US Highway 31 (US 31) is part of the United States Numbered Highway System. It runs from Alabama to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that travels along the western side of the Lower Peninsula, starting at the Indiana-Michigan border in Bertrand Township and ending near Interstate 75 (I-75) south of Mackinaw City. The highway is 355.2 miles (571.6 kilometers) long. Along its route, US 31 follows the Michigan section of the St. Joseph Valley Parkway, as well as other freeways and divided highways, heading north to Ludington. Beyond Ludington, the highway becomes a rural road without a divider, passing through tourist areas like Traverse City and Petoskey before ending near Mackinaw City. Some parts of US 31 are named in honor of organizations, and sections of it are part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour (LMCT). Four bridges along the route have been recognized for their historical value.
Before becoming US 31, the highway was originally the West Michigan Pike, an auto trail built in 1913. Later, two state highways (M-11 and M-58) were created in 1919. These roads were changed to US 31 on November 11, 1926, when the US Highway System was established. Over time, the highway has been adjusted in some areas. In the 1920s and 1930s, it crossed the Straits of Mackinac by ferry until the Mackinac Bridge was built, connecting to US 2 north of St. Ignace. Starting in the 1950s, parts of the highway were converted into freeways. These sections opened over the following decades, with the last one completed in 2022. Future plans by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) include building a bypass around Grand Haven.
Route description
Most of US 31 between Lake Michigan Beach and the northern end near Mackinaw City is part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour (LMCT), except where business loops connect the main highway to Lake Michigan. From the Indiana–Michigan state line to Ludington, much of US 31 is built to freeway standards, except between Holland and Ferrysburg. The rest of the highway is a two- or four-lane road, with some city sections having five lanes. The entire route is included in the National Highway System, a network of roads vital to the United States' economy, defense, and transportation.
US 31 and the St. Joseph Valley Parkway enter Michigan from Indiana southwest of Niles and follow the St. Joseph River as they travel north through southwest Michigan. The freeway passes through farmland and crosses US 12 at the first of three interchanges between Niles and Buchanan. US 31 crosses the river north of the Niles–Buchanan Road interchange. After the Walton Road interchange, the freeway turns northwest to cross the St. Joseph River near Lake Chapin, south of Berrien Springs. The parkway curves around the west side of towns before crossing the river again. As US 31 continues north along the river, it enters the Benton Harbor–St. Joseph area. The freeway moves north of Napier Avenue and turns northwest to connect with Business Loop I-94 (BL I-94) and I-94, merging onto I-94. I-94/US 31 runs together on a northeasterly path before meeting the southern end of I-196 in Benton Township.
At the trumpet interchange, I-196/US 31 continues north from I-94, passing west of the Point O'Woods Golf & Country Club. The highway travels through rural Berrien County farmland, turns northwesterly near the Lake Michigan Hills Golf Course, and crosses the Paw Paw River. After the river, the freeway turns northeasterly, running parallel to the Lake Michigan shoreline inland. At Lake Michigan Beach, I-196/US 31 meets the northern end of M-63 at exit 7, where the LMCT joins the freeway for the first time. North of this interchange, the freeway runs parallel to A-2 (the Blue Star Highway), which was the former route of US 31.
Further north, I-196/US 31 enters Van Buren County and is called the Gerald R. Ford Freeway. The inland side of the highway is forested, while the side near Lake Michigan has forests or fields. Near South Haven, the freeway passes close to the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station and Van Buren State Park. North of the power plant and park, the freeway moves inland to bypass South Haven. An interchange on the south side of town connects to BL I-196 and M-140. The freeway crosses M-43 without an interchange and later intersects the other end of the business loop about two miles later. It crosses the Black River near the Van Buren–Allegan county line.
In Allegan County, I-196/US 31 passes two golf courses and travels through farmland. Near Glenn, A-2 crosses over the freeway and runs parallel to it on the east. The two roads switch sides when I-196/US 31 turns northeasterly on the south side of Saugatuck and Douglas. The freeway crosses over a section of Kalamazoo Lake and the wider part of the Kalamazoo River between the two towns. A-2 crosses back to the east side of the freeway north of Saugatuck, and I-196/US 31 continues north-northeasterly toward Holland.
On the south side of Holland, US 31 and I-196 separate as the Interstate turns northeasterly around the city to head toward Grand Rapids. US 31 follows BL I-196 northward into Holland around the West Michigan Regional Airport. The business loop has an interchange for A-2 (Blue Star Highway) and Washington Avenue before ending in southern Holland. The main highway continues as a divided road, bypassing downtown Holland to the east and intersecting M-40. Northeast of downtown, BL I-196 leaves US 31 and the LMCT at an interchange to follow Chicago Drive, while US 31 turns northwesterly on its own expressway.
Northwest of Holland, US 31 runs as a four-lane expressway and divided highway, parallel but inland from the Lake Michigan shoreline. This section passes through farmland and forests, reaching the community of Agnew. There, US 31 intersects the western end of M-45 (Lake Michigan Drive) before entering Grand Haven. In Grand Haven, the highway follows a four-lane boulevard with a grass median. On the northern edge of the city, US 31 crosses the Grand River on a bascule bridge that opens about 450–500 times yearly. North of the bridge, US 31 becomes a freeway at the interchange with the western end of M-104 in Ferrysburg. This freeway continues north through Muskegon’s suburbs and meets the western end of I-96 near the Muskegon County Airport in Norton Shores.
