Interstate 496

Template:Infobox Interstate/Intrastate Interstate 496 (abbreviated I-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. I-496 has both of its termini on I-96, the western one feeding only to and from Interstate 96 and Interstate 69 (which run concurrently) and the southern one feeding to and from US 127, a freeway that coincides with the north-south segment of I-496. US 127 continues as freeway through Lansing to the north and to Jackson, Michigan in the south.

Named after one of the pioneers of the automobile industry, it is heavily traveled by commuters who work in nearby automobile factories, as well as Michigan state government, and should be avoided at shift changes due to congestion. I-96 is generally a better long-distance route (by Michigan standards). I-496's maximum speed limit is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length.

Ironically, while the highway bears R.E. Olds' name, the construction of the highway forced the demolition of the house that he built in 1903. Attempts to move the Olds Mansion, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, failed, and the house was demolished in order to continue the construction of the Interstate.
 

Route description

The route is a divided-highway with two lane-numbering configurations. The section between exit 7 through 9 has three lanes in each direction. The rest is configured with two lanes in eiither direction. From exit 8 to the eastern terminus, I-496 runs north-south concurrent with US 127.

The western terminus looks as if it could accommodate a westward extension, having been built with unusually long and widely-separated ramps. These ramps were built to accommodate the intersection with the originally proposed alignment of Interstate 69.

History

The first section of I-96 was opened on 1963-12-23 running from I-96 northerly to M-43/M-78 between Lansing and East Lansing. The freeway section, comprising the southern two-thirds, was designated I-96/M-78/BL I-96 while the northern portion was on city streets as M-78/BL I-96. A new US 127 freeway was opened on 1966-11-18. US 127 would be routed along I-496/M-78. BL I-96 was removed from I-496/US 127/M-78 and routed along the former US 127. The next section opened was the western section from I-96 to M-99 on 1968-10-22. The remaining section between M-99 and I-496/US 127 opened on 1970-12-18 completing construction.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Eaton	Delta Township			I-69 / I-96 – Flint, Grand Rapids, Ft. Wayne, Detroit	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			1	Creyts Road	Signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) westbound
			3	Waverly Road
Ingham	Lansing
			4	Lansing Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			5	File:CapitolLoop.gif M-99 (M L King Boulevard) / Capitol Loop east
			6	Pine Street, Walnut Street - Downtown Lansing
			7A	Grand Avenue - Downtown Lansing	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			7	Pennsylvania Avenue, Cedar Street, Larch Street (I-96 BL, Capitol Loop west)
			8	US 127 north – Flint, East Lansing	West end of US 127 overlap; former M-143
	East Lansing		9	Trowbridge Road
	Lansing Township		11	Jolly Road
				I-96 – Detroit, Grand Rapids
				US 127 south – Jackson	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

See also

• Capitol Loop, a related loop associated with I-496

External links

• Interstate 496 (Michigan Highway Ends.com)