 = M @-@ 6 ( Michigan highway ) = 
 
 M @-@ 6 , or the Paul B. Henry Freeway , is a 19 @.@ 696 @-@ mile ( 31 @.@ <unk> km ) freeway and state trunkline highway in the United States that serves portions of southern Kent and eastern Ottawa counties south of Grand Rapids , Michigan . Although the freeway is named for Paul B. Henry , local residents and the press continue to use the original name , South Beltline as well on occasion . The freeway connects Interstate 196 ( I @-@ 196 ) on the west with I @-@ 96 on the east . M @-@ 6 also provides a connection to U.S. Highway 131 ( US 131 ) in the middle of its corridor while running through several townships on the south side of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area in Western Michigan . Each end is in a rural area while the central section has suburban development along the trunkline . 
 The freeway was originally conceived in the 1960s . It took 32 years to approve , plan , finance , and build the freeway from the time that the state first authorized funding in 1972 to the time of the ribbon @-@ cutting ceremony in 2004 that opened the South Beltline to traffic . The project cost around $ 700 million or around $ 35 million per mile ( approximately $ 22 million per kilometer ) . Initial construction started in November 1997 , with the first phase opened in November 2001 . The full freeway was opened in November 2004 . The first phase of construction was completed in asphalt , while the second and third phases were built in concrete . The project was built with two firsts : the first single @-@ point urban interchange ( <unk> ; / <unk> / ) in Michigan , and a new technique to apply the pavement markings , <unk> them into the concrete to reduce the chance of a <unk> scraping them off . In advance of the opening of the freeway to traffic , the Michigan Department of Transportation ( MDOT ) allowed the public to walk or bike the South Beltline in an open @-@ house event called the " <unk> Shuffle " . 
 
 = = Route description = = 
 
 M @-@ 6 starts at exit 64 on I @-@ 196 in Ottawa County near Hudsonville . The freeway runs southeast from the interchange through the rural Georgetown and Jamestown townships toward the county line . Through this area , MDOT traffic surveys measured a traffic count of 27 @,@ 117 vehicles on average per day , the lowest along the freeway , in 2010 . At <unk> Avenue , the South Beltline crosses into Byron Township in Kent County . The freeway corridor is bounded on each side by farmland , scattered subdivisions , and small pockets of woodland . Near the Wilson Avenue interchange , M @-@ 6 curves to the northeast around the edge of the <unk> Golf Course and heads for the interchange with Byron Center Avenue . On either side of the freeway at Byron Center Avenue , there are two hospitals , Metro Health and St. Mary 's Southwest , the former located on the very southern edge of the city of Wyoming . Continuing east , the <unk> curves to the southeast and into the cloverleaf interchange complex at US 131 . This " <unk> " interchange stretches over a half mile ( 0 @.@ 8 km ) in one direction and over a mile ( 1 @.@ 6 km ) in the other , encompassing 27 bridges and 18 retaining walls . This makes it the largest freeway interchange in Western Michigan . There are four overpasses which carry M @-@ 6 over the US 131 freeway : two for the main <unk> in each direction and two for the collector @-@ distributor lanes on each side . The auxiliary lanes funnel the traffic using the interchange off the main <unk> to eliminate conflicts between merging streams of traffic . In the eastbound direction , the collector @-@ distributor lane also has access to a ramp for traffic bound for 68th Street , which runs parallel to , and south of , the M @-@ 6 freeway . No such access to 68th Street is provided for westbound M @-@ 6 traffic , although 68th Street traffic can access each direction of M @-@ 6 or US 131 . 
 East of US 131 , M @-@ 6 crosses over Division Avenue and enters Gaines Township through a series of sound barrier walls as the freeway ramps merge back into the main lanes . This area had the highest traffic counts in 2011 at 55 @,@ 236 vehicles per day . Near Kalamazoo Avenue , the freeway passes through an area with retail businesses and movie theaters on each side of the interchange ; to the northeast is East Kentwood High School . On the approach to the East Paris Avenue <unk> , M @-@ 6 curves first to the northeast and then back to the southeast , passing near one of <unk> 's office buildings , the pyramid @-@ shaped Corporate Development Center . The freeway begins to curve to the northeast as it crosses into Caledonia Township , with an interchange for M @-@ 37 ( Broadmoor Avenue ) and an overpass for 60th Street . M @-@ 6 curves around the southeast side of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Cascade Township . As the South Beltline <unk> I @-@ 96 , it crosses 48th Street next to the <unk> <unk> Golf Course . The carriageway splits into ramps for each direction of I @-@ 96 , the ramps to eastbound I @-@ 96 crossing over the <unk> River in the process . This interchange marks the eastern terminus of the Paul B. Henry South Beltline Freeway . The entire length of the freeway is listed on the National Highway System , a system of roads important to the nation 's economy , defense and mobility . 
 The right @-@ of @-@ way along M @-@ 6 includes a 9 @-@ mile ( 14 km ) pedestrian path known as the Frederik <unk> Trail . Previously called the M @-@ 6 Trail , it links the Kent Trails west of Byron Center Avenue in Wyoming with the Paul Henry Rail Trail at 60th Street and Wing Avenue by Paris Park in Kentwood . 
 
