Business routes of Interstate 69

There are currently four business routes of Interstate 69.

Coldwater, Michigan

Business Loop I-69, or BL I-69, is a route formed from part of the old US 27 route near and through Coldwater and from part of US 12 through Coldwater. Starting at the southern end, it begins at Exit 10 of I-69, which is where Fenn Rd. crosses the Interstate. It follows Fenn Rd. west for less than a mile, then curves north to merge with old US 27, also known as Angola Road. After approximately two miles, the city limit is reached at Garfield Roadcite web | title=Map of Coldwater, MI by MapQuest | date= | work=MapQuest | url= http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?address=&city=Coldwater&state=MI&zipcode=&country=US&title=%3cb%3e%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22locality%22%3eColdwater%3c%2fspan%3e%2c%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22region%22%3eMI%3c%2fspan%3e%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22country%2dname%22%3eUS%3c%2fspan%3e%3c%2fb%3e%3c%2fspan%3e&cid=lfmaplink2&name=&dtype=s | accessdate=2007-11-01 ] , where Angola Road changes to Clay Street. After another half mile, a fork is reached where Clay Street continues due north and Division Street branches to the right; BL I-69 and old US 27 follow the branch to the right. Finally, after almost another mile, the route reaches the main intersection in the city known locally as "The Four Corners." This is where old US 27 intersects US 12, also known as Chicago Street. The last stretch of BL I-69 is shared with US 12 and continues from the Four Corners back to I-69 at Exit 13. The total length of the route is convert|5.06|mi|km|2 , with approximately half of the route within the city limits and the other half in Coldwater Townshipcite web | author= Vance, Norman M. | title=Branch County Township Map | work=Branch County ALHN and MI USGenWeb Page | url= http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/1050/TownshipMap.html | accessdate=2007-11-01 ] . The purpose of the Coldwater business loop for I-69 is to provide a convenient way for travelers to find local businesses while passing through Coldwater. Although businesses can be found all along the route, the vast majority of businesses of interest to travelers are clustered near Exit 13 on the northern terminus of the loopcite web | author= North, Kevin Jay | title= MyColdwater.Com Welcome Page | date=2007 | work= MyColdwater.com | url= http://www.mycoldwater.com | accessdate=2007-11-01 ] . These businesses include gas stations; fast food chains such as McDonald's, Arby's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and KFC; and, just to the east of Exit 13 (and technically beyond BL I-69), big "box" stores such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Meijer. The southern end of BL I-69 is still rural and underdeveloped, but in this stretch BL I-69 serves as a "short-cut" to Downtown Coldwater and to westbound US 12 and state highway M-86.

Charlotte, Michigan

Business Loop I-69 is a route that took over the Business US 27 route inside of Charlotte. It is a city street for the nearly convert|5|mi|km|0|lk=on miles of the route. The route starts just outside of the city of Charlotte at Exit 57 which is known as Cochran Rd. It travels due north for about convert|2.5|mi|km|0 where it begins a short convert|0.7|mi|km|1 mile concurency with M-50. At that intersection begins or ends M-79 with that going west. M-50 continues north and the business loop heads east on Lawrence Ave for a very short time. From that point it veers northeast into Lansing St and then completes its loop at exit 61.

The route was first designated Business US 27 after the 1961 completion of the freeway on the east of the city. At that point I-69 was still in the southern parts of Michigan and was not carried up to the city. By 1970, I-69 was completed to Charlotte and at the time US 27 was cosigned with I-69. For 4 years the business loop in Charlotte was not signed as BL I-69. By 1974 it was corrected and BUS US-27 was removed from the state.

Lansing, Michigan

Business Loop I-69, or BL I-69, is a business loop route in Lansing area. Beginning at I-96/I-69 at Exit 93 west of the city, it runs easterly along Saginaw Hwy and Saginaw St concurrently with M-43. Within Lansing, BL I-69 utilizes a one-way pair of streets: Saginaw St eastbound and Oakland St westbound. Near its junction with US 127, M-43 departs to the southeast via Grand River Ave while BL I-69 turns northeasterly via Saginaw St until it terminates back at I-69 at Exit 94 in Clinton County northeast of E. Lansing.

The route was first designated in 1987 after the completion of the northern freeway loop of I-69 around Lansing. It is the longest business route in the state of Michigan at a length of over 14 miles. The portion of BL I-69 from BL I-96 in Lansing easterly was originally part of M-78.

Port Huron, Michigan

Business Loop I-69 is a loop route running through downtown Port Huron, Michigan. The first mile of BL I-69 is freeway but upon intersecting 32nd St it turns into a one-way pair of surface street: eastbound along Oak St, westbound along Griswold St. In downtown Port Huron, BL I-69 turns northerly running concurrently with BL I-94 via Main St, Huron Ave and Pine Grove Ave. BL I-69 terminates at I-94/I-69 at the western end of the Blue Water Bridge.

References

External links

* [http://www.coldwaterdda.org/ Coldwater Downtown Development Authority] - Information on Downtown Coldwater
* [http://www.mycoldwater.com/ MyColdwater.com] - Directory of all Coldwater businesses, maps, and photo tour