter |last2 = McGraw |first2 = Bill |year = 2000 |title = The Detroit Almanac: 300&nbsp;Years of Life in the Motor City |location = Detroit |publisher = [[Detroit Free Press]] |pages = 20–1 |isbn = 978-0-937247-34-1 |oclc = 45227386 |name-list-style = amp }}</ref> To the north of the Jeffries are residential neighborhoods, and to the south are commercial or industrial areas. At Inkster Road, the freeway crosses into [[Redford Charter Township, Michigan|Redford Township]] where it intersects [[U.S. Route 24 in Michigan|US&nbsp;24]] (Telegraph Road) near [[Eliza Howell Park]]. East of the park, I-96 enters Detroit.<ref name=google/><ref name=MDOT12D/>

Past the [[Outer Drive]] interchange, I-96 splits into a [[local-express lanes]] configuration. There are two [[carriageway]]s in each direction, and the central ones have three lanes that bypass almost all of the exits while the outer ones have two lanes that have access to each exit. The Jeffries turns southeasterly and separates from Schoolcraft Road shifting {{convert|1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} to the south. The interchange with [[M-39 (Michigan highway)|M-39]] (Southfield Freeway) features slip ramps so that traffic can pass between the local and express lanes. Further east, I-96 turns northeasterly to cross M-5 (Grand River Avenue). I-96 curves over to the interchange with [[M-8 (Michigan highway)|M-8]] (Davison Avenue) and the local-express configuration ends as the freeway turns back to the south to cross over Grand River Avenue.<ref name=google/><ref name=MDOT12D/>

[[File:DavisonExit.JPG|thumb|right|I-96 east at Davison Avenue, the east end of the local–express split|alt=Photograph of]]
From the crossing south of Davison, I-96 runs parallel to Grand River Avenue southeasterly with eight lanes total. The two run together as far as the interchange with [[Interstate 94 in Michigan|I-94]] (Edsel Ford Freeway) near Bishop Park. I-96 turns more south-southeasterly there through residential neighborhoods on Detroit's southeastern side. I-96 terminates at an interchange that connects it to I-75 (Fisher Freeway) and to the [[Ambassador Bridge]].<ref name=MDOT12/><ref name=google/>