 = = History = = 
 
 
 = = = Earlier designations = = = 
 
 The first appearance of M @-@ 6 was in 1926 as a two @-@ mile ( 3 @.@ 2 km ) road in <unk> County in the Upper Peninsula . The highway ran from US 41 at Phoenix to north of Eagle River . The Michigan State Highway Department redesignated the highway as M @-@ 111 in 1938 , and it was redesignated two years later to become a part of the route of M @-@ 26 . 
 In the late 1970s , during the second phase of construction of the I @-@ 696 ( Walter P. <unk> Freeway ) in Metro Detroit , lobbying efforts and lawsuits attempted to block construction of the central section . If successful , the efforts would have left the freeway with a gap in the middle between the first ( western ) and second ( eastern ) phases of construction . During this time , MDOT assigned M @-@ 6 to the eastern section of the freeway under construction . Signs were erected along the service roads that followed 11 Mile Road to connect the already built stack interchange at I @-@ 75 east to I @-@ 94 . By the time the eastern freeway segment was completed in 1979 , the signage for M @-@ 6 was removed and replaced with I @-@ 696 signage , leaving an eight @-@ mile ( 13 km ) gap in the I @-@ 696 freeway until completion of the central section in 1989 . 
 
 = = = Current freeway = = = 
 
 
 = = = = Planning = = = = 
 
 The South Beltline Freeway near Grand Rapids was a project that took about 32 years to complete . The idea dates back to the 1940s , but serious proposals were not made until the 1960s . The 1955 planning map for the Grand Rapids area Interstate Highways included a freeway roughly along the M @-@ 6 corridor before I @-@ 96 and I @-@ 196 were shifted north and east to their current locations . An increase in the state gas tax was approved in 1972 with the goal to finance local road projects in the state , including the South Beltline . The project was anticipated to cost $ 30 – 100 million ( equivalent to $ <unk> – 713 million in 2015 ) in June 1975 with an expected groundbreaking in 1982 – 85 . The highway was studied in January 1981 for $ 144 @,@ 000 ( equivalent to $ 575 @,@ 000 in 2015 ) . The choice of consultants on the project was controversial ; local planners felt that MDOT picked BKI Inc. only because they used a minority @-@ owned <unk> and not because they would be qualified for the assignment . 
 As this study was initiated , the route for the proposed freeway was located between 60th and 68th streets with a western end in Hudsonville and an eastern end in Lowell Township . The consultants were asked to study a full freeway and a limited access boulevard design . One final option was a " no @-@ build " alternative ; under this option , existing roads would be upgraded but no new roads would be built . The City of Grand Rapids opposed the freeway while the suburbs and townships south and west of the city supported it . City officials were concerned about the impact to commercial and industrial business in Grand Rapids . Hudsonville 's city manager favored the proposal as a benefit to local vegetable producers who shipped produce to Detroit or Cleveland . Other supporters , such as the Georgetown Township supervisor , were concerned that delays in starting the project could increase costs . State and local officials expected the freeway in January 1981 to cost between $ 40 – 100 million ( equivalent to $ 160 – 400 million in 2015 ) . The road was to be started no sooner than 1990 . 
 The boundaries for the highway corridor were determined by the consultants in April 1982 , running between 60th and 84th streets , " dipping like a <unk> beneath the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming " . The results of the study by BKI were criticized by local planners in May 1982 , who called the study " <unk> and <unk> work " , and asked the state to fire the consulting firm . Local residents distributed 2 @,@ 000 <unk> to their neighbors in opposition to the freeway . The South Belt Local Advisory Board criticized BKI 's 110 @-@ page study report as " filled with errors " ; the consultants ' earlier 26 @-@ page paper had been rejected by the board and MDOT as " unusable " . An editorial in the The Grand Rapids Press stated that the study did not help advance the project in the area , instead opening the proposed freeway up to new controversies . <unk> about the state 's budget in 1982 to build the roadway combined with issues over the consultants and their study results . 
 A second citizens group , the South Belt Citizens Committee , was formed in July 1982 to gain additional public information on the project and supplement the work of the other groups , including the South Belt Local Advisory Board . BKI was fired as consultant on the project by MDOT on September 9 , 1982 . The switch to a new consultant delayed further study because of the timetable to take bids and interview the candidates . In the interim , work was shifted to local and state planners until a new consultant could be retained in an effort to minimize the delays involved . These local projects were focused on updating the information and maps from BKI 's study and refining the scope of the highway 's corridor . 
 Gaines , Cascade , and Caledonia townships and the city of Kentwood circulated a survey amongst their communities ' planning commissions and elected boards in 1982 . The survey showed an inconclusive preference for a limited @-@ access highway in what was termed a " gut level reaction " to the proposed roadway . The South Belt Citizens Committee actively started to oppose the roadway during the fall of 1982 , pressing local candidates for political office to take positions on the project . The group called the roadway a " <unk> " in its mailings to the candidates . Future Lieutenant Governor Dick <unk> , then a member of the Michigan State Senate , called for an end to the studies in 1983 ; he would later reverse and become one of the project 's biggest supporters . 
 MDOT hired a new consultant , <unk> / <unk> Associates , in 1984 to study the proposed freeway . The consultant recommended the freeway in March 1985 . The South Beltline was included in the ten @-@ year highway plan in 1986 . By 1989 , the state wanted to set the route in 1991 with construction starting in 1993 . The freeway was studied as a possible toll road in June 1991 after three alternative routes were proposed the previous year . That September , the final route was set with a projected start date in 1997 . The toll road concept was revived in September 1995 to offset the failure of a proposed gas tax increase . As a cost @-@ saving measure , the number of interchanges was reduced to four from eight in June 1996 . When a gas tax increase was passed in 1997 , Governor John Engler promised at least seven access points for the freeway . The South Beltline was <unk> as " [ cutting ] travel time around Grand Rapids virtually in half " . 
 
