Interstate 496

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Interstate Highway in Eaton and Ingham counties in Michigan, United States

title: "Interstate 496" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["interstate-highways-in-michigan", "auxiliary-interstate-highways", "interstate-96", "transportation-in-eaton-county,-michigan", "transportation-in-ingham-county,-michigan"] description: "Interstate Highway in Eaton and Ingham counties in Michigan, United States" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_496" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Interstate Highway in Eaton and Ingham counties in Michigan, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox road"]

Field	Value
state	MI
type	I
route	496
alternate_name	R.E. Olds Freeway
map
map_custom	yes
map_notes	Lansing area with I-496 highlighted in red
map_alt	I-496 connects downtown Lansing with the I-96 and US 127 freeways
spur_type	I
spur_of	96
established	December 1963
history	Completed on December 18, 1970
length_mi	11.907
length_ref
direction_a	West
terminus_a	in Delta Township
*{{jct	state
*{{Jct	state
direction_b	East
terminus_b	in Delhi Township
counties	Eaton, Ingham
previous_type	I
previous_route	475
next_type	Capitol Loop
next_route	496
::

in Lansing
near East Lansing |direction_b=East |terminus_b= in Delhi Township |counties=Eaton, Ingham |previous_type=I |previous_route=475 |next_type=Capitol Loop |next_route=496 Interstate 496 (I-496) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that passes through downtown Lansing in the US state of Michigan. Also a component of the State Trunkline Highway System, the freeway connects I-96 to the downtown area. It has been named the R.E. Olds Freeway (sometimes just Olds Freeway) for Ransom E. Olds, the founder of Oldsmobile and the REO Motor Car Company. I-496 runs east–west from I-96/I-69 near the downtown area and north–south along a section that runs concurrently with US Highway 127 (US 127). The trunkline also passes a former assembly plant used by Oldsmobile and runs along or crosses parts of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers.

Construction of I-496 started in 1963, and the freeway opened on December 18, 1970. Segments of the freeway south of downtown Lansing were built in the location of a historically black neighborhood. In the opinion of some, this neighborhood was formed based on the segregationist practices of the early 20th century. Community leaders worked for different housing opportunities for the black residents displaced by I-496 rather than fight the freeway. As the trunkline neared completion, competing proposals to name it resulted in two similar, but separate designations applied to I-496. The city originally approved one name in honor of a former mayor. The local historical society proposed that the state name it as a memorial to Olds after the demolition of the Olds Mansion. The city renamed it the Oldsmobile Expressway, the name under which it opened in December 1970. Two years later, the Michigan Legislature restored its preferred name and it has been the Olds Freeway since.

Route description

I-496 starts at an interchange with I-96/I-69 at that freeway's exit 95 in Delta Township in Eaton County. The freeway runs eastward through suburban areas of the township adjacent to some residential subdivisions. Continuing eastward, there is an interchange for Creyts Road before I-496 angles to the northeast. At the interchange with Waverly Road, I-496 crosses into Ingham County. The freeway then runs parallel to the Grand River. Near a partial interchange with Lansing Road (old US 27

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/I-496_at_MLK_Boulevard.jpg" caption="Looking east from the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard overpass" alt="Photograph of"] ::

Continuing eastward, I-496 passes north of the assembly plant complex and south of the central business district. East of a partial interchange with Walnut Street, the freeway passes the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, which is located on I-496's southern service drive. The south side of the freeway is adjacent to Cooley Gardens near the confluence of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers. I-496 crosses the Grand River downstream from the confluence and meets the interchange to Business Loop I-96 (BL I-96, Cedar and Larch streets) and Pennsylvania Avenue. St. Joseph Street ends after the connection to Pennsylvania Avenue. I-496 runs parallel to the north side of the rail line while Malcolm X Street follows to the south as far as the Clemens Avenue overpass. The freeway then crosses into East Lansing near the Red Cedar Natural Area.

After crossing the city line, I-496 turns southward and merges with US 127. The two highways run concurrently,

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/I-496_US_127_SB.jpg" caption="Southbound I-496/US 127 in East Lansing" alt="Photograph of"] ::

Like other state highways in Michigan, I-496 is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). In 2011, the department's traffic surveys showed that on average, 61,082 vehicles used the freeway between BL I-96 and the Trowbridge Road interchange south of US 127, the highest traffic count along I-496. West of Creyts Road, 17,600 vehicles did so each day, which was the lowest count along the trunkline. As an Interstate Highway, all of I-496 is listed on the National Highway System, a network of roads deemed important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Lansing,_Michigan_1955_Yellow_Book.jpg" caption="1955 planning map for Lansing's Interstates" alt="Black and white map"] ::

An east–west freeway was originally planned as an Interstate Highway allowing traffic to access downtown Lansing in the 1955 General Location of National System of Interstate Highways (Yellow Book), an early proposal for what would become the Interstate Highway System. As originally proposed by the Michigan State Highway Department in 1958, the freeway was to be called I-296. The department was waiting on approval of a final numbering scheme the next year, before the first Interstates were signed in the state in 1959. By the time construction started on the Lansing freeway, it was numbered I-496.

