MI: Recent Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo updates

[bulldog1979]

In Grand Rapids, the city accepted control of several streets bearing state trunklines in December 2017, resulting in the following changes:

• Bus. US 131 is no more; and
• BS I-196 no longer enters the city, ending at the intersection of Chicago Drive, Clyde Park Avenue and Grandville Avenue on the Wyoming–Grand Rapids city line, removing the designation from Grandville Avenue and Franklin Street.

In the case of the former change, AASHTO approved the deletion of the designation in May 2018. Signage along US 131 hasn't been fully updated, but part of old Bus. US 131 no longer exists as a drivable roadway between Cherry Street and Oakes Street, and according to Google Street View, the signage along the former business loop is gone.

In January this year, Kalamazoo accepted jurisdiction of several streets carrying highways through the city from the state. This year's Truck Operator's Map details the following changes:

• BL I-94 was truncated to BS I-94, and now only runs from M-96 (King Highway) east to I-94;
• Bus. US 131 was removed from the non-freeway sections;
• Unsigned M-331 is gone
• M-43 now turns north along US 131 to Plainwell and then southeasterly along M-89 to Richland, removing the previous M-43/M-89 in the process; and
• M-343 is a new designation that was created for Gull Road between Riverview Drive and M-89 in Richland now that M-43 has been removed.

I was just along in the Kalamazoo area this past weekend, and signage has not been changed over yet.

[mapcat]

Awesome report. Thanks for posting it. Bus 131 in Grand Rapids looked doomed when I was there last year and noticed the vacated street. But there still was some signage along the route southbound, such as this one (GMSV August 2018) and this one (Sept) and this one (August). Are you saying those are all gone now?

Regarding the K-zoo changes, can you update this when the signs are removed/added?

[bulldog1979]

According to a Facebook posting by Chris Bessert, the signs came down today.

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.bessert/posts/10217121701749074

[mapcat]

Okay, thanks. I will get to this later this week.

[mapcat]

MDOT's Kalamazoo office confirmed that the changes are live in that city, so those routes will be part of my next submission.

I got the following regarding Grand Rapids:

We do have a few stragglers. The City of Grand Rapids will remove the signs along the old business routes when they decide to get to it. I do not know their schedule.
As for the overhead signs on the freeway, they will be changed in 2021 as part of an upcoming freeway sign project.

Given that it's now physically impossible to follow US 131 Business all the way through the city, that one is definitely going away. I'm inclined to make the I-196 Business change right now as well, and treat remaining signage as implied [TO]s, mainly since I don't want to have to check on their progress repeatedly for the next couple of years.

[mapcat]

https://github.com/TravelMapping/HighwayData/pull/2923

[compdude787]

This topic has been solved, right? Looks like it to me...

[yakra]

Re I-94BSKal, the change from a loop to a spur is on point. w0ot!

But was this route truncated too far? This sign, from after the changeover reported upthread, is blurry but looks more like a spur to my eyes.
A good clear spur from Sep 2019, that was a loop in Oct 2018.
Spur? Maybe? Sep 2019
Old sign; still loop
This assembly (Nov 2018) is completely gone now. Suggests that Google is wrong about I-94BS all the way to Mighican Ave.
Also gone
OSM shows end at Mills St.

[mapcat]

Hmm. MDOT's updated GIS is not showing the route numbers (or I just can't figure out how to make them visible), but that segment has the same control number as the 94BS east of M-96. That, along with the signs, makes me want to include it.

However, the same GIS shows West Main St east of US 131 being part of M-43 (well, the same control number as M-43 west of 131). GMSV from Sept 2019 also shows M-43 heading west and east at that interchange.

M-343 is signed in GMSV (also Sept 2019).

This needs more investigation.