 = = = = Phase I = = = = 
 
 <unk> for the South Beltline Freeway were nearly 25 years old by the time initial construction was started in 1997 . The Michigan State Legislature named the South Beltline around the same time for the Congressman Paul B. Henry , who died in office in 1993 , serving in Gerald Ford 's old US House seat . The cost of the construction of new roads like the South Beltline was a campaign issue when Engler ran for re @-@ election against Geoffrey <unk> in 1998 . The entire freeway was projected to open by 2008 , with the first phase opening in 2002 . MDOT gave the South Beltline its numerical designation on the July 1999 edition of the state map , marking M @-@ 6 for the first time as a dotted line , to denote it was " under construction " . The legislature approved Engler 's " <unk> Michigan III " program in 2000 ; the plan accelerated road projects in the state . The capital <unk> for the year was $ 82 million ( equivalent to $ 132 million in 2015 ) . <unk> proceedings were initiated in the Kent County Circuit Court in 1999 to clear the way for the acquisitions . Land that contained homes , farms , trailer parks , and businesses was purchased by MDOT to acquire the right @-@ of @-@ way needed for the freeway . The land needed measured 360 feet ( 110 m ) wide and 20 miles ( 32 km ) long . Land acquisitions for the South Beltline Freeway were completed in July 2001 . Construction started later in the fall of 2001 on the second and third phases of the project . 
 The first leg of the South Beltline Freeway , located between M @-@ 37 ( Broadmoor Avenue ) and I @-@ 96 , was finished six months early . Dry summer weather allowed the roadbed contractors to finish their portion of the five @-@ mile ( 8 @.@ 0 km ) section of the freeway early , earning them a $ 300 @,@ 000 bonus ( equivalent to $ <unk> @,@ 000 in 2015 ) . The overpasses for the remaining sections of the freeway were completed while the first phase was under construction , leaving the interchanges at US 131 and I @-@ 196 and the connecting roadbed to be completed at that time . The first section was paved in asphalt after MDOT reversed the decision to pave the whole freeway in concrete . That stretch of freeway opened to traffic on November 20 , 2001 . The state kept the overall project in an accelerated status headed into the next phases in 2002 . 
 