The section near downtown was to be built through a historically African-American neighborhood. The neighborhood was formed through "unwritten rules of segregation" as real estate agents and mortgage brokers guided black residents to the area when they were looking to buy homes. In total, the construction of the freeway required the demolition or removal of nearly 600 homes, 60 businesses, and 15 farms.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/America's_Highways_1776–1976_-_page_403.jpg" caption="Snow Road bridge over I-496 in the 1970s"] ::

The first section of I-496 was opened in December 1963, and ran from I-96 northerly to M-43/M-78 (Saginaw and Kalamazoo streets) between Lansing and East Lansing. The freeway, comprising the southern two-thirds, was designated I-496/M-78/BL I-96 while the northern portion was on city streets as M-78/BL I-96. Some 50 men completed the work by year's end; they went entirely without vacation time to accomplish the feat. The freeway segment north of the Trowbridge Road interchange continuing northward as part of US 127 was opened in 1969. Another section opened at the same time was the western section from I-96 to Lansing Road (then US 27) in 1969. The remaining section between M-99 (then Logan Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) and I-496/US 127 opened on December 18, 1970, completing construction.

The freeway underwent a $42.4 million reconstruction (equivalent to $ in ) between April and November 2001 which included the rehabilitation or reconstruction of 35 bridges, 8.5 mi of freeway, and the addition of a weave-merge lane between Pennsylvania Avenue and US 127. Speed limits were raised along I-496 from 55 to in 2007 to reflect the speeds motorists were driving during studies conducted by MDOT and the Michigan State Police.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Olds_Mansion_Exterior,_East_Front.png" caption="Olds Mansion" alt="Black and white photograph"] ::

The name applied to the freeway was not without controversy. The Lansing City Council named it in September 1966 after Ralph W. Crego, a former city council member and the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. The Historical Society of Greater Lansing wanted it named the "R.E. Olds Expressway", in part because the new road brought about the demolition of the Olds Mansion, and to "recogniz[e] the contributions of R.E. Olds to the industries of the city." The society approached the Michigan Legislature, which introduced House Resolution 48 in February 1970 using the historical society's preferred name. The city council realized that they had been bypassed and conveniently discovered that their original resolution was not "formally adopted". They named a park for Crego instead in October 1970 and adopted a resolution to name I-496 the "Oldsmobile Expressway". The Legislature approved its resolution resulting in two names, one for the founder of the car company, and one for the company itself. The council member who introduced the city's resolution criticized the Legislature for taking action without consultation. The state resolution was intercepted before it could be sent to the Michigan Department of State Highways, and the freeway opened on December 18, 1970, with the "Oldsmobile Expressway" name. On August 21, 1972, during the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Oldsmobile, Senate Concurrent Resolution 345 renamed I-496 the "R.E. Olds Freeway".

Future

The portion of I-496 shared with US 127 is being renovated throughout 2024 and 2025 as a part of the US 127 Corridor Project. The work will widen the highway to three lanes in each direction, reconfigure interchanges, improve bridges, and upgrade lighting conditions, among other changes. As of December 2024, construction on the northbound stretch of I-496/US 127 is complete outside of the Trowbridge Road interchange, and improvements to the southbound stretch are slated to begin in early 2025.

In January 2025, the city of Lansing was awarded a $1 million federal grant to develop a plan to cap portions of I-496. According to city officials, the current plan is to cap the portion of I-496 between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Walnut Street. The grant does not cover construction costs.

Exit list

|notes=Exit 106 on I-96; exit 73 on US 127; freeway continues south as US 127

Related trunkline

Main article: Capitol Loop

|state= MI |type= Capitol Loop |length_mi= 2.381 |length_ref= |location=Lansing |formed= October 13, 1989 |decommissioned=March 26, 2024 The Capitol Loop was a state trunkline highway running through Lansing that was commissioned on October 13, 1989. The highway followed a series of one-way and two-way streets through downtown Lansing, directing traffic downtown to the State Capitol and other government buildings. Unlike the other streets downtown, the seven streets composing the Capitol Loop were under state maintenance and jurisdiction.

The loop was originally proposed in 1986 as part of a downtown revitalization effort. Almost from the beginning before the highway was commissioned in 1989, it was affected by controversial proposals. The first was related to suggestions by community leaders to rename city streets in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Lansing City Council threatened to cancel the project in response to the controversy. In 2010, additional controversies surfaced regarding the posting and enforcement of speed limits on city streets in Michigan, including the streets that make up the Capitol Loop.