At the interchange with I-96, US 31 has its southernmost business loop, Bus. US 31, which runs west and north into downtown Muskegon. The main freeway continues through Muskegon’s eastern suburbs, passing interchanges like one with M-46 (Apple Avenue). Just south of the Muskegon River, the business loop merges back into the main highway. US 31 crosses the river and turns northwesterly through forests, passing east of Michigan’s Adventure amusement park and crossing the White River near Whitehall and Montague. A business loop connects these communities to the freeway. In this area, US 31 runs through the southern part of the Manistee National Forest.
As the freeway moves north, US 31 intersects the western end of M-20 in New Era, Oceana County. The landscape here is mostly forest, with the highway crossing Hart-Montague Trail State Park, a linear park following a bike trail. North of the trail, US 31 has a business spur for Hart that runs east into the town. North of this interchange, the freeway crosses the Pentwater River near Pentwater.
North of Pentwater, US 31 enters Mason County, passing Bass Lake and the Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant, which uses a reservoir next to the highway to generate electricity. Just north of the reservoir, the freeway turns northeast, and Ludington’s business spur runs off to
History
The first major roads in what is now Michigan were Indian trails. Only one of these trails followed part of the path of US 31; the Mackinac Trail ran close to US 31 from Petoskey northward.
During the time of auto trails, the roads that later became US 31 in Michigan had different names. The West Michigan Lake Shore Highway Association was formed on January 10, 1912. In 1913, the group changed its name to the West Michigan Pike Association. Their auto trail had tall concrete markers along a 400-mile-long road from Indiana’s border to Mackinaw City.
This highway was also part of the Western Mainline of the Dixie Highway, another auto trail built starting in 1915. In 1916, a stone monument marked the connection between the West Michigan Pike and the East Michigan Pike in Mackinaw City. By 1921, the trail used about 413 miles of roads along its western path near Lake Michigan. By 1922, Michigan had more improvements on the Dixie Highway than any other state.
The State Trunkline Highway System was created in 1913 by the Michigan Legislature. At that time, one part of the system matched US 31. This section ran from Niles north to Mackinaw City. In 1919, the Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD) first marked the highway system with signs. The future US 31 route had two numbers: M-58 from the state line to St. Joseph, and M-11 from there northward.
In 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) approved the United States Numbered Highway System. The MSHD assigned US 31 in Michigan to run north from Indiana’s border along Lake Michigan to Mackinaw City. A section near Benton Harbor and St. Joseph overlapped with US 12. By 1927, the highway was extended across the Straits of Mackinac on state ferries to connect to US 2 in the Upper Peninsula. In 1930, a new highway east of Muskegon was numbered US 31A.
By 1936, the last unpaved section of US 31 near Charlevoix was paved, making the entire highway a hard-surfaced road. In 1937, US 2 and US 31 ran together. Later that year, the route of US 31 was changed south of Ludington, and US 31A was rerouted between Saugatuck and Holland. In 1938, US 33 was extended into Michigan to end in St. Joseph, and US 31A in Holland was removed. In 1939, US 31 no longer crossed the Straits of Mackinac, ending in Mackinaw City instead. By the early 1940s, the Muskegon Bypass was numbered US 31, and the old downtown route became US 31A.
During World War II, a bypass of South Haven was built. The old route through the city became Bus. US 31. After the war, the route of US 31 north of Charlevoix was changed to follow the shoreline, opening in 1949. In 1950, the route between Holland and West Olive was adjusted to a more angular path. In 1954, a bypass south and east of Holland opened, and the old route became a business loop.
On November 1, 1957, the Mackinac Bridge opened. For the bridge’s opening, highways into Mackinaw City were realigned to connect to it. US 31 ended at the bridge’s southern entrance. In 1960, parts of I-75 opened near the Mackinac Bridge, and US 31 was rerouted to follow I-75. By the end of the 1960s, a freeway segment opened along the Muskegon Bypass. In 1961, US 33 was extended north along US 31 for about 10 miles.
In 1962, a freeway section between I-94 and the Berrien–Van Buren county line opened. This part was originally numbered I-96/US 31. The old lakeshore route became US 33. In 1963, the MSHD asked federal officials to switch I-96 and I-196 numbers. After approval, an additional 35 miles of I-196/US 31 opened from Benton Harbor to Holland. The freeway was extended north from Muskegon to the Muskegon–Oceana county line.
In 1974, I-196 was completed between Holland and Grandville, and the BL I-196 designation was applied along US 31 and Bus. US 31. In 1975, the US 31 freeway was extended to New Era. In 1976, it was extended further to Hart. In 1978, the I-196/US 31 section was named the "Gerald R. Ford Freeway." That year, the US 31 freeway was extended to the southern side of Pentwater.
