Portal:Michigan highways/Selected article/June 2016
M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of I-94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand Traverse County. In between, the highway connects Battle Creek, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. Motorists travel through agricultural land, forests, suburbs and large cities along the way. The section of M-37 on the Old Mission Peninsula was designated what is now a Pure Michigan Scenic Byway in 2008. Originally named the Muskegon, Grand Traverse and Northport State Road, and later the Newaygo and Northport State Road, today's modern highway can be traced back to the 19th century and earlier. The southernmost section between Grand Rapids and Battle Creek parallels an early Indian trail. The modern highway was formed by July 1, 1919 along this segment. By the 1940s, a second section of highway was designated M-37, creating a gap between it and the original section. This gap was eliminated in the 1950s, completing the M-37 corridor in the state. Additional changes to the routing were made through the Grand Rapids area into the 1970s. (more...)