U.S. Route 31
U.S. Highway 31 is a long north-south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with termini at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and U.S. Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama. It formerly reached Mackinaw City along the southern approaches of the Mackinac Bridge (Interstate 75) in the north and Mobile, Alabama in the south.
U.S. 31 splits into U.S. Highway 31W and U.S. Highway 31E between downtown Louisville, Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee; earlier U.S. 31 split into U.S. 31W and U.S. 31E in Sellersburg, Indiana. Alternate U.S. 31 also exists between Nashville and Lewisburg, Tennessee and existed through Columbus, Indiana and Seymour, Indiana; both sections of Alternate U.S. 31 are or were loops connecting to U.S. 31. Old Alternate U.S. 31 in Indiana is part of Indiana State Highway 11.
Before the Interstate era, U.S. 31 was a major north-south highway. Interstate 65 supplants U.S. 31 and either 31W or 31E as a through route between Indianapolis and Mobile. South of Indianapolis, all segments of U.S. 31 not coinciding with Interstate 65 have been reduced to roads largely of local use. Interstate 196 now carries the route of U.S. 31 between Holland, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. All of U.S. 31 between Ludington, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana is divided highway; some of it is freeway, including a bypass of South Bend, Indiana; the segment between South Bend and Indianapolis is scheduled for upgrade or replacement with Interstate-standard freeway. Environmental impact studies have shown that the fifth phase of the then-to-be-constructed freeway segment between Napier Avenue (near Benton Harbor, MI) and I-196 (or BL I-94 going into Benton Harbor) may not be completed until 2015.
There is a disputed gap in U.S. 31 between Athens, Alabama and Ardmore, Tennessee. For 14 miles (from Alabama mile marker 354 to Tennessee mile marker 1), U.S. 31 is multiplexed with Interstate 65. No physical signage acknowledges the multiplex in either state, but the multiplex is shown on official maps.
U.S. 31 is the parent route of U.S. Highway 131, almost entirely in Michigan; U.S. Highway 231, which comes within a few miles of connecting Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico; and U.S. Highway 331, connecting Montgomery, Alabama with Santa Rosa Beach, Florida . U.S. Highway 431, connecting Owensboro, Kentucky and Dothan, Alabama has its termini on U.S. 231, so one can argue that U.S. 231 is the real parent of U.S. 431.
Other cities that U.S. 31 traverses include Petoskey, Michigan; Traverse City, Michigan; Ludington, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Kokomo, Indiana; Columbia, Tennessee, Decatur, Alabama; and Birmingham, Alabama. Fort Knox and Bowling Green, Kentucky are on U.S. 31W.
Within the state of Alabama from Athens to Montgomery, the U.S. 31 is given the name of the city that Route 31 is leading to or from Birmingham. This is part of a "All Roads Lead To Rome" concept taken up by the deeply-southern state. This concept is inspired by Birmingham's seemingly "Mother City"-like way of existing, even though Birmingham is one of the youngest cities in Alabama. From Birmingham north to Decatur, the highway is known as Decatur Highway. From Birmingham south to Montgomery, US 31 is known as Montgomery Highway. North of Decatur, and South of Montgomery, the highway is referred to as Bee-Line Highway.
Historical Note: In the 1930s, U.S. 31 continued at Saint Ignace across the Straits of Mackinac, and junctioned with U.S. 2 (Mackinac Trail and what later became M-123).
See also
Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