The length of the Capitol Loop that ran independent of BL I-96 was transferred to the City of Lansing on March 26, 2024. including plans to convert Ottawa and Allegan streets during 2024. With the transfer, the Capitol Loop designation was removed from the state highway system.

References

Wieland, Barbara. (May 1, 2005). "An Era Ends as GM Plant Closes". Lansing State Journal.
Michigan Department of Transportation. (January 2011). "Michigan's Railroad System". Michigan Department of Transportation.
"Overview Map of I-496".
Bureau of Transportation Planning. (2008). "Traffic Monitoring Information System". Michigan Department of Transportation.
Michigan Department of Transportation. (April 23, 2006). "National Highway System, Michigan". Michigan Department of Transportation.
(June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". [[Federal Highway Administration]].
Bureau of Public Roads. (1955). "General Location of National System of Interstate Highways Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas Designated in September 1955". [[Government Printing Office]].
Michigan State Highway Department. (April 25, 1958). "Recommended Interstate Route Numbering for Michigan". Michigan State Highway Department.
(June 4, 1959). "Michigan Delays Road Number System". [[Toledo Blade]].
(October 13, 1959). "New Signs Mark Interstate 75". [[Escanaba Daily Press]].
(July 20, 1962). "Release Bids for Freeway to Holland". [[Holland Sentinel.
Miller, Matthew. (February 22, 2009). "Looking Back: I-496 Construction, A Complicated Legacy". [[Lansing State Journal]].
Ingells, Norris. (February 14, 1965). "City's East–West Traffic Speeded". Lansing State Journal.
(December 21, 1963). "New Highway Opened". [[Ironwood Daily Globe]].
{{cite MDOT map. (1963)
{{cite MDOT map. (1964)
(1966)
{{cite MDOT map. (1967)
{{cite MDOT map. (1969)
{{cite MDOT map. (1970)
Rook, Christine. (July 23, 2006). "Paving the Way: Interstate Roads Have Shaped the Future for Many Mid-Michigan Communities". [[Lansing State Journal]].
Barnett, LeRoy. (2004). "A Drive Down Memory Lane: The Named State and Federal Highways of Michigan". Priscilla Press.
Gantert, Tom. (April 4, 2001). "I-496 Shutdown Goes Smoothly". Lansing State Journal.
Hugh, Leach. (November 5, 2001). "Most Area Road Work Complete". Lansing State Journal.
Wallbank, Derek. (April 3, 2007). "Drivers on I-496 Get the Green Light to Go 70: Stretch of US 127 in Frandor Area Seed Higher Speed Limits as Well". Lansing State Journal.
O'Hearn, Patricia. (n.d.). "Michigan Time Traveler". Lansing Newspapers in Education, Michigan Historical Center.
Palmer, Ken. (March 10, 2024). "US 127 Construction Starts Monday Between I-496 and I-96: Here's What You Need to Know". Lansing State Journal.
Palmer, Ken. (November 27, 2024). "MDOT Reopens NB US 127 Between Interstates 96 and 496". Lansing State Journal.
Ellis, Mike. (January 15, 2025). "I-496 Destroyed a Black Neighborhood in the 1960s. Now, Lansing Looks to Honor Those Residents".
Wheaton, Zachariah. (January 20, 2025). "I-496 Cap Closer to Reality Following Federal Grant". WILX-TV.
{{cite MDOT PRFA
Michigan Department of Transportation. (August 29, 2007). "Right-of-Way File Application". Michigan Department of Transportation.
(March 26, 2024). ""Memorandum of Understanding Between Michigan Department of Transportation and City of Lansing"". Michigan Department of Transportation.
Michigan Department of Information Technology. (May 1, 2008). "Appendix C: State Trunkline Connector Routes". Michigan Department of Information Technology.
"Overview Map of the Capitol Loop".
Brown, David M.. (2010). "Michigan County Atlas: Back Roads & Forgotten Places". Universal Map.
{{cite MDOT map. (2008T)
Andrews, Chris. (May 22, 2003). "Work Set for Capitol Loop". Lansing State Journal.
Murphy, Shannon. (November 4, 2003). "City to Seek Options for Capitol-Area Road Work". Lansing State Journal.
Kolp, Stephanie. (June 2, 2010). "Some Speeding Tickets Being Waived". [[WLNS-TV]].
Ellis, Mike. (April 23, 2024). "Lansing Halts MLK Jr. Blvd. Remake Near Downtown Due to Protests, Criticism". Lansing State Journal.
Thakkar, Arjun. (February 29, 2024). "Michigan Avenue, MLK Redesigns on Lansing's 2024 Construction Agenda". [[w:WKAR-FM.

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