History
The earliest freeway portion of I-69 in Michigan is a stretch built in three stages from 1959 to 1961 running from near Perry to Swartz Creek as the M-78 freeway. In 1962, the stretch of I-96, which now overlaps with I-69, was built west of Lansing. Another stretch of current I-69 alignment was built in 1964 as part of I-94 in the Port Huron area which ended at the foot of the Blue Water Bridge. In 1966, another stretch was built as M-21 near Port Huron which connected with I-94. The portion bisecting Branch County, Michigan was built in 1967. The M-78 freeway was extended eastward passing through Flint and ending at Lapeer in 1971. The M-78 portion of the extended freeway ended in Flint and the stretch of the freeway from the Genesee–Shiawassee county line to Lapeer was designated M-21. The original stretch of I-69 between Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Lansing was concurrently designated as US 27 until that route was truncated to Fort Wayne in 2002.
Temporary I-69 between Charlotte and Morrice was a divided highway originally designated as part of M-78. I-69 also replaced part of M-21 east of Flint. In 1984, two portions of I-69 alignment were completed, a stretch from I-96 to US-27 northwest of Lansing (designated US-27 at first) and the portion between Lapeer and Port Huron which was designated I-69 upon its completion. The final 12-mile (19 km) stretch of I-69 between Charlotte and I-96 was opened in October 1992. It completed Michigan's original state-wide Interstate Highway System, although plans for a northern stretch of I-275 outside Detroit were abandoned because of local opposition.
The Lansing-to-Port Huron segment shortened travel time between those two cities, allowing motorists to bypass Detroit along the way, in which I-69 is the only mainline Interstate in Michigan to not go through the city of Detroit, or even Metro Detroit. The northeastern portion of I-69 in Michigan provides a more direct route from Chicago to Toronto, east of the junction with I-94 near Marshall.
Read more about this topic: Interstate 69 In Michigan
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“The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more”
—John Adams (1735–1826)