 = = = = <unk> II and III = = = = 
 
 Construction of the remaining phases between US 131 and M @-@ 37 and between I @-@ 196 and US 131 was started on April 1 , 2002 . Area roads that crossed the path of the new freeway were closed to traffic with posted detours so that work could begin on the roadbed for the freeway . The last major project for the freeway was to replace bridge beams in the overpasses from westbound I @-@ 196 to eastbound M @-@ 6 . Design flaws were found in 2002 in the size of the beams in the bridges over eastbound I @-@ 196 and the ramp from westbound M @-@ 6 to westbound I @-@ 196 . The replacement was originally supposed to close traffic along I @-@ 196 over a weekend in 2004 , but kept a lane closed for a full week , backing up traffic on the Interstate for two miles ( 3 @.@ 2 km ) ; completion of the work was delayed when human error caused a shortage of nuts and bolts . 
 MDOT hosted an open house along the <unk> section of M @-@ 6 between Kalamazoo and Byron Center avenues . This event took place on October 2 , 2004 , and was billed as the " <unk> Shuffle " , allowing the public to walk or bike along the freeway . The event was planned to draw attention to the M @-@ 6 Trail that runs parallel to the freeway . Some event participants brought their horses for the chance to ride on the freeway . The whole freeway was opened to traffic on November 17 , 2004 , after a ribbon cutting ceremony . When opened , reconstruction work was still being completed on overpass bridges at the I @-@ 196 interchange on the west end . The entire project cost $ 700 million ( equivalent to $ <unk> million in 2015 ) to complete over the five @-@ year construction period , about $ 35 million / mi ( approximately $ 22 million / km , equivalent to $ 47 million / mi or $ 29 million / km in 2015 ) . When the freeway was opened , it was the first in the state of Michigan to use a <unk> located at the Kalamazoo Avenue exit . All of the bridges and sound barrier walls were painted <unk> beige as part of a " color theme " to the freeway . MDOT also used a new technique to recess the pavement markings into the concrete , designed to reduce the likelihood that <unk> would scrape them off . The signs are in miles , but " the entire M @-@ 6 freeway was designed and constructed in metric " , according to MDOT manager <unk> <unk> . The final ramps opened to traffic on December 9 , 2004 . 
 
 = = = = After construction = = = = 
 
 MDOT added the completed M @-@ 6 to the state maps in an updated printing in June 2005 . At the time , the various online mapping services still did not show a complete freeway in eastern Ottawa or southern Kent counties . Services such as <unk> and Yahoo ! Maps rely on <unk> Atlas out of New Hampshire for their mapping information , which , in turn , relies on agencies like MDOT to update their data . MDOT 's map update came out nearly eight months after the initial opening due to its inclusion in a large @-@ scale update to the state highway map . 
 A year after the freeway opened , traffic volumes along parallel roads like 44th , 56th and 68th streets dropped 40 – 50 % . At the same time , roads with interchanges along the freeway saw increased traffic . Wilson Avenue experienced a 120 % increase and sections of Byron Center Avenue jumped 100 % in traffic levels a month after M @-@ 6 opened . Property values in the townships surrounding the freeway increased 11 @.@ 3 – 12 @.@ 4 % by 2006 as a result of development attached to the freeway . Local officials credited the freeway for increased access to the area , driving housing starts as residents flocked to the communities for their schools and quality of life . In 2007 , the Metro Health Village , a commercial development centered around the Byron Center Avenue exit and the hospital opened . Described as being similar to a mall with the hospital as a tenant , the village features restaurants , shops , offices and a hotel . Metro Health relocated from Grand Rapids to the location in Wyoming in the face of opposition to planned expansions of their previous location . Since opening , even though the freeway was officially named for Paul Henry , the original South Beltline name is still in use . 
 Reactions to the new freeway were not all positive . In a special editorial in the The Grand Rapids Press after the freeway opened in 2004 , local resident Curt <unk> summarized the criticisms of the new freeway . He cited the loss of rural farmland and wetlands as a negative effect of the highway . The editorial also discussed that the freeway does decrease travel times for some residents , but it will mean increased development . That development will mean further urban <unk> , and could spur the creation of additional highways in the area . 
 The M @-@ 6 Trail was constructed in a $ 3 @.@ 5 million project ( equivalent to $ 4 million in 2015 ) that started in 2008 . The goal was to create a 10 @-@ foot @-@ wide ( 3 @.@ 0 m ) path linking the Kent Trails with the Paul Henry Rail Trail . The M @-@ 6 Trail was the <unk> of Gaines Township Supervisor Don Hilton , Sr. He had pushed to have the path included in the original freeway construction and opened with the rest of the South Beltline . The trail project was funded by $ 2 @.@ 9 million ( equivalent to $ 3 @.@ 3 million in 2015 ) in federal grants and $ 300 @,@ 000 ( equivalent to $ 350 @,@ 000 in 2015 ) from the Frederik and Lena <unk> Foundation . The balance came from Kent County and the townships . Work on the trail was completed in November 2008 . 
 In 2009 , the asphalt section of M @-@ 6 had to be repaired . This section of roadway between East Paris Avenue and 48th Street was rated poorly by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association , while the concrete west of Broadmoor Avenue had favorable marks . MDOT budgeted $ 2 million in repairs on top of previous crack @-@ related <unk> that were handled by the original pavement contractor under a <unk> in 2006 . The local press described the 4 @.@ 7 @-@ mile ( 7 @.@ 6 km ) stretch of road as " troublesome " in relation to pavement quality issues . 
 Legislation was signed by Governor Rick <unk> on December 27 , 2014 , to name the section of M @-@ 6 between Byron Center and Kalamazoo avenues the David John <unk> Memorial Highway . <unk> , a US Navy <unk> , was killed in a helicopter accident in Afghanistan in 2012 . This section of the highway was dedicated on August 15 , 2015 . 
 
 = = Exit list = = 
 
 
 