From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, US 31 gained more freeway segments. In 1979, the St. Joseph Valley Parkway opened from Indiana’s border to US 12. In 1980, the parkway was extended to the Oceana–Mason county line. In 1987, the Niles Bypass opened, and Bus. US 31 was created along the old route. In 1989, the parkway was expanded to Ludington. In 1990, Ludington was bypassed, completing the freeway to its current northern end at US 10. In 1991, a bypass west of Scottville opened. In 1992, the Berrien Springs Bypass was completed. In 2003, a 9.5-mile freeway segment north of Berrien Springs opened. In 2004, Bus. US 31 in Holland was returned to local control, and BL I-196 was rerouted around downtown.
Starting in 1996, people in Traverse City wanted a freeway bypass, but the plan was not built. In 2001, the idea was revived, but the plan was abandoned.
The MSHD studied a freeway route for US 31 from the state line to I-94 in 1967. The first section to Niles was approved in 1972, and the rest was approved in 1981. Since then, MDOT has re-evaluated the St. Joseph Valley Parkway extension east of
Future
As of 2014, travelers in Ottawa County had to use either US 31 through Grand Haven or 68th Avenue through Eastmanville to cross the Grand River. A new highway, part of a long-term plan to build a US 31 bypass around Grand Haven, now provides a river crossing that is about the same distance from both locations. This change greatly reduced driving times between areas north and south of the river. For example, a trip from Nunica to Robinson was originally 20 miles (32 km), but the new highway shortens the route to about 7 miles (11 km). This highway, called M-231, is a smaller version of a bypass for US 31 through Grand Haven, even though it does not physically connect to US 31.
By January 4, 2013, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) had completed work on M-231, including a bridge over North Cedar Drive, new ramps at the I-96 and M-104 interchange, and rebuilding and widening parts of M-104 near I-96. MDOT also changed how the roads connect at the intersection of M-104 and Cleveland Drive and widened the bridge that carries M-104 over I-96. The highway was expected to be completed by 2016, depending on funding. Starting in 2013, MDOT planned to build 1.4 miles (2.3 km) of the new highway, including bridges over the Grand River and Little Robinson Creek.
Funding for the project came from the 2005 SAFETEA-LU transportation bill, which set aside money specifically for the project by US Representative Pete Hoekstra from Holland, as well as matching funds from Michigan’s Michigan Jobs Today program. The total cost of the project was expected to be close to $150 million. On October 30, 2015, the highway opened to traffic.
Memorial designations and tourist routes
The route of US 31 in Michigan has been named after different groups multiple times. In 1938, the route of US 33, which shared the same path as US 31 at that time, was named the Blue & Gray Trail to honor soldiers from the American Civil War. Later, in 1948, the highway received another name, the Blue Star Memorial Highway, to recognize people currently serving in the military. This name was given by Charles Ziegler, the State Highway Commissioner, on October 10, 1948.
In 1917, the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau created a tourist route that became the earlier version of the modern Great Lakes Circle Tours (GLCT). This route, called the Great Lakes Automobile Route, included roads on both the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan. It covered part of US 31 between Manistee and the Benton Harbor–St. Joseph area. However, the idea did not last long. The United States entering World War I and a lack of focus on one route caused the plan to be forgotten. The idea was brought back in 1986 by Michigan First Lady Paula Blanchard. With help from MDOT and other states, the GLCT was created. It includes the Lake Michigan Coastal Tour (LMCT), which follows US 31 from Lake Michigan Beach to Manistee and from Traverse City to Mackinaw City. The route excludes areas where shorter roads called business loops are closer to the lake, such as South Haven, Muskegon, and Whitehall–Montague.
In an effort to preserve history, a group of residents worked to rename the former West Michigan Pike as the Pure Michigan Byway. This designation would help the area get grants for historic preservation. A survey funded by a Preserve America grant was completed between June 2007 and September 2010. The results were shared by the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office in reports about the West Michigan Pike’s history. In 2011, the group began asking towns along the highway to support the byway designation. Officials said the process could take up to seven years. Early plans included extending the byway to Mackinaw City, but by 2016, the approved route ran from New Buffalo on I-94 to Ludington, following US 31 except near business loops at South Haven, Muskegon, Whitehall–Montague, and Pentwater. In May 2023, the byway designation was removed from Pentwater after the business loop there was taken out of the highway system.
Historic bridges
MDOT keeps a list of historic bridges in the state. Along US 31, the department has identified four bridges. In downtown Charlevoix, the US-31–Island Lake Outlet Bridge carries the highway over a channel dug between Lake Michigan and Round Lake, which also connects to Lake Charlevoix. Built from 1947 to 1949, it is the fifth bridge at that location. It is a double-leaf bascule bridge. In Petoskey, the highway crosses Bear Creek using a concrete girder bridge built in 1930. At 265 feet (81 m) long, it is the fourth longest such bridge in Michigan. In Manistee, the Manistee River is crossed by a double-leaf bascule bridge built in 1933. North of Hart in Pentwater Township, the 270-foot-long (82 m) US 31–Pentwater River Bridge is a long-span steel bridge that crosses the Pentwater River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 20, 1999. The bridge carries Oceana Drive along a former route of US 31.